Galapagos Islands private group conservation holiday
| country: | Galapagos Islands |
| price: | From £2750 (12 days) including flights from the UK. Price depends on bespoke options such as destinations, durations, touring and board. This trip can be booked without flights. Minimum of 10 people required for this trip. |
the amazing things you'll be doing
A unique opportunity for bespoke groups to help preserve and actually work alongside the National Park Rangers plus see the highlights and some of the more rarely visited islands of the spectacular Galapagos on this bespoke group trip for 10+.
You may like to take in the sight of the iconic Pinnacle Rock and Bartholew island (as appearing in Master & Commander!), visit the Charles Darwin Research Centre, climb a volcano and support the conservation efforts of the first inhabited island, Floreana, and its small community as you experience first-hand the fragility of the remote island life.
Below is a suggested itinerary, though all itinerary destinations and durations can be tailored to fit your particular group and its aims, whether more challenging for charity fund raising or corporate csr trip, or even as a volunteer holiday for a bespoke group. You may like to also climb and camp on the side of an active volcano on Isabela island for example!
Quito, Ecuador: Flying from London, we stop over for a day’s sightseeing in Quito, Ecuador’s beautiful colonial capital, before heading out across the Pacific to our first base on Floreana Island.
Floreana Island: Here we spend the days working alongside the scientists, ecologists and national park rangers, preserving this fragile eco-system for future generations – and the evenings mixing with the local small community if you wish and experiencing remote island life.
Santa Cruz Island: Is in the centre of the Galapagos archipelago and home to the Charles Darwin Research Station, a ‘must’ for visitors. Take this opportunity to see more of the amazingly varied habitats and indigenous species of these unique islands - the giant tortoise, the marine and land iguana, sea lions, marine turtles, Galapagos penguins, frigate birds, albatross, and various types of booby.
A once in a lifetime opportunity to get up close and personal with animals which have fascinated naturalists and ecologists since their discovery 200 years ago – and which sparked Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Bartholomew Island: Take the opportunity to snorkel amongst the penguins and sea lions!
Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, Ecuador: Our visit to Ecuador needn’t end at the Galapagos! On returning to the mainland, you could travel north of Quito to trek through the beautiful Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, home to hundreds of species of birds, plants and animals. Watch hummingbirds hover over the honey feeders and you might even spot a toucan! An exhilarating day and a wonderful way to end an amazing trip.
You may like to take in the sight of the iconic Pinnacle Rock and Bartholew island (as appearing in Master & Commander!), visit the Charles Darwin Research Centre, climb a volcano and support the conservation efforts of the first inhabited island, Floreana, and its small community as you experience first-hand the fragility of the remote island life.
Below is a suggested itinerary, though all itinerary destinations and durations can be tailored to fit your particular group and its aims, whether more challenging for charity fund raising or corporate csr trip, or even as a volunteer holiday for a bespoke group. You may like to also climb and camp on the side of an active volcano on Isabela island for example!
Quito, Ecuador: Flying from London, we stop over for a day’s sightseeing in Quito, Ecuador’s beautiful colonial capital, before heading out across the Pacific to our first base on Floreana Island.
Floreana Island: Here we spend the days working alongside the scientists, ecologists and national park rangers, preserving this fragile eco-system for future generations – and the evenings mixing with the local small community if you wish and experiencing remote island life.
Santa Cruz Island: Is in the centre of the Galapagos archipelago and home to the Charles Darwin Research Station, a ‘must’ for visitors. Take this opportunity to see more of the amazingly varied habitats and indigenous species of these unique islands - the giant tortoise, the marine and land iguana, sea lions, marine turtles, Galapagos penguins, frigate birds, albatross, and various types of booby.
A once in a lifetime opportunity to get up close and personal with animals which have fascinated naturalists and ecologists since their discovery 200 years ago – and which sparked Darwin’s theory of evolution. Bartholomew Island: Take the opportunity to snorkel amongst the penguins and sea lions!
Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, Ecuador: Our visit to Ecuador needn’t end at the Galapagos! On returning to the mainland, you could travel north of Quito to trek through the beautiful Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, home to hundreds of species of birds, plants and animals. Watch hummingbirds hover over the honey feeders and you might even spot a toucan! An exhilarating day and a wonderful way to end an amazing trip.
project details:
Help to counteract the spread of non-indigenous plant species and clean the coastline, removing the detritus which gets washed up on the shoreline on a daily basis, which not only looks unsightly, but pollutes, takes thousands of years to bio-degrade and causes hazards to the animal species which inhabit the shores. You could also spend time assisting in the local school, helping with the children and refurbishment of the buildings. day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | London - Quito. Fly from London to Quito and transfer to your central hotel. |
| Day 2: | Quito. A full day seeing the sights of Quito. |
| Day 3: | Transfer to Floreana. Fly to Baltra and transfer by boat to Floreana. |
| Day 4-5: | Floreana Island. Assist the local rangers to remove the invasive plant species which threaten the fragile ecosystem. |
| Day 6: | Floreana Island. Spend a day meeting local children and assisting in a local school. |
| Day 7: | Floreana Island. A day spent helping to clean the beaches from pollutants which have washed ashore. |
| Day 8: | Santa Cruz Island. Transfer to Santa Cruz Island and the Charles Darwin Research Station. |
| Day 9: | Bartholomew Island. A day of trekking and snorkelling around Bartholomew Island to see the native fauna and where you can see volcanic formations including lava bombs and cinder cones, including the eroded tuff cone of Pinnacle Rock. |
| Day 10: | Transfer. Return to Baltra and fly back to Quito |
| Day 11: | Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve. Trek through the stunning Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve and enjoy a farewell dinner. |
| Day 12: | Quito - London. Return flight to the UK. |
a taste of volunteering trip - what's it all about?
This type of trip is ideal for people who are unable to take very long periods off work but who are interested in volunteering to work with communities in need, or in wildlife conservation. These shorter trips combine volunteering with an opportunity to see the main sights in destinations. Find out more about 'taste of volunteering'how this holiday makes a difference
 This tour offers you opportunities which few other holidays do. Instead of just ‘seeing’ the Galapagos Islands as a mere tourist, a spectator of sceneries and unusual wildlife, this tour will provide you with the chance of actually getting involved with projects (such as beach clearing and habitat restoration) which will benefit the environment of this stunning – but threatened – group of islands. Furthermore, all the hotels we use on the islands are vetted to ensure they come up to our rigorous environmental sustainability standards (such as ensuring they have water conservation and recycling policies, and that they source as many products as possible locally), that the hotel workers benefit from ‘staff friendly’ employment practices,(such as the right to belong to trades union), and earn a fair wage for a fair days work. Therefore we can guarantee that the money you spend in these hotels directly benefits local people. So, as well as seeing the amazing variety of wildlife and scenery for which the Galapagos Islands are renowned, we offer you the opportunity to make a lasting - but positive impact on the environment. Three days will be spent working alongside the local rangers to clear the land of non-indigenous and invasive plant species which threaten the indigenous flora.  A further day is also dedicated to helping clear the beaches of the pollution which is regularly washed ashore, and is a danger to the native fauna. What better way to experience one of the world’s greatest natural treasures, and to leave a tangible positive imprint, returning home with the satisfaction which comes from knowing you have done something positive to preserve the wonderful environment of the Galapagos, as well as the experience of seeing the islands themselves! So, why not do something different – make a difference! |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |