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Ecuador, gateway to the Galapagos.

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Galapagos + Ecuador

written by: Bridgit Fried 31 May 2019

Bridgit and Heather travelled to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands in South America just before Covid. They discovered a small country rich in culture, epic wildlife and natural beauty.

Ecuador

We flew into Guayaquil, the most important seaport and largest commercial city in Ecuador.
Explored the city by day and stayed at a beautiful historic hacienda just outside the city, Hacienda Danesa.

Steeped in history, this beautiful property has been run by the Olsen family for over 50 years and is a working cacao plantation and dairy farm. Highlights were making our own chocolate from the plantation’s cacao beans and galloping horses across the beautiful countryside. We enjoyed a lovely farm to table dinner and a great night’s sleep in the beautifully appointed rooms. It was then time to catch a flight to the Galápagos Islands for an 8 day expedition cruise on the M/V Evolution, a 32 person luxury ship.

Galapagos Islands

Arriving on the volcanic archipelago known as the Galápagos Islands, we set off to retrace Darwin’s footsteps. We visited seven of the beautiful Galapagos islands and were treated to a daily showcase of unique wildlife, long sandy beaches, warm turquoise waters and magical sunsets.

Each day we set off in small pangas with local naturalists on a different adventure. Each day we saw a variety of flora and fauna – and  experienced a combination of hiking, snorkeling and kayaking.

Journey highlights include: swimming and kayaking with curious and playful sea lions, spotting a rare Galápagos penguin speeding by underwater, hammerhead sharks, mating rays, giant turtles, iguanas, and lava lizards. And birds, so many birds!

We also saw flamingos, blue, red and Nazca boobies, golden owls, Darwin finches and frigates whose incredible puffed up red pouch attracts a mate. It’s incredible to be so close to creatures so unique to this part of the world. They are so protected and have no real fear of or concern for the people observing them!

Cruising is one of the best way to see a large variety of islands. If boating isn’t an option, it is also possible to stay in Puerto Ayora on the large island of Santa Cruz and make day trips. We experienced this staying at Galapagos Safari Camp, high in the hills.

With giant tortoises walking by and a killer view, this was a beautiful and restful stay before continuing on to Quito and a few days in the majestic Andes.

The Andes

Quito is a classic colonial city and is a UNESCO World Heritage cultural site. It is rich in history and easy to see the beautiful sites on a walking tour. Two hours north of Quito in to highlands we experienced the amazing Andes scenery, including the famous Otavalo market. We stayed at beautiful and historic Hacienda Zuleta. This is a 4,000 acre working farm that belongs to the family of the former president of Ecuador, Galo Plaza and set amidst stunning scenery. Part of the experience and a highlight was visiting the Condor Husain’s Project on the property. This project seeks to protect and reintroduce the endemic and endangered Andean Condor to its natural environment. We were also fortunate to taste the freshest local cheese made in the cheese factory on site.

It is definitely worth looking at having a “land” content addition to any Galapagos adventure. There is so much history and culture to enjoy in beautiful Ecuador.

History, Nature, Marine wonders, Rainforest, with style and Grace for 13 memorable nights.

From the magnificent architecture and beauty of Quito, to the pristine rainforests of the Mashpi biodiversity reserve, rounded out with 7 glorious nights aboard the luxury of M/Y Grace sailing through the Galapagos Islands. Bird and animal encounters that are unsurpassed.

Ecuador+Galapagos
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A photo taken in Africa feels like it’s for someone else. I don’t need to remind myself of any part of Africa because, in Africa, I was inescapably present. If you’d hypnotised me, I couldn’t have done a better job of blocking out the rest of world. What else would I think of while watching a pair of cheetahs push themselves to keep eating despite their burgeoning bellies; or a lion physically challenged to pull its kill to safety from circling hyenas and vultures; or a young baboon endlessly distracted while their troop moves on with steady pace and determination. The pictures that I took to memorialize these moments may be interesting to friends and family but are simply too one dimensional for me. In my mind these moments are enriched with the smell of dirt and grass, the smell of fresh blood and old/dried blood, the smell of the sun and heat radiating off every living thing during the day and that smell being slowly put to rest at night. I see the changing colours of the high grass in the winds and the crescendo of a sunset from yellow to orange to bright red with clouds of pink and purple. I hear the birds and crickets playing a calming soundtrack to a day filled with extreme exhibitions of both life and death. I feel a profound connection to a zebra with a broken ankle and another zebra that won’t leave its side; to a couple of gorillas that agree rolling down the grassy hill would be preferable to walking down; and to a lioness who only wants a moment to get a drink for herself and is tackled repeatedly at the hole by two of her cubs. Everything that is beautiful about life is in Africa absent the numbing competition of traffic, work, tv, social media, and the rest. Samadhi refers to “a state of profound concentration and absorption, often described as the merging of the self, mind, and object of meditation into one, leading to a state of bliss or enlightenment.” For me, this has only ever been achieved in Africa. Thank you to your entire team for the great gift that you shared with us. I cannot imagine a more perfect experience.
Christie family – East Africa
Leonardo Abedum de Lima Hanzawa
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