Itinerary

Day 1. Arrive San José
Tour begins: Real InterContinental Costa Rica at 6:00 PM. Welcome to Costa Rica, home to beautiful cloud forests, lush rainforests, and tropical jungles. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel, surrounded by tropical gardens within a fashionable San José suburb. Join us this evening for a welcome reception and dinner. Meals D

Day 2. Monteverde Cloud Forest
Travel to Monteverde today. Discover the unique ecology of the region with an expert naturalist, as you walk across suspension bridges crisscrossing the forested canyons of the tree canopies, rich with birdlife and wildlife. Stay in a jungle lodge in the middle of the cloud forest, much cooler than the hot, humid lowland forests, and home to colorful toucans, agouti, and monkeys. Meals BLD

Day 3. Monteverde Butterfly Garden
Learn all about butterflies from the unique, sound-producing Calico to the beautiful Blue Morpho at the Monteverde Butterfly Garden, dedicated to educating visitors about the vast array of butterflies and insects native to Costa Rica. Situated between the town of Santa Elena and the Monteverde Reserve, and home to more than 50 native butterfly species, the garden features a biodiversity center, a medicinal plant garden, and four climate-controlled butterfly gardens, each representing a different Costa Rican habitat. Meet naturalists who provide you with detailed information on the complex life cycles of these beautiful insects. Meals BLD

Day 4. Arenal Volcano / Hot Springs
A drive past some of Costa Rica’s abundant coffee plantations and cattle farms takes you to Arenal National Park, a 30,000-acre park that preserves eight out of Costa Rica’s 12 biological zones and is home to Arenal Volcano. One of the world’s most active volcanoes, cone-shaped Arenal has been continuously erupting since waking from a long slumber in 1968. Plumes of smoke – and sometimes flowing lava – can be seen spewing from its top. Take a short cruise across majestic Lake Arenal today, and enjoy a therapeutic soak in private volcanically-heated hot springs before continuing on to your rainforest resort for a two-night stay. Meals BLD

Day 5. Penas Blancas River Float Trip
Head into the jungle today for a gentle float trip down the scenic, wildlife-rich Penas Blancas River; your bilingual guide will help you spot giant iguanas, sloths, crocodiles, monkeys, and other wildlife on the shore. Stop along the way to visit the home of a local farmer and his extended family. Return to your resort, nestled along the banks of the San Carlos River in the heart of Costa Rica’s most noted ecosystem, for an afternoon spent as you please. Tilajari Resort offers a wide variety of adventures celebrating its array of natural treasures, as well as activities such as tennis and horseback riding, and botanical and butterfly gardens to explore. Meals BLD

Day 6. E.A.R.T.H. / Journey to Tortuguero
Depart for the Caribbean coastline of Costa Rica; visit E.A.R.T.H., a private agricultural university specializing in the tropics, where you’ll learn about the educational programs designed to seek a balance between agricultural production and environmental protection. After enjoying lunch at E.A.R.T.H., depart Costa Rica’s dense interior rainforests and continue on to Tortuguero on the Caribbean coast. A cruise through jungle-lined canals brings you to your riverfront lodge within Tortuguero National Park, which in the summer is one of the world’s largest and most important nesting sites for green sea turtles. Accessible only by boat, Tortuga Lodge is surrounded by landscaped grounds and orchid-filled gardens; keep an eye out for turtles, caimans, otters and crocodiles in the river, or sloths, spider monkeys and toucans in the trees. Gardens of blooming flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds by day, and by night the songs of howler monkeys are heard. Meals BLD

Day 7. Tortuguero National Park
One of the most varied of Costa Rica’s national parks, Tortuguero has 11 ecological habitats ranging from high rainforest to herbaceous marshes. Spend the day exploring the park on private morning and afternoon cruises through the region’s waterways accompanied by a naturalist guide, who shares insights of the diverse sights you may see in the water and along the shore. Visit the town of Tortuguero for a glimpse of daily life and learn more about the region’s endangered sea turtles at the Caribbean Conservation Learning Center. Join us tonight for a farewell dinner. Meals BLD

Day 8. Journey Home
Fly to San José this morning on a private charter flight. Tour ends: San José Santa Maria Int’l Airport at 10:00 AM. Allow a minimum of 21/2 hours for flight check-in. Note: Some flight schedules may require additional nights in San José; hotel accommodations and airport transfers can be arranged – ask at time of booking. Meals B

Dates & Prices

8 Days from $2,365 plus airfare
(7 Breakfasts, 5 Lunches & 7 Dinners)

Price Per Person:

February – August
Land Price + On-Tour Air (1 flight) = Total per person
Double $2470 + $125 = $2595
Single $2806 + $125 = $2931
Triple $2365 + $125 = $2490

December
Land Price + On-Tour Air (1 flight) = Total per person
Double $2670 + $125 = $2795
Single $3034 + $125 = $3159
Triple $2537 + $125 = $2662

Children 11 and under Discount $200
Children under 18 must be booked in a room with at least one adult. Quadruple accommodations are not available.
 

“Sky Walk” in a Cloud Forest
Explore the forested canopy of the Monteverde Cloud Forest when you take a rigorous walk among the treetops along a sky walk on hanging suspension bridges!

Jungle Float Trip
Look for giant iguanas, sloths, crocodiles, monkeys and parrots on a float trip down the Penas Blancas River in the heart of a tropical rainforest.

Soak in Private Hot Springs
The volcanic activity of Arenal Volcano has produced some of the world’s most therapeutic hot springs – enjoy an opportunity to soak in the hot medicinal waters.

Butterfly Garden
Learn all about butterflies from the unique, sound-producing Calico to the beautiful Blue Morpho at the Monteverde Butterfly Garden, dedicated to educating visitors about the vast array of butterflies and insects native to Costa Rica

Visit E.A.R.T.H., a private agricultural university specializing in the tropics, where you’ll learn about the educational programs designed to seek a balance between agricultural production and environmental protection.

Tortuguero National Park
Spend the day exploring the park on private morning and afternoon cruises through the region’s waterways accompanied by a naturalist guide, who shares insights of the diverse sights you may see in the water and along the shore.Visit the town of Tortuguero for a glimpse of daily life and learn more about the region’s endangered sea turtles at the Caribbean Conservation Learning Center.
 

Itinerary

1. Arrive Guayaquil, Ecuador
Tour begins: Hilton Colon Guayaquil. A transfer is included from Guayaquil International Airport to Hilton Colon Guayaquil; most flights from the U.S. arrive late at night. Meet your fellow explorers in the morning!

2. Learn about the life in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Learn about the history and wildlife of Ecuador today during a visit to Guayaquil’s colorful Historical Park, an eight-acre natural mangrove habitat surrounded by swamps, forests, and indigenous trees. The park is divided into three zones representing the different lifestyles you will find here. The Wildlife Zone is home to natural plant life and animals, including tapir, caiman, deer, and sloths. The Urban Architectural Zone introduces you to modern-day Ecuador and the Traditions Zone gives you a glimpse of life in rural coastal areas of this tiny country, where people still live in bamboo homes. The remainder of the day is free for you and your family to enjoy as you wish. Meals BLD

3. Cruise to islands time forgot
The excitement mounts as you board a plane today for a short flight to Baltra Island, the starting point for your Galápagos Island expedition and embarkation site for your expedition ship, M / V Santa Cruz. Settle into your cabin and get your sea legs ready for one of the most amazing wildlife cruises in the world. Your first stop is Santa Cruz Island, located in the middle of the archipelago. This “indefatigable” island has eight different species of Darwin’s Finches, the tiny little birds that have become the symbol of evolution in the Galápagos. Put on your hiking shoes for a guided a walk around a brackish water lagoon; look for pintail ducks, stilts, and sandpipers. Meals BLD

4. Meet tropical penguins and walk on lava
Even though Bartolomé Island is pretty small, it’s big on amazing sights and teems with marine animals. We’ll take you on a hike up to the summit of the island for great views of the neighboring islands and volcanic features like lava tubes and tuff cones. Then we’ll take a closer look at one of the island’s best places to see tropical Galápagos penguins, sea lions, and sea turtles when we climb aboard a panga for a ride around Pinnacle Rock. You’ll have a chance to meet these animals face-to-face from a glass-bottom boat or a snorkeling adventure. All of the islands were created from volcanoes – join our expert naturalists on a wet landing for a walk atop the black lava shores of San Salvador (Santiago or James) Island, learning more about how these islands were formed more than a million years ago. Meals BLD

5. Meet the famous Galápagos tortoise
Every day is a different adventure here in the Galápagos, including how you land on the islands. Today, prepare to get wet when we wade ashore on the red beach of Rabida (Jervis) Island, where you may be welcomed by a colony of noisy sea lions. This island is studded with volcanic craters that mockingbirds and Darwin’s finches call home. Your cruise continues to the other side of Santa Cruz Island for a dry landing and a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station. Meet the giant tortoises that have made the Galápagos famous around the world and say hello to Lonesome George, thought to be the last survivor of his kind. Enjoy an ECO (Explore, Conserve, Observe) Moment aboard ship tonight with our on-board naturalists, a great way to share the many exciting discoveries you made today and to find out what’s ahead for you to experience tomorrow. Meals BLD

6. Walk among blue-footed boobies and iguanas
Yesterday you had a chance to see the giant tortoises that live under the care of the Charles Darwin Research Center; today you will have the unique opportunity to look for them in their natural habitat in the lush highlands of Santa Cruz Island. Sharing the spotlight with the tortoises is the eye-catching Vermillion Flycatcher, an exceptionally bold and curious bird that often approaches humans very closely without being frightened. You’ll also visit the volcanic island of North Seymour today, one of the few uplifted islands in the Galápagos Archipelago – the surface you’ll walk on used to be on the bottom of the sea! Look for colonies of blue-footed boobies and frigate birds, as well as playful sea lions and red-green-black marine iguanas; watch where you step as these animals are used to sleeping anywhere they like. Meals BLD

7. Disembark ship in San Cristóbal and fly to Guayaquil
It’s back to civilization this morning as you disembark your floating hotel on San Cristóbal (Chatham) Island for a flight back to the mainland. Settle into your hotel in Guayaquil and join us for more vacation fun at our farewell party this evening. Meals BD

8. Homeward bound
Tour ends: Guayaquil. A transfer is included from Hilton Colon Guayaquil to Guayaquil International Airport; you should allow a minimum of 2 1⁄2 hours for check-in. Meals B
 

Dates & Prices

8 Days from $3335 plus airfare
(7 Breakfasts, 5 Lunches & 6 Dinners)

*Land / Cruise Price + On-Tour Air (2 flights) = TOTAL PER PERSON

Main Deck Standard
Double $3595 + $315 = $3910
Triple $3375 + $315 = $3690
Quad $3335 + $315 = $3650
Single $5365 + $315 = $5680

Upper Deck Standard
Double $3715 + $315 = $4030
Triple N/A
Single $5555 + $315 = $5870

Boat Deck Standard
Double $3935 + $315 = $4250
Triple $3525 + $315 = $3840
Single $5905 + $315 = $6220

Boat Deck Junior Suite
Double $4295 + $315 = $4610
Triple $3680 + $315 = $3995
Single $6475 + $315 = $6790

Boat Deck Master Suite
Double $4735 + $315 = $5050
Triple $3875 + $315 = $4190
Single $7185 + $315 = $7500

Add $175 per person for special March 15 school-break departure date; child discount is $250.

International Airfare is additional. Call Tauck for special rates on international air for travel originating in the U.S (subject to availability). Departure tax is additional.

Children 11 and under Discount $350. Children under 18 must be booked in a room with at least one adult. Triple and Quadruple accommodations are not available for more than two adults, age 18 or older, sharing a room. 8 Days from $3335 plus airfare
(7 Breakfasts, 5 Lunches & 6 Dinners)

Please ask when booking about additional hotel nights before your tour begins and about our Cruise Protection Plan.

Recommended age: 8+

Note: Triples and Quadruples in the hotel are usually a two-bedded room plus one rollaway cot, when available. Triple and Quadruple cabins aboard ship include upper and lower berths and are limited to two persons age 18 or older sharing a room with one or two persons under age 18. We may not visit each of the islands in the order here, but typically visit two different sites per day. Cruise itineraries are approved by the Galápagos National Park Service 30 to 60 days before departure and are subject to change. Inquire upon booking.

Ask about our 11-Day December Holiday Cruise priced from $5275 per person. Enjoy 7 nights aboard M / V Santa Cruz with more time to explore the Galápagos! Call us for pricing information and full itinerary. 2008 Departures: December 20 and 27
 
 

• 4 nights aboard M / V Santa Cruz, the only ship built exclusively for Galápagos Islands cruising; see deck plans and ship specifications at www.tauckbridges.com
• Licensed Naturalist Guides of Galápagos National Park accompany shore excursions and lead ECO Moments (Explore, Conserve, Observe) on the ship, focusing on geology, evolution and oceanography
• Entrance fee to Galápagos National Park – $100 Value!
• Visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn about marine and terrestrial conservation in the islands
• On-tour air included
• Private Tauck Shore Excursions, averaging two daily
• All gratuities to Tauck Directors and ship staff included

Cruise Aboard the M/V Santa Cruz
The 46-cabin M/V Santa Cruz is the only ship built exclusively for Galápagos Islands cruising and has gained outstanding recognition for its excellent standards. The entire ship is air conditioned, and was recently renovated. Staterooms vary by deck and size, but all have similar standards for amenities, comfort and style. The ship provides ample public spaces, including a sun deck with a bar and Jacuzzi, along with an observation platform for dolphin and whale watching. Meals feature international cuisine and Ecuadorian dishes; there is a lounge, bar and library/reading room. A team of Galápagos naturalists are on-board the M/V Santa Cruz; they share their knowledge throughout the cruise, give presentations, and accompany landings. Landings are made by panga (Zodiac-style rafts), and include dry and wet landings. For deck plans and ship specifications, please inquire.