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13 Nov
Arrival of Group.
By
9pm our group of thirteen had arrived safely and checked
into our hotel in Quito. Hotel
Patio Andaluz is contained within a charming
courtyard that once was a substantial colonial house.
The rooms all face inwards onto balconies and the
central open space provides a quiet dining area away
from the bustling streets of ‘old town’ Quito outside.
14 Nov
Quito City Tour & Middle of World Monument.
Our
local guide, Rodney, took us on foot from the hotel to
visit a number of colonial
churches around the World Heritage site of old
town Quito. We marvelled at the sheer opulence of the
Spanish colonial architecture; vast iconic oil paintings
hung amongst golden facades, alters and candelabra. In
the Iglesias San Augustine we were able to climb down
through a hole in the floor to the catacombs below. We
also visited the Compania de Jesús – the golden church.
We stopped for tea in the Plaza San Francisco and
visited the Franciscan monastery there with its amazing
whispering archway.
Before lunch we drove up a winding road to reach the
Panecillo viewpoint. From
there, beside the Virgin of Quito monument, we could see
Quito stretching out below us in the valley between the
high volcanoes and mountains that contain the city.
We
drove out of Quito to lunch at the edge of a
crater lake. Sadly the
crater was bubbling with mist like a saucer full of
secrets; this completely obscured the view. However, we
enjoyed a very good meal in a restaurant that sported
the most bizarre door handles surely ever created!
(You’ll have to visit to discover the meaning of this!)
In
the afternoon, we visited the
‘Middle of World’ monument, a towering obelisk
celebrating the fact that Ecuador is divided by the
equator (which determined the name of the country.) We
enjoyed taking a variety of pictures of us straddling
the equator line before climbing the tower and spening
some time in the
ethnographic museum
within.
15 Nov
Mindo Cloud Forest, Orchid Reserve, Butterfly Farm &
Hummingbirds Galore!
We
departed early and drove out of Quito, over the great
Pichincha Volcano and into the agricultural valleys
beyond. As we wound further and further downhill the
vegetation slowly changed from patchwork fields into
secondary cloud forest. The steep sided valleys were
clad in a moist, cool, lush forest of trees, epiphytes,
mosses, lichens and ferns. Shrouds of mist drift slowly
across the steep slopes hiding and revealing peaks and
saddles in the mountains.
We
stopped a few times to identify vultures, caracaras and
other raptors. Our first scheduled stop was at the
El Pahuma Orchid Reserve,
nestled into a tiny valley cut by a small stream, the
reserve is like a little secret garden beneath the
canopy. The lush vegetation is fed by abundant moisture
from the mist-laden air and provides home to a multitude
of epiphytes including bromeliads, orchids, mosses and
ferns. We walked with a guide who stopped every few
yards to explain to us the plants and their delicate
relationships. We climbed up the stream bank a short
distance to find a female Cock of
the Rock sitting on her nest in a rock face.
We
drove on until we reached a viewpoint on the edge of a
deep valley, the far side of which was about a kilometre
away. We left the minibus behind and walked down a quiet
side road scanning the dense vegetation for birds. It
was a pleasant walk after quite a long drive and
although the birdlife was incredibly elusive, we did
start to make a list of exotically named species and had
particularly great views of Lemon
Rumped Tanagars.
At
the bottom of the track we stopped at a
butterfly farm,
where hundreds of butterflies, including enormous Blue
Morphos, fluttered about us and were occasionally bribed
to settle on small lumps of overripe banana held aloft.
At
the end of a packed morning we stopped beside a quiet
track and made our way into the woods to a
hummingbird feeding station.
We settled on wooden benches within yards of a
collection of sugar water feeders that hung from the
trees. As we arrived we were aware of thrumming noises
in the air around us and the occasional streak of vivid
colour but as we settled down with our binos trained on
the feeders, the most extraordinary sight unfolded.
The
air thrums and where there had been empty space there
appears a hummingbird. Its body is held perfectly still
next to the feeder while its wings beat so fast as to be
a blur about its back. Its eye is a tiny pinhead of dark
intensity as its tongue flicks back and forth into the
hole in the feeder, glistening with false nectar.
They
move in a blink from one space to the next, never still
for more than a couple of seconds and one replacing
another like a conjuring trick. An ever changing array
of tens of tiny birds dance in the binocular's optic and
all the while Rodney sat beside us whispering
wonderfully exotic names; “there’s an Andean Emerald,
that’s a Violet Tailed Sylph, that one’s a Fawn Breasted
Brilliant, oh look there – a White Whiskered Hermit!”
And so the iridescent dance continued with mesmerising
intensity until, after half an hour of wonderful bird
watching, our rumbling bellies forced us to leave and
seek lunch.
We
lunched at a lodge in the
woods, which also had bird feeders, so as we ate some
lovely trout we were able to watch many more
hummingbirds flitting from feeder to feeder and away
again into the surrounding trees past a pet Friesian
cow!
After lunch we returned to our Hotel in Quito, tired
after a long day full of many varied experiences.
16 Nov
Chiva Express, Cotopaxi Volcano, Condors, Adventure
Driving & San Agustin de Callo.
This
morning we headed to the outskirts of Quito where we
boarded a private tram-like train called the
Chiva Express. The single
carriage has specially fitted seats on the roof, which
we clambered into wondering what to expect. We set off
along the narrow gauge track at an impressive speed and
before long we were clattering though the outskirts of
Quito and into the countryside beyond. Dogs and horses
jumped out of our path as the driver repeatedly sounded
his horn, and the local farmers smiled and waved as we
passed. The countryside looked remarkably English but
the local people and the distant snowy volcanic peaks
reminded us where we were. After half an hour we stopped
on the trackside for a snack, some local tea and amazing
fruit juices at a rambling old colonial house with
exquisitely smart and polite staff. Then we were off
again and heading ever closer to the distant mountains.
Eventually we stopped and swapped into our minibus
before heading into the Cotopaxi
National Park.
The
park is centred around Cotopaxi
Volcano, a snowy sided conical mountain standing
19,388 feet high. As we approached she was shrouded in
cloud but the surrounding scenery of jagged volcanic
mountains was spectacular.
Suddenly two Andean Condors
appeared over the horizon bringing the bus to a
screeching halt amidst cries of “condor, condor.” We all
piled out and enjoyed wonderful views of these two vast
birds circling in the blue skies above us with their
fingered pinions spread at the ends of their 12 foot
wingspan and their white collars clearly visible.
We
continued climbing up a dirt track until we reached a
grassy plateau at the base of the main cone of the
volcano at about 9000 feet. We disembarked and set off
on an hour long walk around
a series of small ponds. All around us was the high
moorland known as 'paramo' and here we found a number of
interesting species of birds and plants. The air is
quite thin at this height and despite walking slowly on
flat land we were puffing quite a bit!
After the walk we were ready for
lunch and headed to a small restaurant which
appeared most isolated on the high plain, miles from
anywhere. As we arrived it started to rain hard and
during lunch we watched as a huge thunder storm
completely enveloped the volcano and covered it entirely
in a thin layer of hail and snow. By the time we had
eaten a hearty meal and set off again the storm had
passed and the lower slopes of the volcano were milky
white where before they had been brown.
However, the downpour had turned the already
tricky road
into a stream of brown water. We slithered and meandered
our way across the plain at the hands of our highly
competent and inventive driver, Xavier. This form of
adventure driving kept us all highly amused for about an
hour until we rejoined the track proper and were able to
pick up speed. Just as we were settling down, the clouds
lifted from the volcano and we stopped to enjoy a
wonderful sunset with the
newly frosted volcano in clear view.
We
spent the night at an extraordinary place called
San Agustin de Callo. This
highly exclusive hacienda is built on the ruins of an
Inca palace and much of the existing foundations and
ground level masonry is in the unique and precise Inca
style. It has been in the hands of a prominent
Ecuadorian political family since 1921 and is their home
today. We were received as guests
en famille and were shown to our exquisite rooms.
Each had wonderful antique furniture and an open fire
which was lit and tended for us at night. We dined in an
extraordinary dining room constructed from huge hand-cut
Inca blocks, blackened by the candles that lit the room.
The stonework gives the room a feel of great antiquity
and privilege.
Cotopaxi means ‘neck of the moon’
and as the full moon cast its silvery light over the
snowy crater of the volcano we were able to see the
origins of the name. We retired to our wonderfully warm
bedrooms with bellies full of good food and wine and
memories of another incredibly varied day.
17 Nov
Free morning – Riding & Market. Return Quito.
We
filled a morning of free time by
riding
horses into the national park and visiting an extensive
local market where we
haggled for handicrafts with Christmas in mind.
After an excellent lunch back at the hacienda we were
introduced to a herd of resident
llamas before reluctantly loading our bags back
into our bus and heading for Quito once again.
18 - 22 Nov
Amazon Jungle at Sacha Lodge.
After breakfast in Hotel Patio Andaluz we transferred to
Quito airport and took a half hour
flight to Coca, a town on the edge of the
‘Oriente’ or
Ecuadorian Amazon. As we
flew in we were exposed to some of the challenges facing
this area. Large areas of forest had been cleared and we
could see more fires burning in the distance. The town
of Coca has undergone massive expansion in recent years,
particularly due to the recent rise in oil exploration.
On
arrival we stepped out of the air conditioned aeroplane
into the warm, moist, rich smelling air of the Amazon
jungle. We were taken to a small courtyard on the edge
of the river where we met our jungle guides, drank some
coffee, packed our bags into waterproof sacks and donned
lifejackets. Shortly, we boarded
motorised canoes and set off down the Rio Napa, a
major tributary to the Amazon River.
On
the way down the wide, silt laden waters of the Napo we
stopped so that our guide, Yarol,
could tell us about the ecosystems of the river or
identify a bird for us. We cruised down the river for
two hours during which time the plantations around us
gave way to tall, rich rainforest.
We
climbed off the canoe onto a small beach and walked down
a path through the massive trees for twenty minutes
before getting into small dugout
canoes on the edge of a narrow black-water
lagoon. As we paddled around a corner, the narrow
waterway opened out into a wide lake and on the far
bank, lit by the afternoon sun, was our home for the
next four days – Sacha Lodge.
The
lodge is a network of wooden accommodation cabins
attached by raised walkways to the main eating and
socialising area – a large circular hut built in local
materials and protected by a thatched roof. Here we
congregated for meals, drinks and briefs. Above the main
lodge was a tree full of nesting Oropendulas, which
filled the air with their weird calls, which end with a
sound like the ‘ploink’ made by a coin dropped in a
well.
The
group was split into two and the two sub-groups were led
on separate activities by Seth and
Jarol – both excellent guides. Being on the
equator the sun comes up like a rocket at 6am and
plummets into the forest again at 6pm. The days
consisted of an early breakfast and an early walk,
followed by lunch and then a siesta, then an afternoon
activity before dinner. On some nights there was an
evening activity such as a night walk or a canoe ride in
the dark.
Activities included the following:
Tree Tower.
This is an amazing wooden tower reached by canoe and
then narrow jungle paths. The tower winds its way in a
spiral 150 feet up a vast Kapok tree and emerges above
the canopy affording excellent views onto the canopy in
all directions. From there it is possible to see
tremendous numbers of birds in a very short period as
well as monkeys and the staggering array of epiphytes
and bromeliads and orchids that grow in the canopy.
Canopy Walkway.
This is a vast steel construction of three towers
between which is suspended a 900 foot long walkway just
above the canopy. The walkway is very secure and the
canopy is so dense that you don’t feel 150 feet above
the ground! This offers a birding extravaganza. Seth has
amazing eyes and could train his scope on a bird 500
feet out in the sea of green that the rest of us
couldn’t have spotted in a whole morning. In two hours
we bolstered our species list immeasurably. For the
slightly less dedicated birders, the views across the
canopy are wonderful and the calls of the birds a
suitable accompanying symphony.
Jungle Trails.
The lodge owns 5000 acres of primary and secondary
forest and through this they have built a network of
narrow trails. We went out with our guides and also
local Indian (Quichua) guides. They find something to
marvel at every few feet from tiny poison arrow frogs to
leaf cutter ants to the vast buttress roots of a Kapok
tree of a tiny pygmy marmoset. The walks are slow and
quiet through the permanent shade of the forest floor.
On one such walk we came across a large troop of tiny
Squirrel Monkeys moving through the forest, we followed
them as they leapt with great agility from bough to
swinging bough. Before long they crossed the path of a
handful of Capuchin Monkeys and there was a violent
squabble for a few moments. As if this wasn’t enough all
the monkeys moved into the extensive limbs of a vast fig
tree where we suddenly realised there were already
sitting four Red Howler Monkeys. It was monkey
extravaganza that kept us delighted for an hour and a
half.
The Lagoon.
The lodge is built on the edge of a black water lagoon.
Its water is wonderfully soft and just the right
temperature to cool you down after a sweaty jungle walk.
We plunged into it regularly and enjoyed swims as the
sun set and the frog chorus began. It was also a
favourite activity to paddle a canoe on the lake to look
for caiman, sloth and birds while relaxing and enjoying
the views.
Parrot Lick.
We were taken some miles down river one morning to visit
a recently discovered parrot clay lick. The parrots’
diet of seeds is high in toxins and they need to
neutralise these by eating particular, very absorptive
clays on a daily basis. We watched for an hour or more
as hundreds of parrots gathered in the tree tops around
the exposed bank of clay. Eventually they gathered
courage and descended onto the clay. Then for half an
hour we watched in awe as more and more parrots poured
into the lick, turning it green with nibbling birds.
Finally they flew off in a burst of colour and whirring
air.
Barbeque.
On our second to last night we enjoyed a barbeque on the
pier beside the lake. The kitchen produced a smorgasbord
of meats, salads and side dishes and we ate until full
and washed it all down with a few Caipirinhas (local
cocktails.)
Our
stay was very educational and enjoyable. We were
fortunate to have excellent guides and a good group, who
all got on exceptionally well. The jungle offered up a
wealth of surprises and unique encounters as well as the
overall experience of being in the Amazon jungle – a
huge variety of sensations and sights that I suspect
will stay with us all for a lifetime.
As
we sliced our way back up river to Coca we were sad to
be leaving the jungle but at the same time felt a strong
sense of anticipation for the next leg – the Galapagos
Islands. We returned to Quito
to find clean clothes, hot showers and cool air!
23 Nov
San Cristobal, Galapagos Islands.
We set off to the airport and boarded our plane to San
Cristobal Island. The Galapagos
Islands, the cradle of the theory of evolution,
lie 600 miles off the coast of mainland Ecuador slap on
the equator line. When we arrived we found it to be warm
but not too hot. We transferred to a pier and were
immediately delighted to find Sea Lions and Pelicans
sitting about on the end of the pier and the rocks.
We
were taken by dinghy to our cruise boat, the
MV Galapagos Explorer II.
It is one of the largest, most comfortable and well
equipped boats in the Galapagos and has an excellent
reputation, particularly for their policies of
minimising their impact on the islands and surrounding
seas.
Once
we had settled into comfortable cabins, we made our
first shore visit. We boarded
small rigid inflatable ‘Zodiac’ dinghies and
nipped across to Ochoa Beach. There we found Sea Lions
lying on the sand. They were completely un-phased by our
presence and even wandered over to some of us to have a
closer look and a sniff.
Many
of the group had taken snorkelling
lessons especially for this trip and now was
their first chance to test their skills. So most of us
donned snorkelling gear and splashed about in the warm
water, getting used to the equipment and smiling at the
Sea Lions swimming around us.
We
returned to the boat and enjoyed the first of many
first-class dinners at the hands of the boat’s excellent
silver service waiters and maitre’d.
24 Nov
Espanola and Santa Cruz Islands.
The
group disembarked after breakfast and visited
Punta Suarez on Espanola Island
where we had wonderful views of Waved Albatross on their
nests and conducting their elaborate courtship rituals.
We also enjoyed excellent views of Tropic Birds and Blue
Footed Boobies.
We
then had a long navigation from Espanola to Santa Cruz.
While under way we spent some time at the bow looking
for whales and dolphins. (We spotted one Sei Whale and
some dolphins flashed through our bow wave.) Others took
part in cocktail mixing lessons and the captain opened
the bridge to those interested.
In
the afternoon we visited the
Charles Darwin Research Centre on Santa Cruz Island.
We took a guided tour of their facilities and learned
about their work, especially the struggle to eradicate
introduced species that do so much damage to the local
fauna and flora (particularly goats, pigs, rats, fire
ants, cats and dogs.) We also toured a number of
enclosures holding Giant Tortoises of different
sub-species. We started off cooing at tiny hatchlings
the size of match boxes and ended up wowing at mammoth
adults the size of treasure chests. We also glimpsed
‘Lonesome George’ – the only surviving tortoise
of his kind from Pinta Island. (There is a reward of
$10,000 for anyone who can find a female for him to mate
with!)
We
wandered back towards the pier through the town of
Puerto Ayora, inspecting
their souvenir shops, checking email and drinking some
local coffee. In the main street we found local
fisherman gutting Yellow Fin Tuna and feeding the
off-cuts to a gaggle of congregated pelicans. Tuna
fishing is supposed to be banned but apparently still
goes on and still causes a great number of dolphin
deaths around the archipelago.
25 Nov
Prince Philip’s Steps & Darwin Bay on Genovesa Island.
A
sunken volcanic crater forms the ring of rock that is
Genovesa Island. The
caldera cliffs stand 75 feet high and has to be scaled
at Prince Philip’s Steps. To reach them we took a twenty
minute Zodiac ride along the caldera wall where we found
the nocturnal and elusive
Galapagos Fur Seals
sleeping in cracks in the cliff face. On climbing the
steps we found ourselves standing on a wide flat plain.
The salty looking Palo Santo bushes grow out of a broken
lava flow. The place has a surreal and barren feel but
the bushes are full with Magnificent and Great Frigate
Birds, Red Footed and Nazca Boobies and a variety of
Darwin’s famous finches. We approached to within inches
of these birds, which showed no fear at all.
On a
barren lava flow we witnessed thousands of
Storm Petrels
swarming in and out the fissures in the rock where they
nest. Bill spotted a Short-eared
Owl sitting amongst them, which we watched as it
hunted low across the black rock and disappeared towards
the sea.
This
afternoon we had a wet landing (clambering out of
Zodiacs into knee depth water) at
Darwin Bay. There was a short walk but most of us
chose to spend the whole time snorkelling. The water was
much clearer here and we were able to see thousands of
fish of all shapes and colours and sea urchins all over
the sea bed. However, the real highlight was snorkelling
amongst a gaggle of playing female Sea Lions.
It
was a joy to lie suspended in the warm water and watch
the Sea Lions twist, turn and circle around and below
us. While on land they are a little ungainly but under
water they are acrobats of immense grace and skill. We
floated within feet of them as they frolicked back and
forth for more than half an hour. They regularly
porpoised to snatch a breath and all the while they kept
an eye on us and when we dived in the shallow water they
would rocket over and swim around and around us in a
delightful dance, often close enough that we could have
touched them. It was a wonderful, wonderful experience.
26 Nov
Bachas Beach & Dragon Hill on Santa Cruz Island.
In
the morning we landed on the wide sandy beach at
Bachas Bay and walked for a
short distance to a small lagoon where we found a
gathering of Marine Iguanas, one Galapagos Flamingo and
some beautiful Black-necked Stilt and White-cheeked
Pintails. Afterwards some of us snorkelled while others
explored the area surrounding the beach. We found
Green Turtle tracks in the sand and the
marvellously bright orange Sally
Lightfoot Crabs
danced all over the black volcanic rocks. We were able
to see turtles swimming in the sea just off shore and
some of the snorkellers came across a mating pair and
were able to approach to within a couple of feet of
them.
This
afternoon we climbed Dragon Hill,
a low volcanic peak. On the way up we found a rare
Land Iguana and the tall subspecies of Prickly
Pear that they feed upon. Our excellent guide, Delilah,
explained to us the threat to Land Iguanas posed by
feral dogs and donkeys and the eradication programme
being conducted by the national park authorities.
From
the top of the hill we enjoyed excellent views of the
bay and the 'Galapagos Explorer II' sitting at anchor.
On the way back to the shore we witnessed the wonderful
sight of three Galapagos Flamingos
circling a small lagoon, their pink feathers glowing in
the afternoon sun. Just as we were about to board the
Zodiac someone shouted “SHARK!”
We peered into the shallow water at the landing point
and watched a five foot White-Tipped Reef Shark circling
in the water around the Zodiac!
27 Nov
Bartholome Island & Santiago Island.
The
view of Pinnacle Rock and
the newly formed lava and ash landscape visible from the
top of Bartolome Island is
one of the most famous images of the Galapagos Islands.
In order to reach the view point we climbed 360 steps at
an easy pace. The view from the top is fascinating;
there are volcanic cinder cones dotted about looking
like caricatures of moon craters. In the bay below our
boat sat at mooring with a few others.
After lunch we landed on the beach at
Port Egas on Santiago
Island. The snorkelling here was amazing. We were able
to swim within feet of a number of Green Turtles as they
grazed algae from the rocks below. We also found a Sea
Lion that was diving repeatedly, almost compulsively,
into a narrow crack in the bedrock. She dived again and
again and again for an hour an a half and all but
ignored the fact that there were several of us watching
her as she surfaced hundreds of times for air just
inches from our puzzled faces. There was also a rich
wealth of fish and garish corals.
We
also enjoyed a walk with good sightings of pelicans,
Galapagos Hawks, Mockingbirds, Galapagos Doves, Yellow
Warblers and other birds and still more sea lions.
28 Nov
Punta Espinosa on Fernandina Island & Deep Water
Snorkelling on Isabela Island.
Our
walk this morning allowed us to witness the elaborate
aquatic courtship dance of the endemic
Galapagos Flightless Cormorant;
a rare and privileged sight. We also found a huge
whale’s skeleton on the beach, a stark white sculpture
in the sand amongst great numbers of Marine Iguanas.
In
the afternoon we anchored in deep water off the high
cliffs of Isabela Island.
The ship launched its glass bottomed dinghy through
which we were able to watch large numbers of Green
Turtles swimming on just below the surface. Some of us
also snorkelled and Warwick was lucky enough to find and
swim with an enormous Manta Ray
for about ten minutes; its seven-foot wings flapping
gracefully as it swam powerfully through the water.
As
we cruised away from Isabela we were suddenly joined by
a vast school of Common Dolphins.
As far as the eye could see in all directions the
dolphins porpoised in the same direction as the boat for
over an hour. It is impossible to know how many there
were but we estimated between 500 and a 1000; the sea
was alive with them. This was a most magical sight as
the sun dipped in the west.
This
evening all of the passengers congregated to on deck to
toast our fourth crossing of the equator during the
cruise. We drank some local cocktails and enjoyed the
bonhomie as the sun set into the sea.
29 Nov
North Seymour Island and Tortoises on Santa Cruz Island.
During our walk on North Seymour
Island we witnessed the male Magnificent Frigate
Birds fully inflating their extraordinary bright red
throat pouch. They inflate this to the size of a party
balloon and then show off to passing females with fits
of rapturous head shaking and vibrating while clicking
and shrilling. It is an extraordinary sight. At the same
time we watched the far more modest and delicate
courtship dance to two
Blue Footed Boobies.
The
afternoon took us on a long bus ride into the highlands
of Santa Cruz Island where
there is a
Giant Tortoise
reserve. We wandered through dense scrub and found a
number of vast, tank like tortoises. As we watched one
individual, another came crashing through the
undergrowth and walked right past us fully exposing its
huge legs and neck – a remarkable sight!
On
the way back we stopped in a farmers field and there
entered a huge lava tunnel
(a tubular underground tunnel formed when the interior
flows out of a cooling and solidifying lava flow.) We
walked through it for approximately 1000 feet, only
occasionally having to bend down as the tunnel narrowed.
It was an interesting insight into the volcanic
processes that formed these islands.
30 Dec
Return to Quito.
We
settled up our bills, handed in our snorkelling gear and
sadly bade farewell to the guides and crew whose
expertise and hospitality had made our Galapagos cruise
such a special one.
We
disembarked for the last time and lunched in town before
flying back to Quito and
returning to our starting point.
In
the evening the whole group dined together in a local
restaurant called Mea Culpa.
We enjoyed a fine meal and lifted our glasses a few
times to a really special and wonderful Ecuadorian
experience.
1
Dec
Group Dispersal.
After a breakfast we all bid sad farewells to our travel
companions and friends. Now our thoughts turned to the
long journey ahead and to home!
_______________________________________________
This
year's dates: 12 - 30 Nov 2006.
Enquiries to 0845 430 9516
More
details here. |
