Ecuador & Galapagos All-Gay Cruise Tour

January 9–16, 2016
Yacht Isabela II

8-day adventure beginning in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, including a 5-day luxury cruise in the Galapagos, ending back on the mainland, in Ecuador's largest city Guayaquil.

Brand g Vacations is pleased to introduce 2016 Ecuador and the Galapagos expedition travel program. We have chartered the Isabela II, a yacht designed for comfort. With a capacity of only 40 guests, this adventure offers all aspects of the Galapagos: intimate contact with wildlife, active volcanoes, a vast Marine Reserve, camaraderie, comfort and safety.

Your all gay adventure begins with a full day tour in Quito, home to the best-preserved, least altered historic center in Latin America. Founded in the 16th century on the ruins of an Inca city and stands at an altitude of 9,350 feet. From Quito, fly to Baltra Island where you will board a ferry to Santa Cruz Island, the most populous in the archipelago. Explore the highlands of the islands with their lush vegetation before venturing down to the world-famous Charles Darwin Research Station to meet giant tortoises face to face.

Sail to a stunning anchorage at Santa Fe Island for a visit to this sandy white beach with many sea lion harems, a wonderful spot for our first snorkel, kayak or ride aboard our glass-bottom boat. Disembark amid the waters of South Plaza Island, with its yellow-gray land iguanas munching cactus fruits and coastline where we find sea lion colonies and dozens of sea birds.

A visit to North Seymour Island starts with a walk along the coast and the interior of this island, observing numerous bird colonies as well as sea lions and marine iguanas. Enjoy the north shore of Santa Cruz Island and its beautiful white beaches, great for a swim or snorkel. Bartolomé Island provides an unbeatable volcanic viewpoint, golden-sandy beach and excellent wildlife exploration for snorkelers. Following the cruise, fly back to the mainland for an overnight in Guayquil. This tropical city is the financial and commercial center of the country, on the banks of the Guayas River.

Immerse yourself in Darwin's living laboratory and experience the wonder and mystery of Ecuador, in the comfort of an all-gay environment. Fares start at $4,795 per person.

Travel Itinerary

Day 1 - Saturday, January 9, 2016
Quito, Ecuador
Welcome to Quito and Ecuador! At the airport you will be greeted and escorted to your hotel, where you will receive a short briefing about Quito and the country in general with valuable information you need to know. Enjoy scenic colonial and artistic Quito, visit museums, monasteries and the golden altars of its many churches. Stand with a foot on each hemisphere on the Middle of the World memorial. The capital of Ecuador has a setting that few cities in the world can match. During the 13th century it was the prosperous center of the Kingdom of Quitus. It later became the northern capital of the Inca Empire. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Colonial architects built formidable temples, monasteries and mansions, creating an urban jewel designated by UNESCO/UN as a World Cultural Heritage Site. Overnight at Hotel Casa Gangotena

Day 2 - Sunday, January 10, 2016
Quito, Ecuador
Quito is a unique city and UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site - that boasts the largest and least-altered downtown in Latin America. Millions have been invested in the city's restoration over the past 10 years for guests to enjoy the renaissance of its historical heart.Visit the three ancestral worlds in which the structure of time was divided: the infra-world beneath the earth or Pachamama where the energy lives, the earthly world where plants, animals and persons live, and the celestial, sacred, supra-world. A snack will be offered at the nearby Tianguez on Plaza de San Francisco. A short drive takes you to the more modern side of Quito, to the Chapel of Man. The lower floor of the Chapel of Man is a homage to humanity with the forceful expressionist art of Guayasamín showing the pain, the tears, the wrath, the tenderness, the protest, the dreams, the violence, the heroism, the sacrifices of the odyssey of Latin American Man. This tour is at an altitude of 9200 feet and involves climbing some stairs. Overnight at Hotel Casa Gangotena

Meals included: B

Day 3 - Monday, January 11, 2016
Quito / Baltra / Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos
After breakfast, fly from Quito to the Baltra Airport, where we take you to the Itabaca Channel to take a ferry across to Santa Cruz Island. A 30-minute bus ride takes us to a restaurant in the Highlands of Santa Cruz Island to enjoy lunch, and then continue to Puerto Ayora. After driving down from the highlands, we visit the Charles Darwin Research Station and the giant tortoise pens within an impressive giant prickly-pear cactus forest, home to many land birds. These are the headquarters of scientific investigation, conservation and the National Park administration. Late afternoon we stroll along the main street of Puerto Ayora before embarking on Yacht Isabela II. We review the expeditions plan for next day, Captain's welcome cocktail and dinner.

Meals included: B, L, D

Day 4 - Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Santa Fe Island / South Plaza Island, Galapagos
Santa Fe Island - A stunning anchorage provides our jumping-off point for our visit to this sandy white beach with many sea lion harems. Galápagos hawks are often easily observed, perched atop salt bushes. The endemic land iguana, unique to this island, may be spotted during the walk. Snorkelling and swimming from the beach, kayaking or a ride in our glass-bottom boat rounds off the rewarding experience.

South Plaza Island - The turquoise waters of the channel here contrast brilliantly with the white sand and black lava of the shoreline, while a carpet of scarlet sesuvium succulents serves as groundcover for a grove of luminescent green prickly-pear cactus beyond, populated by yellow-gray land iguanas. Along the coastline one finds sea lion colonies, while sea birds play with the thermals that form along the cliffs of this small but amazing island.

Meals included: B, L, D

Day 5 - Wednesday, January 13, 2016
North Seymour Island / Las Bachas (Santa Cruz Island)
North Seymour Island - The morning starts with an enjoyable walk along the coast and the interior of this island, observing numerous bird colonies as well as sea lions and marine iguanas. There are opportunities for snorkelling or coastal exploration. You can also ride in the glass-bottom boat for great views of the underwater world.

Las Bachas (Santa Cruz Island) - After WWII, US military barges were beached and abandoned here. Locals referred to the beach as the barges beach, a name that morphed to "bachas". Today it is an important nesting area for the east Pacific green sea turtle. Located on the north shore of Santa Cruz Island, it is a glorious white beach, with several brackish lagoons only a few steps away from the sea. These lagoons are the feeding grounds of various wading birds, from stilts to flamingos. Swim and/or snorkelling from the beach.

Meals included: B, L, D

Day 6 - Thursday, January 14, 2016
Bartolomé Island / Sullivan Bay (James Island)
Bartolomé Island - This morning, a Galápagos icon awaits for us: Bartolomé Island. A great way to start the day, with a steep climb up a wooden staircase: the view from the top is worth the effort! Following the walk, we take the dinghies for a ride around colossal Pinnacle Rock, followed by time to enjoy the beach and some snorkeling.

Sullivan Bay (Santiago Island) - After lunch, we get on board the pangas to land at Sullivan Bay on the east coast of Santiago, a white coral sand beach great for swimming, and with a trail over a lava field that flowed here less than 100 years ago. This is the perfect place to see and feel the volcanic origin of Galápagos while observing its wildlife.

Meals included: B, L, D

Day 7 - Friday, January 15, 2016
Galapagos / Guayaquil
Following breakfast, we will disembark and transfer to the airport for your flight back to Guayquil. Welcome to Guayaquil! Transfer from airport to hotel. Guayaquil is Ecuador's natural port, and its largest city with a population of three million. This tropical city, the financial and commercial center of the country, lies on the banks of the Guayas River, thirty miles inland from the Gulf of Guayaquil. The people of Guayaquil are outgoing and open, they enjoy their city and are fiercely proud of their heritage. It is not surprising to hear the drama of Guayas, a brave indigenous leader, who in his desperation to avoid falling into the hands of the Spanish conquerors, decided to kill his wife, Quil, before drowning himself in the waters of the river. Overnight at Hotel Hilton Colon Guayaquil.

Meals included: B

Day 8 - Saturday, January 16, 2016
Guayaquil / Home
Transfer back to airport for departing flight..

Meals included: B

The Ship

Brand g Vacations has chartered the Isabela II, the most luxurious yacht from which to experience the Galapagos Islands. Smartly designed, this vessel provides the ultimate in comfort, featuring 20 spacious, elegantly decorated cabins with private bathrooms. The yacht has full air conditioning, three public decks, including a bar-salon, dining room and sun deck. The sun deck has ample outdoor seating, a bar, an observation area, as well as a Jacuzzi.

On your free time check out our library, one of the most complete of all the Galapagos vessels, containing a varied selection of books on the Galapagos and Ecuador, nature and conservation videos.

Choose between snorkeling or observing marine life from our glass-bottom boat. Three on board naturalists will share on-deck lectures about the Galapagos Islands and natural history issues. As an alternative to snorkeling, the glass-bottom boat offers another opportunity to observe the marine life. Our Expedition Team consists of three naturalists. All will delight guests with diverse natural history explanations, superb on-deck talks, and eye-catching lectures covering this unique living museum and showcase of evolution.

• Glass-bottom boat
• Sun deck with seating, bar and observation area
• 20 spacious and elegantly decorated cabins
• Jacuzzi
• Fully air-conditioned

Accommodations

Accommodations aboard the Yacht Isabela II are ideally-designed for Galápagos expedition cruising. On the Cabin Deck, you find the 16 twin cabins, as well as 3 double cabins, arrayed around outer corridors. On the Main Deck, you find the Owner's Cabin, perfectly located to the yacht's social areas.

Land Accommodations

Hotel Casa Gangotena (Quito)
Situated in a newly-restored historic mansion overlooking Plaza San Francisco, the three-story 31 room Casa Gangotena Boutique Hotel, is a showcase of eye-catching style, contemporary design, antiques, fine furnishings, modern technologies and quintessential comforts.

Beautifully appointed, the hotel invites its guests to explore and to relax, whether in the dining room, glassed-in patio, garden redolent with the perfume of native flowers, wood-paneled library, or else atop its panoramic third-floor terrace.

Hilton Colon (Guayaquil)
Conveniently located only a few minutes from José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport, this hotel is the perfect retreat for those traveling from the Galápagos Islands.

Enjoy spacious rooms equipped with WiFi and a flat-screen TV or relax in the outdoor pool and sip on a cocktail from the swim-up bar. The hotel has a fully equipped health club and spa.

FAQ - Preparations for the trip

Suggested Attire
Aboard the Isabela II, attire is casual and comfortable during the day, with resort-style clothing, and comfortable, but sturdy, footwear for excursions. Evening wear consists of open-neck shirts, trousers, skirt, or similar attire. Footwear is always required in all public areas, and when navigating stairs on board.

Communication
Due to the remoteness of this area, internet service is intermittent and slow and cell services is unreliable, however the Isabela II does have a satellite phone on board. In the event of an emergency, the reception desk can facilitate calls, and the associated costs will be billed to your onboard account. Contact information for the ship will be provided in your final travel documents.

Onboard Account & Currency
The official currency on board and throughout Ecuador is the US Dollar. All charges for services and products on board will be placed on the guest's shipboard account to be settled at the end of the voyage. AMEX, MasterCard, Visa and US dollars are also accepted for the settlement of guest accounts.

Dietary Requirements
Our culinary team will make every effort to accommodate special dietary requests. Please inform our office at least 60 days prior to departure of these requests.

Electricity
The electrical current on board is 110V. Guests should be sure to bring the appropriate converter for devices that are not dual voltage.

Shore Excursions
Excursions are included throughout your 8-day program.

Visitors on Board/Security
Only guests who possess tickets for passage are allowed on board. Security services are provided on board to ensure everyone's safety throughout the journey.