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Ecuador | Peru | Trip reviews |
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| Galapagos | |||
Galapagos Wildlife Yacht Safaris Sub Aqua-Firma Galapagos Dive Liveaboards We can also arrange land-based diving in combination with other trips. Canoe and Lodge Safaris
Galapagos and Amazon by Sea Kayak, Dugout Canoe, Hike, Bike and Horseback
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Renowned as the inspiration for Darwin’s Origin of Species, the Galapagos Islands require little introduction. It is more than 170 years since the voyage of HMS Beagle, yet the diverse ocean and island ecosystems of the Galapagos remain foremost on the nature lovers’ list of destinations to explore. Since December 2001 both the islands and the Marine Park have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 13 volcanic islands, born out of ongoing tectonic activity, sit in the Pacific Ocean more than 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. Each has a landscape unique from its neighbour and an awe inspiring host of endemic and exotic flora and fauna. The environment beneath the ocean surface is similarly extraordinary. Whale sharks, dolphins and whales are frequent visitors to the archipelago, whilst familiar residents include penguins, marine iguanas and the ever playful and almost ubiquitous sealions. Birdlife is abundant, diverse and fearless. Even if you are not an avid birdwatcher you will be fascinated by the range and numbers of birds around you including the graceful albatross, the blue and the red footed booby and the flightless cormorant to name but a few.
Aqua-Firma has been actively involved with habitat conservation, wildlife research, diving and expeditions to Ecuador and the Galapagos since 1998. This experience not only helps us to know this area in great depth, but enables us to tailor your experience of it in ways that suit your special interests and activities, the time you have and budget. Whether you are travelling alone or pulling together a family or special group, we will be able to assist. We have created four main ways in which to appreciate the Galapagos to the full. Our Wildlife Yacht Safaris are a great way to approach nature, sailing gently between the islands, stopping at calm anchorages and having the freedom to discover the unique wildlife both above and below the waves by snorkeling. We use small vessels, usually taking just 16 guests, so that your contact with wildlife is intimate and unobtrusive. As an alternative to this we offer a very special journey through the archipelago by means of kayaks, walking, mountain bikes and horses, whilst staying either at island hotels, or onboard a sailing catamaran. This provides for a more active but very personal experience, designed to bring you in close contact with the island landscapes, ecology and natural history. Group sizes are anything from two to ten. The Galapagos is judged by many to be the World's best dive location. Aqua-Firma offers Dive Liveaboards trips to Wolf Rock and Darwin which provide some of the best opportunities in the world to experience large pelagics such as whale sharks and hammerheads. For divers who don't want to compromise what they see of Galapagos's on land nature, we can either extend a dive liveaboard trip with a wildlife or adventure extension on land; or we can arrange any number of days diving from a land base, either in combination with one of our Yacht Safaris and active explorations of the Galapagos, or as a means in its own right to explore the marine life of the Galapagos. All of our Galapagos itineraries can easily be combined with tailor-made travel on mainland Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica and even Antarctica.
Photographs kindly provided by: Fidi Angermeyer, Peter Lange, Dani Wilson. |
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