Quito, the capital of Ecuador, has been named a UNESCO a World Heritage Site and lies in a spectacular mountain setting at 2800 meters (9184 ft.) above sea level and just 25 kms. (16 miles) south of the equator. The city has a magnificent blend of colonial and modern architecture. The Galapagos Islands are a natural paradise. Between three and five million years ago, submarine volcanoes surfaced from the bottom of the ocean forming thirteen major islands, six lesser islands, and about forty two islets six hundred miles away from the continent. Wind and water currents from both the Northern and Southern hemispheres carried foreign fauna to this young archipelago, which due to the absence of large predators, eventually became a sanctuary of life. These befitting conditions allowed animals to develop characteristics reconciled to a new environment. Evolutionary processes like those within the community of finches inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution, which redefined our origin. Giant tortoises, penguins, iguanas, playful sea lions, yellow and black marine turtles, magnificent frigates, blue-footed boobies, albatross, leaping bottlenose dolphins, white tipped sharks, whale sharks and sperm whales are just some of the formidable wildlife in the archipelago. Pristine white-sand and red-sand beaches, coastlines dominated by giant mangroves, waters filled with multicolored forms of marine life, and animals that still behave as though man is no enemy make Galapagos truly Enchanted Islands.
Ecuador Highlights Travel Vacation Package (5N) includes:
Observations:
SPECIFICS
Vacations Packages