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Wheelchair Accessible: Galapagos Holiday + Amazon + Quito, Ecuador Vacation

Ecuador: Quito + Amazon + Galapagos Cruise
1EPA12Q

12 NIGHTS

FROM $7,176

Per person sharing

Flights quoted separately

Wheelchair Accessible Galapagos Holiday Amazon Quito Ecuador Vacation

This wheelchair accessible Galapagos holiday will introduce you to the amazing wildlife of these unique islands, as well as the Amazon rainforest & Quito in Ecuador. Visit the Avenue of the Volcanoes, Ingapirca Ruins & lovely Cuenca. You need upper body strength for this vacation, as you will transfer into an adapted off-road wheelchair (with helper provided) on rough terrain. All specified sightseeing included.

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• Quito & Ecuador Vacation	• City Tour + Centre of World	• Amazon River Rafting	• Avenue of the Volcanoes
• Ingapirca Ruins	• Cuenca	• Galapagos Holiday	• San Cristobal Island
• Snorkelling	• Wheelchair Accessible Galapagos

▲

• Quito & Ecuador Vacation	• City Tour + Centre of World	• Amazon River Rafting
• Avenue of the Volcanoes	• Ingapirca Ruins	• Cuenca
• Galapagos Holiday	• San Cristobal Island	• Snorkelling
• Wheelchair Accessible Galapagos

Day 1

You will be met at Quito Airport and transferred to your hotel in this historic Spanish colonial city that straddles the equator and is today a World Heritage Site.

Check in and relax in this capital city in the Andean Highlands, with its many museums, monasteries and churches with golden altars. The prosperous centre of the Kingdom of Quitu during the 13th century, and later the northern capital of the Inca Empire, it has a setting that few cities in the world can match.

Day 2

This morning we visit the equatorial monument that marks the Centre of the World at latitude 0º - about 16 miles (25 km) north of Quito. Here you can get a photo straddling the line that separates the northern and southern hemispheres. There is also a colonial-style tourist village complete with main square, church, post office, bullring and gift shops.

After lunch (own account) enjoy a Quito City Tour through the cobbled streets and main square of the historic Colonial Quarter - the largest and best preserved in South America. Take in its magnificent colonial architecture as you stroll along Independence Plaza - including the Cathedral, President's Palace, Archbishop's Palace and the Municipal Building.

You will see many mansions, monasteries and churches including the spectacular Church of the Society of Jesus ('La Compañía de Jesús) with its awesome gilded interior and the Monastery of San Francisco. This is one the of greatest religious buildings of the New World, with its impressive façade and atrium leading to a Moorish-influenced baroque interior and winged Virgin of Quito at its main altar. This lovely city also has many cosmopolitan galleries and boutiques filled with contemporary paintings, sculptures and exquisite traditional crafts.

Note: Quito is situated at high altitude (9,350 ft / 2,850 m) so proceed slowly. Not all sites are accessible, but your guide will do his best to give you good views of the highlights. As you will be visiting churches (except on Sundays, when this is not permitted), do not wear shorts or mini skirts as these are not allowed.

Day 3

This morning we leave Quito and drive 3-hours towards the amazing Amazon Basin - a 2,7-million square mile (6.7 million sq. km) conservation area that is the largest in the world, spreading across nine countries - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana.

Along the way we can stop at a Hummingbird Station to watch these beautiful vibrant birds in their natural habitat, before continuing to our jungle lodge.

After lunch at our lodge, we spend 3-hours visiting an indigenous Kitchwa Community to learn about their customs and traditions.

Note: Visits to the Amazon are only possible if you have upper body strength & use a manual wheelchair, as you will need to transfer into a boat seat on the river and into a specially adapted off-road wheelchair when covering rough terrain. The chair has long handles at the front (similar to a rickshaw) as well as regular handles at the back. You will be assigned an assistant to pull your chair from the front, while your travelling companion pushes from the back.

Day 4

Today is devoted to exploring the secondary Amazon Rainforest with an indigenous guide, who will explain more about the rich flora of this region and its many medicinal plants. The path into the rainforest can take from 30-minutes to 2-hours, depending on the number of stops you make along the way.

As you move through the woods of this secondary rainforest to the waterfall, you can marvel at the magnificent trees and the extraordinary variety of orchids, bromeliads, ferns, begonias, lichens and mosses that grow here. You can observe some of the colourful birds of the rainforest such as the brilliant golden-headed quetzal, grey-breasted mountain toucan, blue-crowned motmot, umbrella bird, blue-banded toucanet, fruit-eating tanager, red-crested cotinga, banded-tail fruit-eater, harpy eagle, hoatzin, manakin, crested owl, pigmy owl and a variety of flycatchers. You may even see a caiman, turtle, woolly monkey, tufted brown capuchin monkey and a variety of frogs and insects.

Note: In the Amazon you will transfer into the specially adapted off-road wheelchair today, with handles for helpers at both front and back.

Day 5

A full day excursion today, as we travel to the Napo River for 2.5-hours of river rafting in a private zodiac along this tributary of the Amazon, which has some Class 2 rapids.

Admire the surrounding flora and fauna from the river - truly one of the best ways to experience the magnificence of the Amazon. During the trip we will stop at several points of interest to take pictures and relax on the river. You may spot monkeys, caiman (a small alligator) and will see much colourful birdlife, including herons and kingfishers, as well as large birds such as toucans, parrots and macaws.

Afterwards we visit the small town of Tena, which is surrounded by verdant cloud forest. This is the main centre of this region and here you can get a feel for the life led by the local people of the Amazon. It is also possible to visit an indigenous Cacao Association to learn how they process cacao into chocolate.

Note: You will raft accompanied by a security kayaker and need to wear a safety jacket and helmet. You can transfer in and out of the boat using a sliding board or you can be lifted in.

Day 6

Today we visit Kallari, a local cooperative association that produces, processes and sells fine aromatic cocoa-chocolate bars.

We visit the Kallari offices, then head out to visit a couple of cacao plantations to appreciate first-hand how these plants are grown and harvested and the social, financial and cultural role of cacao production. Finally we visit the collection centre where the beans are received, fermented and dried - before they are eventually transformed into one of the finest tastes on the planet - chocolate!

Day 7

Today we leave the Amazon Basin and drive 3-hours back to Quito.

Along the way we stop at Papallacta Thermal Baths, where you can enjoy half a day of bathing in these warm waters, that offer one of the best thermal baths and spas in the whole of Ecuador. You can also enjoy an optional chocolate bath or deep massage, as well as mineral healing volcanic pools.

Afterwards we continue to Quito and check into your hotel conveniently situated near the airport.

Note: Spa treatments at the thermal baths need to be pre-booked, to avoid disappointment.

Day 8

Transfer to Quito Airport for your flight to the spectacular Galapagos Islands, with a touch down in Guayaquil.

You will be met at San Cristobal Airport and transferred to your hotel in this magnificent archipelago, situated on the equator in the Pacific Ocean some 560 miles (900 km) west of the Ecuador mainland. These volcanic islands are famous for their vast number of endemic species, studied by Charles Darwin during his historic voyage on the Beagle, which contributed to his Theory of Evolution by natural selection.

San Christobal is the easternmost island in the archipelago and is named after Saint Christopher, the patron saint of seafarers. Consisting of four extinct volcanoes fused together, it has a small lake called El Junco that is the only fresh water source in the islands. The main town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the capital of the Galapagos. Check into your hotel in this astonishing marine reserve, where the wildlife does not seem perturbed by human visitors - allowing for extremely close-up encounters.

In the afternoon we visit Loberia Beach, which is home to a sea lion colony. Around the shore you may see brown pelicans, sea iguana and a myriad of sea birds. You may also see sea turtles while snorkelling from the beach.

Note: Visits to the Galapagos Islands are only possible if you have upper body strength & use a manual wheelchair. As there is no lifting equipment at the airport, you will be carried on and off the aircraft using an aisle chair. You will transfer into a specially adapted off-road wheelchair when covering rough terrain.

Day 9

This morning we visit the highlands of Cerro Colorado on the island’s southern shore. Here we visit the Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre (Galapaguera) that is working to introduce more of these endangered creatures into the wild. Situated in a deciduous forest, this sanctuary is home to the San Cristóbal mockingbird and the San Cristóbal lava lizard - both of which are island endemics. It is also home to dozens of other bird species including Yellow warblers, many species of finches and the Galapagos flycatcher.

Our afternooon is spent exploring the waters around San Cristobal Island - either by kayak (with a local helper steering from the back seat) or by small boat, with safety vests provided. This provides a great opportunity to get close to playful sea lions, blue-footed boobies and other Galapagos marine life.

Note: You will transfer into a specially adapted off-road wheelchair when covering rough terrain.

Day 10

Enjoy a full day shared yacht excursion today (7 to 8 hours) as we travel 1.5-hours each way to Kicker Rock, a volcanic rock formation consisting of two vertical rocks that ascend from the water off the southwest coast of San Cristobal island.

If you wish, there is the opportunity to snorkel in this deep ocean channel and see more of the unique sealife of these islands up close - including sea lions, marine iguana, sea turtles, rays, blue-footed boobies, frigates, masked boobies and many multi-coloured fish. Flotation aids, safety vest, goggles and harness will be provided and you will be accompanied in the water by an experienced swimmer, enabling you to snorkel freely and enjoy this astonishing marine life.

In the late afternoon we return to San Cristobal Island.

Note: Maximum 12 people on the boat. You will be lifted into the boat in your manual wheelchair, before transferring to a regular seat in the boat. If you wish to snorkel, you will be lowered into the sea using a beach chair off the back of the boat and lifted up the same way.

Day 11

Today is free to relax at your hotel or return to one of the lovely beaches of San Cristobal Island.

Your guide will be available to help you with any specific request, including assisting with the off-road wheelchair in need.

Day 12

Transfer to San Cristobal Airport for your flight to Guayaquil.

You will be met at Guayaquil Airport and transferred to your hotel in this important port, that is the largest city in Ecuador. Here the vibe is Caribbean, in marked contrast to the Andean region.

Note: As there is no lifting equipment in the Galapagos, you will be lifted on and off the aircraft.

Day 13

Transfer to Guayaquil Airport for your flight home.

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