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FEATURE
GALAPAGOS CRUISE
M/Y EDEN
Sample
cruise comment ....
The Eden was fine. The guide, crew and the food were wonderful.
The islands are fully up
to their reputation; incredible. |
Sample
cruise comment ....
We really enjoyed our trip with the
Eden, the guide was good, the cabin(5) was nice, but the double bed
very narrow, maybe for a young loving couple, the food was good, the
staff was very nice. |
Yacht:
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EDEN
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Class:
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First
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Type:
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Motor
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Length:
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88.9 feet / 25.4
meters
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Width:
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21.3 feet
/ 6.1 meters
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Construction:
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1996 (renovated in
2002)
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Cabins:
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8 double cabins
- 4 cabins with
lower twin beds (lower deck)
- 3 cabins with
bunk beds (upper deck)
- 1 cabin with 1
double bed (main deck)
- 1 cabin with
bunk beds (main deck)
All cabins with
private bathroom & air conditioning.
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Dates:
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April 6th to
April 13th (7-nights)
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10 spaces
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April 27th to
May 4th (7-nights)
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10 spaces
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May 11th to
18th (7-nights)
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10 spaces
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October 12th to
19th (7-nights)
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10 spaces
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October 26th to
November 2nd (7-nights)
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10 spaces
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November 9th to
16th (7-nights)
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10 spaces
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November 23rd
to 30th (7-nights)
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10 spaces
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December 14th
to 21st (7-nights)
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10 spaces
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Rates:
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2008
Rate (per person): US $2000.00 (7-nights)
Rate includes:
accommodation in double cabins with private facilities; all meals
(breakfast, lunch, dinner); Bilingual (English/Spanish) guided
excursions; tea, coffee & purified water.
Rate does not include:
Roundtrip Galapagos airfare; Galapagos National Park entrance fee; bar
consumption; tips; snorkel equipment rental (US $25 per week). |
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SUN:
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Baltra / Santa Cruz (Bachas Beach)
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MON:
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North
Seymour / Santa Fe
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TUE:
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Espanola
(Punta Suarez / Gardner Bay)
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WED:
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Floreana
(Punta Cormorant / Post Office Bay)
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THU:
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Santa
Cruz (Charles Darwin Station / Highlands)
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FRI:
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Santiago
(Puerto Egas) / Bartolome
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SAT:
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Genovesa
(Prince Phillip's Steps / Darwin Bay)
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SUN:
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Santa
Cruz (Black Turtle Cove) / Baltra
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NOTE:
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Itinerary
subject to change
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This is a well-rounded itinerary visiting the majority of the unique
sites and islands that offer a wide range of the Galapagos Islands'
wildlife. Highlight of highlights include visits to Genovesa, Bartolome & Espanola.
Guests have the opportunity to swim and snorkel at some truly magical
sites, including Devil's Crown
(Floreana), Darwin Bay
(Genovesa), Santa Fe, Bartolome & Gardner Bay (Espanola). Do not
miss out on your snorkelling!
Spectacular and unique wildlife that is seen on the Eden's itinerary include:
- Waved Albatross
(April to December)
- Galapagos penguins
- Giant Tortoises
- Blue-footed
Boobies
- Red-footed Boobies
- Masked (Nazca)
Boobies
- Marine turtles
- Sea lions
- Marine Iguanas
- Land Iguanas
- Fur seals
- Tropicbirds
- Darwin Finches
- Pacific Green
turtles
- Rays
- at the
list goes on ...........
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Itinerary
experience highlights ...
NORTH SEYMOUR
Frigatebirds
Blue-footed Boobies
Marine Iguanas
Sea lions
SANTA FE (BARRINGTON)
Galapagos hawks
Land Iguanas
Sharks & Rays
Sea lions
*good snorkelling site
ESPANOLA (HOOD)
Waved Albatross (Apr-Dec)
Blue-footed Boobies
Marine Iguanas
Sharks & turtles
Lava lizards
Mockingbirds
Red-billed tropicbirds
*scenic (cliffs &
blowhole)
FLOREANA (CHARLES)
Flamingos
Ghost crabs
Marine turtles (Dec-Mar)
Sea lions
Blue-footed Boobies
*site of famous Post
Office Barrel; excellent snorkelling at Devil's Crown
SANTIAGO (JAMES) [Puerto Egas]
Sally lightfoot crabs
Marine iguanas
Moray eels
Sea lions
Oystercatchers
BARTOLOME
Galapagos penguins
Galapagos hawks
Black-tipped reef sharks
Marine turtle (Jan-Mar)
Sea lions
*one of the most
panoramic sites in Galapagos
GENOVESA (TOWER)
Red-footed Boobies
Masked (Nazca) Boobies
Fur seals
Great Frigatebirds
Marine iguanas (smallest)
Sharks (inc. Hammerheads)
Tropicbirds
*white-coral beach
SANTA CRUZ (INDEFATIGABLE)
Giant Tortoises
Great Blue Herons
Pacific Green turtles
Marine turtles
Rays (Golden/Spotted Eagle)
Darwin Finches
*see the famous
Lonesome George
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Galapagos
Islands Tourist Visit Statistics
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The
Galapagos Islands have become an increasing popular tourist
destination. For this reason, cruises in the archipelago book out
months (even up to a year) in advance (particularly onboard
reasonably-priced cruise
yachts). We
recommend booking your cruise as early as possible,
particularly for high season (May through to September; December and
January) cruises. Leaving it until the last minute will result in
limit or no cruise options.
Here
are recent
visitor statistics for the Galapagos Islands:
Visitors per year:
YEAR
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2000
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2001
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2002
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2003
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2004
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2005
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2006
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VISITORS
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61,466 |
95,587 |
95,841 |
100,039 |
110,875 |
123,657 |
148,664 |
source: www.galapagospark.org
Visitors
(average) by month:
MONTH
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JAN
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FEB
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MAR
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APR
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MAY
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JUN
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JUL
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AUG
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SEP
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OCT
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NOV
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DEC
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VISITOR
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8.61%
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8.62%
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8.27%
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7.99%
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7.66%
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8.18%
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10.23%
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9.87%
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6.21%
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7.75%
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8.09%
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8.42%
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source:
www.galapagospark.org
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*IMPORTANT*
FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN SELECTING A GALAPAGOS CRUISE *IMPORTANT*
One
of the most
important aspects of any given cruise in the Galapagos Islands is the
onboard NATURALIST
GUIDE for the specific yacht. He/she can be the deciding
factor on the successful experience on a Galapagos Islands
cruise. Not all naturalist guides are the same, in terms of
quality. The LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE
and the LEVEL OF ENGLISH (for
those that do not understand Spanish) is a very important aspect to
consider in your selection.
Another important issue to consider is the TYPE OF GALAPAGOS
BOAT. For
those sensitive to motion or sea-sickness, you want to try and avoid
sailing or motor sailer boats. These tend to rock in open waters
(even when the water is calm). The most stable are the large
(Deluxe) cruise ships, followed by the catamarans and wider motor boats.
A third consideration is the LENGTH OF CRUISE.
The fist and last day of any given cruise are short days (as they are
based on the flight arrival and departure schedules into/out of
Galapagos). Cruises really start between 09h30 and 11h30 the
morning of the first day of the cruise in Galapagos, and end between
08h30 and 10h30 in the morning of the last day of the cruise.
What some classify as a 5-DAY/4-NIGHT
or 8-DAY/7-NIGHT cruises
translates into 4 full nights and 3 full days or 7 full nights and 6
full days, respectively, in the Galapagos Islands, with two partial
days at the begining and end of the cruise.
Finally, the respective CRUISE PRICES DO NOT
NECESSARILY REFLECT THE QUALITY OF THE CRUISE. Some
reasonably-priced cruises are just as good as many more expensive
options (but this greatly depends on the yachts in question).
During high demand periods such as mid-December through to mid-January
(Christmas/New Year's), April (Easter) and July through to August
(summer holidays/vacation), cruise rates can often increase in price
(especially for last minute reservations) - this especially applies to
Economic, Tourist and Tourist Superior options.
All cruise rates do not
include the
following:
- Roundtrip
Galapagos airline ticket (but this is booked in conjunction
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