Luxury Class: Viewing the Natural World

By Brian A. Grow
18 October 2002
P8 English
(Copyright (c) 2002, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)

Retrace Charles Darwin's steps in the Galapagos Islands and travel on the luxury 112-foot brigantine schooner "Diamante" with your own crew.

What's special? Six hundreds miles from the shores of Ecuador lie the storybook islands of the Galapagos, where Darwin first chronicled the evolutionary origins of the species. These volcanic islands at first appear barren and uninhabited until a 180-kilogram giant tortoise lumbers past and blue-footed boobies ponder their human visitors. In nearby bays, playful sea lions are said to nibble on snorkelers' flippers.

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the Galapagos are a stage on which the Earth's evolutionary forces play out unencumbered by the hectic pace of life in the world's more inhabited climes. But travelers on the "Adventure Life" Galapagos 10-day luxury yacht tour can enjoy the mystical islands in relaxed style aboard the double-sailed schooner Diamante.

After arriving in Quito, the mountain-clad, mist-encrusted capital of Ecuador, you'll hop an early-morning flight to the Galapagos Archipelago. There, you'll be whisked to the Diamante, your home for the next seven
nights. After getting settled on board, the Daimante will embark for the first Galapagos island to begin an adventure into the natural world.

From day three to day eight, the Diamante will slide among the Galapagos islands, stopping each day at a new island where "pangas," the local word for dinghies, will take you ashore with your own guide. There you will take nature walks to remote areas of the islands. The guides, trained naturalists, offer lessons in the islands' history, flora and fauna. There will be once-in-a-lifetime photo shots of marine iguanas, finches and the giant tortoise. Snorkelers can swim off the rocky volcanic beaches with marine life. The Galapagos Archipelago, except for a few settlements, is a national park.

The Diamante accommodates as many as 12 passengers in six cabins with lower - and upper - deck berths. Each room has a bathroom with hot and cold showers, and air conditioning.

On day nine, travelers, after one last morning island visit, catch an afternoon flight back to Quito.

How to do it? "Adventure Life Galapagos" luxury-plus yacht tours on the Diamante set sail from Saturday to Saturday. The ship sails in high season from June 15 to Sept. 14 and again from Nov. 1 to April 30. Travelers can also choose to float amid the Galapagos on board the "Mistral," a 74-foot motor yacht built by Vanderhoeven Yachts of the Netherlands.

How much? The Galapagos 10-day yacht cruise aboard the Diamante starts at $2,988 (3,028 euros), plus $393 for the Quito-Galapagos-Quito flight in high season or $336 at other times. The cost includes two nights in hotels in Quito, seven nights in double-occupancy cabins on the Diamante, meals while in the Galapagos, airport-to-hotel-to yacht transfers and breakfasts in the hotels. The trip cost doesn't include international airfare to and from Quito, insurance, optional excursions, airport taxes or entrance fee to the national park. Estimated additional costs except for international air fare are $240.

Adventure Life Journeys

Tel: 1-800-344-6118 in the U.S. or 1-406-541-2677 outside the U.S.

www.adventure-life.com