September 9th - 23rd, 2008 - Galapagos Islands
This page has been moved from
"Upcoming Events" and will eventually be turned into a "Trip
Review" page.
Trip Leader:
|
For
Questions Regarding Trip
Doug Geddes
(859) 224-3197 |
|
Financial:
|
For
Questions Regarding Payments
George Fleischmann
(859) 873-9539 |
|
Dates: |
September
11th-18th,
2008 |
Main Trip - Galapagos Islands |
| September 19th-23rd,
2008 |
Side Trip - Sacha
Lodge |
Accommodations:
|
Galapagos Islands - Galapagos Aggressor - Liveaboard |
| Side Trip - Sacha
Lode |
Dive Operator: |
Galapagos Aggressor - Liveaboard |
Transportation: |
Continental
Airlines (Lexington - Detroit -
Houston - Quito)
Tame
Airlines (Quito - Baltra & Return)
Tame
Airlines (Quito - Coca & Return if taking side trip)
Continental Airlines (Quito -
Houston - Lexington) |
Itinerary:Disclaimer:
This itinerary is for illustration only. Group
air arrangements are not available. Use this itinerary as a guide
only to pursue your own personal air travel. |
Date: |
From: |
To: |
Flight: |
Leave: |
Arrive: |
| Lexington to Quito |
| 09 SEP 08 |
LEX |
DTW |
CO7360 |
11:08 AM |
12:33 PM |
|
Change
Planes. Connect time in Detroit, MI 2 hours 27 minutes
|
| DTW |
IAH |
CO1689 |
3:00 PM |
5:00 PM |
| Change
Planes. Connect time in Houston, TX 50 minutes |
| IAH |
UIO |
CO653 |
5:50 PM |
11:17 PM |
| 2 Nights in Quito prior to diving |
| 11 SEP 08 |
UIO |
GPS |
EQ 193 |
9:30 AM |
11:30 AM |
11 SEP 08
to
18 SEP 08 |
7 nights/8 Days Aboard the
Galapagos
Aggressor |
| 18 SEP 08 |
GPS |
UIO |
EQ 190 |
10:30 AM |
2:30 PM |
| 1 Overnight in Quito |
19 SEP 08
to
23 SEP 08 |
UIO |
OCC |
EQ 211 |
4:45 PM |
5:15 PM |
|
4 nights/5 Days at Sacha Lodge
|
| 23 SEP 08 |
OCC |
UIO |
EQ 208 |
9:45 AM |
10:15 AM |
|
1 Overnight in Quito
|
| Quito to Lexington |
| 24 SEP 08 |
UIO |
IAH |
CO654 |
6:40 AM |
12:04 PM |
| Change
Planes. Connect time in Houston, TX 1 hour 6 minutes |
| IAH |
LEX |
CO2405 |
1:10 PM |
4:25 PM |
Costs:Disclaimer:
These cost figures are estimates only. Your final cost will be
determined by the club treasurer. |
Airfare from Lexington to
Quito, Ecuador & return |
Group
air is not available |
| Airfare from
Quito to Baltra & return |
| Airfare from
Quito to Coca for side trip |
| Galapagos Aggressor - Liveaboard |
$3295 |
| Over night stays
(4) in Quito on arrival, returning and in route to side trip |
$480 |
| Optional side trip - Sacha
Lodge |
$870
|
| Trip
administration fee |
$10 |
Click here ===> 
To access BGDC Trip Refund Policy |
Trip Insurance:
|
Click
here ===>
To view information about Dive Emergency Assistance and Trip Insurance
from a Bluegrass Dive Club partner. |
Notes: |
Flag of Ecuador |
 |
Text on Ecuador and small South American
map excerpted from and Copywrite© by Donoho
Design Group, Inc.
Text on Galapagos excerpted from and Copywrite© by Cornell
University.
Text on Sacha Lodge excerpted from and Copywrite© by Discover
Amazonia
Large Ecuador map from CIA World Fact Book
 Ecuador:
The
coastal region and the high Andean basins of what is now Ecuador were inhabited
by Indian tribes when the first Europeans reached the area's Pacific coast in
1526. The Inca
Empire extended over the highland region to an area near to Quito.
The first Spanish settlement in Ecuador was established in 1534 at Quito
on the site of an important Inca
town of the same name. Another settlement was established four years later near
the mouth of the river Guayas on the site of Guayaquil. Expeditions initiated by
Francisco Pizarro, who discovered and conquered Peru,
founded the settlements and extended Spanish rule over the highland basins and
coastal lowlands. Ecuador was part of the Viceroyalty of Peru until 1740, when
it was transferred to the Viceroyalty of New Granada (together with Colombia
and Venezuela). With hardly any gold or silver, Ecuador did not attract many
Europeans settlers during the Spanish colonial period, which lasted until 1822.
 The first uprising against Spanish rule took place in 1809, but only in 1822
did Ecuador gain independence as part of the Federation of Gran Colombia, from
which it withdrew in 1830. A long period of strife and instability followed,
caused mainly by struggles between conservative and liberal elements, clerical
and anticlerical movements, and large landowners and owners of small farms or plantations.
The country was run by dictators, and the army played an important role in
internal politics. During the first century of its independence, Ecuador had
changed its constitution 13 times and only a few of its presidents had managed to
serve a full four-year term.
The economic development associated with the cocoa boom at the end of the
nineteenth and the first quarter of the twentieth century helped to improve and
stabilize the country's administration, despite the frequent turnover in rulers
-18 presidents between 1897 and 1934- and 25 presidents between 1934 and 1988.
Galapagos Islands: Perhaps more so than any other
place in the world, the fauna of the Galapagos are unique. Charles Darwin's
observations of these unique animals, their
remarkable adaptation to a hostile environment, and the subtle variations
between races of the same species living on different islands led directly to
his theory of natural selection. The theory explains how the vast multitude of
species on the Earth have evolved from a simple, singled-celled ancestor. The
theory remains the single most important one in biology. Thus we can look back
at nearly five centuries of human contact with the Galapagos and say that,
without a doubt, the most important event in the human history of the Galapagos
was Darwin's visit in 1835. Even without Darwin, though, the tale of human
contact with the Galapagos is a fascinating one, and the Enchanted Islands, as
the early mariners called them, have meant many things to many people from many
lands. To find out why click HERE.
Sacha
Lodge Amazon Tour: Sacha
Lodge is rated as one of the top five ecotourism lodges in the Amazon
Rainforest! And it is an incredible place. This jungle lodge lies 50 miles
downriver in the heart of the wilderness between the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve
and Yasuni National Park. Blessed with a stunning lakeside location and
experienced and enthusiastic personnel, the lodge provides a base from which to
appreciate the raw beauty of the rainforest and a relaxing retreat in which to
enjoy the comforts and services available...
Links to information on:
Galapagos Aggressor
- Dive Operator/Accommodations
in Galapagos
Sacha Lodge Amazon Tour - Optional Side trip
U.S. Department of
State - Consular Information on travel to Ecuador
Tame Airlines - Transportation from Quito, Ecuador to Galapagos &
Coca
Natural
History of the Galapagos Islands
Map and Details of Baltra Island
- Location of Galapagos Islands Airport
The Naturalist Net - Baltra
Page
Galapagos
Online
Weather in
Quito
Time
in Ecuador - Standard time -0500 UTC
Time
in Galapagos - Standard time -0600 UTC
ScubaDiving.com
- Trip reports on Galapagos
Sacha
Lodge - Visitor Reviews
|
