FABULOUS 2-WEEK TRIP TO THE GALAPAGOS AND ECUADORAN HIGHLAND AND CLOUD FOREST

JUNE 10 -JUNE 23, 2008

8 day / 7 night cruise of the Galápagos on the yacht Monseratt. Travel in comfort on a 16-passenger chartered yacht on a special itinerary designed to be of particular interest to biologists. View the most spectacular scenery in the islands and visit the mostinteresting wildlife-viewing locales in the islands
accompanied by a knowledgeable, bilingual localguide and repeat Galápagos traveler Alec Motten.

June is the nesting season for blue-footed boobies and frigate birds. The Monseratt is also scheduled to visit the only breeding grounds of the waved albatross. Other notable avian attractions include penguins, flamingos (yes, both!), flightlesscormorants, and the finches and mockingbirds thatcontributed to Darwin’s theory of evolution. The itinerary makes stops at marvelous snorkeling locations (sea turtles and colorful sea stars and fishes) and offers ample opportunity to get up close and personal with sea lions, iguanas, and Galapagos tortoises.

Andean natural history and Ecuadorian traditionat San Jorge Eco-Lodge & Botanical Reserve

This peaceful, comfortable former villa just outside and above Quito features rooms with rustic built-in fireplaces, beautiful gardens filled with hummingbirds, and a restaurant that overlooks theQuito valley. It will serve as the base of operations for a guided exploration of Old Colonial Quito and a one-day Medicinal Plants & Sacred Waterfalls Excursion. In the Botanical Reserve adjacent to the Lodge trek to the highland tropical rain forest, visiting up to 5 sacred waterfalls. Learn about the medicinal attributes of the native plants still being used in their natural states.

Also, spend two nights at the new San Jorge de Milpe Lodge in the San Jorge de Milpe Orchid & Bird Reserve. This is a bird-watching paradise with almost 450 species. Enjoy majestic waterfalls, swimming in the subtropical rain forest, and wild surroundings with orchids, bromeliads, and otherflowers, and butterflies. Take a night walk to experience frogs, owls, and moths. Spend a glorious day in the San Jorge de Tandayapa Hummingbird Reserve in the magnificent cloud forest, reknowned for 360-degree panoramic views, an amazingdiversity of hummingbirds coming to the feeders, and 40 species of orchids.

For more information contact: Alec Motten (afmotten@duke.edu)
Alexander F. Motten, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of the Practice of Biology
Department of Biology, Box 90338
Duke University
Durham, NC 27708-0338
USA