Accomodation ID c99555
At a glance
- Cruise line:
- Cruise ship:
- Number of nights: 12
- Port of Embarkation: Quito, Ecuador
- Port of Debarkation: Quito, Ecuador
- Kashrut Authority:
Kesher Kosher Tours
General information
Ecuador is the smallest country in the Andes Mountains and one of the most fascinating tourist attractions in South America. Thanks to the diversity of the native cultures, the well-kept colonial architecture, the volcanic scenery and the lush forests, this country has more points of interest within its borders than those of a country twice its size. Ecuador ranks as one of the richest countries in the world when it comes to its variety of animals and flora. Ecuador is considered one of the safest and most comfortable countries for travelers.
Ecuador’s tropical climate allows for tourism any time of the year, and the fact that it lies on the equator keeps the weather stable all year long. The weather in Ecuador is fickle and has a tendency for extremes. The only sure thing that can be said about the weather in Ecuador is that it is totally unexpected, and it’s not rare to experience all 4 seasons in one day. Never the less, and despite all this, the fact that Ecuador is located on the equator, gives one the opportunity to tour Ecuador on most days of the year, and anywhere in the country: the Andes, the rain forests, the beaches and the Galapagos.
ITINERARY
DAY 1
WEDNESDAY: ARRIVAL QUITO
Arrival Quito, Ecuador, where we will be met by staff from Shai Bar Ilan Geographical Tours at the hotel. Quito is without a doubt the prettiest city in South America.
DAY 2
THURSDAY: QUITO, MINDO CLOUD FOREST
The western slopes of the Pichincha volcano are dressed with a wonderful dense ecosystem: the cloud forest, where is located Mindo.
DAY 3
FRIDAY: QUITO COLONIAL & MITAD DEL MUNDO
Colonial city tour: Explore the bustling streets and plazas in the largest colonial town of the Americas and first UNESCO’s World Heritage Site.
DAY 4
SHABBAT: QUITO
After prayers and breakfast, we shall go for a walking tour of Quito. Today you will visit the Central Bank Museum, which has permanent collections of archaeological, ethnographic, colonial and republican art, as well as old photographs.
DAY 5
SUNDAY: QUITO, QUILOTOA LAKE
The Quilotoa is one of the most beautiful places in the Ecuadorian Highland due to it is a lagoon inside a crater, just like Cuicocha. Quilotoa comes from two quichua words, “Quiru” that means tooth, and “Toa” which is queen.
The lagoon has elliptical shape and its diameter is about 2 miles. From the superior border to the lagoon there are 1310 ft approximately. The lagoon is mostly green, but its color varies according to the luminosity, it can change to blue and even yellow. The water has a great mineral composition like sulphur hydrogen and carbonic gas which makes the water not for human consume, however people from the zone use this water for animals. In a sunny day you can see from here some of the Andes Range like the Illinizas to the north. Visit to Local Market in Pujili Village on the way.
DAY 6-9
MONDAY-THURSDAY: GALAPAGOS ISLANDS CRUISE 4D/3N IN THE GALAPAGOS LEGEND LUXURY BOAT
Morning Flight to the Islands: Quito – Galapagos Islands – Quito.
Today we fly out to the Galapagos Islands for a fascinating cruise around the Islands. This is a volcanic group of Islands that rose from the ocean approx 4-10 million years ago.
Man discovered the islands in the year 1535, and just like any other place, started destroying his surroundings. The animals, that weren’t yet familiar with humans, didn’t run away, and the sailors massacred them mercilessly, both for food and for pleasure. In addition, they also unleashed goats, cats and dogs that destroyed the area. The sailors took the giant tortoises back with them on the ships as a supply of fresh meat. Later they butchered the tortoises too for their fat. For these reasons and others, dozens of unique species became extinct.
DAY 6
MONDAY: BALTRA AIRPORT - HIGHLANDS TORTOISE RESERVE (SANTA CRUZ ISLAND)
Departure from Quito to Baltra (2½ hours flight). Passengers are picked up at the airport by our naturalist guides and taken on a ten minute bus drive to the pier to board the M/V Galapagos Legend.
DAY 7
TUESDAY: EL BARRANCO, PRINCE PHILIP’S STEPS - DARWIN BAY (GENOVESA ISLAND)
Be marveled at the variety of sea life that uses the crevices of the lava cliffs for shelter. Red-billed Tropicbirds fly overhead, switching between their nests and the bay, and a small colony of fur seals may be found near the landing site.
DAY 8
WEDNESDAY: DRAGON HILL (SANTA CRUZ ISLAND) - SANTA FE ISLAND
Dry landing. Walk by a brackish lagoon to see flamingos. The trail leads across typical dry zone vegetation. Keeping up until Dragon Hill, see an important nesting ground for endemic land iguanas, offering lovely views of the anchored boats and neighboring islands.
DAY 9
THURSDAY: BACHAS BEACH (SANTA CRUZ ISLAND) - BALTRA ISLAND AIRPORT - QUITO - OTAVALO
Wet landing. On the north side of Santa Cruz; behind the beach lies two small flamingo ponds were iguanas sunbathe, see coastal birds, Darwin finches, mockingbirds, and gulls, as well as interesting native vegetation like red and black mangrove, salt bushes.
DAY 10
FRIDAY: OTAVALO, COTACACHI VILLAGE, CUICOCHA LAKE
Today we will visit Cotacachi Village A small town nearby Otavalo, its narrow streets is full of stores that sell a great variety of leather goods.
DAY 11
SATURDAY: OTAVALO
After prayers and breakfast, we shall go for a walking tour of Otavalo. The most famous indigenous market in Ecuador is held here.
DAY 12
SUNDAY: OTAVALO – PARQUE CONDOR – BACK HOME
Today we will visit Parque Condor, a rocky outcropping above Otavalo. But the stone pathways are not natural, they were laid to connect the numerous aviaries built to house condors, falcons, eagles, and hawks.
Kosher information
Food and dining
Kashrut on Tours
Only strictly kosher food is provided to our travelers on all our tours. On some of our tours we are able to provide glatt meals. Kashrut is of utmost importance to us and we take special measures to ensure that everything served is kosher.
The meals:
Breakfast is prepared using our utensils. We use local fresh fruits and vegetables, and we use milk products when they are permitted. We use kosher cereals, and bread. We usually serve hard boiled eggs and sometimes scrambled eggs or omelets. At breakfast, we prepare our lunches so that people have their choice as to what they eat for lunch. We bring food from Israel to supplement what is served in the hotel such as cheeses, peanut butter, tuna, etc.
For dinners, we serve either fish or meat (usually chicken) as our main course. In areas where meat is not available nor readily acquired, we will have fish. When possible, we acquire the meat locally from Chabad or other reliable kosher source, and in some cases we fly the meat in from Israel. We try to provide as many meat meals as possible. The main course at dinner is preceded by soup and salad and accompanied by freshly prepared vegetables. Dessert typically consists of fresh fruits.
We do not guarantee Pat Israel and Chalav Israel for all destinations.
In many destinations we have our own dishes and silverware. Where we don’t, we provide disposables at the meals. When we cook in hotel kitchens, we use our own knives, cutting boards, pots and pans, cooking implements and disposable metal trays. All food preparation is done on covered surfaces under the strict supervision of our trained staff/guides who function as our mashgichim.
We make great efforts to assure that our travelers will experience local foods first-hand, while maintaining stringent observance of Kashrut laws on all occasions.
On most of our tours, you will be accompanied by two of our staff members- one a guide for the tour who is knowledgeable about the places you are visiting and will accompany you throughout the day and the second, a person who will deal with the logistics of the tour and provide kashrut supervision in the kitchen.
Hotels:
It is our aim to provide the finest hotel possible in each area we visit. We require our hotels to allow us to work in the kitchen and to supervise the cooking and there are many hotels that are not willing to cooperate. They simply have no desire for us to be “meddling” in their cooking process nor are they happy about our bringing our equipment into their kitchens. We work very hard to find the best hotel in the area that will meet our requirements. Because we are not ready to compromise on kashrut, we may not always be able to use a five star hotel.
Dates and Information
Date 2: 20/11/2019
PRICE *- $7110
SINGLE ROOM **- $1920
* Price per person in USD double or twin room
** Supplement Price for single room
Price Includes:
Domestic Flights
First class hotels or the best available locally
Comfortable air-conditioned touring coach for travelling
Tips for local service providers
Kosher half board & supplies for making sandwiches for lunch
Professional experienced Shai Bar Ilan guide
Local English-speaking guide as required
Entrance fees to all sites mentioned in the tour plan
Price Excludes:
International Flights
Tax at Quito airport (approx $40 per person)
Travel and baggage Insurance
Personal expenses
Tip for Israeli guide (Recommended: $5 per person per day)
Important to Know:
There may be changes to the order of places visited. We will make every effort to visit every place mentioned in the itinerary.
The tour organizers have no control over airline services such as seating, special meal requests, changes in departure times or delays. These remain the sole responsibility of the airline company.
Deposit, Cancellation Fees & Policy:
A $500 USD Deposit per person must be received at the time of booking in order to confirm your reservation. Payment in full is due 60 days before departure. A minimum number of participants are required to operate tour dates. If a minimum number has not been reached prior to tour departure and the tour is cancelled you will receive a FULL refund.
• 90 working days before departure bookings are refundable less a $100 administration fee
• 89-60 working days prior to departure: 25% of total.
• 59-30 days prior to departure: 50% of total.
• Less than 30 working days prior to departure: 100% of total – no refund
Working days: Monday till Thursday
Non working days: Friday till Sunday, Jewish holidays.
We strongly recommend purchasing Travel Insurance.
