Ecoventura suggests Pre and Post Land Extensions in Ecuador and Peru

Galapagos Small-Ship Cruise Operator, Ecoventura, Suggests Pre and Post Luxury Land Extensions MIAMI, FL, Feb. 14, 2013 – Ecoventura (http://www.ecoventura.com), that operates an environmentally friendly fleet of small expedition yachts in the Galapagos Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, suggests pre and post luxury land extensions that can be combined with a seven-night Galapagos cruise throughout the year. See: http://www.ecoventura.com/expeditionyachts/ourmostpopulartripcombinations.as Land extensions in tandem with a cruise include the coastal city of Guayaquil, nine nights from $4,440 per person double; the Andean capital of Quito with Otavalo and Cotopaxi, 12 nights from $5,530 per person double; Sacha Rainforest Lodge, 14 nights from $6,030 per person double; and Cuzco and Machu Picchu in Peru, 14 nights from $6,277 per person double. Prices include both the cruise and the extension. Guayaquil has several new faces including Malecon 2000, a two-mile riverside complex and pier; Las Penas, a neighborhood of 400-year-old houses converted into art galleries and cafes; Parque Historico, a recreation site of the early 20th century including a zoo and the upscale Plaza Lago in the suburb of Samborondon with shops and theater. Cruise guests lodge at Oro Verde, the city’s only five star locally owned and operated hotel, a member of Leading Hotels of the World and the first to be certified by Smart Voyager. Quito, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a preserved Spanish colonial city with cobblestone streets and gilded churches as well as a modern city and financial center with high rises and shopping malls. In the past decade, nearly $500 million was invested in the historical downtown area with the monasteries of San Francisco, Santo Domingo and La Compania, classic examples of Baroque architecture. There is a foodie revolution under way in Quito with tempting new restaurants opening, hot on the heels of their neighboring country Peru. Plaza Foch is the new hip area for trendy bars and restaurants. A gondola-style Teleferico offers a panoramic ride to the top of a 12,943-foot summit. The Guayasamin Museum displays art from Ecuador's most well-known living artist. Visits outside of Quito will appeal to nature lovers at Cotopaxi National Park; for indigenous cultures and handicrafts there is the Otavalo Indian market, the largest in South America. Ecoventura guests lodge at the luxury boutique Hotel Le Parc Quito that opened in 2007. Amazon rainforest - for the ultimate wildlife experience many cruise guests combine Galapagos with a lodge in the jungle. Sacha Lodge in Coca is a 30-minute flight from Quito. In groups of no more than six per guide, guests can walk high along a 900-foot canopy, climb a 135-foot observation tower, visit a butterfly farm, canoe down river to the Yasuni Clay lick to witness dozens of parrots, toucans and monkeys, fish for Piranha, swim in the lake, fly through the rainforest on a zip-line, take night walks and more. While in Quito guests lodge at Mansion del Angel, a mansion built at the turn of the last century by a tobacco tycoon. Ecoventura offers two extensions to Peru including a six-night program with the Casa Andina Private Collection hotels and the Inkaterra Pueblo and a seven-night five-star extension with the Westin and Libertador Luxury Hotels and Sumaq Hotel. The highlights of the trip are Machu Picchu ruins, Cuzco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas. However, for those with limited hours and time only for a cruise, Ecoventura reports that a cruise can be accomplished with only two, and sometimes just one, forced overnights coming and going from the ship. With current flight schedules guests can return home the last evening the cruise ends. Ecoventura spokesperson Doris Welsh advises that the Feb. 20, 2013, planned opening of Quito's new airport, Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Tababela, about 20km east of Quito, will make Quito more accessible by accommodating more flights from an increased number of destinations. Travel time from the airport into Quito will range from 45 minutes or more in rush hour. However, because hotels in Quito will no longer offer complimentary airport shuttle service, travel time and transfer expense will increase. Ecoventura recommends that their passengers travel via the coastal city of Guayaquil for short or one night stays to avoid the hassle, at least until the highways are finished and hotels closer to the airport open, anticipated in about a year. About Ecoventura: Ecoventura is a family-owned company based in Guayaquil, Ecuador, with sales offices in Quito and Miami. In operation since 1990, the cruise company transports 4,000+ passengers annually aboard its fleet of three identical, 20-passenger first-class motor yachts, Eric, Flamingo and Letty, and the 16-passenger luxury dive live-aboard the MV Galapagos Sky. Departures are every Sunday from San Cristobal offering two unique seven-night itineraries. To reserve a cabin or private charter, or to receive a copy of Ecoventura’s 2013 catalog please call toll-free 1.800.633.7972, or e-mail info@galapagosnetwork.com. To access current rates, schedules and itineraries log on to http://www.ecoventura.com/. # # # For photos and/or more information on how Ecoventura is making a difference in the Galapagos Islands please contact: Sara Widness / 802-234-6704 / sara@widnesspr.com Dave Wiggins / 303-554-8821 / dave@travelnewssource.com Website and Portfolio of Past Releases: http://www.travelnewssource.com/ Follow Widness & Wiggins PR on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/BoulderDave Ecoventura Contact: Doris Welsh Email: doris@galapagosnetwork.com Website: www.ecoventura.com/ Phone: 800.633.7972 Follow on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ecoventura.GalapagosNetwork Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GalapagosNetwor

Ecoventura Helps to Launch Study of Effects of Galapagos Marine Reserve

Galapagos Small-Ship Cruise Operator, Ecoventura, Helps Launch Study of Effects of Galapagos Marine Reserve Company’s Live-Aboard Dive Boat, The Galapagos Sky, Assists Scientists who Need to Examine Habitats and Habits of Sharks MIAMI, FL, Jan. 17, 2013 – How do the experts know if a conservation project is fulfilling its goals? This is the question posed by scientists of the Galapagos Science Center and the Galapagos community concerning the Galapagos Marine Reserve established in 1998 on a provisional basis because at the time there was a lack of scientific information on the local biodiversity. Fourteen years later, a barometer of the reserve’s success is how well – or not – the sharks are doing. Ecoventura (http://www.ecoventura.com), that operates an environmentally friendly fleet of small expedition yachts in the Galapagos Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recently volunteered one of its four yachts, The M/V Galapagos Sky, a live-aboard dive boat, to participate in the beginning phase of a shark conservation analysis that engaged the ship in late December and early January 2013. The goal moving forward is to gather data on the diversity, abundance and distribution of focal species. The data will help guide the design of a new zoning scheme for the reserve based on determinations of spatial extensions of key habitats for Galapagos’ flagship species, including sharks. Elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) are top predators and keystone species in their ecosystems and therefore serve as sentinels for the general health of the ecosystem and its community. In January 2012, the shark acoustic telemetry project outlined plans to began working with the Galapagos Science Center and the Galapagos National Park to investigate habitat use and movement patterns of juvenile Blacktip sharks. The research project is calling on local volunteer professionals, including students, who in turn will educate and facilitate next-generation biologists and conservationists. The resulting data is expected to reveal where Blacktip sharks migrate alter leaving their nursery grounds and where and how extensive the nursery habitats are in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. Scientists concurrently, using underwater photo and video equipment, studied, among others, the impacts of humans on sea turtle populations and the abundance and distribution of cetaceans (whales and dolphins). A spokesperson for Ecoventura, Doris Welsh, said that guests on board with the scientists “shared a high interest in conservation issues and research projects. Divers were happy to know that by booking with the Galapagos Sky they indirectly supported conservation projects in the Galapagos Islands, through Ecoventura’s collaborations and through their park entrance fees.” Welsh noted that research findings are still being analyzed. The principal scientific investigator is Maximilian Hirschfeld working with collaborating researchers Leandro Vaca Pita, Juan Pablo Munoz Perez and Jens Mayorga Molina. About Ecoventura: Ecoventura is a family-owned company based in Guayaquil, Ecuador, with sales offices in Quito and Miami. In operation since 1990, the cruise company transports 4,000+ passengers annually aboard its fleet of three expedition vessels; Eric, Flamingo and Letty, identical, superior first-class 20-passenger motor yachts. The company also operates the M/V Galapagos Sky, a 16-passenger dedicated dive live-aboard offering 7-night weekly itineraries visiting the northern islands of Wolf and Darwin. To reserve a cabin or private charter, or to receive a copy of Ecoventura’s 2013 catalog please call toll-free 1.800.633.7972, or e-mail info@galapagosnetwork.com. To access current rates, schedules and itineraries log on to http://www.ecoventura.com/. # # # For photos and/or more information on how Ecoventura is making a difference in the Galapagos Islands please contact: Sara Widness / 802-234-6704 / sara@widnesspr.com Dave Wiggins / 303-554-8821 / dave@travelnewssource.com Website and Portfolio of Past Releases: http://www.travelnewssource.com/ Follow Widness & Wiggins PR on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/BoulderDave Ecoventura Contact: Doris Welsh Email: doris@galapagosnetwork.com Website: www.ecoventura.com/ Phone: 800.633.7972 Follow on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ecoventura.GalapagosNetwork Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GalapagosNetwor