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Contact:
Santiago Dunn
Executive President
Ecoventura
Miraflores Avenida Central 300A Entre Calle 3RA y Calle 4TA
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Tel: +593/4220-7170
Fax: +593/4220-5104
sdunn@ecoventura.com
www.ecoventura.com
www.cruise-galapagos.com
Certified by:
SmartVoyager, Ecuador (April, 2007)
www.ccd.org.ec
Type of accommodation:
Expedition yachts
Features:
Air conditioning
Hot water
Kitchen
Private bathroom
Restaurant
Television
Ecoventura’s fleet of identical expedition vessels – Eric, Flamingo & Letty – are superior first-class 20-passenger motor yachts, built in 1991 and refurbished every year. There are ten fully air-conditioned outside facing staterooms with one double or two twin beds, private bathroom, hot water, hair dryer, closet, drawers, intercom and separate climate controls with window or porthole view. Extremely comfortable and spacious, the public areas include a dining room, well stocked bar, conference area with flat screen TV, sun deck with lounge chairs and several observation areas. The Ecuadorian Captain and crew strive for the highest levels of service and cuisine that appeal to the upscale adventure traveler. Read more.
Ecoventura also operates the Sky Dancer, a 16-passenger dedicated dive liveaboard offering 7-night itineraries visiting the northern islands of Wolf and Darwin. Read more.
Year founded: 1990
Number of employees: 83
Percent of employees who are local residents: 66%
Of the 62 employees that are based on the Galapagos Islands, 41 employees are residents of Galapagos, and the remaining employees (21) are based in other cities.
Number of rooms:
We have a total of 38 rooms on 4 boats. There are 3 boats with 10 cabins each, and one boat with 8 cabins.
Type of destination:
Beach
Able to accommodate:
Families
Gay/lesbian
Seniors
Singles
Singles with children
Volunteers
Description of the area:
Darwin’s Enchanted Isles - a volcanic archipelago on the equator 600 miles west of the Ecuadorian coast - are one of our planet’s most precious and unique ecosystems, home to an extraordinary profusion of exotic, often endemic flora and fauna. This remote island group with its dramatic and desolate beauty is home to some of the most unique species in the world. Many are endemic such as the Galapagos tortoise, marine and land iguanas, the flightless cormorant and, of course, Darwin’s famous finches.
Darwin noted that different species adapted to fit different niches on individual islands, which gave rise to his idea of natural selection. After visiting the Galapagos in 1941, Herman Melville entitled his book Las Encantadas. But it wasn’t until 1959 when it became part of Ecuador’s national park system that this fragile ecosystem with its rare and endemic species came under protection. In 1979, the Galapagos archipelago was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tourism to this remote volcanic archipelago is both part of the solution and also part of the problem. Humans have unwittingly brought alien species that compete with native plants and animals. The growing number of settlers migrating from the mainland of Ecuador to the islands has put pressure on a fragile environment that imperils the entire ecosystem. As a result in 2007, UNESCO declared Galapagos as a word heritage site at risk emphasizing the need to take corrective action now.
Available activities:
Bird watching
Eco/nature/wildlife
Scuba diving/snorkeling
Tours
Visits to conservation projects
Walking/hiking
Scheduled departures are offered every Sunday from San Cristobal Island with comprehensive 7-night itinerary including the outer, most spectacular islands.
Read more.
In small groups of ten guests per naturalist guide, passengers enjoy an intimate visit on shore while treading lightly on the environment. On Eric, Flamingo and Letty, activities include: guided nature walks, snorkeling, kayaking, photography, bird-watching and occasional scuba diving. Guests are provided with two clear-bottom tandem kayaks per yacht, custom 3mm wet suits, masks, fins and snorkels, beach towel and mesh bag at no additional charge.
On the Sky Dancer, divers can experience 3-5 dives per day in groups of 8 divers per Divemaster and be able to dive at the spectacular islands of Wolf and Darwin. Divers have access to rent underwater cameras, dive gear and NITROX.
Read more.
How to get there:
(approximately 2 miles) from airport to port.
Passengers must arrive to Ecuador (Quito or Guayaquil) at least the night before the cruise and spend one night in the mainland. Flights to Galapagos from Ecuador are automatically confirmed by Ecoventura on Aerogal Airlines, a privately owned and customer service oriented company. The flight to Galapagos, Galapagos National Park fee and transit control card fees are collected and pre-paid in advance.
Read more.
For reservations, contact Galapagos Network
(305) 262-6264 1-800-633-7972
info@galapagosnetwork.com
Making a difference:
Ecoventura has built a solid reputation for being a leader in sustainable travel and was the first company to offset carbon emissions in the Galapagos Islands in 2006. The entire operation has maintained the ecological certification of SmartVoyager since 2000. In 2006, Ecoventura partnered with the World Wildlife Fund to create the Galapagos Marine Biodiversity Fund which targets environmental education and marine conservation by strengthening the local communities’ ability to manage natural resources.
In 2000, Ecoventura became one of the first recipients of SmartVoyager, a voluntary environmental certification developed by Conservación y Desarrollo from Ecuador and the Rainforest Alliance. The program minimizes the impact of tour boats in the Galapagos Islands by improving social and environmental conditions of boat operations. Certification involved a considerable investment for improvements such as installation of water makers, less-polluting four stroke outboard engines on their dinghies and more recently the installation of advanced TRABOLD oil filter systems that reduce consumption of fuel and oil lubricants resulting in a 10-20% reduction in gas emissions.
Ecoventura became the first Carbon Neutral operation in Galapagos (and Ecuador) in 2006. Carbon emissions from the company's four yachts (and offices including business travel) are offset by a portfolio of projects through US-based company Native Energy. Native Energy calculated the amount of CO2 and has offset our carbon emissions through wind turbines in Alaska Native Villages and Native American reservations and methane capture at family dairy farms. What is significant here is that Ecoventura does not wait for its passengers to “opt-in” to an offset program, rather they pay the full amount for offsets upfront to ensure the company is carbon neutral.
The goal of owner Santiago Dunn is to inspire others to be part of the solution for the issues facing tourism in Galapagos. Ecoventura passengers can make donations to a new fund administered by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in support of the Galapagos National Park. This new fund called Galapagos Marine Biodiversity Fund (GMBF) targets environmental education and marine conservation by strengthening the local communities’ ability to manage natural resources. Ecoventura has pledged to raise $80,000.00 for the first three years.
GMBF funds are allocated to support the refit, maintenance and deployment of the “Tiburon Martillo” that serves as a permanent floating base or station near the Islands of Wolf and Darwin. It is staffed by park rangers who patrol the area for illegal shark finning and long-line fishing activity within the marine reserve.
Funds from GMBF have also been allocated to benefit families of local fishermen by development of a microenterprise for the fishermen’s wives to manage. This will provide an alternate means of income and also set an example to create other tourism related businesses and reduce the need to fish.
In May 2007, GMBF initiated a scholarship program to local students to study for two years at the Galapagos Academic Institute for the Arts & Sciences (GAIAS), part of the University of San Francisco de Quito’s Galapagos campus located on the Island of San Cristobal. The objective is to form community leaders to help manage conservation and be prepared to take a stand against illegal fishing that threatens the Islands ecosystem.
For full details on these conservation projects, please visit:
www.ecoventura.com/aboutus/ourgalapagoscommitment.aspx
General rates:
2008 Eric, Flamingo y Letty rates
2009 Eric, Flamingo y Letty rates
Additional information:
Darwin’s Enchanted Isles are one of our planets most precious and unique ecosystems, home to an extraordinary profusion of exotic, often endemic flora and fauna. Tourism to this remote volcanic archipelago is both part of the solution and also part of the problem. Humans have unwittingly brought alien species that compete with native plants and animals. The growing number of settlers migrating from the mainland of Ecuador to the islands has put pressure on a fragile environment that imperils the entire ecosystem. As a result in 2007, UNESCO declared Galapagos as a word heritage site at risk.
Through two strategies – conservation education and marine conservation – GMBF puts donated funds to work on the ground, supporting local projects through grants and addressing critical issues, reversing ecological damage and conserving Galapagos for the future. Its efforts, along with those of other Galapagos supporters, will help ensure that this global treasure remains prosperous and thriving with life.
Ecoventura is dedicated to preserve the ecological integrity of the Islands for both its scientific value and economic benefit. Through various conservation efforts and projects, including SmartVoyager, Carbon offsetting and establishing a fund with WWF called the Global Marine Biodiversity Fund, Ecoventura can support their claim as a responsible tour operator.
In 2005, Santiago Dunn, President of Ecoventura, was presented with the prestigious Individual Sustainable Standard-Setter for making a significant contribution to environmental conservation and sustainability.
"We want to give our passengers the assurance that Ecoventura has taken every measure to ensure that passengers enjoy a safe, thrilling adventure without harming the unique wildlife or the fragile environment. We all live in this world and breath the same air, the very least we can do is try to preserve it for our children and the generations to come,” says Santiago Dunn.
Date this information was provided: June, 2008.
