YOUR O.A.T. ADVENTURE TRAVEL PLANNING GUIDE®

Ultimate Galapagos & ’s Amazon Wilds 2022

Small Groups: 8-16 travelers—guaranteed! (average of 13)

Overseas Adventure Travel ® The Leader in Personalized Small Group Adventures on the Road Less Traveled 1 Dear Traveler,

At last, the world is opening up again for curious travel lovers like you and me. And the O.A.T. Ultimate Galápagos Exploration & Ecuador’s Amazon Wilds itinerary you’ve expressed interest in will be a wonderful way to resume the discoveries that bring us so much joy. You might soon be enjoying standout moments like these:

As I explored the colonial streets of , I could see delicate blend of Spanish and Indian cultural influences—a lasting mark of Spanish Colonialism in Ecuador. But I was pleased to learn that indigenous traditions have endured in more remote pockets of the country when I met some of the people from the riverside communities along the Amazon. You’ll meet them, too, and hear their personal experiences when you spend A Day in the Life of an Amazon watershed community where you’ll learn about the time-worn customs still very much alive in this part of Ecuador. During your time here, you’ll visit a local school and have the opportunity to meet some of the students, followed by a class in which you’ll learn how to prepare , a traditional beverage made from manioc (yucca) and sweet . Then, you’ll visit a family farm where you’ll have a chance to speak with the family members and learn about the medicinal plants and other local products they grow.

You’ll also get an intimate glimpse at daily life in the village when you are welcomed into the home of a local family to share a together. You’ll have the chance get an authentic taste of Ecuador’s culture and as you savor some typical local specialties.

The way we see it, you’ve come a long way to experience the true culture—not some fairytale version of it. So we keep our groups small, with only 8-16 travelers (average of 13) to ensure that your encounters with local people are as intimate and authentic as possible. It’s also why your O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader will be a resident “insider” who can show you the culture as only a local can.

To ensure that your adventure is truly unique, put your own personal stamp on it. You can arrive early and stay later, add a pre- or post-trip extension, spend time in a Stopover city, or combine two or more trips. Plus, your itinerary offers ample free time so you can pursue your own interests.

So until the day comes when you are off to enjoy your Ultimate Galápagos Exploration & Ecuador’s Amazon Wilds adventure, I hope you will relish the fun and anticipation that this O.A.T. Adventure Travel Planning Guide® will inspire. Should you have further questions, feel free to call our Regional Adventure Counselors at 1-800-955-1925.

Love and peace,

Harriet R. Lewis Vice Chairman, Overseas Adventure Travel

P.S. For further peace of mind, please know that we are EXTENDING our Risk-Free Booking Policy through 12/31/21. Learn more at www.oattravel.com/risk-free-booking.

USA Today “Best Tours” 10Best Readers’ Presented by Choice Awards Solo Traveler

2 CONTENTS

A Letter from Harriet Lewis ...... 2 The O.A.T. Difference...... 4 The Freedom to Personalize Your Experience ...... 6 Grand Circle Foundation...... 8 The Leader in Solo Travel ...... 9

ULTIMATE GALÁPAGOS EXPLORATION Galápagos small ...... 79 & ECUADOR’S AMAZON WILDS Your Adventure at a Glance: ABOUT YOUR DESTINATIONS: Where You’re Going, What it Costs, CULTURE, ETIQUETTE & MORE and What’s Included ...... 10 Culture & Points to Know ...... 81 Your Detailed Day-To-Day Itinerary ...... 12 Ecuadorian Culture ...... 81 Optional Tours ...... 29 Travel in ...... 85 Pre-Trip Extensions ...... 30 Shopping: What to Buy, Customs, Post-Trip Extensions ...... 39 Shipping & More ...... 86 Deck Plans ...... 49 Dates & Prices ...... 51 DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY Ecuador ...... 89 ESSENTIAL TRAVEL INFORMATION Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 89 Ecuador: A Brief History ...... 89 Travel Documents & Entry Requirements. . . 52 No Visas Required ...... 52 ...... 91 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 91 Rigors, Vaccines & General Health ...... 54 Peru: A Brief History ...... 91 Vaccines Required ...... 55 ...... 93 Yellow Fever Vaccination - Suggested ...... 55 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 93 Money Matters: Local Currency & Colombia: A Brief History ...... 94 Tipping Guidelines...... 60 ...... 95 Air, Optional Tours & Staying in Touch ..... 64 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 95 Optional Tours ...... 65 Panama: A Brief History ...... 96 Communicating with Home from Abroad . . 65 Packing: What to Bring & Luggage Limits . . . 67 Suggested Packing Lists ...... 70 RESOURCES Electricity Abroad ...... 73 Suggested Reading ...... 98 Climate & Average Temperatures ...... 75 Suggested Film & Video ...... 101 Aboard Your Ship: Cabin Features, Dining & Services on Board ...... 79

O.A.T. Health & Safety Measures...... 104 Notes...... 105 Map ...... 107

3 EXPERIENCE THE O.A.T. DIFFERENCE in Ecuador

This adventure not only showcases iconic sights, but takes you beyond them to experience the culture through unique activities, engagement with the natural world, and authentic encounters with local people. Since our founding in 1978, O.A.T. has become America’s leader in personalized small group journeys on the road less traveled.

SMALL GROUPS: 8-16 TRAVELERS LOCAL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION (AVERAGE OF 13)—GUARANTEED To see the world like the locals, you should The world feels more intimate and engaging travel like one. Our small group size allows when your experience of it is also personal us to take the roads and waterways that are and genuine. That’s why our groups never less traveled, and we often follow them using exceed 16 travelers. This gives you access to the same unique modes of transportation people and places larger groups simply can’t that the locals use—be it a canoe, a camel or a reach. More authentic interactions. Deeper vintage cab. bonds with your travel mates. Personal service from your Trip Experience Leader. Smoother UNIQUE LODGINGS transitions. And a far more satisfying Our lodgings reflect the local character, experience than any traditional tour offers. from smaller family-run hotels and historic manors to comfy inns. Occasionally, larger THE BEST TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADERS hotels closer to city centers are used. Wherever Your English-speaking, O.A.T. Trip Experience you stay, you’re assured fine comfort and Leader is a resident of the region you are visiting, hospitality. so you will get a true insider’s perspective that brings each place alive—the stories, , OUR WORLDWIDE OFFICES customs, hidden treasures and more. With 36 regional offices around the world, we are perfectly poised to leverage our local AUTHENTIC CULTURAL CONNECTIONS relationships to deliver an excellent experience Engage with local people through visits to and value. During this trip, you’ll be supported farms, factories, markets, and artisans’ by our team in Quito. studios; school visits; Home-Hosted ; and more.

Learn how to make savory specialties in the Amazon Explore the wild waters of the Galápagos

4 THE PILLARS OF DISCOVERY En riching. Inspiring. Unforgettable. These features form the foundation of your Ultimate Galápagos adventure.

GRAND CIRCLE FOUNDATION (GCF) VISIT that places you in the heart of a community GCF was established in 1992 to help change where you’ll meet various people where they people’s lives in the world where we live, work, live, work, and play; visit the neighborhood and travel. To date, we have pledged or donated school; lend a hand with daily chores; and $200 million worldwide. break with our hosts. A Day in the Life You’ll see GCF’s work in action in Quito when This adventure includes of we visit the Sinamune Disabled Children’s the people who live in the Orchestra, whose members are physically or watershed. Our small group size allows us mentally disabled. GCF is proud to provide to slip into the rhythm of daily life here, Sinamune with financial assistance, helping interacting with residents of the village and to give these talented and dedicated musicians participating in local activities. We’ll visit a the support and encouragement they deserve. local school and meet some of the students, then we’ll have a cooking class in which we’ll CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS learn how to prepare chicha, a traditional Every culture has its joys and achievements, beverage made from manioc (yucca) and and we celebrate them all. But every sweet potato. We’ll also visit a family farm, place also has its challenges, and to gloss where we’ll have the opportunity to talk to over them would not do justice to those the family members and learn about the whose stories need to be told—nor to you, medicinal plants and other local products as a traveler who deserves more than a they grow. sugar-coated version of things. So our HOME-HOSTED EXPERIENCES Trip Experience Leaders will lead frank discussions on controversial issues, and Stories shared. Differences solved. Taste buds introduce you to people whose stories will engaged. Good will extended. It’s amazing expand your understanding. the things that can happen across a table, so we’ll break into groups of 4-5 to join For example, we’ll witness a darker side a local family in their home for a snack or a of life in the Amazon: oil excavation and meal. This is a rare opportunity to witness its impact on indigenous people. You’ll get family life, learn local customs, and taste a deeper understanding of the negative some home-cooked fare. consequences this reality has upon the local indigenous population. On this adventure, we’ll learn more about the rich when we share a meal A DAY IN THE LIFE with a local family in their home along the Do you ever wonder, “What would it be like Amazon River basin. We’ll have a chance to to live here?” when you visit new lands? sample some typical local specialties and get Let’s find out during your O.A.T. A Day in an intimate glimpse of everyday life. the Life, an exclusive, immersive experience

5 You're in control with THE FREEDOM TO PERSONALIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE Exclusively with O.A.T. Your Choice. Your Adventure. Your Way.

It’s your adventure, so why not make it exactly what you want it to be? We offer an exclusive variety of options that let you tailor your adventure so it’s completely your own. In fact, O.A.T. is the only travel company to offer this level of flexibility and choice for a truly personalized experience.

PRE- OR POST-TRIP EXTENSIONS 2. Great value: All extensions include Every O.A.T. adventure offers at least one accommodations, daily , and optional pre-trip and one post-trip extension. airport transfers. Here’s why more than 55% of O.A.T. travelers 3. Continuity and camaraderie: You’ll usually choose to take a pre- or post-trip extension: travel with the same Trip Experience Leader who leads your main trip, enjoying more of 1. You’ll maximize your discoveries—often his or her insider expertise—and more time in an even smaller group than your main to bond with the group. adventure (on average, 6 travelers with a dedicated Trip Experience Leader)—and take advantage of your included airfare.

Optional Extensions offered with your South America adventure

Best of Peru: , The Sacred NEW! Colombia: Colonial Cartagena & & Machu Picchu Mountainous Medellín 6 nights pre-trip from $1795 5 nights pre-trip from $1995

Machu Picchu, Peru Cartagena, Colombia

Ecuador's & the Devil's Nose Train NEW! Panama Revealed: Capital City, 6 nights post-trip from $1295 Indigenous Customs & Canal Cruise 5 nights post-trip from $1595

Train on the Devil’s Nose, Ecuador The , Panama

6 ARRIVE EARLY, STAY LATER • Quito: $745 per person Extending your time abroad—with us or • Bogotá or : $795 per person on your own—is the best way to broaden Other O.A.T. Stopovers are available. If the city your experience. It’s also a practical way to you’re interested in is not offered, our Regional maximize the value of the international airfare Adventure Counselors can arrange your airfare. covered in your main itinerary. COMBINE ADVENTURES Expand Your Discoveries Before You’re already overseas. Why not see more and or After Your Adventure maximize your value by avoiding the cost and Arrive early in the first destination on your length of another international flight? Here’s pre-trip extension or main adventure, or stay why 2,250 O.A.T. travelers combined two or later in the last city on your main adventure or more adventures in 2019: post-trip extension. By coming early, you can • Save a total of $600-$3000 per person when rest after your flight and adjust—with time to you combine two adventures compared to the explore. By staying later, you have extra time cost of taking each trip separately. to relax, pack, or continue exploring. • Apply the 5% or 6% Frequent Traveler Credit This option lets you take advantage of our you earn on your first trip to your second trip. lower group rates, with prices from $50 per • Sir Edmund Hillary Club members save an person per night—including accommodations, extra $250-$350 per person when booking private airport transfer, and daily breakfast. multiple trips in a calendar year. • Arrive early on your main trip, or conclude • Our Regional Adventure Counselors make all your main trip or Ecuador post-trip extension the arrangements for a seamless experience. in Quito for $75 per person, per night Combine this trip with our Real Affordable Peru • Arrive early in Lima on your Best of Peru pre- adventure—for a total cost of $7590-$9990 trip extension for $50 per person, per night per person—and save $800-$1200 per person • Arrive early in Cartagena on your versus taking each trip separately. Colombia pre-trip extension for $100 per AIR PREFERENCES person, per night 54% of our travelers customize their air • Remain in after your Panama itineraries: Revealed post-trip extension for $75 per person, per night • Choose your departure city and airline Accommodations are at the same hotels where • Depart from one city and return to another you begin or end the main trip and optional • Upgrade to Premium Economy or extensions, so transitions will be seamless. Business Class NEW! Stopover in any major international city FREEDOM OF CHOICE DURING YOUR Travelers with O.A.T. airfare have the ADVENTURE opportunity to Stopover in popular cities. Our itineraries provide a balance of included Your price includes 3 nights accommodations, activities and free time so you always have daily , and roundtrip private airport the flexibility to participate in included transfers. Here are a few popular destinations: activities, go off on your own entirely, or do a mix of both. • Lima: $645 per person

7 GRAND CIRCLE FOUNDATION Changing people’s lives, one village, one school, one person at a time

ON THIS ADVENTURE … Dear Traveler, Since our inception in 1992, the Grand Circle In 1992 we established Grand Circle Foundation has pledged or donated more Foundation, an entity of the Lewis Family than $200 million to projects around the Foundation, as a means to give back to world. Here are just a few of the ways we have the world that had already given us so partnered with the communities on this trip. much. We’ve pledged or donated more than $200 million worldwide to support Sinamune Children’s Orchestra the education of young people and the Total Donations: $278,424 preservation of international treasures GCF donations have helped refurbish the and UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and auditorium at Sinamune, supported the purchases the conservation of natural resources for of a vehicle, new computers, and musical future generations. instruments for the school; contributed funds to many building improvements; and helped to fund Of , none of this would be possible scholarships. Recent projects have included the without your help. A portion of the proceeds establishment of an inhouse boutique, a small of every adventure is donated to Grand restaurant, and a farm nearby. These businesses Circle Foundation—so just as your life will provide the students with new skills while working be enriched by the discoveries you’ll make there, and also provide a new source of income for on your journey, you’ll also help to enrich both the students and the school. the lives of the people you’ll meet along the way. Thank you for traveling with us, and Pucruto School Total Donations: $65,992 for helping to change people’s lives. GCF funded the construction of new toilets and Love and peace, hand washing stations at the school to help reduce the drop out rate due to inadequate conditions. Other efforts by GCF include renovating Harriet R. Lewis the kitchen, a classroom, and library, while also Chair, Grand Circle Foundation purchasing new desks, chairs, and technology.

SCAN ME See how Grand Circle Foundation is giving back in this video Open the camera feature on your mobile device, and hover the lens over this code to scan it. A pop-up notification will take you directly to the video.

www.grandcirclefoundation.org

8 THE LEADER IN SOLO TRAVEL in Ecuador—and Around the World

ON THIS ADVENTURE …

FREE Single Supplements: We don’t The leader in solo-friendly charge a single supplement on this travel for Americans— adventure and optional trip extensions— by the numbers a savings of $1,600-$2,995 per person compared to other travel companies. But single spaces fill quickly, so early More than 50% of all O.A.T. reservations are advised. travelers are women who travel solo

One of our most popular trips for solo travelers. More than 790 solo travelers In 2022, we’re offering 30,000 joined us on this adventure in the past singles spaces across all O.A.T. three years—either independently or adventures. That’s 86% more than sharing a room with a mother, daughter, offered in 2019 sister, or friend.

of our 30,000 single spaces High ratings: More than 88% of these solo 92% have FREE Single Supplements. The travelers rated their adventure excellent. remaining 8% have the lowest single Since you will be joined by others traveling supplements in the industry. independently in your group, it’s easy to forge special bonds as you experience In 2022, we’re offering 25 exclusive unforgettable moments together. women’s departures on some of our most popular itineraries You’ll be in good hands, thanks to your dedicated local Trip Experience Leader (a resident of Ecuador), and the expertise of our regional office team in Quito. NEW! 101+ SCAN ME Single Space: In 2022, we have 60% more Tips for Solo single spaces than in 2019, with up to 3 Women Travelers single spaces per departure. See available This complimentary, 96-page FREE single space at www.oattravel.com/ booklet is a comprehensive collection of savvy tips awg2022. specifically for seasoned women travelers going solo. Learn about safety for solos, packing like a pro, the best travel apps, self-care on the road, and more. Scan this code to view an online copy or to request one by mail.

9 Travel at the lowest per diems in the industry— an average of $100 less per day than other companies Ultimate Galápagos Exploration

& Ecuador’s Amazon Wilds Small Ship Adventure Ecuador: Quito, crossing, Amazon Rain Forest, Coca, 7-night Galápagos Cruise

Countries: 1 | Cities: 2 | 7 Nights Aboard a Privately Chartered 16-Passenger̵FÖķםÖėŋŭœĿÖķķœĞĢť

Small groups: 8-16 travelers—guaranteed! It’s Included (average of 13) • Services of our two local Trip • Accommodations for 5 nights in Quito, FROM PER DAY DAYS Experience Leaders—one on the 3 nights in Coca, and 7 nights aboard $5995 $375 16 mainland & a certified Galápagos our privately chartered Galápagos naturalist on the islands—with your small ship group of 8-16 (average of 13) throughout Including international airfare 38 meals: 15 breakfasts, 11 , your adventure • and 12 dinners (including 1 Home- FREE Single Supplement available • International airfare, airport transfers, Hosted ) government taxes, fees, and airline fuel 12 guided tours and cultural surcharges unless you choose to make • experiences, plus Galápagos shore your own air arrangements Maximize Your excursions All land transportation and 4 Discoveries & Value • Gratuities for local guides, drivers, ship internal flights • crew, and luggage porters Optional extension s : • 5 % Frequent Traveler Credit toward Best of Peru: Lima, The Sacred Valley your next trip & Machu Picchu 6 nights pre-trip from $1795 SCAN ME Travel from only $300 per night Watch our #1 most popular video New! Colombia: Colonial Cartagena for this adventure & Mountainous Medellín Open the camera feature on your mobile device, and hover 5 nights pre-trip from $1995 the lens over this code to scan it. A pop-up notification will Travel from only $399 per night take you directly to the video. Ecuador’s Andes & the Devil’s Nose Train 6 nights post-trip from $1295 Travel from only $216 per night New! Panama Revealed: Capital City, Indigenous Customs & Canal Cruise 5 nights post-trip from $1595 Travel from only $319 per night PLUS, see Dates & Prices for Stopover city options

Marine iguanas, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

Ultimate Galápagos Exploration & Ecuador’s Amazon Wilds

10 Itinerary Summary

Pre-trip extensions: 6 nights in Best of Peru: Lima, The Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu OR 5 nights in New! Colombia: Colonial Cartagena & Mountainous Medellín DAYS DESTINATION

1 Fly to Quito, Ecuador

2-3 Quito

4-6 The Amazon

7-8 Fly to Quito

9-15 Fly to Galápagos • Embark ship • Cruise Galápagos

16 Disembark ship • Fly to Quito • Return to U.S. What to Expect Post-trip extensions: 6 nights in Ecuador’s Andes & the Devil’s Nose Train OR 5 nights in New! Panama Revealed: Capital City, Indigenous Customs & Canal Cruise Pacing: 5 locations in 16 days, with 7 nights aboard a Galápagos small ship. Some international flights arrive or depart from Ecuador around midnight, and internal flights are scheduled very early Physical requirements: You must be able to walk 3 miles unassisted in hot, humid Arrive Early, Stay Later weather and participate in 6-8 hours of physical activities each day. You will also be Prices below include accommodations, exploring at elevations above 9,000 feet for four days. daily breakfast, and private airport Flight Time: Travel time will be 5-11 hours and will most likely have two connections transfer. • Arrive early in Quito before your main View all physical requirements at www.oattravel.com/awg2022 trip or stay later after your main trip or after your Ecuador post-trip extension Ecuador : The O.A.T. Difference for $75 per person, per night • Arrive early in Lima before your Best of Peru pre-trip extension for $50 per Unbeatable Value: Travel at the lowest prices and per diems in the industry. person, per night People-to-People Experiences: Get a taste of Ecuador’s culture and cuisine • Arrive early in Cartagena before your during a Home-Hosted Lunch with a local family in an Amazon village. Plus, Colombia pre-trip extension for $100 per enjoy a moving musical performance in Quito by the Sinamune Disabled Children’s person, per night Orchestra—supported in part by Grand Circle Foundation—followed by an • Stay later in Panama City after your opportunity to ask questions of the maestro. Panama post-trip extension for $75 per O.A.T. Exclusives: Enjoy A Day in the Life of an community where person, per night you’ll visit a local school and interact with the students, attend a cooking class, and tour a family farm to learn about the medicinal uses of their crops. Plus, our privately chartered 16-passenger Galápagos ship will anchor just off each island we visit and a Zodiac will bring you ashore, saving time otherwise spent sailing to and M ore than 92% of travelers from the mainland. rated this trip excellent

Information & Reservations 1-800-955-1925 www.oattravel.com/awg2022

11 Ultimate Galápagos Exploration & Ecuador’s Amazon Wilds

YOUR DETAILED ITINERARY

BEGIN YOUR ADVENTURE WITH AN OPTIONAL PRE-TRIP EXTENSION 6 nights in Best of Peru: Lima, The Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu

Day 1 Depart U.S. • Arrive Lima, Peru Day 5 Cuzco • Transfer to Machu Picchu Day 2 Lima Day 6 Explore Machu Picchu • Return to Cuzco Day 3 Fly to Cuzco • Qoricancha • Sacred Valley Day 7 Fly to Quito • Join main trip Day 4 Sacred Valley • Explore Ollantaytambo

OR 5 nights in Colombia: Colonial Cartagena & Mountainous Medellín

Day 1 Depart U.S. • Arrive Day 4 Fly to Medellín • Visit Comuna 8 Cartagena, Colombia Day 5 Explore Guatape Day 2 Explore Cartagena • Day 6 Fly to Quito, Ecuador • Getsemani Walk Begin main trip Day 3 Visit San Felipe Castle • Explore La Boquilla

Day 1 Depart U.S. • Arrive Quito, Ecuador evening, your O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader or O.A.T. representative will meet your flight • Destination: Quito at the Quito airport and help you transfer to • Accommodations: Mercure Alameda Quito your hotel, a ride of about 45 minutes to an or similar hour. You’ll receive your room assignment, Today’s Activities: You depart from the U.S. check into your room, and enjoy the rest of and fly to Quito, Ecuador’s capital city, nestled the day and evening to settle in, with meals at the foot of the Pichincha volcano. On your on your own. Depending on where we stay, arrival anywhere from late morning to late this our centrally-located hotel may feature a

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

12 restaurant, bar and lounge, and gym. Your Morning: We’ll enjoy a relaxed morning, rooms will likely include a double bed, cable and meet with our Trip Experience Leader TV, wireless Internet access, and a private for a Welcome Briefing around 10am in the bathroom. As you get acquainted with your hotel. During this 45-minute briefing, we will hotel, perhaps you’ll meet travelers who took introduce ourselves and review our itinerary in the pre-trip extension to New! Colombia: more detail (including any changes that may Colonial Cartagena & Mountainous Medellín or need to occur). Our Trip Experience Leader will Best of Peru: Lima, The Sacred Valley & Machu also discuss logistics, safety and emergency Picchu, who have already checked in. procedures, and answer questions we may have—come prepared; this is your chance to Day 2 Explore Quito • Controversial get them answered firsthand, whether you have Topic: Sex work in Quito’s Old Town with questions about a particular optional tour, how sex worker Cristina & local restaurant much free time you’ll have during your first owner Vicky Carvajal stay in Quito, or specific activities or places you are hoping to see. • Destination: Quito • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch At around 11am, we’ll drive to the old town to begin exploring the city paths and historic • Accommodations: Mercure Alameda Quito sites of Quito on foot with our Trip Experience or similar Leader. A charming colonial city that has been Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: Today, we’ll gain declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Quito insight into a Controversial Topic that is is South America’s oldest capital, founded dividing popular opinion: the prevalence and by Sebastián de Benalcázar on December 6, legality of sex workers in Quito’s historic Old 1534. Today we experience its delicate blend of Town neighborhood. To hear about both sides Spanish and Indian cultural influences. As we of this issue, we’ll meet with Cristina, a local explore the city, we’ll get an introduction to sex worker who works to support her children, sites like Independence Plaza. and with Vicky Carvajal, a restaurant owner and devout Catholic who feels the sex workers Our tour will conclude around 12:15pm at a are driving away business and bringing down coffee bar in San Francisco Plaza, one of the the neighborhood. Read more about this largest plazas in Quito and a popular spot for activity below. sex workers to congregate. Here, we’ll learn about a Controversial Topic currently splitting Activity Note: Today’s activities take place at popular opinion in the city: the prevalence of elevations above 9,000 feet. We recommend sex workers in Quito’s Old Town. staying hydrated while at high altitude. You may rest at the hotel if necessary. Sex work is both legal and regulated in Ecuador—in fact, in 2007 the Ministry of Breakfast: Beginning at 6:30am, enjoy a Health established a program to provide leisurely buffet-style breakfast at your hotel. healthcare services for sex workers, including You may choose from a variety of local and health screenings every 30 days. Almost half of international dishes—from eggs and cereals to the country’s 55,000 sex workers live in Quito, and . where they have become increasingly visible in recent years after most of the city’s brothels were shut down, forcing the sex workers

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

13 to take to the streets. Their neighborhood Her reasons are both economic and moral: of choice is Quito’s Old Town, an historic Vicky’s restaurant relies on business from neighborhood lined with colonial architecture foreign tourists, who she feels are less likely that is popular with tourists. The sex workers to come to the Old Town and spend time and have caught the ire of many Old Town residents money there if sex workers are visible on the and local business owners alike, who argue streets. She also believes, as a Catholic, that sex that their visibility on the street is bad for the work denigrates those who participate in it and tourist-driven economy, disrespectful to the those around it. A popular spot for sex workers neighborhood’s many Catholic churches, and to congregate in the Old Town, for example, is ultimately a harbinger of drugs, crime, and in front of Santo Domingo Church and next to a other social ills. bus stop where young schoolchildren catch the bus to school. Vicky argues that the sex workers To learn more about this issue, we’ll meet with are setting a bad example for the children, two local women. First, hear from Cristina, a and that their presence has contributed to sex worker who has asked that we not share an increase in crime in the neighborhood. her last name. Originally from an impoverished She worries that if the sex workers are left family in Colombia, Cristina moved to Ecuador unchecked, the Old Town will become a more at 17 after falling in love with an Ecuadorian dangerous place to work and live. man who promised her a better life; instead, she was forced to work at a brothel upon her As we’ll learn from both our speakers, the topic arrival in Quito. After the brothels shut down, of sex work in Quito is a thorny one, pitting Cristina began working on the street. She now Ecuador’s Catholic ideals against the harsh has two children, an 18 year-old son and a 14 realities faced by many women. We ask that you year-old daughter. Lacking a formal education bring sensitivity, an open mind, and respect and career training, Cristina has been unable for each ’s courage to this discussion. If to find other work and so has remained a sex you are uncomfortable participating, you will worker in order to take care of her children. She also have the option to spend time in Old Town appreciates that the Ecuadorian government exploring independently until the conversation provides healthcare services and legal has ended. protection from the police for sex workers, and Afternoon: Leaving the restaurant around has been able to scrape together a modest living 2:45pm, we’ll stroll along La Ronda Street, a from her work. bustling pedestrian-only avenue filled with We’ll hear Cristina’s story in her own words and colonial charm. You’ll have some time to make have the chance to ask her our questions before your own discoveries. Perhaps you’ll stop in on walking about 5 minutes to a local restaurant, some of La Ronda’s artisan shops and galleries. where we’ll meet with our second speaker. At around 3:30pm, we transfer back to the Lunch: At about 1:15pm, we’ll toast the start of hotel, a ride of about a half hour. After your our adventure with a Welcome Lunch at a local arrival, take part in a brief orientation walk restaurant, where you’ll savor an authentic around your hotel neighborhood. The rest of taste of Ecuadorian fare. the day is free. Perhaps you’ll take a stroll along Avenue Amazonas, or enjoy the amenities of After lunch, at about 2:15pm, we’ll meet with your hotel. the restaurant’s owner: Vicky Carvajal, a devout Catholic and a staunch opponent of sex work.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

14 Dinner: On your own—you might relax at the the masters of 20th-century Ecuadorian art, hotel restaurant. Or, ask your Trip Experience the Chapel of Mankind not only contains his Leader for suggestions for a restaurant nearby. paintings, murals, and sculptures depicting You’ll find that there’s a wealth of choices, the history of marginalized Ecuadorian from Latin to Chinese. communities, but contains his own collection of colonial art. Inside the chapel, an eternal Evening: Your evening is at leisure. Catch the flame burns in honor of all those who have nightlife outside your door, or relax in your died fighting for human rights. comfortable room. • How to get there: A 5- to 15-minute taxi Freedom To Explore: During your two full ride, about $10 USD one way. days in Quito, you have the freedom to explore • Hours: 10am-5pm, daily. this lively and spirited city on your own during • Cost: Entrance fee is about $8 USD per your free time. Below are a few recommended person. options for independent : • Attend the Jacchigua Ballet: See this • Explore Quito’s Botanical Garden: Stroll award-winning national folkloric perfor- through La Carolina Park to see more than mance that celebrates the heritage and 1,200 species of orchid and other native culture of Quito. The fascinating choreog- flora of the Andes. The garden showcases raphy symbolizing the customs, traditions, plants from different ecosystems all around myths, and expansive history of the region, Ecuador, including the , the cloud and was the result of many years dedicated forest, and the drier scrub lands. You’ll also to researching the roots of some of the most discover greenhouses of ornamental plants authentic cultures of Ecuador. The ballet’s such as roses and bonsai trees. The biggest director, Rafael Camino, has spent most attraction is the orchids, as Ecuador boasts of his life among the Andean communities the highest diversity of orchids in the world. studying their arts and listening to the oral It is also a great place for bird-watching, tradition that shapes the mythology of the as the garden attracts over 50 species such region. Some dances are actually based on as hummingbirds, fly-catchers, and color- the traditional celebrations of indigenous ful tanagers. communities, such as the Saraguros, who can trace their ancestry back to the ancient Inca. • How to get there: A 5- to 15-minute taxi Jacchigua derives its name from Quechua ride, about $5 USD one way. word jacchima, which refers to a social • Hours: Monday-Friday: 8am-4:45pm, gathering of workers and their families after Saturday and Sunday: 9am-4:45pm, the harvest, including food, drink, and—of holidays: 9am-4pm course—dancing. Performers consist of both • Cost: About $4 USD. adult dancers and children, which gives the • Experience a tribute to pre-Columbian audience a taste of what attending a true natives at the Chapel of Mankind Museum: jacchima might be like. Explore the depths of human emotion as you • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute taxi witness themes like exploitation, anger, ten- ride, about $5 USD one way. derness, and sacrifice in this exhibit focused • Hours: 7:15pm-9:20pm, Wednesday and on the suppression of Latin Americans. The Friday. last great masterpiece of Ecuadorian artist • Cost: About $50 USD. Oswaldo Guayasamin, considered to be one of

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15 Day 3 Grand Circle Foundation visit: integrate into mainstream society. Grand Circle Sinamune Disabled Children’s Orchestra • Foundation has been a proud supporter of Equator Museum the orchestra since 2004, and, with the help of travelers like you, has donated more than • Destination: Quito $280,000 to date to help them in their mission. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Foundation funds have helped to purchase • Accommodations: Mercure Alameda Quito musical instruments, provide scholarships, or similar renovate building facilities, build classrooms Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: Today we will and a computer lab, and much more—you’ll visit the Sinamune Disabled Children’s have the opportunity to see for yourself the Orchestra—supported in part by Grand Circle difference that your help makes in the students’ Foundation. The orchestra provides students lives during your visit. with special needs with the equipment, We’ll arrive at the orchestra at around 9am, training, and opportunity to overcome their where we’ll be treated to a musical performance challenges and develop their musical talents, led by the students and the maestro himself. helping them to gain the skills and confidence Travelers may even be invited onstage to dance, they need to make their way in mainstream if they’d like. After a performance that will last society. Learn more about this exclusive activity around 30 minutes, we’ll have some time to below. Please note: The orchestra is closed ask the maestro questions about the work that in July and August for school vacation. An the orchestra does and the role it serves in the alternate activity will be included for travelers community. We’ll also have an opportunity on these departures. to tour the academy and browse the goods on Breakfast: Buffet breakfast is served at the display in the gift shop—all purchases will help hotel beginning at 6:30am. the orchestra and its students.

Morning: At around 8:15am, we embark on a At around 10am we depart for the Inti Nan 45-minute ride to visit the Sinamune Disabled Museum, arriving around 10:30am to explore Children’s Orchestra—supported in part by the museum’s replicas of indigenous sun Grand Circle Foundation—a music academy temples and other interesting artifacts. Inti Nan designed to help students with special needs is the Quechua phrase for “Path of the Sun,” foster a love for music and dance, as well as and the sun quite literally charts a path through give them an opportunity to overcome their the museum—it sits directly on the equator. unique challenges. We then depart at about 11:15am for a Grand Circle Foundation 15-minute drive to Agave Spirit, a museum which aims to preserve the heritage of locally Sinamune Disabled Children’s Orchestra distilled liquors, such as tequila and mezcal. Total donated: $285,320 Upon arrival around 11:30am, we’ll hear a brief Partner since: 2004 introduction about these cherished beverages before sampling them along with a light Founded in 1992 by maestro Edgar Augusto Ecuadorian lunch. Palacios along with his wife Marcia and daughter Ada, the orchestra helps disabled children build the confidence and skills that they need to overcome their challenges and

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16 Lunch: Around 12:30pm, we’ll sample spirits Activity Note: Today’s transfer involves a such as miske and enjoy local dishes like lupin half-hour flight and one-hour motor canoe with quinoa tortillas, plantains, transfer. Agility and balance are required for and corn fried with water. embarking small motor dinghies. Also, please note that flight times given are for weekdays Afternoon: At about 12:45pm, we’ll depart for and vary for weekends. Flight times absolutely the approximately 1.5-hour drive back to the cannot be guaranteed for any given day. hotel, where you can pursue your own interests this afternoon. You might ride the cable car for Breakfast: A buffet breakfast is available at views that, on a clear day, extend to , your hotel beginning at 6:30am. one of the world’s highest active volcanoes. Or Morning: We’ll get an early start this morning, take in the urban oasis of Parque Metropolitano. departing around 7:30am for the 20-minute Your Trip Experience Leader will also have drive to Iñaquito Market, a colorful indoor ideas for ways to make the most of your time market where you’ll find stalls stacked with in Quito. exotic , , , medicinal Dinner: On your own. Your centrally located ingredients, and fish. Upon arrival hotel is surrounded by options, or dine at the around 8am, we’ll begin exploring the various hotel restaurant. sections of the market. Be sure to keep an eye out for tree tomatoes, giant guanábana, Evening: At leisure. You will find plenty of gooseberries, dragon fruit or granadilla. activity on Avenue Amazonas, or simply relax at the hotel. Then, at around 8:30am, we take a 45-minute ride to the airport, where we’ll catch a flight Day 4 Quito • Fly to Coca • Cruise to to Coca, a small town on the banks of the Amazon lodge • Controversial Topic: in the Amazon River watershed. Oil production in the Amazon with Our 45-minute flight is scheduled to depart at indigenous man Winter Garcia around 10:15am. Upon arrival around 11am, we will pick up our luggage and take a 5-minute • Destination: Amazon rain forest bus ride to a nearby dock, where we’ll board a • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner motorized canoe. Departing around noon, we’ll • Accommodations: Yarina Lodge or similar cruise about 1 hour to our lodge on the Napo River, a of the Amazon. In the words Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: This afternoon, we’ll of writer Joe Kane in Running the Amazon: “The learn about a Controversial Topic near and dear Amazon cannot be understood just as a river. It to the heart of all : oil production is a whole wilderness, a great integrated system in the Amazon Rain Forest. About half of of and jungles.” Ecuador’s economy is based on the production of oil, but this process is threatening the For three days, we’ll have a rare opportunity of the Amazon—Ecuador’s largest to increase our understanding of the Amazon national treasure—and the health, safety, jungle—because it’ll be our home. Competition and way of life of the indigenous groups that among the plants and trees for rain and continue to make their homes in the rain forest. sunlight is fierce here. Ultimately, only about Read more about this topic below. ten percent of light from the sun penetrates the jungle canopy and reaches the forest floor.

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17 We arrive at our rain forest lodge at around The Amazon is world-renowned for its 1pm. On arrival, we’ll have an orientation remarkable biodiversity. More than three briefing at the lodge—our base in the million species live in the rain forest—many of Amazon—and take a walk to get familiar with which can be found nowhere else on Earth—as our jungle surroundings. The lodge has a simple well as more than one-third of all tropical trees design in keeping with its remote rain forest that exist on the planet. Its overall importance location, preserving the natural ambiance, but to the planet cannot be overstated: thanks to each cabin has electricity and a private bath its incredible ecosystem, the Amazon holds offering warm-water showers. more than 20% of the world’s freshwater, helps oxygenate the planet, and contributes Lunch: Around 1:15pm at the lodge, featuring to worldwide weather regulation. And there regional specialties. are more than just and butterflies living Afternoon: You have a few hours this afternoon in the Amazon: many indigenous groups also to explore trails that take you into the dwell in the rainforest, using the Amazon’s surrounding forest, take a siesta in a hammock bounty for everything from food and drinkable on your own private balcony. Around 4pm, our water to materials to build their housing. small group will meet up for a discussion about That’s why the current system of crude oil the Controversial Topic of crude oil extraction extraction from the Amazon has so many from the Amazon and its harmful effects on the environmentalists (as well as indigenous environment and the indigenous people who groups) worried. Oil extraction has led to a call the Amazon home. marked degradation in the Amazon’s flora We’ll get a firsthand perspective of how local and fauna. More than 2 million hectares of people are affected by this lucrative, but Ecuadorian rainforest have been deforested environmentally-destructive industry when to make way for oil fields and transportation we meet with Winter Garcia, a 60 year-old roads. Experts worry that the Amazon may indigenous Amazonian man who is opposed be a tipping point, the point at which the to oil extraction in the rain forest. Winter ecosystem may no longer be able to sustain has been living and working in the Amazon itself as a result of such extreme deforestation. for many years, so he has seen firsthand the And deforestation is not the only issue: more effects of oil extraction and deforestation on than 650,000 barrels of crude oil have been the environment. Winter used to grow his own spilled in the Amazon in recent years. This crops on a subsistence farm, but after an oil oil has ended up in the rainforest’s rivers and spill contaminated his water supply and his , poisoning the water that many plants crops died, his family was forced to move to and animals rely on. The Amazon’s indigenous the city to find work. He is living proof of the groups also use these waters for drinking, negative consequences the oil industry has on cooking, and cleaning. traditional and indigenous ways of life. During The obvious answer to this environmental our hour-long conversation with winter, we’ll threat would be to ban oil extraction from the learn more about this crisis, and about the rainforest. But oil production is Ecuador’s important role that the rain forest plays in leading economic sector, responsible for about local life. half of the country’s GDP. Revenue from oil is used to fund Ecuador’s public healthcare system, infrastructure projects, and schools.

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18 The industry also provides jobs for thousands Morning: At around 8am, we’ll depart for of Ecuadorians, who may disagree with its a roughly 3-hour walk through the forest, environmental effects but ultimately rely on keeping our eyes peeled for a variety of . their paychecks to support their families. We’ll We return to the lodge at around 11:15am, where hear from one such person, Fabricio Sanmiguel, you’ll have 1 hour of free time. a local man who works at an oil company, Lunch: We regroup at around 12:30pm for lunch later on our adventure on Day 6 to hear his at the lodge. perspective on the issue. Be sure to keep today’s conversation in mind when we meet Fabricio to Afternoon: Following lunch, you’ll have about 1 hear his point of view. hour of free time before we depart around 2pm for the 10-minute walk to Sapococha Lagoon. Winter will share his story with us for about We will spend about 1 hour canoeing around 10-15 minutes, and then our small group will the lagoon, listening to a concert of bird and have the chance to ask him our questions. This monkey calls while we learn about different is a difficult topic, without easy solutions; types of aquatic plants. we encourage you to bring an open mind and sensitivity to our discussion. We return to the lodge at around 4pm and have about three hours of free time. You might Dinner: At about 7pm, our small group succumb to the lure of your private hammock, reconvenes for dinner at the lodge restaurant, or go for a stroll on the grounds. which serves a Ecuadorian meal crafted from fresh local ingredients. Dinner: Dinner is served at around 7pm.

Evening: Enjoy the facilities of the lodge until Evening: Afterward, you are at leisure to enjoy the time comes to let the sounds of the jungle the lodge’s amenities. lull you to sleep. Day 6 A Day in the Life of an indigenous Day 5 Explore the rain forest • Kichwa village • Grand Circle Foundation Sapococha Lagoon visit: Carlos Fernando Sanminguel School • Destination: Amazon rain forest • Home-Hosted Lunch • Controversial • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Topic: The loss of Kichwa culture in the • Accommodations: Yarina Lodge or similar modern age with two generations of the indigenous Sanmiguel-Grefa family Activity Note: Today’s activities may vary, depending on the weather and the season. • Destination: Amazon rain forest Agility and balance are required for embarking • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner small motor dinghies and walking in the • Accommodations: Yarina Lodge or similar Amazon rain forest. We recommend bringing a Exclusive O.A.T. Activities: Prepare for a walking stick for hiking over surface roots and full day of immersive cultural discoveries as on muddy, steep terrain. we spend A Day in the Life of an indigenous Breakfast: Breakfast is available at the lodge Kichwa village deep within the Amazon beginning at 6am. rainforest. We’ll visit a school supported in part by Grand Circle Foundation, join a family for a Home-Hosted Lunch, and discuss the Controversial Topic of how Kichwa traditions

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19 are vanishing as indigenous youth leave the Carlos Fernando Sanminguel school serves village to pursue opportunities abroad. It all about 20 Kichwa children between the ages adds up to an intimate glimpse into a world that of five and twelve. During our visit, we’ll few Americans ever get to see. Read more about meet the teachers, students, and staff, and these activities below. see firsthand what education is like in this indigenous community. We’ll also learn about Early Morning: Early risers can choose to set the challenges of providing adequate services to off at 6:30am on a bird-watching excursion this remote region of the Amazon. (weather permitting) for a glimpse of the colorful avian life that make their home in this Our partnership with the school began in lush Amazon setting. 2021, and during our visit, we’ll witness the difference our travel dollars are making in the Breakfast: Today’s breakfast is available children’s lives. With Grand Circle Foundation’s beginning at 7:30am. support, the school is currently constructing Morning: At around 8:30am, we set out by bathroom and sewage facilities, and expanding canoe to experience A Day in the Life of Flor del the community’s access to clean water for Pantano, a village belonging to the Amazon’s drinking and cleaning. As we tour the school indigenous Kichwa people. We’ll arrive at the and speak with the students and families who village at around 9am, where we’ll meet Rene rely on its services, we’ll observe how these Shuguango, the community leader who will initiatives are helping to improve the lives of welcome us to the village, and be our host Flor del Pantano’s residents. and companion as we immerse ourselves Then, around 10:15am, our A Day in the Life in the day-to-day life of its people. A small experience continues as we walk to the home of community of about 30 families, Flor del a local family, where we’ll get fully acquainted Pantano elects its community leaders every with the Kichwa people’s culture, traditions, two years. Now entering his second term, Rene and daily lives. Our hosts will be Cristina will tell us about his role in the village and the Grefa Andi and Fabricio Sanmiguel, a husband various causes that he champions to defend the and wife in their thirties who live in Flor del interests of this indigenous group—including Pantano with their four children. Cristina and a lawsuit against OCP, an Ecuadorian crude oil Fabricio have lived together for more than 20 company responsible for a spill in May 2020, years, and are the descendants of generations causing environmental contamination that the of Kichwa people—with our small group size, village is still dealing with today. we’ll connect closely with them to learn about After we finish our introductions, our cultural their traditional way of life as we tour their experience begins when we walk to the Carlos home and lush garden. Fernando Sanminguel School (when in session), has always been a fundamental a local primary school and NEW Grand Circle pillar of Kichwa society, and the garden is one Foundation site. of the most important parts of any family’s Grand Circle Foundation home. In fact, a typical Flor del Pantano household’s garden is so large that the nearest Carlos Fernando Sanminguel School neighbor is often a 15-minute walk away. Partner since: 2021 Cristina will introduce us to her family’s garden, where we’ll have the chance to learn

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20 about the various crops and herbs that are we learned about this controversial subject cultivated, and even have the opportunity to earlier on Day 4 of our adventure, and ask roll up our sleeves and help out with some questions to round out your understanding of hands-on activities. this complicated issue.

We’ll join in on the planting or harvest Lunch: At around 11:15am, we’ll help Cristina (depending on the season) of the and Fabricio prepare our Home-Hosted Lunch. root, one of the most cherished crops that We’ll split into smaller groups to participate the Kichwa people grow in the rainforest. The in various kitchen tasks, and to learn how humble root boasts a number of nutritional and to prepare traditional Kichwa cuisine. The medicinal properties, and takes center stage main dish will be maito—fresh-caught fish in many Kichwa ceremonies—Cristina will tell wrapped in the large green leaves of the bijao us about the role that the cassava root plays in plant and cooked over an open flame. Maito is a the community, and demonstrate how its peel special dish that is only served on celebratory can be used as a moisturizer and exfoliator in occasions or to welcome honored guests—our skincare products. In addition to the cassava opportunity to enjoy it with our hosts is a plant, we’ll learn about the other crops that rare privilege that few Americans ever get to Kichwa families grow—either for subsistence experience. or sale in local markets—such as , corn, We’ll also help prepare side dishes such as palm hearts, cotton, coffee, and cocoa. boiled green plantains and roasted white We’ll also learn how Kichwa traditions are cocoa beans, and prepare a dessert made of changing in the face of the encroaching modern seasonally-available fruit. Cristina will also world. As timber and oil companies have moved show us how to make chicha, a popular local in and deforested the Amazon, the Kichwa fermented drink made from cassava root and people have turned to livestock and ecotourism sweet potato. After working together to help to supplement their subsistence economy—as prepare the feast, we’ll all sit down at the we’ll learn later, after lunch, this growing family table around 12pm and enjoy a delectable interconnectedness with the global economy meal and friendly conversation. has been changing the fabric of Kichwa society Afternoon: Following lunch, we’ll sit down with in recent generations. Cristina, Fabricio, and their children at around Other Kichwa people, like Fabricio, have 1pm for a conversation about a Controversial turned to the oil companies themselves for Topic: the loss of traditional indigenous culture employment. We’ll hear from Fabricio about as Kichwa youths depart their ancestral lands to why he and other indigenous people like him pursue opportunities abroad. have made this challenging decision. While he We’ll explore two sides of this difficult subject still holds Kichwa traditions dear and laments during our hour-long conversation with the the gradual destruction of the Amazon’s Sanmiguel-Grefa family. First, we’ll hear from ecosystem, he must nonetheless work to feed Cristina and Fabricio, the parents, about the his family—and while traditional sources of importance they place on their deeply-rooted employment and subsistence may be vanishing, Kichwa cultural traditions, and their efforts to the steady paychecks offered by the oil industry convince their children to stay and carry the is too tempting a lure to turn away. As we hear torch for another generation. Because of the Fabricio’s side of the story, keep in mind what community’s small size, and its reliance on oral

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21 tradition to pass along its legacy from parent to to generation, many are wondering whether child, the consequences of the village’s youth traditional Kichwa culture can persevere into leaving the nest and abandoning their roots the future. could rapidly become disastrous. Rene, Flor The family will speak to us for about 20 del Pantano’s community leader, will also be minutes, and we’ll then have the remainder of present to share his own efforts at preserving the hour to ask questions of our own about this the Kichwa community’s cultural roots. complicated subject. We’ll then speak to three of the family’s Finally, at around 2pm, we’ll conclude our children—Heily, Melani, and Fabricio, aged A Day in the Life experience when we meet between 11 and 19—to get their perspective Juanita (Cristina’s mother-in-law) for a about the economic and social pressures that demonstration of a traditional Kichwa healing they face and why they believe that they may ceremony. One by one, our small group will need to leave their ancestral roots behind to receive this experienced medicine woman’s pursue their own rich and fulfilling lives. As blessing to receive a cleansed soul and good we’ve seen, the village of Flor del Pantano is health and harmony for our future travels. We’ll far removed from the conveniences of modern also meet some villagers to try our hand at life—there is no university, no hospital, and using traditional blowguns. From an early age, vanishingly few opportunities for employment Kichwa youth are trained in the use of these beyond a subsistence level. What kind of life handcrafted weapons loaded with poisoned would await them if they choose to stay? darts (lethal only to small animals) to hunt This is a complicated issue with no easy food for their community. As we’ll soon see for answers that has been growing increasingly ourselves as we join them in a round of target severe within the last 20 years. As practice, skillful use of these simple devices can interconnectedness of the global community be much harder than it looks. reaches into the heart of the Amazon, younger We’ll board our canoes at around 2:15pm and generations are becoming increasingly aware ride the river back to the lodge, arriving at of the opportunities that are available to around 2:45pm. You’ll then have the rest of them beyond their village borders. As they the day to relax or explore independently as leave, however, pursuing work or education you please. in Ecuador’s urban regions or the world at large, a significant culture shock often occurs, Dinner: Our final dinner at the lodge is served and many Kichwa youth rapidly acculturate at around 7pm. to their new surroundings at the expense of the traditions of their forbears. Traditional Evening: Afterward, you are at leisure to enjoy dress, , music, cuisine, the lodge’s amenities. herbal medicine and more are often quickly forgotten—even those who eventually return to their original communities often find it alienating and foreign, breaking a link in the chain that has kept these traditions alive for hundreds of years. For a community as small as Flor del Pantano, which relies heavily on oral tradition to pass its culture from generation

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22 Day 7 Coca • Fly to Quito At about 6:30pm, we’ll take a 10-minute drive to a local restaurant. • Destination: Quito • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner Dinner: Around 6:45pm at a local restaurant, • Accommodations: NH Collection Quito Royal featuring regional specialties. Hotel or similar Evening: Enjoy a relaxing evening at the hotel. Activity Note: Agility and balance are required for embarking small motor dinghies in the Day 8 Quito • Optional Papallacta Hot Amazon rain forest. Also, we will spend the Springs tour next two days at elevations above 9,000 feet. We recommend staying hydrated while at high • Destination: Quito altitude. Please note that flight times given are • Included Meals: Breakfast for weekdays and vary for weekends. Flight • Accommodations: NH Collection Quito Royal times absolutely cannot be guaranteed for any Hotel or similar given day. Activity Note: We will spend today at elevations Breakfast: Arise early for breakfast beginning above 9,000 feet. We recommend staying at 7:30am. hydrated while at high altitude. You may rest at the hotel, if necessary. Morning: At around 9am, we board a motorized canoe to return to Coca via the Río Napo. On Breakfast: From 6am to 8am, buffet breakfast arrival around 9:45am, we’ll have about 1 is available at the hotel. hour to explore the city, which is the capital of Morning: Enjoy free time in Quito. With a province of Orellana in eastern Ecuador. full day to explore the city, you might like to Then, at around 10:45am, we transfer 5 minutes visit one of the farther-flung neighborhoods by bus to the airport for a half-hour flight in Quito: perched above the eastern side of to Quito, scheduled to depart at 11:30am. On the valley, Guapulo feels like a small Andean arrival in Quito, we transfer 45 minutes to our town set within the city limits. This bohemian hotel, arriving around 1:30pm. Depending on neighborhood is best known for its artsy cafes, where we stay, our centrally-located hotel may colonial-era church, and sweeping views feature a restaurant, bar and lounge, and gym. of Quito. Your rooms will likely include a double bed, Or, at around 8:30am, join our full-day optional cable TV, wireless Internet access, and a private tour to the Andean village of Papallacta and the bathroom. Termas de Papallacta to experience a relaxing Lunch: On your own—you might pick up day surrounded by the natural beauty of something at the airport or wait for your arrival Ecuador’s highlands. at the hotel. Lunch: If you join us on the optional tour, lunch Afternoon: The afternoon is free for is included. Otherwise, you are sure to find independent exploration of Quito. Your Trip many possibilities for lunch on your own during Experience Leader will have suggestions, or your independent explorations. you might visit the Artisan Market near Plaza Afternoon: Continue your exploration of Quito. Foch to browse for Ecuadorian handcrafts and If you have taken our optional tour, you will artwork. Or, perhaps you’ll relax in your room. return to the hotel at around 3:30pm.

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23 Dinner: On your own. With so many choices For seven days, we explore the archipelago—a available to you, you might want to ask your UNESCO World Heritage Site—by ship, enjoying Trip Experience Leader for suggestions. comfortable cabins and the services of an expert crew. Our Trip Experience Leader will give us Evening: The evening is at leisure. You might an orientation briefing, including conservation seek out one of the many nearby establishments techniques suggested by the Galápagos serving craft beer or a club featuring live music. National Park. He or she is a graduate of the elite certification program conducted at the Day 9 Fly to the Galápagos • Embark ship Charles Darwin Research Station on Isla Santa • Destination: Galápagos islands Cruz by the Galápagos National Park Service. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner We file our Galápagos cruising itinerary with • Accommodations: Galápagos Small Ship the conservation authorities of the Galápagos Activity Note: The following description is National Park. Park biologists periodically meant only as a general guide to the cruise review it, and they have the authority to make itinerary that you are likely to follow. The changes to our plan to minimize our impact selection and order of islands visited cannot be on the ecosystems of the islands. Our Trip guaranteed due to the Galápagos’s frequently Experience Leader also provides the park with variable weather, marine and environmental information on species behavior, and we are conditions, and changes in airline schedules proud to work in cooperation with the park between the mainland and the Galápagos. officials in preserving the priceless natural This is a carefully managed park with fragile wonders of the Galápagos. ecosystems. To safeguard them (and to Each morning during our cruise, the sight of an ensure your own comfort), boat and park island seemingly floating off the bow may send authorities have the prerogative to revise our a shiver of anticipation through you. A small course at a moment’s notice. You may rest on dinghy brings us close to the islands for wet or board instead of participating in any hikes if dry landings, which require wading through you prefer. knee-deep clear water. Breakfast: Arise very early and have a light On shore, a gaudily colored Sally Lightfoot crab breakfast at the coffee station. may scuttle by your foot as you watch iguanas Morning: We depart for the airport at around sunning on the sands. It is an adventure of 4:45am, arriving at around 5:30am. Our Darwinian proportions. 2.5-hour flight to the Galápagos is scheduled All meals are included during our cruise, and to take off around 6:45am. Upon landing in no matter which island you call on, each of the the Galápagos mid-morning, we make a short next days will follow a similar pattern. bus transfer to the dock, where we board our small ship. You can stow your gear in your Lunch: Our small group gathers for our first cabin, orient yourself on deck, and enjoy the lunch on board at around 12:45pm. anticipation of the cruise ahead. The ship Afternoon: You have an hour to settle into your features lounge areas, a bar, a sun deck, and cabin and get acquainted with your floating a dining room serving local and international home before we gather for a safety drill. Our cuisine. The simply appointed cabins have twin beds, a window, and a private bath with shower.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

24 ship will be sailing toward our next island stop, Lunch: We return to the ship at about noon for where we might hike across volcanic landscapes lunch. Similar to dinners, most of your lunches or, if time allows, swim near our ship. onboard will be seated, with your choice of soup and entrée. You may also visit the buffet for Dinner: We sit down to dinner on our ship at salads and desserts. around 6pm, with plenty of tales to tell as stars fill the darkening sky. Afternoon: We continue our explorations of the Galápagos. Evening: Retire to your cabin. As you sleep, you’ll be cruising toward another adventure in Dinner: Dinner is served on board at around the Galápagos. 6pm tonight.

Evening: Perhaps you’ll relax in the lounge, Day 10 Galápagos cruise or gaze at an amazing panoply of stars from • Destination: Galápagos islands the sun deck. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Accommodations: Galápagos Small Ship Day 11 Galápagos cruise Activity Note: We’ll make numerous landings • Destination: Galápagos islands by small dinghies that involve stepping into • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner knee-deep water to wade ashore. Balance and • Accommodations: Galápagos Small Ship agility are required to participate, and please Activity Note: We’ll make numerous landings pack accordingly. You may rest on board instead by small dinghies that involve stepping into if you prefer. knee-deep water to wade ashore. Balance and Breakfast: All breakfasts on board are served agility are required to participate, and please buffet-style in the ship’s dining room. Service pack accordingly. You may rest on board instead begins at 7am today, and you are welcome to if you prefer. dine at your convenience. Today’s Activities: We continue our Galápagos Today’s Activities: For the next six days, travel. Here is a preview of the islands you may we continue our Galápagos travel. Although call on. Islands visited depend on the ship’s wildlife sightings are unpredictable, we may see itinerary. blue-footed and Nazca boobies, frigatebirds, Santiago (James)—Tidal pools reveal a , Galápagos doves, swallowtail and profusion of octopi, starfishes, and other lava gulls, Darwin finches, or herons. We’ll also undersea life. Rare lions that were once marvel at sea lions and iguanas throughout on the verge of extinction cavort nearby, and our travels. we often spot oystercatchers, blue herons, and During the summer and fall, the Humboldt yellow-crowned night herons. Current moves through the Galápagos Islands, Bartolome—One of the youngest islands, cooling sea and land temperatures, and Bartolome displays a fantastic landscape of lava creating a mist that covers the islands—locally formations—including the famous Pinnacle known as garua (soft rain)—during the day. Rock. The mangroves often hide mating The Humboldt Current is strongest from sea turtles. July to October, delivering choppy water that surrounds the islands.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

25 South Plaza—Sea lions often greet us raucously mockingbirds, and blue-footed and masked as we step ashore. We also find land iguanas boobies. Along the southern shore, spectacular busy eating the opuntia cactus flowers and cliffs rise up from the sea. From November pads. There are colonies of swallow-tailed to April, the remarkable waved albatross, gulls, shearwaters, and red-billed tropicbirds. which can spend years at sea without touching land, can be seen performing their unique, Rabida (Jervis)—A reddish beach and perfectly-choreographed mating . steep volcanic slopes give this island its distinctive look. Today’s Meals: All meals will be served in the ship’s dining room. Your crew and Trip Leon Dormido (Kicker Rock)—Cruise around Experience Leader will inform you of precise this sheer 500-foot tuff cone formation, start times, and there will be daily memos where blue-footed boobies and sea lions posted around the ship to inform you and your abound. Santa Cruz—At the Charles Darwin fellow travelers of meal times. Research Station, learn about pioneering ecological studies and the giant Galápagos tortoise-breeding program. Day 12 Galápagos cruise • Destination: Galápagos islands Floreana (Charles)—Like the other islands, • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Floreana has its coterie of remarkable creatures. • Accommodations: Galápagos Small Ship But it’s the human stories that will engage you here as your guide tells of the first inhabitant, Activity Note: We’ll make numerous landings a shipwrecked Irishman, and the quirky “post by small dinghies that involve stepping into office” in a barrel, where sailors have been knee-deep water to wade ashore. Balance and leaving letters for delivery since 1793. This agility are required to participate, and please “post office” still operates today. pack accordingly. You may rest on board instead if you prefer. Santa Fe (Barrington)—Hike through a forest of opuntia cactus, where land iguanas doze, Today’s Activities: Today we continue our and then snorkel in clear water with coral reefs, Galápagos travel. An O.A.T. traveler commented manta rays, sea turtles, and colorful schools that, “The Galápagos are sun, sea, and a of fish. North Seymour—Here you’ll find the workshop in evolutionary biology.” Once largest colony of frigatebirds in the Galapagos on land, we’ll walk with our naturalist Trip and a major nesting site for the blue-footed Experience Leader along trails that bring us booby. On the beach, sea lions ride the waves. close to the many indigenous species.

San Cristobal (Chatham)—The town of Puerto Today’s Meals: All meals will be served in Baquerizo Moreno on this island is the sleepy the ship’s dining room. Your crew and Trip capital of the Galápagos province. Ochoa Beach Experience Leader will inform you of precise boasts pelicans and other sea birds, as well as start times, and there will be daily memos a delightful swimming beach. Nearby is Lobos posted around the ship to inform you and your Island, where you’ll see pelicans, frigatebirds, fellow travelers of meal times. and a sea lion colony.

Española (Hood Island)—Sea lions, marine iguanas, and many kinds of birds are found here, including Darwin’s finches, Hood

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

26 Day 13 Galápagos cruise in two different centuries. Herman Melville blended knowledge of the islands, gained from • Destination: Galápagos islands his days as a sailor, with fiction in his 1854 • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner novella The Encantadas or Enchanted Isles. More • Accommodations: Galápagos Small Ship than 100 years later, Kurt Vonnegut’s 1985 Activity Note: We’ll make numerous landings novel Galápagos drew inspiration from the by small dinghies that involve stepping into author’s own visit to the archipelago. Unique knee-deep water to wade ashore. Balance and and remote, the Galápagos Islands will no agility are required to participate, and please doubt continue to influence creative artists for pack accordingly. You may rest on board instead centuries to come. if you prefer. Today’s Meals: All meals will be served in Today’s Activities: Today we continue our the ship’s dining room. Your crew and Trip Galápagos travel. When we are not viewing Experience Leader will inform you of precise wildlife on shore, we can swim, sunbathe, start times, and there will be daily memos and perhaps go snorkeling among sea lions posted around the ship to inform you and your and vividly colored tropical fish. Throughout fellow travelers of meal times. the trip, we’ll see magnificent landscapes of white-sand beaches, sparkling clear Day 15 Galápagos cruise • Farewell Dinner aquamarine water, and black and red volcanic • Destination: Galápagos islands rock landscapes. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Today’s Meals: All meals will be served in • Accommodations: Galápagos Small Ship the ship’s dining room. Your crew and Trip Activity Note: We’ll make numerous landings Experience Leader will inform you of precise by small dinghies that involve stepping into start times, and there will be daily memos knee-deep water to wade ashore. Balance and posted around the ship to inform you and your agility are required to participate, and please fellow travelers of meal times. pack accordingly. You may rest on board instead if you prefer. Day 14 Galápagos cruise Today’s Activities: This is the last day we spend • Destination: Galápagos islands in the Galápagos, and we’ll continue to enjoy • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner snorkeling, exploring, observing wildlife, and • Accommodations: Galápagos Small Ship hiking around the islands. Activity Note: We’ll make numerous landings Today’s Meals: All meals will be served in by small dinghies that involve stepping into the ship’s dining room. Your crew and Trip knee-deep water to wade ashore. Balance and Experience Leader will inform you of precise agility are required to participate, and please start times, and there will be daily memos pack accordingly. You may rest on board instead posted around the ship to inform you and your if you prefer. fellow travelers of meal times. Tonight, we’ll Today’s Activities: Today we continue our enjoy a special Farewell Dinner onboard. exploration of the Galápagos. As we take in their striking seascapes, we can consider how they have impressed great American writers

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

27 Day 16 Disembark ship • Fly to Lunch: On your own—perhaps you’ll pick up a Quito • Return to U.S. or begin your snack at the airport. post-trip extension Afternoon: Our 2.5-hour flight to Quito arrives • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner around 3pm. We’ll have a day room at a hotel near the airport available to each traveler for Activity Note: Today, we will fly to Quito the rest of the afternoon. from the Galápagos. Depending on your ship and flight itinerary, you’ll depart from either Dinner: At around 6pm, we gather for dinner at Baltra Island or San Cristobal Island. We do not the hotel restaurant. recommend that travelers departing from San Cristobal make their own flight arrangements Evening: At around 9pm, board a 10-minute before 10pm, as flights from San Cristobal bus transfer to the airport for your flight Island arrive in Quito around 6pm. home. Travelers taking the post-trip extension to Ecuador’s Andes & the Devil’s Breakfast: Enjoy a final breakfast on board Nose Train or Panama Revealed: Capital City, beginning at 6am. Indigenous Customs & Canal Cruise will stay overnight in Quito. Morning: At around 8am, we bid farewell to our captain and crew and disembark our Galápagos vessel. We then take a short bus transfer to the airport, where our flight to Quito is scheduled to depart a little after 10:30am.

END YOUR ADVENTURE WITH AN OPTIONAL POST-TRIP EXTENSION 6 nights in Ecuador’s Andes & the Devil’s Nose Train

Day 1 Quito Day 4 Explore Cuenca Day 2 Overland to Riobamba • Local Day 5 Visit Cajas National Park interaction • Rose farm visit Day 6 Visit “Panama” hat factory • Fly to Day 3 Devil’s Nose Train • Cuenca Quito • Return to U.S.

OR 5 nights in Panama Revealed: Capital City, Indigenous Customs & Canal Cruise

Day 1 Quito • Fly to Panama City, Panama Day 3 Embera Drua village visit • Clayton • Explore Panama Old Quarter Day 2 Explore Panama City • Old Panama • Miraflores Locks Day 4 Panama Canal cruise • Panama City Day 5 Return to U.S.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

28 OPTIONAL TOURS

During your trip you will be able to book optional tours directly with your Trip Experience Leader. He or she will ask you to confirm the payment for these tours by filling out a payment form. Optional tours can only be purchased with a credit or debit card. We accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit cards. We also accept Visa and MasterCard debit cards, but it must be a debit card that allows you to sign for purchases.

In order to correctly process these charges, there can be a delay of 2-3 months from the date of your return for the charges to be posted to your account. Therefore we ask that you use a card that will not expire in the 2-3 months following your return.

Please note: Optional tour prices are listed in U.S. dollar estimates determined at the time of publication and are subject to change. Optional tours may vary.

Papallacta Hot Springs (Day 8 $100 per person)

Join this full-day tour to experience the pristine natural beauty and wildlife of the Andean highlands. We’ll depart Quito early in the morning for our first exploration of Ecuador’s flora and fauna. Then we’ll proceed to the Termas de Papallacta, a thermal hot spring and spa set high in the Andes. Enjoy a day of relaxation surrounded by verdant mountains. After lunch at the Termas, we’ll make our way back to Quito.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

29 PRE-TRIP Best of Peru: Lima, The Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Airfare from Lima to Cuzco and from » 7 guided tours and cultural experiences Cuzco to Quito » Services of our local Trip Experience Leader » Accommodations for 2 nights in Lima 2 » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and nights in the Sacred Valley, 1 night in Cuzco, luggage porters and 1 night near Machu Picchu » All transfers » 13 meals: 6 breakfasts, 5 lunches, and 2 dinners

PRE-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

Discover Cuzco’s Inca and Spanish colonial legacies ... experience the rich history of the Sacred Valley ... explore the ruins of Ollantaytambo ... and catch a train to Machu Picchu, where an overnight stay makes it possible to visit the site at its quietest times.

Day 1 Depart U.S. • Arrive Lima, Peru Day 2 Lima • Accommodations: José Antonio Deluxe • Destination: Lima or similar • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Today’s Activities: You depart from the U.S. • Accommodations: José Antonio Deluxe and fly to Lima, Peru’s capital city. On your or similar arrival anywhere from late evening to early Breakfast: Served at the hotel between morning on Day 2, your O.A.T. Trip Experience 8am-10am. Leader or O.A.T. representative will meet your flight at the Lima airport and help you transfer Morning: Around 10:30am, you will meet a to your hotel, a ride of about 45 minutes. You’ll local guide who will be with you first for this receive your room assignment, check into your morning’s activities. Around 11am we’ll begin room, and enjoy the rest of the evening to settle our day with a panoramic sightseeing tour of in, with meals on your own. Depending on the city. Founded by the in 1535, where we stay, our centrally-located hotel may Lima became Spain’s largest and wealthiest city feature a restaurant and lounge. Your room will in the New World. The city has a proud history, likely include a double bed, wireless Internet, including the founding of one of the first and a private bathroom. universities in South America, the Universidad de San Marcos, in the middle of the . Today, Lima’s historic city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then, we’ll set off on a walk around the fashionable Miraflores

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

30 neighborhood of Lima. Our tour will wrap up time note that its walls were once covered around 1pm at the restaurant where we will be with sheets of gold studded with emeralds and having lunch. turquoise; when the sunlight streamed through the windows, the reflection off the precious Lunch: At 1pm in a local restaurant. metals was blinding. We’ll spend around an Afternoon: We’ll walk 15 minutes back to our hour here before continuing our drive to the hotel, after which the remainder of the day is Sacred Valley. free for your own discoveries—ask your Trip Lunch: Around 12:30pm ,we’ll enjoy a boxed Experience Leader for recommendations. lunch on board our motorcoach during Dinner: On your own—ask your Trip our journey. Experience Leader for local restaurant Afternoon: Around 2pm we’ll arrive in the recommendations. Sacred Valley, which was once the hub of Evening: You have the freedom to spend the the Incan Empire. Attracted to its warmer rest of your evening as you wish—ask your Trip temperatures and lower altitude, the Incans Experience Leader for recommendations. are thought to have taken control of this land between 1000 and 1400 AD. The region is known Day 3 Fly to Cuzco • Qoricancha • for its sprawling landscapes, stately mountain peak views, and quaint villages. Around 2:15pm, Sacred Valley we’ll take a 15-minute orientation walk to tour • Destination: Sacred Valley the community where we’ll be staying, then • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner check into our hotel around 2:30pm. For the • Accommodations: Agustos Urubamba Hotel rest of the afternoon, you’ll be free to make or similar your own discoveries in Sacred Valley. Our hotel features a full restaurant and bar, as well Activity Note: Please be advised that we will be as wireless Internet. Rooms are spacious and taking a one-hour flight today, and we’ll spend comfortable with a private bathroom, and you the next six days at elevations above 9,000 feet. can enjoy a picturesque flower garden as you We recommend staying hydrated and eating unwind after an eventful day. light while at high altitude. Travelers may rest at the hotel if necessary. Dinner: Around 7pm at your hotel tonight.

Breakfast: Served very early in the hotel from Evening: You have the freedom to spend the 5:30am-6:30am rest of your evening as you wish—ask your Trip Experience Leader for recommendations. Morning: Around 6:30am this morning, we’ll depart our hotel via motorcoach and drive around an hour to the airport. Around 9:20am Day 4 Sacred Valley • Explore we’ll board a one-hour flight to Cuzco, Peru, a Ollantaytambo UNESCO World Heritage Site which is located • Destination: Sacred Valley at an altitude of 10,909 feet. Upon arrival, we’ll • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner depart via motorcoach and drive for around 20 • Accommodations: Agustos Urubamba Hotel minutes to visit the Qoricancha Sun Temple, or similar the city’s most important ceremonial structure during the Incan era. Historical records of the Breakfast: Served at our hotel between 7am-9am.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

31 Morning: This morning we’ll depart our hotel Breakfast: Served at our hotel by motorcoach around 9am and head to the between 7am-9am northern end of the Sacred Valley to explore Morning: After breakfast this morning, the Ollantaytambo ruins—about a 30-minute we’ll leave around 10am via motorcoach for drive. Ollantaytambo is the former bureaucratic the Ollantaytambo Train Station; around a center of the Incan Empire. When Peru was 30-minute drive. We’ll board the train for invaded by Spain in the 1500s, it served as the Machu Picchu at around 11:15am. The train last line of defense for the leader of the Incan ride takes a bit less than two hours and resistance, Manco Yupanqui. Today, you’ll offers spectacular views into the gorge of the behold the remnants of the approximately . 500-year-old fortress atop Temple Hill. Around 11:30am, we’ll depart via motorcoach and drive Lunch: We’ll have a boxed lunch while we’re about 25 minutes to our lunch location. riding the train.

Lunch: Around noon at a local restaurant. Afternoon: Our train will arrive around 1pm. While our luggage is transported to our hotel, Afternoon: After lunch, we’ll return to the hotel we’ll walk 10 minutes to board the bus to Machu via motorcoach around 1pm. Upon our arrival Picchu. After a 30-minute bus ride, we will around 1:30pm, we’ll enjoy some free time. If arrive at this iconic site around 2pm. you wish, you may venture to pottery workshop in the Sacred Valley later this afternoon. Here, Most travelers visit Machu Picchu on a day trip, you’ll learn about the ceramics techniques and which makes for a hectic pace and only limited styles used by the ancient Incans to create the time at this unique archaeological wonder. We artifacts that we cherish today. can take a closer look, and have a more relaxed pace, during our overnight visit to Machu Dinner: We’ll depart our hotel around 6:30pm Picchu. The train brings us to the town of Aguas and drive about 10 minutes to have dinner at a Calientes, from which we then drive to the local restaurant. ruins. This drive takes about a half an hour, as Evening: We’ll arrive back at our hotel around we must follow a zigzag route up a steep hill. 8pm. You have the freedom to spend the rest (The return trip by bus takes the same amount of your evening as you wish—ask your Trip of time; or if you prefer, you can walk downhill Experience Leader for recommendations. and along the valley floor for about an hour.) When the day-trippers leave the ruins to catch Day 5 Cuzco • Transfer to Machu Picchu the last train of the day, we remain longer and enjoy an uncrowded experience. • Destination: Machu Picchu • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Our Trip Experience Leader will give us a • Accommodations: Casa Andina Standard complete and compelling look at the fabled Machu Picchu or similar “Lost City of the Incas,” which was discovered in 1911 by Yale archaeologist (and later, Activity Note: Today’s discoveries involve U.S. Senator) Hiram Bingham. Subsequent extensive walking on steep and uneven planes discoveries (such as Bingham’s later unearthing and an altitude of more than 8,000 feet. We of the Inca Trail and the 1941 discovery of recommend you stay hydrated and rest if nearby Huayna Picchu) suggest that Machu necessary. Picchu was not simply a “lost city” but part

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

32 of a whole lost region. More than 172 tombs Morning: After an early breakfast, we’ll drive have been excavated, and in 2002, Peruvian back to Machu Picchu around 6:40am, arriving archaeologists uncovered the first complete before the crowds. You can remain at the hotel burial site, unearthing a woman’s skeleton, if you wish, but most travelers appreciate this bronze pins, and a clay pot. Here we can explore chance to see the ruins in a different light. sites like the Ritual Baths, the Palace of the You can wander the sprawling ruins on your Princess, the Main Fountain, and the Temple of own, or, depending on which trails are open, the Sun as we contemplate the achievements of choose between two hikes. One brings you a most fascinating and mysterious civilization. to the Inca , where a trail built with We’ll wrap up today’s tour around 4:45pm and impressive Inca engineering crosses a cliff face. transfer back down the mountain by bus around In one spot, the Incas left a deep gap, which 5pm, arriving in Aguas Calientes around 5:30. they bridged with logs that could be removed After a 15-minute walk to our hotel, we’ll check to render the trail impassable to enemies. The in around 5:45pm. Our hotel offers wireless second option is an ambitious hike to the Sun Internet and a restaurant featuring local Gate, at the Machu Picchu end of the Inca Trail, cuisine. Your air-conditioned room includes which offers a fine view over the ruins. a TV, minibar, and a private bathroom with a We’ll descend to the valley below by bus around hairdryer. 11:30am. Dinner: On your own—ask your Trip Lunch: At a local restaurant in Aguas Calientes Experience Leader for local restaurant around 12:45pm. recommendations. Afternoon: We’ll depart around 2:30pm by Evening: You have the freedom to spend the train back through the spectacular Urubamba rest of your evening as you wish—ask your Trip Gorge. We’ll arrive back in Ollantaytambo, Experience Leader for recommendations. around 4pm, after which we’ll take a 2-hour bus ride to Cuzco, making stops at points of Day 6 Explore Machu Picchu • interest along the way. When we arrive in Cuzco Return to Cuzco around 6pm, we check into our hotel. • Destination: Cuzco Dinner: On your own—ask your Trip • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Experience Leader for local restaurant • Accommodations: Xima Hotel recommendations. or similar Evening: You have the freedom to spend the Activity Note: Today’s discoveries involve rest of your evening as you wish—ask your Trip extensive walking on steep and uneven planes Experience Leader for recommendations. and an altitude of more than 8,000 feet. We recommend you stay hydrated and rest if necessary. Day 7 Fly to Quito • Join main trip • Included Meals: Breakfast Breakfast: We rise early and enjoy breakfast at our hotel between 5:30am-6:30am Breakfast: Very early at our hotel, between 5am-6am.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

33 Morning/Afternoon: We’ll depart our hotel around 6am via motorcaoch and drive 15 minutes to the airport. There, we’ll fly from Cuzco around 8am and arrive in to Lima around 9:15am. From Lima, we’ll board our final plane around noon to Quito, Ecuador. We arrive in Quito around 2:30pm and transfer 30 minutes via motorcoach to the hotel, where we begin our Ultimate Galápagos Exploration & Ecuador’s Amazon Wilds adventure.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

34 PRE-TRIP Colombia: Colonial Cartagena & Mountainous Medellín

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Accommodations for 3 nights in Cartagena » Services of a local O.A.T. Trip at the Hotel Bantu or similar, and 2 nights Experience Leader in Medellín at the Hotel NH Collection » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and Medellín Royal or similar luggage porters » 10 meals—5 breakfasts, 3 lunches, » All transfers and 2 dinners » 6 small group activities

PRE-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

On a small peninsula, discover Cartagena, Colombia, a city with a rich history and languorous charm. Find Spanish, Indian, and African influences in Cartagena’s colorful architecture and percussion-heavy music, and enjoy gentle tradewinds that waft salt air from the nearby beaches. Then, travel to Medellín to witness a city in the midst of an economic and cultural rebirth. Learn about Colombia’s decades of turbulence, and meet the resilient Colombianos who are forging a bright path for this rich and welcoming country. Plus, get a glimpse of village life in Colombia with included visits to the fishing community of La Boquilla and the countryside village of Guatape.

Day 1 Depart U.S. • Arrive Evening: On your own to relax or to explore as Cartagena, Colombia you’d like. Ask your Trip Experience Leader for recommendations. • Destination: Cartagena • Accommodations: Hotel Bantu or similar Day 2 Explore Cartagena • Afternoon: Board an international flight and Getsemani Walk arrive in Cartagena, Colombia today—check your air itinerary for your individual arrival • Destination: Cartagena time. An O.A.T. representative will meet you at • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch the airport and assist you with your transfer • Accommodations: Hotel Bantu or similar to your hotel, where you’ll meet your Trip Breakfast: At the hotel. Experience Leader. Morning: We’ll start the day with a Welcome Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience Briefing at our hotel. During this briefing, Leader can recommend a restaurant. we will introduce ourselves and review our itinerary in more detail (including any changes that may need to occur). Our Trip Experience

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35 Leader will also discuss logistics, safety and Afternoon: We’ll return to our hotel by private emergency procedures, and answer questions motorcoach, where we’ll have a few hours we may have. free to relax or explore independently. Later, we’ll gather together with our Trip Experience We then set off on an included walking tour Leader for a walking tour of the Getsemani of Cartagena with our Trip Experience Leader. neighborhood, the oldest part of the city, to Officially known as Cartagena de Indias—so delve into the local history. Our walking tour named because Spanish explorers believed the will conclude back at the hotel, where the rest port would become part of a trade route of the day is free to spend as you wish. to India—Cartagena is one of South America’s most colorful cities. Presiding over sandy Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience beaches and sweeping ocean views, Cartagena Leader can recommend a restaurant. still exudes both a colonial elegance and a Evening: On your own to relax or to explore as tropical Caribbean flavor. From its inception, you’d like. Ask your Trip Experience Leader for Cartagena’s riches made it a tempting target recommendations. for pirates, as well as British and French forces, and Spain spent lavishly on its fortifications, a large portion of which have survived the Day 3 Visit San Felipe Castle • Explore centuries. La Boquilla • Destination: Cartagena Our walking tour will take us through the oldest section, the Ciudad Amurallada, or Walled City, • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner which is encircled by twelve-foot stone walls • Accommodations: Hotel Bantu or similar and considered to be one of the best-preserved Breakfast: At the hotel. walled cities in the world—a distinction which earned Cartagena recognition as a UNESCO Morning: We’ll board our private motorcoach World Heritage Site. We’ll admire the grand and drive to San Felipe Castle, a commanding architecture and elaborate courtyards in fortress built by the Spaniards to protect the locations such as Las Bovedas (“the vaults”), city from pirates in the 17th century. During a one-time munitions storehouse that now your guided tour of the castle, you’ll explore the serves as a colorful marketplace; Heredia labyrinthine tunnels that run underground, and Theater, the city’s magnificent opera house; enjoy panoramic views of the city from atop the and a number of charming plazas and squares, castle walls. including San Diego Plaza, Bolivar Plaza, and Next, our private motorcoach takes us to Plaza de los Coches. La Boquilla, a small fishing village near the We’ll then board our private motorcoach to beach. During our time here, we’ll have the Castillo Grande, where we’ll enjoy a panoramic opportunity to interact with residents to get tour of this neighborhood known for its scenic local perspectives of life by the sea. We’ll also stretches of beaches and trendy restaurants. enjoy an interactive musical lesson as we learn the steps of cumbia, a traditional Colombian Lunch: We’ll ride by private motorcoach back dance, and a demonstration of Latin American to the city center, where we’ll enjoy an included drums. We’ll then return to our hotel by private lunch at a local restaurant. motorcoach.

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36 Lunch: On your own in Cartagena. Your Trip Modern Medellín, however, is a city reborn, Experience Leader can recommend a café or which we’ll learn more about as we visit a restaurant. community center in the comuna, which now boasts a thriving street art scene and innovative Afternoon: Your afternoon is free to explore urban design. independently. Your Trip Experience Leader can recommend activities to satisfy your interests. Lunch: We’ll enjoy an included traditional Colombian lunch with residents of Comuna 8 at Later today, join your fellow travelers and the community center. As we share our meal, ride by moto chiva, a vibrantly painted you may wish to chat with your hosts about three-wheeled motorcycle, and uniquely how Medellín’s transformation has impacted Colombian mode of transportation, to a local their lives. restaurant for dinner. Afternoon: After lunch, we’ll learn more about Dinner: Included at a local restaurant. the day-to-day work that takes place at the Evening: We’ll walk back to our hotel where community center, including some hands-on the rest of the evening is free to relax or explore activities alongside a few community leaders, at independently. the local garden and recycling center.

We’ll then head to the nearby San Antonio Day 4 Fly to Medellín • Visit Comuna 8 metro station, where we’ll board a train • Destination: Medellín and ride like a local toward our hotel. We’ll • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch disembark at Aguacatala station, where our private motorcoach will be waiting to take us • Accommodations: Hotel NH Collection the rest of the way to our hotel. Medellín Royal or similar

Breakfast: At the hotel. After checking in to our hotel, we’ll have a few hours free to relax or explore independently. Morning: Transfer by private motorcoach to Early this evening, join your Trip Experience the airport, where we’ll board our flight to Leader for an orientation walk around the Medellín. After we land and collect our baggage, neighborhood, taking note of local restaurants we’ll drive by private motorcoach to Comuna you might like to visit for dinner. 8. Once considered one of the most dangerous comunas (districts) in the city, Comuna 8 is now Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience a model example of Medellín’s transformation. Leader can recommend a restaurant. As we drive toward the comuna, our Trip Evening: On your own to relax or to explore as Experience Leader will share this dramatic you’d like. Ask your Trip Experience Leader for history with us, which revolves around the rise recommendations. and fall of one of Colombia’s most notorious citizens—Pablo Escobar, the drug kingpin whose reign of terror hung over daily life in Medellín until his death and the collapse of his ruthless cartel in 1993.

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37 Day 5 Explore Guatape Join your fellow travelers to recap your adventure during a farewell briefing • Destination: Medellín before dinner. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Accommodations: Hotel NH Collection Dinner: Enjoy an included Farewell Dinner at a Medellín Royal or similar local restaurant.

Breakfast: At the hotel. Evening: On your own to relax or to explore as you’d like. Ask your Trip Experience Leader for Morning: We’ll board a motorcoach and head recommendations. east out of Medellín toward Guatape, hailed as “the most colorful town in Colombia.” Along the way, we’ll stop at Alto de las Arepas, Day 6 Fly to Quito, Ecuador • a local bakery where we’ll get a hands-on Begin main trip demonstration of how to make arepas, a typical • Included Meals: Breakfast Colombian pastry comprised of ground Breakfast: At the hotel. and served with accompaniments such as cheese and . Morning: Transfer to the airport for your flight to Quito, Ecuador, where your Ultimate We then continue on our way to Guatape. This Galápagos Exploration & Ecuador’s Amazon Wilds colorful village, located in the countryside adventure begins. outside of Medellín, is known for its zócalos, beautifully crafted tiles that decorate houses and the town’s church. This area is peaceful now, but was the scene of conflict between government and paramilitary forces in the late 20th century—a history we’ll learn about as we explore the village aboard chivas, traditional, colorfully-painted motorized buses.

Next, we’ll get a closer look at the village during a walking tour with our Trip Experience Leader, followed by a visit with a local artist in their workshop to learn more about how zócalos are crafted during a firsthand demonstration. We’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions after the artist’s presentation.

Lunch: Included at a local restaurant in Guatape.

Afternoon: We’ll have about a half hour free in Guatape after lunch, and then return by motorcoach to Medellín, where the rest of the afternoon is free to spend as you wish.

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38 POST-TRIP Ecuador’s Andes & the Devil’s Nose Train

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Airfare from Cuenca to Quito » 7 guided tours and cultural experiences » Accommodations for 1 night in Quito, 1 » Services of our local Trip Experience Leader night in Riobamba, 3 nights in Cuenca & 1 » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and day room in Quito luggage porters » 15 meals: 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 5 dinners » All transfers

POST-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

Experience the Andean side of Ecuador, a region of snowcapped volcanoes, indigenous cultures, and a dramatic rail route through the mountains. From traditional markets in the countryside to Spanish colonial Cuenca, meet the people who call this scenic region home and discover more of Ecuador’s cultural and natural diversity.

Day 1 Quito Day 2 Overland to Riobamba • Local • Destination: Quito interaction • Rose farm visit • Included Meals: Dinner • Destination: Riobamba • Accommodations: Wyndham Hotel Quito • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner or similar • Accommodations: Hacienda Abraspungo Morning/Afternoon: After your fellow travelers or similar from your Ultimate Galápagos Exploration & Breakfast: Served at the hotel Ecuador’s Amazon Wilds adventure depart for the between 5am-8am. airport, remain in Quito where you will have the freedom to explore on your own until dinner. Morning: Around 8am, we will depart the hotel and begin our bus journey to Riobamba, Dinner: Dinner is included around 6pm at traveling on the Pan-American Highway along your hotel. the Avenue of the Volcanoes. Here we’ll see rushing rivers descending from snowcapped Evening: You have the freedom to spend the Andes peaks to water the farm fields of the local rest of your evening as you wish—ask your Trip people. This part of Ecuador is home to more Experience Leader for recommendations. people of pure Incan and pre-Incan descent than any other part of the country. Around 10am, we’ll arrive at the home of a local Tigua painter, Manuel. Tigua is a collection of small communities southwest of Quito. Residents

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39 farm the mountains slopes and valleys, grow remainder of the afternoon is free for your own their own crops, and herd sheep and llamas. discoveries—ask your Trip Experience Leader These locals are deeply bound to their land, for recommendations. and Tigua artists celebrate this rural life in the Dinner: We enjoy dinner at our Riobamba hotel Andes through their vibrant paintings. This this evening around 7pm. folk art tradition uses chicken feather brushes on sheep hide and commemorates the legends Evening: You have the freedom to spend the and traditions of mountain life dating back rest of your evening as you wish—ask your Trip centuries. Experience Leader for recommendations.

After Manuel welcomes us into his home, he’ll delve into the history and traditions of Day 3 Devil’s Nose Train • Cuenca his people and how these come alive in his • Destination: Cuenca paintings. You will even be able to try your own • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner hand at this time-honored craft. Following • Accommodations: Santa Lucia Hotel our artistic pursuits, Manuel will give us a tour or similar of his fruit garden before stopping to feed his llamas. Our discoveries will wrap up around Activity Note: Today will include a 1.5-hour and 11am, and we’ll board our bus to drive about 20 a 3.5-hour motorcoach drives, with stops along minutes to a local rose farm. Here, you’ll learn the way, and a 2.5-hour train ride. more about Ecuadorian roses and how they are Breakfast: Served at our hotel from 5am-9am. sustainably produced on this farm. Morning: We’ll depart our hotel via Then, around noon, we will depart for lunch at motorcoach around 9am and drive 1.5 hours a local restaurant. Upon arrival, the owner of to our next adventure: a ride on the Devil’s the restaurant, Aida, will meet us and give us a Nose (Nariz del Diablo in Spanish) section of tour of her home and restaurant. Ecuador’s Trans-Andean Railway, where the Lunch: Around 12:15pm at Aida’s restaurant. tracks make switchbacks to work their way through steep mountain terrain. This section of Afternoon: Following lunch around 1:30pm, the railway was a feat of engineering originally we’ll drive about 1.5 hours to the foothills of built to solve the problem of running trains Chimborazo mountain to meet with a resident from the high-altitude capital of Quito to named Ushca. Locally, Ushca is known as the Guayaquil on Ecuador’s Pacific Coast. Over the last ice man. He earned this name by following years, other parts of the Trans-Andean Railroad the family tradition of collecting ice from have fallen into disuse, but the tracks along the Chimborazo glacier and then selling it at the steep Devil’s Nose section continue to provide a local market. Ushca will tell us about the origins thrilling ride, lasting around 2.5 hours. of ice picking and why this tradition has died out over recent years. Around 3:30pm, we will We’ll disembark the train around 1:30pm and drive about 15 minutes to our hotel, checking board another motorcoach for the next leg of in around 3:45pm. Hotel amenities include a our drive to Cuenca, around 3.5 hours total with restaurant serving and a two stops along the way. bar. Your room features an in-room safe, TV, Lunch: We’ll enjoy a boxed lunch during wireless Internet, and a private bathroom. The our drive.

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40 Afternoon: We’ll arrive in Cuenca around the descendants of Dona Alegria Villacis, the 4:40pm and check into our hotel. Our hotel skillful baker and founder, still operate the includes two on-site restaurants, a bar, bakery in the almost 200-year-old family and a salon with French decor. Your room home. The colonial home has preserved will typically include a telephone, cable TV, its tile roofs, adobe walls, internal patios high-speed wireless Internet access, minibar, and picturesque nooks featuring family safe, and private bath with hair dryer. Enjoy heirlooms, making for a charming and old some leisure time to relax and refresh after our world ambiance. Explore the five internal day’s journey. patios, whilst enjoying Villacis’ famous bread, beloved for its distinct flavor and healthful Dinner: Included at our hotel tonight preparation. around 7pm. • How to get there: A 5-minute taxi ride, Evening: You have the freedom to spend the about $2 USD one way. rest of your evening as you wish—ask your Trip • Hours: 7:30am-7:30pm, Monday-Friday; Experience Leader for recommendations. 8:30am-5:30pm, Saturday. • Cost: About $2 USD. Freedom To Explore: During your two days in Cuenca, you have the freedom to explore • Take a dip in the thermal waters of Piedra de on your own during your free time. Below are Agua: Constructed almost entirely of volcanic a few recommended options for independent limestone native to the area, this modern explorations: spa features underground thermal baths, various mud pools, mineral salt treatments, • Explore the artistic side of Ecuador at The draw baths, hot and cold springs, and more. Museum of the Concepts: Opened in 1986, Perhaps you want to wind down with a this well-preserved, 18th-century building massage before submerging yourself in these and former monastery houses Ecuadorian art healing waters, and afterward, you might primarily dating back to the early 19th cen- like to enjoy an organic meal at the Dragonfly tury. Each room is themed, and throughout Restaurant, which sources a number of the museum you’ll have the chance to peruse ingredients from the onsite garden. a variety of paintings, sculptures, musical • How to get there: A 20-minute taxi ride, instruments, crafts, temporary collections, about $5 USD one way. as well as an informative exhibit about the • Hours: 6am-10pm, Monday-Saturday; nuns who used to reside here. Visitors also 6am-9pm, Sunday. enjoy strolling through the central courtyard, • Cost: About $6 USD. where you can admire a diversity of bushes, such as chamburo and cherimoya varieties. Day 4 Explore Cuenca How to get there: A 5-minute taxi ride, • • Destination: Cuenca about $2 USD one way. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch • Hours: 9am-6:30pm, Monday-Friday. • Accommodations: Santa Lucia Hotel • Cost: About $4 USD. or similar • Visit the more than 100-year-old bakery of Bakery Las Villacis: Las Villacis is more Breakfast: Served at our hotel from than a bakery—it’s a time-honored tradition 6:30am-8am. passed down through the generations. In fact,

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41 Morning: After breakfast we’ll depart our hotel Day 5 Visit Cajas National Park around 8am and walk 10 minutes into town • Destination: Cajas National Park to explore Cuenca, a city located 8,200 feet • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner above sea level. Cuenca has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its • Accommodations: Santa Lucia Hotel well-preserved Spanish Colonial architecture. or similar The skyline is dotted with church domes, Breakfast: Served in our hotel between and four rivers wind through the charming 6:30am-9am. cityscape of gardens, cobblestone streets, and ironwork balconies. We’ll explore the Abdon Morning: Around 8am, we drive from Cuenca Calderon Park, a flower market, the New into the mountains to visit Cajas National Cathedral (begun in 1885), the Calle Larga—a Park (Parque Nacional Cajas), arriving around historic street—and San Francisco Plaza in this 9:45am. Here we experience the Andean bustling city of more than 500,000 people. páramo—a high-altitude environment of low-growing plants, the South American Next, around 10:45am, we’ll walk about 45 version of alpine tundra. Elevations in the park minutes along the El Barranco, a picturesque range from 10,170 feet to its high point, the top promenade along the banks of the Tamebamba of the mountain named Cerro Arquitectos, at River, and make our way to the Broken Bridge. 14,600 feet. The park offers vistas of pristine We’ll then board our bus around 11:45am for a mountain scenery including 270 glacially short drive to a local restaurant for lunch. formed lakes and lagoons, and is home to birds and wildlife characteristic of the heights of Lunch: Around 1pm at a local restaurant. the Andes. Afternoon: After lunch, we’ll drive 45 minutes After our 2-hour tour with our Trip Experience to next visit a pottery workshop. We’ll get a Leader, we’ll board our motorcoach around hands-on demonstration of traditional pottery 10:45am and drive around 45 minutes to the making in Cuenca. Then, we’ll depart for our highest point of the Biosphere Reserve at Cajas hotel around 2:30pm and arrive around 3pm. National Park. The park is protected by UNESCO You’ll have the rest of the afternoon free and is home to vast stretches of evergreen cloud to explore. forests and hundreds of lakes. We’ll admire Dinner: On your own—ask your Trip these vistas from a bird’s-eye view before Experience Leader for local restaurant boarding our motorcoach to drive about 35 recommendations. minutes to a local restaurant.

Evening: You have the freedom to spend the Lunch: We’ll have lunch at a local restaurant rest of your evening as you wish—ask your Trip around 12:30pm. Experience Leader for recommendations. Afternoon: We’ll depart around 1:30pm for our hotel in Cuenca and return around 3pm. The rest of the afternoon is free for your own discoveries. We’ll leave our hotel around 6:30 and walk 10 minutes to dinner.

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42 Dinner: Included at a local restaurant around 6:40pm this evening, after which we’ll walk 10 minutes back to our hotel.

Evening: You have the freedom to spend the rest of your evening as you wish—ask your Trip Experience Leader for recommendations.

Day 6 Visit “Panama” hat factory • Fly to Quito • Return to U.S. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Served at our hotel from 6:30am-10am.

Morning: Around 10am, we’ll depart by bus for a 20-minute ride to visit a factory where “Panama” hats are crafted by hand. Worn all over , these hats are a traditional product of Ecuador. We’ll spend about 1.5 hours exploring here before heading boarding our bus and driving about 10 minutes to a local restaurant.

Lunch: We’ll enjoy lunch on at a local restaurant around noon.

Afternoon: Around 1:15pm, we’ll drive about 20 minutes to the Cuenca airport, arriving a little after 1:30pm. Then, we’ll fly to Quito, arriving around 3:15pm. Once there, we’ll make a drive of a little under 10 minutes to our hotel, where we’ll have access to a day room. Upon arrival around 3:45pm, you’ll have about two hours of free time to relax in your room or enjoy the hotel’s amenities.

Dinner: Enjoy dinner at the hotel around 6:30pm.

Evening: Tonight, take about a 10-minute transfer to the airport around 9pm for your overnight flight to the U.S.

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43 POST-TRIP Panama Revealed: Capital City, Indigenous Customs & Canal Cruise

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Airfare from Quito to Panama City » 5 guided tours & cultural experiences: Old » Accommodations for 4 nights in Panama Panama • the Miraflores Locks • Embera City at Holiday Inn at the Panama Canal Drua village • Panama City Old Quarter • Panama Canal cruise » 9 meals: 5 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 1 dinner » Services of our local Trip Experience Leader » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and luggage porters » All transfers

POST-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

Legendary locks where cargo wait like titans to be loaded by an intricate system of mules … villages that hold fast to age-old traditions of dance, handcraft, and religious practice … and a scrappy, energetic metropolis overflowing with some of the world’s most praised coffee. Panama was once a hub of potential energy that’s blossomed into a positively diverse destination—from the three-toed sloths that call it home to the protected remnants of its ancient settlements. Immerse yourself in the high points of Panamanian culture with a journey to its captivating capital—including an opportunity to cruise along one of the world’s greatest marvels: the Panama Canal.

Day 1 Quito • Fly to Panama City, Panama Morning: Around 11am, depart your hotel and make a half-hour transfer to the airport by • Destination: Panama City motorcoach for your flight to Panama City. Your • Included Meals: Breakfast flight leaves around 2:30pm. • Accommodations: Holiday Inn at the Panama Canal or similar Lunch: On your own.

Activity Note: Today’s activities include an Afternoon: Arrive around 4:30pm, when approximately two-hour flight to Panama you’ll go through immigration and customs City, where you’ll go through immigration and before meeting up with your Trip Experience customs before transferring to your hotel. Leader. Around 5:30pm, depart the airport by motorcoach and make a 1-hour transfer to your Breakfast: Enjoy a buffet-style breakfast hotel. Arrive around 6:30pm, check in, and get included at your hotel from 6-10am. settled. Depending on where you stay, your hotel may offer panoramic views of the Panama

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44 Canal and the rain forest. Hotel amenities passed down through generations, beginning include an outdoor pool and fitness center, with ancient pre-Colombian goldsmiths who and rooms feature coffee- and -making buried these carvings with their dead. facilities, wireless Internet access, a hair dryer, • How to get there: Around a 2-minute walk and a private bathroom. from the hotel, about $3 USD for a taxi ride. Dinner: On your own. Ask your Trip Experience • Hours: 9am-2pm, Monday-Friday. Leader for recommendations nearby your hotel. • Cost: About $10 USD per person. Perhaps you’ll try ropa vieja, a rich, flavorful • Treat yourself to a live show at Danilo’s Jazz dish made with flank steak. Its name translates Club: Watch Panama’s Grammy-winning jazz to “old clothes,” but that’s only because of the musician Danilo Perez perform at his club. A pulled, fibrous texture of the . portion of the club’s proceeds go to the Danilo Perez Foundation, which the pianist created Evening: Spend the evening as you please. to help young people discover their potential Perhaps you’ll head out and explore Panama through music education. City on your own, or stay at your hotel and rest up for tomorrow’s discoveries. • How to get there: Around a 5-minute walk from the hotel, about $3 USD for a taxi ride. Freedom To Explore: During your two days in • Hours: 8:30pm, Wednesday-Friday; show Panama City, you have the freedom to discover is around 2 hours long. its unique balance of historic sites and modern • Cost: About $15-$30 USD per person. architecture on your own during your free time. Below are a few recommended options for Day 2 Explore Panama City • Old Panama • independent explorations: Miraflores Locks

• Experience the local coffee varieties during a • Destination: Panama City tasting at the Bajareque Coffee House: Delve • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch into the process involved in making Panama’s • Accommodations: Holiday Inn at the Panama popular coffee types, including Elida, El Canal or similar Burro, and Luito States. During the tasting, Breakfast: Enjoy a buffet style breakfast you’ll also learn about the coffee-making included at your hotel from 6:30-9:30am. process in Panama and what makes Panamanian coffee so rich and bold. Morning: Depart from your hotel around 10am • How to get there: Around a 3-minute walk and take a 5-minute walk to your motorcoach. from the hotel, about $3 USD for a taxi ride. From here, we’ll drive approximately • Hours: 9am-4pm, daily. 30 minutes to Old Panama, arriving • Cost: Tasting is about $15 USD per person. around 10:45am. • Take a Reprosa Workshop Tour: Learn Discover Panama Viejo (Old Panama) and its from Panamanian artists about the intricate cultural touchstones as you stroll through process used make wax models of Huacas, or the ruins here—majestic stone structures set religious icons carved into small gold statues. among emerald fields and an abundance of You’ll discover how the method has been towering native trees. The site of extensive turmoil over the course of centuries, this settlement dates back to the 16th century and was originally known as Castilla del Oro. It

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45 began as a European colony and the jumping around 4:30pm, and your Trip Experience off point for many expeditions into Peru and Leader will give you time to explore the lock other parts of South America. Over time, the area on your own. settlement experienced several misfortunes Around 5pm, you’ll depart Miraflores by including fires, pirate attacks, and an motorcoach and make a 5-minute drive back to earthquake. Today, it’s protected as a UNESCO your hotel. World Heritage Site and has been featured in popular culture on shows like “The Amazing Dinner: On your own this evening. Ask your Race” and “Survivor.” Trip Experience Leader where you can find Carimañolas, a popular dish of stuffed yuca Around 11:15am, arrive at Central Avenue for fritters. a guided walk during which you’ll learn about this “first city built in the Pacific” and visit Evening: From 5pm on, you’re free to explore the museum on-site. The museum, created to the city on your own. Perhaps you’ll visit the emphasize Panama’s role as a “bridge between Amador Causeway at the southern entrance cultures,” is full of artifacts left behind by of the Panama Canal, featuring restaurants, ancient settlers of the land, and also features shops, and biking paths. an impressive diorama of what the city may have looked like hundreds of years ago. Around Day 3 Embera Drua village visit • Clayton • 11:45am, depart the museum and make a Explore Panama Old Quarter 15-minute walk back to your motorcoach. Then, take a 15-minute ride to a local restaurant. • Destination: Embera Drua village • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Lunch: Enjoy an included Welcome Lunch at a • Accommodations: Central Hotel or similar local restaurant. Activity Note: This morning you’ll take a 1.5 Afternoon: After lunch, enjoy about an hour transfer to Corotu pier by bus. Then you’ll hour and a half of free time to explore the visit an indigenous village by dugout canoe. surrounding area of Panama City. Perhaps Agility and balance are required for embarking you’ll pay a visit to the Corozal American and disembarking the canoe, and you may get Military Cemetary, a site that pays tribute to sprayed during your ride. Americans lost in major conflicts from the Civil War through World War II. Breakfast: From 6:30-7:30am, enjoy a buffet-style breakfast at your hotel, with Around 3pm, rejoin your travelers and Trip American and Panamanian options available. Experience Leader at a designated meeting point and board your motorcoach for a Morning: This morning at 8am, you’ll board 5-minute drive to the Miraflores Locks district. a bus for a 1.5-hour drive to Corotu pier. Arrive at the visitor center, where you’ll embark From here, you’ll depart for the Embera on a walking tour of the locks that form the Drua village by dugout canoe, a mode of local Panama Canal. As you walk you’ll witness the transportation, which will take about 45 mulas (mules)—engines that crawl along fixed minutes. As one of Panama’s seven indigenous rails for the purpose of loading ships with tribes, this tight-knit community of only containers—and the massive shipping vessels around 100 people embraces their traditional preparing for departure. Your tour will conclude way of life and practices age-old customs passed down through generations. Your

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

46 visit begins around 10am at their on-site Freedom To Explore: During your two days school—supported in part by Grand Circle in Clayton, you have the freedom to discover Foundation—where you’ll meet with the this quaint neighborhood on your own during principal and a teacher. You’ll then gather with your free time. Below are a few recommended the Embera tribe for an introduction to their options for independent explorations: culture and community, at which point you can • Explore Panama’s stunning natural beauty ask any questions you may have. at the Summit Municipal Park: Operating Lunch: Around noon, you’ll gather with the since 1923, Clayton’s popular natural reserve Embera tribe to savor a traditional lunch features a botanical garden with more than together. 200 animals inhabiting it.

Afternoon: Around 1pm, you’ll gather with your • How to get there: Between 7-7.5 miles group to take a motorboat back to the pier and from the hotel, about $15 USD for a hotel board a coach bus back to your hotel. Depending taxi ride or about $7 USD for a Yellow Cab on where you stay, hotel amenities may include taxi ride. an onsite fitness center, spa and beauty salon, • Hours: 9am-3pm, daily. laundry service, and outdoor pool. Rooms • Cost: About $5 USD per person. feature wireless Internet, air conditioning, • Discover the history of West Indian Afro- a hair dryer, and private bath. You’ll arrive at the Afro-Antillean Museum: back in Clayton around 3pm, when you’ll Housed in a former Christian chapel, this have the rest of the afternoon to do as you museum provides an inside look into the please. Speak to your Trip Experience Leader Afro-Panamanian culture and how they came about embarking on a historic walking tour to build the Panama Canal. of Clayton or taking a stroll through Summit • How to get there: Over 7 miles from the Municipal Park. hotel, about $7 for a taxi ride. Later, meet your Trip Experience Leader in the • Hours: 9am-4pm, Tuesday-Sunday. lobby around 5:30pm. Then, set out on foot • Cost: About $1 USD per person. for a 1.5-mile walking tour of Casco Viejo, or • View the ancient relics of the Barriles people Panama’s Old Quarter. This settlement, built in at the Anthropological Museum: Witness 1673 after the near destruction of Panama City, more than 1,500 pieces, including ceramic is now home to some of the best cups of coffee and lithic relics from hundreds of years ago. in the world. You’ll learn about the history and • How to get there: Over 7 miles from the modernization of this small, hip neighborhood hotel, about $7 for a taxi ride. as you stroll. Your tour will conclude around • Hours: 8am-4pm, Monday-Friday. 6:30pm, when you’ll be free to explore on your • Cost: About $2.50 USD per person. own or return to your hotel.

Dinner: On your own this evening. Perhaps you’ll try , a side dish of fried plantains.

Evening: The evening is yours to explore Clayton on your on or rest at your hotel.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

47 Day 4 Panama Canal cruise • Panama City will never again build with such scope, such imagination.” Now, more than 40 ships a day, • Destination: The Panama Canal or more than 14,000 annually, traverse its • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 50-mile length—eliminating a 9,000-mile trip • Accommodations: Holiday Inn at the Panama around the tip of Cape Horn. Canal or similar During your cruise you’ll witness enormous Activity Note: You will have an early wake-up cargo ships passing through the canal’s new set call this morning and leave your hotel at 6am of locks, which were only completed in 2016. for your Panama Canal cruise. Your Trip Experience Leader will fill you in on The following schedule is for the northbound this project’s legacy as you pass by commercial cruise, which lasts from 7am-12:30pm. ports and exotic wildlife, such as Balboa Travelers on the southbound cruise will sail crocodiles. from 10am-3pm, and will participate in Lunch: Served onboard from 11:30am-12:30pm. similar activities to those seen below. Your cruising schedule will be provided in the Afternoon: Around 12:30pm, you’ll disembark evening on Day 3. at the Gamboa Dredging Division and board a motorcoach for a 45-minute transfer Breakfast: Coffee will be available to early back to the Flamenco Marina. From the risers before 6am. You will enjoy breakfast marina, you’ll make an additional 30-minute after you embark on your Panama Canal cruise, motorcoach transfer back to your hotel. Enjoy around 7:30am. approximately two hours of free time to spend Morning: Prepare for an early 6am departure as you wish in Panama City, working any this morning and make a 45-minute last-minute discoveries into your itinerary. motorcoach transfer to the Flamenco Marina. Around 6:30pm, join your fellow travelers in From here, you’ll embark your cruising vessel, the lobby of your hotel before transferring to a the Pacific Queen, and prepare to set sail and local restaurant. explore one of man’s greatest achievements: Dinner: Enjoy a Farewell Dinner around 7pm the Panama Canal. and toast to the discoveries you’ve made The notion of building a path between the in Panama. here is as old as the voyages of Christopher Evening: Seek out nightlife in Panama City, or Columbus, but it wasn’t until 1879 that relax at your hotel before your flight home. Frenchman Ferdinand de Lesseps, builder of the Suez Canal, made the first attempt. The enormity of the effort proved too great, and Day 5 Return to U.S. the project languished until 1902, when Teddy • Included Meals: Breakfast Roosevelt brought the idea to life. Breakfast: Served buffet style at your hotel In 1913—a full year ahead of schedule and starting at 6:30am. nearly $23 million under budget—the Panama Today’s Activities: Fly home to the U.S. today. Canal was completed. It officially opened on Refer to your individual air itinerary for August 15, 1914, and a dream became a reality. flight times. A journalist who witnessed its opening wrote, “This canal is both a first and a last … man

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

48 YOUR GALÁPAGOS SMALL SHIP Explore aboard a privately chartered, 16-passenger small ship

Cruise the Galápagos Islands aboard a 16-passenger small ship that can easily maneuver around the islands. From your spot on the Sun Deck or balcony, look out for the same wildlife that Charles Darwin studied. Enjoy up-close experiences with wildlife like ancient giant tortoises and blue-footed boobies during our daily Zodiac excursions or while using the available snorkeling equipment. And get to know your group of 8-16 (average of 13) fellow travelers while savoring a meal in the dining area or relaxing in the lounge areas.

SHIPBOARD FEATURES • Dining room: Enjoy international cuisine • Outdoor common areas: Take in the on board, with beer and wine included scenery and wildlife on the shore from the during meals. upper Sun Deck. • Indoor common areas: Spend time getting • Zodiac crafts: We will embark on Zodiacs to know your fellow travelers in the small from the ship for daily exploration of lounge or dining area. the islands.

49 GALÁPAGOS SMALL SHIP

Cabin Categories Upper: cabins on the A highest passenger deck C r ew’s Wheelho

Q

u Lower/Main: cabins on a r u t se r B e the middle or bottom r s 45678 passenger deck

Upper Deck Registry: Guayaquil, Ecuador Length: 100 ft. Beam: 26 ft. Draft: 7 ft. Salon Dining Room Cabin size: 170 sq. ft. 3 21 Number of Cabins: 8 Passenger Capacity: 16 Lower/Main Deck Entered Service: 2002 Ecuadorian crew: 10 Group Size: 16 travelers maximum, with 1 Trip Experience Leader O.A.T. may use a different ship depending on the trip departure date. This deck plan is typical but ships may vary slightly in size and facilities.

CABIN FEATURES

• Average cabin size is 170 sq. ft. • All cabins are outside-facing with windows • In-cabin amenities: Two twin beds, small desk • In-bathroom amenities: Private bath with freshwater shower

Cabin with two twin beds

50 Ultimate Galápagos OUR SMALL SHIPS COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY To ensure the safety of all of our travelers, we are requiring that all travelers Exploration & Ecuador’s joining us aboard our small ships must be fully vaccinated against COVID- 19 at least 14 days prior to departure of their adventure—and provide Amazon Wilds proof of their vaccination upon boarding the ship. For more details, please visit www.oattravel.com/covid-update. 2022 Dates & Prices To calculate your trip price with airfare, add deck price to air add-ons below. DEC JAN 2; JAN FEBRUARY- APRIL-MAY; JULY- 11-15, CABIN CATEGORY DEC 1 9-30 MARCH JUN 12-30 JUN 2 AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER 25-29 A Upper Deck $5595 $5695 $6095 $6695 $6595 $5895 $6195 $6395 $5995 $5495

B Lower/Main Deck $5295 $5395 $5795 $6395 $6295 $5595 $5895 $6095 $5695 $5195

JAN 9-30; FEBRUARY-MAY; Air Add-Ons JAN 2; JUNE-JULY; DEC 11-15, 25-29 AUGUST-NOVEMBER; DEC 1 Miami, Newark $800 $700 Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, $900 $800 Orlando, Tampa Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia, $1000 $900 Washington, DC Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, San Francisco $1100 $1000 Denver, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, Seattle $1200 $1100

Additional departure cities are available. Upgrade to Business Class may be available for the international portion of your flight. Call for details. AWG 2022

NEW! STOPOVERS RISK-FREE BOOKING POLICY: RESERVE WITH CONFIDENCE— All O.A.T. Stopovers include 3 nights in a NOW THROUGH 12/31/21 centrally-located hotel, daily breakfasts, and We will waive any change fees if you transfer to another departure date for any reason— roundtrip private airport transfers. up until 24 hours prior to departure. See details at www.oattravel.com/riskfree-booking. Lima: $645 per person Quito: $745 per person Bogota or Guayaquil: $795 per person Other O.A.T. Stopovers are available. If a city Prices are per person. Airfare prices include government taxes, fees, and airline fuel surcharges. you are interested in is not offered, we can Standard Terms & Conditions apply, please visit our website: www.oattravel.com/tc. Every arrange your airfare for that, too. effort has been made to produce this information accurately. We reserve the right to correct errors. Call your Regional Adventure Counselor for full details at 1-800-955-1925.

For specific departure dates, current availability, and detailed pricing, visit www.oattravel.com/awg2022pricing

SAVE UP TO 10% WITH OUR BEST CRITICAL PRICE GUARANTEE AIR INFORMATION GOOD BUY PLAN FREE SINGLE SUPPLEMENT FREE on your main trip & FREE on all InWe addition promise to yo otheru wo tripn’t fi rigors,nd a lowe yourr pr ice The earlier you reserve your departure travelon a co timempa willrable be ad 4-12vent hoursure— with and pay in full, the more you’ll save—up extensions. If sold out, be sure to call limitedif you d non-stopo, we’ll m citiesatch it. available. You will to 10%—plus, you’ll lock in your price. us about our Roommate Matching arrive in Ecuador in the evening, and your Program. flightFor d etails,home visit will www.oatt depart lateravel.com/bpg at night. For details, visit www.oattravel.com/gbd

Publication Date: 6/1/21

Information & Reservations 1-800-955-1925 www.oattravel.com/awg2022

51 TRAVEL DOCUMENTS & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Your Passport • Must be in good condition

• Must be valid for at least 6 months after your scheduled return to the U.S.

• Must have the required number of blank pages (details below)

• The blank pages must be labeled “Visas” at the top. Pages labeled “Amendments and Endorsements” are not acceptable

Need to Renew Your Passport? Contact the National Passport Information Center (NPIC) at 1-877-487-2778, or visit their website at www.travel.state.gov for information on obtaining a new passport or renewing your existing passport. You may also contact our recommended visa service company, PVS International, at 1-800-556-9990 for help with your passport

Recommended Blank Pages Please confirm that your passport has enough blank pages for this vacation.

• Main trip only: If you are taking only the main trip, you will need 2 blank passport pages.

• Pre-trip extension to Machu Picchu: You will need an additional page, for a total of 3.

• Pre-trip extension to Colombia: You will need an additional page, for a total of 3

• Post-trip extension in Ecuador: No additional pages are needed for this extension.

• Post-trip extension in Panama: You will need an additional page, for a total of 3.

• Both a pre- and a post-trip extension: You will need 3 pages total if the post-trip is in Ecuador; 4 if the post-trip is in Panama

• Stopover in Bogota, Guayaquil, La Paz, Lima, Panama City, Quito, or Sao Paulo: You will need to add an additional page to the applicable total listed above.

No Visas Required Travelers with a U.S. passport do not need any visas for this adventure, including the optional trip extensions.

52 Traveling Without a U.S. Passport? If you are not a U.S. citizen, or if your passport is from any country other than the U.S., it is your responsibility to check with your local consulate, embassy, or a visa services company about visa requirements. We recommend the services of PVS International, a national visa service located in Washington D.C.; they can be reached at 1-800-556-9990 or www.pvsinternational.org.

Traveling With a Minor? Some governments may require certain documentation for minors to enter and depart the country or to obtain a visa (if applicable). For further detail on the required documentation, please contact your local embassy or consulate.

Emergency Photocopies of Key Documents We recommend you carry color photocopies of key documents including the photo page of your passport plus any applicable visas, air itinerary, credit cards (front and back), and an alternative form of ID. Add emergency phone numbers like your credit card company and the number for your travel protection plan. Store copies separate from the originals.

If you plan to email this information to yourself, please keep in mind that email is not always secure; consider using password protection or encryption. Also email is not always available worldwide. As an alternative, you could load these documents onto a flash drive instead, which can do double-duty as a place to backup photos during your trip.

Overseas Taxes & Fees This tour may have taxes and fees that cannot be included in your airline ticket price because you are required to pay them in person onsite. All taxes are subject to change without notice and can be paid in cash (either U.S. or local currency). If applicable, you will receive a list of these fees with your Final Documents.

Hotel Letter for Minors Colombia in particular is very strict about traveling with minors if you are not their parent. Not only will you need documentation to enter the country, but also a permission letter from a parent for hotel stays. If you will be traveling with a minor who is not your child—such as a grandchild, niece/nephew, or ward—you must contact both us (so we can document your relationship to the minor in question) and the embassy of Colombia (to be advised on exactly what documents are need).

53 RIGORS, VACCINES & GENERAL HEALTH

Is This Adventure Right for You? Please review the information below prior to departing on this adventure. We reserve the right for our Trip Experience Leaders to modify participation, or in some circumstances send travelers home, if their condition would adversely affect the health, safety, or enjoyment of themselves or of other travelers.

GROUP SIZE • This adventure has a group size of 8-16 travelers (average of 13) with two local Trip Experience Leaders exclusive to O.A.T.

PACING • 5 locations in 16 days, with 7 nights aboard a Galápagos small ship.

• Some international flights arrive or depart from Ecuador around midnight, and internal flights are scheduled very early

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS • Not appropriate for travelers using wheelchairs, walkers, or other mobility aids

• You must be able to walk 3 miles unassisted in hot, humid weather and participate in 6-8 hours of physical activities each day

• We reserve the right for Trip Experience Leaders to restrict participation, or in some circumstances send travelers home, if their limitations impact the group’s experience

ALTITUDE • 4 full days at altitudes of 9,000-10,000 feet

CLIMATE • Daytime temperatures range from 60-90°F

• The Amazon Basin has an extreme tropical climate with humidity in the 90% range and frequent rain year-round

• Quito has a mountain climate with a large drop in day to night temperature

TERRAIN & TRANSPORTATION • Hike on uneven, rocky trails that can be slippery; make wet landings; go on several snorkeling excursions; and you may encounter rough seas while cruising (especially July-October)

54 • Agility and balance are required for embarking small motor dinghies and walking in the Amazon rain forest

• We recommend bringing a walking stick for hiking over surface roots and on muddy, steep terrain

• Travel by 20-passenger minibus, canoe, 16-passenger small ship, and motorized dinghies

• Drives lasting 4-6 hours and 4 internal flights of 1-4 hours each on the main trip

FLIGHT INFORMATION • Travel time will be 4-11 hours and will most likely have two connections

ACCOMMODATIONS & FACILITIES • Hotel rooms are smaller than in the U.S. and offer simple amenities

• Small ship cabins are comfortable but small compared to large cruise ships

• All accommodations feature private baths

• Lodges in the Amazon do not have air conditioning, only fans

Steps to Take Before Your Trip Before you leave on this adventure, we recommend the following:

• Check with the CDC for their recommendations for the countries you’ll be visiting. You can contact them online at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel or by phone at 1-800-232-4636.

• Have a medical checkup with your doctor at least 6 weeks before your trip.

• Pick up any necessary medications, both prescription and over-the-counter.

• Have a dental and/or eye checkup. (Recommended, but less urgent)

Vaccines Required

COVID-19 Overseas Adventure Travel requires that all travelers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and are able provide proof of their vaccination upon arrival at their destination. A full vaccination is defined as having been inoculated at least 14 days prior to departure by an approved vaccine. This requirement is not contingent on the countries the tour visits, but a strict company policy due to the nature of the pandemic.

Yellow Fever Vaccination While the CDC offers a wide range of vaccination and medication suggestions, there is one in particular that we’d like to draw your attention to—the yellow fever vaccine.

55 The CDC recommends the yellow fever vaccination for travelers to the Ecuadorian Amazon. Because this recommendation is applicable to an area visited on the main trip—the Amazon—the CDC suggests that you receive a yellow fever vaccination for this adventure, if your health allows. This is not a legal requirement, but a health recommendation.

You should discuss the vaccine with your doctor to see if he or she recommends it and if your health allows for it. (He or she can offer a suggestion tailored to your personal medical history.) We recommend that you research costs before making a decision as the yellow fever vaccination can be expensive and is not covered by most insurance plans. If you and your doctor decide the vaccination is right for you, then he or she will issue you a Yellow Fever Card (officially called an International Certificate of Vaccination).

TIP: We recommend that if you have received the vaccination, you have your Yellow Fever Card with you when traveling. If you cannot receive the vaccination for medical reasons, we suggest you bring with you a letter from your medical provider stating so. If any of the countries on this itinerary makes a last-minute change to its entry policy before you leave, having one of these documents with you could make all the difference.

NOTE: The CDC website implies that if you travel to Peru first and then Ecuador you will need proof of yellow fever vaccination for Ecuador. But according to the Ecuadorian embassy, Peru is not considered a high-risk country, so it is not required. If your itinerary differs from ours, then you may be required to show proof of the yellow fever vaccination. (For example, if you will be traveling independently in South America before/after your trip with us. Or if you will be arriving from a country other than the U.S. or Canada.) In this case, check with the CDC because you may need a yellow fever vaccination.

NOTE:If taking the optional stopover in , proof of yellow fever vaccination is required.

Medication Suggestions • An antibiotic medication for gastrointestinal illness

• Prescription pain medication in the unlikely event of an injury in a remote location

• Altitude sickness medication: Quito is roughly 9,000 feet above sea level, Cuzco (on the pre-trip extension) is at approximately 11,000 feet, and Cuenca (on the Ecuador post-trip extension) is at approximately 8,000 feet. At these altitudes, almost everyone feels some of the symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), including headache, nausea, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, and lack of energy.

• Anti- medication is recommended for the Amazon, but you should check with the CDC and your doctor first because these medications can have strong side effects.

• Motion sickness medication: Waters in the Galapagos tend to be choppy so if you are prone to seasickness, you may want to pack a motion sickness medication.

Traveling with Medications • Pack medications in your carry-on bag to avoid loss and to have them handy.

56 • Keep medicines in their original, labeled containers for a quicker security screen at the airport and a better experience if you get stopped by customs while overseas.

• Bring copies of your prescriptions, written using the generic drug name rather than a brand name to be prepared for any unforeseen loss of your medications.

We recommend checking with the State Department for medication restrictions by country: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel- Country-Information-Pages.html. (Pick the country and then follow the links to “Local Laws & Special Circumstances”; if you don’t see any medications specifically mentioned, then you can presume major U.S. brands should be OK).

TIP: At time of writing, the State Department did not have any special warnings about American over- the-counter medications for altitude sickness, but did warn that although coca-leaf tea is a popular beverage and folk remedy for altitude sickness in the Andes Mountains, possession of these tea bags is illegal in the United States.

IMPORTANT TIP: At time of writing, the State Department did not have any special warnings about American over-the-counter medications for Peru, but did have the following warning about bringing medicines back to the U.S.: “Travelers should be aware that some drugs and other products readily available over the counter or by prescription in Peru are illegal in the United States. The prescription sedative flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) is one such drug; others may come on the market at any time. Although coca-leaf tea is a popular beverage and folk remedy for altitude sickness in Peru, possession of these tea bags, which are sold in most Peruvian supermarkets, is illegal in the United States.”

Staying Healthy on Your Trip Jet Lag Tips

• Start your trip well-rested.

• Begin a gradual transition to your new time zone before you leave or switch to your destination time zone when you get on the plane.

• Attempt to sleep and eat according to the new schedule.

• Avoid heavy eating and drinking caffeine or alcoholic beverages right before–and during– your flight.

• Drink plenty of water and/or fruit juice while flying

• Stretch your legs, neck, and back periodically while seated on the plane.

• After arrival, avoid the temptation to nap.

• Don’t push yourself to see a lot on your first day.

• Try to stay awake your first day until after dinner.

Allergies

57 If you have any serious allergies or dietary restrictions, we advise you to notify us at least 30 days prior to your departure. Please call our Traveler Support team at 1-800-221-0814, and we will communicate them to our regional office. Every effort will be made to accommodate you.

Water • Tap water is not safe to drink.

• Bottled water or treated drinking water is readily available. Inspect each bottle before you buy it to make sure the cap is sealed properly. Carry a bottle in your daypack at all times.

• Bottled drinks and juices, and hot drinks that have been boiled, are safe to drink.

• Avoid drinks with ice in them.

• Carry a handkerchief to dry the tops of bottled drinks before and after opening.

Food • We’ve carefully chosen the restaurants for your group meals.

• Be very careful with food sold from vendors on the street, and with uncooked fruit and other . Fruit that you peel yourself is usually safe—avoid lettuce and other unpeeled produce.

Altitude Illness Quito is at an altitude of over 9,000 feet, Cuzco (on the pre-trip extension) at roughly 11,000 feet, and Cuenca (on the Ecuador post-trip extension) is just over 8,000 feet. You will probably feel some effects of altitude when you first arrive. Even if you’ve been to high elevations previously, you could have a different reaction this time. For most people, the symptoms are mild and will pass in a day or so.

The most common symptoms of altitude sickness are lightheadedness, shortness of breath, headache, nausea, sleeplessness, and loss of appetite. You should take it easy, avoid smoking and alcohol, and drink plenty of fluids. Some people take an altitude medication, starting when they arrive or one day before. Don’t take sleeping medications, as they suppress respiration. Even though you may experience a decreased appetite, force yourself to eat soups and some foods.

If these normal altitude symptoms become unmanageable, it is critical that you inform your Trip Experience Leader. Please let the leader know if you experience any of the following: serious difficulty breathing, mental confusion, a severe and unremitting headache, continued difficulty breathing after a period of rest, or poor physical coordination (ataxia).

Water Conditions in the Galápagos Two different ocean currents impact the waters off the coast of the Galápagos—the Humboldt Current and the Panama Current. Generally speaking, when the colder Humboldt Current is dominant (July to November) the water is cooler and choppier; when the Panama Current is

58 dominant (December to June) the water is warmer and calmer. The roughest seas usually occur from July through October, but choppy conditions can happen at any time of year. We recommend packing an anti-seasickness medicine whether or not you are prone to seasickness.

59 MONEY MATTERS: LOCAL CURRENCY & TIPPING GUIDELINES

Top Three Tips • Carry a mix of different types of payments, such as cash, an ATM card, and a credit card

• Traveler’s checks are not recommended as they can be difficult to exchange and are rarely accepted in shops and restaurants.

• U.S. dollars are accepted in Ecuador and many places in Peru; bring a variety of denominations in good condition.

Local Currency For current exchange rates, please refer to an online converter tool like www.xe.com/ currencyconverter, your bank, or the financial section of your newspaper.

Ecuador Ecuador uses U.S. dollars as its official currency, although Ecuadorian coins of equal value to U.S. coins are still minted and still circulate. A mix of small bills is best—costs are low and exact change is appreciated.

Peru The official currency of Peru is the Sol (S/), which is divided into 100 centimos. Banknote and coin denominations are as follows:

• Banknotes: 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200

• Coins: 5, 10, 20, 50 céntimos and 1, 2, 5 soles

U.S. dollars are commonly accepted in Peru, especially for large transactions or at businesses that cater to visitors. However, not every business will want U.S. dollars, and the ones that do accept them will want crisp bills in very good condition—bills that are worn, torn, or even folded might be rejected. Large U.S. bills (such as $50 or $100) command a better exchange rate, but small bills are more readily accepted for payment. For this reason, we recommend that you bring a mix of denominations in U.S. dollars. Previous travelers have recommended bringing a lot of $1 bills for tipping (but not for exchanging). When paying in sols, know that it can be difficult for a shop to make change for a 100-sol bill on small purchases.

Colombia The currency of Colombia is the Colombian peso. Banknote and coin denominations are as follows:

• Banknotes: 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000 and 50,000 pesos

• Coins: 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1,000 pesos

60 U.S. dollars are not widely accepted in Colombia. You may find some street vendors or people in tourist-related industries willing to accept dollars, but generally the local currency is preferred. Our Trip Experience Leaders suggest changing about $100 per person into Colombian currency at the airport when you first arrive.

Panama United States currency is legal tender in Panama, and it circulates freely with the , which only printed in coin form and divided into 100 centesimos. Because U.S. dollars are legal currency, you will not need to convert money in Panama.

For those interested in collecting coins (or just curious) centesimos coins are of identical size, denomination and metal as U.S. coins, but with different designs. The coins of both nations are used interchangeably in Panama, so you may get centesimos in your change even if you paid in U.S. dollars.

How to Exchange Money In Peru, you’ll sometimes pay in dollars and sometimes in local currency. Large U.S. bills (such as $50 or $100) command a better exchange rate, but small bills are more readily accepted for payment. Therefore we recommend that you bring a mix of denominations in U.S. dollars for this adventure—small bills for paying, plus a few large bills for exchanging. There is no need to obtain local currency before your trip. In fact, your U.S. bank may not carry it. You can change money when you arrive at the airport, or at banks, most hotels, and money exchange offices. Torn, dirty, or taped U.S. bills may not be accepted for exchange or payment.

The official currency of Ecuador is the U.S. dollar, and it is also legal tender in Panama, so there is no need to exchange money in either country.

ATMs When using the ATM, keep in mind that it may only accept cards from local banks, and may not allow cash advances on credit cards; you might need to try more than one ATM or more than one card.

Many banks charge a fee of $1-$10 each time you use a foreign ATM. Others may charge you a percentage of the amount you withdraw. We recommend that you check with your bank before you depart.

Lastly, don’t forget to memorize the actual digits of your card’s PIN number (many keypads at foreign ATMs do not include letters on their keys—they only display numbers.)

Ecuador: ATMs are available in larger cities, such as Quito, Cuenca, and Guayaquil, but become harder to find in remote locations. For example, the Galapagos Islands have only a few ATMs and waiting in line can take too long (up to an hour in some cases). We recommend that you bring enough cash to cover your expenses for your travel in more remote areas.

61 Peru: ATMs are available in large cities and towns like Lima and Cuzco but are less likely to be found in more rural locations. For example, in the Amazon you may only see an ATM at the regional airport. We suggest that you bring cash for expected expenses while traveling in the rural areas.

Colombia: Typically ATMs are widely available in the larger cities like Bogotá, Medellin, and Cartagena, but may be hard to find in smaller towns or rural villages. Our Trip Experience Leaders suggest changing about $100 per person into Colombian currency at the airport when you first arrive. They have found that some of the ATMs at the airport and near the hotels don’t work with U.S. cards.

Panama: ATMs are available in large cities, but small towns may not have any international ATMs that take American cards.

Credit & Debit Cards Even if you don’t plan on using a credit card during your trip, we still suggest that you bring one or two as a backup, especially if you are planning a large purchase (artwork, jewelry). We also suggest that you bring more than one brand of card (i.e. Visa, MasterCard, American Express) if possible, because not every shop will take every card. For example, although the Discover card is accepted in some countries outside the U.S., it is not widely adopted, so other brands will work at a much larger range of stores, restaurants, etc.

Ecuador: Credit and debit cards are more likely to be accepted in cities like Quito, Cuenca, and Guayaquil. But even inside a large city like Quito, cards of any kind are more commonly accepted in the modern shops of the New Town district than in the “hole in the wall” places in the Old Town.

Peru: Credit cards are more likely to be accepted large cities like Lima than in the countryside. Stores in Peru may charge you up to 8% for the use of a credit card.

Colombia: Credit and debits cards are widely accepted in Colombia, though you may still run into some smaller shops and restaurants that will not accept them.

Panama: Credit cards are accepted in most hotels, restaurants, and shops. However, you will need cash for taxis and small Mom-and-Pop type stores.

Notify Card Providers of Upcoming Travel Many credit card companies and banks have fraud alert departments that will freeze your card if they see suspicious charges—such as charges or withdrawals from another country. To avoid an accidental security block, it is a good idea to notify your credit card company and/or bank you will be using your cards abroad. You can do this by calling their customer service number a week or two before your departure. Some banks or credit card companies will also let you do this online.

You should also double-check what phone number you could call if you have a problem with a card while you are abroad. Don’t assume you can use the 1-800 number printed on the back of your card—most 1 800 numbers don’t work outside of the U.S.!

62 Tipping Guidelines Of course, whether you tip, and how much, is always at your own discretion. But for those of you who have asked for tipping suggestions, we offer these guidelines.

• O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader: It is customary to express a personal “thank you” to your Trip Experience Leader at the end of your trip. As a guideline, many travelers give $7-$10 USD (or equivalent in local currency) per person for each day their Trip Experience Leader is with them. Please note that these tips can only be in cash. If you are taking any of the optional extensions, your Trip Experience Leader during the extension(s) may not be the same as the one on your main trip.

• Hotel housekeepers: $1-$2 per room, per day.

• Waiters: Your Trip Experience Leader will tip hotel porters and waiters for included meals. If you are dining on your own, it is customary to leave a tip as you would in the U.S.

• Taxi drivers: If you take a taxi on your own, it is not customary to give a tip, but if you wish to give something, rounding the bill up should suffice. (For example, if the fare was $4.30, you could give $5).

Please Note: Your tour price includes gratuities on the main trip and optional extensions for local guides, drivers, ship crew, and luggage porters that may assist you during the scheduled activities on your adventure. All tips are quoted in U.S. dollars; tips can be converted and paid in local currency or in U.S. dollars. Please do not use personal or traveler’s checks for tips.

63 AIR, OPTIONAL TOURS & STAYING IN TOUCH

Land Only Travelers & Personalized Air Quick Definitions

• Land Only: You will be booking your own international flights. Airport transfers are not included.

• Air-Inclusive: You booked international air with us. Airport transfers are included as long as you didn’t customize your trip’s dates (see next bullet).

• Personalized Air: You booked international air with us, and have customized it in some way. If you have customized your trip’s dates to arrive early, stay longer, or stop on your own in a connecting city, airport transfers will NOT be included. You must also arrange your own accommodations for any additional nights. For your convenience, a preliminary list of your included hotels is available on your My Account at www.oattravel.com/myaccount under “My Reservations”.

Airport Transfers Can Be Purchased For eligible flights, airport transfers may be purchased separately as an optional add-on, subject to availability. To be eligible, your flight(s) must meet the following requirements:

• You must fly into or fly home from the same airport as O.A.T. travelers who purchased included airfare.

• Your flight(s) must arrive/depart on the same day that the group arrives or departs.

Airport transfers can be purchased up to 45 days prior to your departure; they are not available for purchase onsite. To learn more, or purchase airport transfers, please call our Traveler Support team at 1-800-221-0814.

If you don’t meet the requirements above, you’ll need to make your own transfer arrangements. We suggest the Rome to Rio website as a handy resource: www.rome2rio.com.

When booking your own international flights, please also note that the tour will end on Day 16 of the main trip (or last day of the post trip) for your overnight flight back to the United States. Most airlines will depart from Quito very late in the evening (near midnight) and arrive in the U.S. early the following morning.

Hotels & Land Only Travelers If you have made your own international air arrangements, please note that on this adventure the first included hotel is on the night of Day 1 of your main trip (or Day 1 of your pre-trip extension, if you are taking one). Check in times will vary, but tend to be after 2pm.

64 Optional Tours Optional tours are additional add-on tours that allow you to personalize your adventure by tailoring it to your tastes and needs. And if you decide not to join an optional tour? Then you’ll have free time to relax or explore on your own—it’s about options, not obligations.

What You Need to Know • All optional tours are subject to change and availability.

• Optional tours that are reserved with your Trip Experience Leader can be paid for using credit/debit cards only. We accept MasterCard, Visa, and Discover credit cards; we can also take MasterCard or Visa debit cards as long as the card allows you to sign for purchases. (You won’t be able to enter a PIN.)

• To ensure that you are charged in U.S. dollars, your payment will be processed by our U.S. headquarters in Boston. This process can take up to three months, so we ask that you only use a card that will still be valid three months after your trip is over. The charge may appear on your credit card statement as being from Boston, MA or may be labeled as “OPT Boston”.

• Your Trip Experience Leader will give you details on the optional tours while you’re on the trip. But if you’d like to look over descriptions of them earlier, you can do so at any time by referring to your Day-to-Day Itinerary (available online by signing into My Account at www.oattravel.com/myaccount).

Communicating with Home from Abroad

Cell Phones If you want to use your cell phone on the trip, check with your phone provider to see if your phone and service will work outside of the U.S. It may turn out to be cheaper to rent an international phone or buy a SIM card onsite. If you want to use a local SIM, just make certain your phone can accept one.

Calling Apps Another option is to use a smartphone app like Skype or FaceTime. These services are usually less expensive than making a traditional call, but you’ll need a Wi-Fi connection and the calls may count towards your phone plan’s data allowance. Many smartphones—and some tablets or laptops—come with one of these apps pre-installed or you can download them for free from the appropriate apps store.

Calling Cards and 1-800 Numbers When calling the U.S. from a foreign country, a prepaid calling card can be useful because it circumvents unexpected charges from the hotel. Calling cards purchased locally are typically the best (less expensive, more likely to work with the local phones, etc.). Our Trip Experience Leaders

65 advise that for Ecuador an even less expensive and easier-to-use optional is available. Instead of using a calling card, they suggest using the international phone service at a type of business known as a “Café Net or Internet”; these businesses can be found in cities all over Ecuador.

One reminder: Do not call U.S. 1-800 numbers outside the continental United States. This can result in costly long distance fees, since 1-800 numbers do not work outside the country.

Internet Internet access on this adventure will be mostly limited to computers in the hotel lobby or business center; most hotels in Ecuador and Peru do not offer WiFi in the rooms, and the ones that do charge for the service. It is unlikely that you will have internet access during the Galapagos cruise portion of your tour. Internet access is not available on board the small ship during the Galapagos cruise.

How to Call Overseas When calling overseas from the U.S., dial 011 for international exchange, then the country code (indicated by a plus sign: +), and then the number. Note that foreign phone numbers may not have the same number of digits as U.S. numbers; even within a country the number of digits can vary depending on the city and if the phone is a land line or cell phone.

Ecuador: +593 Colombia: +57

Peru: +51 Panama: +507

66 PACKING: WHAT TO BRING & LUGGAGE LIMITS

Luggage Limits

MAIN TRIP LIMITS

Pieces per person One checked bag and one carry-on per person.

Weight restrictions Up to 50 lbs for checked luggage and 15 lbs for carry-ons.

Size Restrictions Standard airline size: Checked luggage should not exceed 62 linear inches (length+width+depth) and carry-on should not exceed 45 linear inches.

Luggage Type Duffel bag or soft-sided suitcase.

TRIP EXTENSION(S) LIMITS

Same as main trip.

REMARKS/SUGGESTIONS

Luggage rules: Luggage rules and limits are set by governmental and airline policy. Enforcement of the rules may include spot checks or may be inconsistent. However one thing is the same across the board: If you are found to have oversized or overweight luggage, you will be subject to additional fees, to be assessed by—and paid to—the airline in question.

Reminder to bring a small additional bag: This small bag is a necessity for certain portions of your adventure. Some previous travelers have suggested re-purposing your carry-on for this use; others have packed an empty bag into their suitcase. For more details, see the “Your Luggage” section.

Don’t Forget: • These luggage limits may change. If the airline(s) notify us of any changes, we will include an update in your Final Documents booklet.

• It’s a good idea to reconfirm baggage restrictions and fees directly with the airline a week or so prior to departure. For your convenience, we maintain a list of the toll-free numbers for the most common airlines on our website in the FAQ section.

• Baggage fees are not included in your trip price; they are payable directly to the airlines.

67 • The luggage limits above are based on your regional flights, which may be less than your international flights. Even if your international airline offers a larger weight limit, you will need to pack according to the lower restrictions.

Your Luggage • Checked luggage: One duffel bag or suitcase. Look for one with heavy nylon fabric, wrap- around handles, built-in wheels, and a heavy-duty lockable zipper.

• TIP: When traveling with a companion we recommend “cross-packing,” i.e., pack 2 outfits of your clothing in your companion’s luggage and vice-versa, in case one bag is delayed.

• Carry-on bag: You are allowed one carry-on bag per person. We suggest a tote or small backpack that can be used as both a carry-on bag for your flight and to carry your daily necessities—water bottle, camera, etc—during driving excursions and walking trips. Consider a backpack or waistpack that keeps both hands free and distributes the pack’s weight onto your back or hips.

• A small additional bag: This small bag is a necessity for certain portions of your adventure.

• On the main trip, you will want the additional small bag for our three nights at the Amazon lodge because there is limited space for your suitcase on the motorized canoe. (You’ll leave your suitcase or large duffel bag at the hotel in Quito, travel to the Amazon, stay for three nights, and then return to Quito.)

• On the Machu Picchu extension, you will need the small bag for the train trip to and from Machu Picchu because there is no space for your suitcase on the train.

• TIP: Some previous travelers have suggested re-purposing your carry-on for this use; others have packed an empty bag into their suitcase.

• Locks: For flights that originate in the U.S., you can either use a TSA-approved lock or leave your luggage unlocked. Outside of the U.S. we strongly recommend locking your luggage as a theft-prevention measure.

Clothing Suggestions: Functional Tips As you will experience a wide range of temperatures and weather conditions, we suggest several layers of clothing. If you like to hand-wash your clothes, look for fabrics that will dry out overnight. You can buy clothing designed especially for travel, with features like wrinkle- resistant fabric or built-in sun protection.

• Rain gear: You’ll want fairly good-quality rain gear for your jungle visit and for Quito.

• Neutral or earth-toned colors: We recommend bringing earth-colored clothing (shades of greens, browns, and grays) for the Galapagos and the Amazon. These colors will camouflage your presence in the jungle and afford you a better opportunity to spot wildlife. Bright colors

68 may alert wildlife or attract insects, so wearing a neutral or earth-colored palette is strongly recommended for this part of your adventure. We also suggest that you choose a neutral color if you bring an umbrella.

• Footwear: You’ll be on your feet a lot during the trip, and walking over some rough and slippery surfaces. The soles of your shoes should offer good traction. For the wet landings during your Galapagos cruise, a pair of water shoes or sandals may be useful to give you good footing. In the Galapagos, the shoes you wear for the wet landings or to walk on the paths will be rinsed by crew members before boarding the ship to avoid cross- contamination of the islands’ ecosystems. We recommend bringing sandals or flip flops to use on board (or go barefoot). In the Amazon, our jungle lodge will provide you with rubber boots (available up to standard U.S. size 14). If you have difficulty finding shoes that fit well, please consider bringing your own. Consider bringing a few extra pairs of dark- colored socks for the Amazon, a couple of pairs of heavy hiking socks, and socks that you’re comfortable getting wet for the Galapagos.

• Snorkel gear: Should you buy snorkel gear for this adventure? Probably not. The Galapagos ship has basic gear like masks and fins for rent. In addition you may be able to rent a wet suit onboard, depending on availability. If you are an enthusiast who already owns your own gear, we suggest you save space in your luggage. Of course, if you already own gear and really prefer it, you are welcome to bring it. For example, if you already own a wet suit jacket or swim vest, that might be useful for lengthy swims or for the months of July-November, when the water off the coast of the Galapagos is cooler.

• Walking sticks: Many past travelers have recommended bringing a folding walking stick or folding ski pole. (Our Amazon lodge supplies wooden walking sticks for guests to use in the rainforest, but you may want one when exploring other sites, like the Galapagos.) This is very useful when exploring trails that don’t have handrails. For the Galapagos, you are not allowed to bring your walking stick in your carry-on bag, so make sure to leave room for it in your checked luggage. During the extensions, a walking stick may also be useful. In Machu Picchu, walking sticks are technically not permitted. However, our Trip Experience Leaders are often able to negotiate with park employees to allow walking sticks with rubber tips (as they cause less damage to the ground of the ancient sites). Therefore, we suggest you bring this type of walking stick. If you do not bring a walking stick, you may be able to purchase one onsite.

• One-time laundry service: About halfway through the trip, you will have the option to have laundry done by a next-day service for a fee. (Your Trip Experience Leader will arrange this. Or if you prefer to use a local laundromat, your Trip Experience Leader can advise you of the closest one.)

Style Hints Dress on our trip is functional and casual. Women might want to bring one casual dress and a pair of dressier sandals.

69 Suggested Packing Lists We have included suggestions from Trip Experience Leaders and former travelers to help you pack. These lists are only jumping-off points—they offer recommendations based on experience, but not requirements. You may also want to consult the “Climate” chapter of this handbook.

And don’t forget a reusable water bottle—you’ll need it to take advantage of any refills we offer as we are working to eliminate single-use plastic bottles on all of our trips.

Recommended Clothing Checklist ‰Shirts: A mixture of short and long-sleeved shirts in a breathable fabric (consider quick- drying fabric)

‰Trousers and/or jeans: Comfortable and loose fitting is best. ‰Walking shorts ‰Shoes and socks: Trekking shoes are recommended for the Galapagos (These should offer better support and traction than sneakers, but sneakers are also an option.) A pair of sport sandals with secure ankle strap is also recommended. Our jungle lodge will provide you with rubber boots for the Amazon. However, they have standard sizes only (up to U.S. size 14)—if you find that you have a difficult shoe size to fit, please consider bringing your own. For socks, consider bringing a few extra pairs in dark colors for the Amazon, a couple heavy pairs for hiking in general, and a couple pairs that can get wet for the Galapagos.

‰Light wool or fleece sweater, or jacket ‰Light rain jacket/windbreaker with hood ‰Wide-brim sun hat or visor for sun protection ‰Underwear and sleepwear ‰Swimsuit for activities and snorkeling in the Galapagos (our regional office recommends bringing two suits so that you have one to wear while the first is drying)

‰Optional: Dress-casual outfit for dinning out in larger cities ‰Optional: Rubber-soled sandals or flip-flops for use in the shower

Essential Items ‰Daily essentials: toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, hairbrush or comb, shaving items, deodorant, etc. Our hotels/ship will provide the basics like soap and shampoo, but most do not provide a washcloth so you may wish to pack one.

70 ‰Spare eyeglasses/contact lenses; sunglasses, 100% UV block ‰Sunscreen: SPF 15 or stronger ‰Insect repellent with DEET ‰Light folding umbrella ‰Water bottle or canteen (particularly in the Galapagos due to environmental policies) ‰Moisturizer and sun-blocking lip balm ‰Pocket-size tissues ‰Moist towelettes and/or anti-bacterial hand cleanser ‰Flashlight or headlamp, extra batteries/bulb ‰Electrical converter & plug adapters ‰Camera gear with extra batteries or battery charger ‰Ziploc bags to protect camera from humidity

Medicines & First Aid Gear ‰Your own prescription medicines ‰Travel first aid kit: Band-Aids, headache and pain relief, laxatives and anti-diarrhea tablets, something for upset stomach. Maybe a cold remedy, moleskin foot pads, antibiotic cream, or allergy medication.

‰Talcum powder to fight the humidity in the jungle. Also useful when wearing rubber boots. ‰Motion sickness medication. The conditions in the Galapagos can be choppy and hard to predict. Therefore our regional office recommends that travelers bring some sort of motion sickness medication as a precaution—even travelers who do not normally get motion sickness.

‰An antibiotic medication for gastrointestinal illness ‰Optional: A strong prescription pain medication for rare emergency purposes ‰Optional: Altitude sickness medication. Useful for the main trip, and particularly recommended for the optional extension to Machu Picchu.

71 ‰Optional: Anti-malarial medication—discuss with your doctor first

Optional Gear ‰Travel alarm or travel watch with alarm ‰Lightweight binoculars (essential if birding) ‰Folding walking stick (see Functional Tips for details) ‰Hanging toiletry bag (with hook to hang on doorknob and pockets to organize items) ‰Hand-wash laundry soap ‰Basic sewing kit ‰Reading materials ‰Travel journal/note pad and pens ‰Home address book ‰Small gift for home-hosted visit ‰Small donation of a school item for local school ‰Phrase book ‰Disposable underwater camera (for fun underwater shots) ‰Snorkel gear (see Functional Tips for details)

Home-Hosted Visits Many of our adventures feature a visit with a local family, often as part of the A Day in the Life experience. It is customary, though not necessary, to return your hosts’ generosity with a small gift. If you do bring a gift, we recommend that you bring something the whole family can enjoy, or something that represents your region, state, or hometown. Get creative and keep it small—peach jelly from Georgia, maple sugar candy from New England, orange blossom soap from California; something that can be used or used up is best. When choosing a gift, be certain to consider the local culture as well. For example, we do not recommend alcohol in Muslim countries because it is forbidden in Islam, and your hosts may be religious. Not all O.A.T. adventures include a Home-Hosted Visit; please check your final itinerary before you depart.

72 Electricity Abroad When traveling overseas, the voltage is usually different and the plugs might not be the same shape.

Voltage Electricity in Peru is 220 volts. In Ecuador, Panama, and Colombia, it is 110 volts (same as the U.S.). Most of the things a traveler will want to plug in—battery chargers, MP3 players, tablets or computers—can run off both 110 and 220. But you should check the item or the owner’s guide first to confirm this before you plug it in. If you have something that needs 110 volts—like a shaver or a hairdryer—you can bring a transformer to change the current. (But transformers tend to burn out, so it might be better to leave whatever it is at home.) Aboard the Galapagos ship, you’ll find the electric supply to be the same as in the U.S., so you will not need an electric-current converter for the ship.

Plugs The shape of plugs will vary from country to country, and sometimes even within a country depending on when that building was built. To plug something from the U.S. into a local socket you’ll need an adapter that fits between the plug and the socket. It may be easier to purchase an all-in-one, universal adapter/converter combo. Versatile and lightweight, these can usually be found at your local electronics goods or hardware stores. Sometimes you can buy them at large retailers too, like Target or Walmart. If you forget to bring an adapter, you might also find them for sale at the airport when you arrive at your destination.

Different plug shapes are named by letters of the alphabet. Standard U.S. plugs are Type A and Type B. Here is the list of plugs for the countries on this trip:

Ecuador: A and B

Peru: A, B, or C

Colombia: A and B

73 Panama: A (same as the U.S.)

Type A Type B Type C

Availability A constant electricity supply cannot be guaranteed during overnight stays in the jungle. Lighting may not be as bright as you are used to. Travelers dependent on electricity supply (as in the case of those with sleep apnea) should ensure their apparatus has back-up battery power.

74 CLIMATE & AVERAGE TEMPERATURES

Quito and the Highlands, Ecuador: Quito, located in the Ecuadorian Andes, has a climate that is often described as one of “perpetual spring,” with warm days and chilly nights and little variation of temperature around the year. Much of the rainfall in this mountainous region comes in the afternoon and evening as clouds build up over the mountains and thunderstorms develop.

The Galapagos, Ecuador: In the Galapagos Islands, temperatures are comfortably mild throughout the year. From December through June, high temperatures are in the mid-to-upper 80s. This is considered the rainy season, even though there are more hours of sunshine than rain during these months. (In the desert climate of the Galapagos the amount of rainfall is miniscule compared to the .) From July through November, high temperatures are in the upper 70s to low 80s. This cool dry season along the equator has its positive side. The temperature during the day is usually in the 70s with low humidity and quite comfortable, making the nature hikes you take even more pleasant.

Water conditions in the Galapagos: Two different ocean currents impact the waters off the coast of the Galapagos—the Humboldt Current and the Panama Current. Generally speaking, when the colder Humboldt Current is dominant (July to November) the water is cooler and choppier; when the Panama Current is dominant (December to June) the water is warmer and calmer. The roughest seas are usually from July through October, but choppy conditions can occur at any time of year. If you are prone to seasickness, you may want to pack an anti-seasickness medicine.

TIP: For those travelers who are looking forward to swimming or snorkeling in the Galapagos, please be prepared for water temperatures in the high 60s/low 70s and choppy conditions. For details on the availability of snorkel gear, please see “Functional Tips” under “Clothing Suggestions”, or review the packing checklists.

Lima, Peru: Lima is situated in one of the world’s great deserts, and has a dry desert climate. The city has virtually no rainy days, with the very small annual precipitation coming in the form of the sea mist and occasional drizzle of the winter season, June to September. Only during the summer months of January through March is it warm and humid on the coast, with temperatures the rest of the year falling in the 60s and 70s.

Cuzco, Peru: Cuzco’s high altitude, approximately 10,909 feet above sea level, results in a somewhat large range of daily temperatures. Considered a moderate climate, it is typically sunny and pleasant during the day but with evening temperatures that can be refreshingly chilly. During the winter months of June through August, nights can even bring frost at these heights. Interestingly, average daytime temperatures do not fluctuate greatly over the entire year, with the high thermometer readings staying in the 60s throughout all seasons. The summer months of December through March bring most of the rains, while May through September offer usually sunny, comfortably cool days with only occasional sudden showers.

75 Cartagena, Colombia: Cartagena sits on the Caribbean Sea, on the northern coast of Colombia. Most days are typically tropical—hot and humid days with highs in the upper 80s or 90s. However, because of the high humidity, it can often feel hotter. The dry season runs from December to April and the rainy season is between October and November.

Panama: Panama’s climate is tropical, with hot and humid weather most days, although temperatures do vary slightly by location and altitude. The hottest location on this trip is usually Chitre, in the Azuero Peninsula, where temperatures can spike past 90 degrees. On both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, the annual average temperature is 84°F, and the more mountainous regions fall in the 50-66°F range. But even in cooler areas an average humidity of 80% can make things uncomfortable. The high and low temperatures don’t change much from season to season. Instead the seasons tend to be defined by rainfall. The dryer season, relatively speaking, is from January to March. Rain is more frequent on the Caribbean Coast than on the Pacific Coast. As a comparison, Panama City (Pacific) sees an annual average rainfall of 70 inches; Colon (Caribbean) sees 136 inches.

NOTE: If you are taking one of our optional stopovers before or after your OAT adventure, please be aware the climate and temperatures might be different from what you experienced during your tour. To prepare for weather differences and pack appropriate clothing, we recommend the following world weather sites:

• www.intellicast.com

• www.weather.com

• www.wunderground.com

Climate Averages & Online Forecast The following charts reflect the average climate as opposed to exact weather conditions. This means they serve only as general indicators of what can reasonably be expected. An extreme heat wave or cold snap could fall outside these ranges. As your departure approaches, we encourage you to go online to www.oattravel.com/myaccount for your 10-day forecast.

76 Average Daily High/Low Temperatures (°F), Humidity & Monthly Rainfall

MONTH QUITO, ECUADOR THE GALAPAGOS, ECUADOR

Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Temp % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (am-pm) (inches) Humidity (avg) (inches) JAN 66 to 50 88 to 59 4.5 87 to 70 71 3.2 FEB 66 to 50 87 to 61 5.1 87 to 71 76 4.1 MAR 66 to 50 88 to 63 6.0 87 to 70 84 3.9 APR 66 to 51 89 to 67 6.9 87 to 70 77 2.4 MAY 66 to 51 88 to 64 4.9 87 to 69 66 4.7 JUN 67 to 49 80 to 55 1.9 85 to 67 60 2.1 JUL 67 to 49 75 to 50 0.8 80 to 66 42 0.8 AUG 67 to 49 73 to 49 1.0 84 to 65 38 0.5 SEP 68 to 49 79 to 56 3.1 81 to 66 44 0.8 OCT 67 to 49 85 to 64 5.0 84 to 66 57 1.1 NOV 67 to 49 86 to 63 4.3 85 to 67 61 1.4 DEC 66 to 50 87 to 62 4.1 86 to 69 65 0.9

MONTH LIMA, PERU CUZCO, PERU

Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (am-pm) (inches) Humidity (am-pm) (inches) JAN 79 to 68 89 to 70 -- 64 to 45 79 to 53 5.9 FEB 80 to 69 91 to 69 -- 64 to 46 80 to 53 5.9 MAR 80 to 69 91 to 70 -- 64 to 46 80 to 51 3.8 APR 76 to 66 92 to 72 -- 66 to 43 80 to 48 1.5 MAY 72 to 63 92 to 75 -- 67 to 39 81 to 42 0.3 JUN 69 to 61 89 to 76 0.1 66 to 35 82 to 40 0.1 JUL 67 to 60 89 to 76 0.2 66 to 34 81 to 38 0.1 AUG 66 to 60 90 to 77 0.1 66 to 37 79 to 39 0.3 SEP 67 to 59 90 to 76 0.1 67 to 41 77 to 43 0.9 OCT 69 to 61 89 to 74 0.1 68 to 44 74 to 44 1.9 NOV 72 to 63 87 to 72 -- 67 to 45 74 to 47 2.7 DEC 76 to 66 88 to 70 -- 66 to 45 76 to 49 4.3

77 MONTH CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA CUENCA, ECUADOR

Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (am-pm) (inches) Humidity (avg) (inches) JAN 85 to 75 88 to 70 0.2 69 to 50 75 2.0 FEB 85 to 76 87 to 70 -- 70 to 51 76 1.8 MAR 86 to 77 86 to 70 0.1 69 to 51 76 3.2 APR 86 to 78 86 to 73 1.0 69 to 50 77 4.3 MAY 87 to 79 87 to 76 3.8 67 to 49 77 4.3 JUN 87 to 79 88 to 75 4.2 66 to 47 75 1.7 JUL 87 to 79 88 to 74 3.4 65 to 47 73 0.9 AUG 87 to 79 88 to 76 4.7 66 to 46 75 1.1 SEP 87 to 78 89 to 77 5.2 69 to 48 74 1.6 OCT 86 to 78 89 to 78 8.8 70 to 49 76 3.1 NOV 86 to 78 90 to 77 5.3 71 to 46 74 1.8 DEC 86 to 76 90 to 73 1.3 71 to 49 74 2.5

MONTH PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

Temp. High-Low % Relative Average # of Days Humidity (am-pm) with Rainfall JAN 89 to 76 90 to 62 24 FEB 90 to 76 88 to 59 13 MAR 90 to 77 87 to 59 10 APR 89 to 78 87 to 63 18 MAY 87 to 78 90 to 76 26 JUN 86 to 77 92 to 80 22 JUL 87 to 77 93 to 78 23 AUG 86 to 77 93 to 78 23 SEP 86 to 76 93 to 79 24 OCT 85 to 76 93 to 81 26 NOV 86 to 76 93 to 79 26 DEC 87 to 76 93 to 70 28

78 ABOARD YOUR SHIP: CABIN FEATURES, DINING & SERVICES ON BOARD

Galápagos small ship Our 16-passenger Galápagos small ship is chartered exclusively for our O.A.T. group. The 100-foot-long ship can maneuver easily among the islands, allowing for excellent views of the island shores. It features lounge areas, bars, a sun deck, and a dining room serving local and international cuisine. The simply appointed cabins have twin beds, small desk, a window, and a private bath with shower.

• Average cabin size is 170 sq. ft.

• All cabins are outside-facing with windows

• In-cabin furnishings: Two twin beds, small desk, and a private bath with shower

O.A.T. uses different ships depending on the trip departure date. The information in this chapter is typical but ships may vary slightly in size and facilities.

Cabin Amenities Small ship cabins are basic and comfortable but small compared to large cruise ships. Your cabin amenities include windows for sea views, private bathroom with shower, and in room air-conditioning.

Cabin Assignments You will receive confirmation of your deck and/or cabin category upfront in writing; it will be on your invoice and online in My Account at www.oattravel.com/myaccount. However, your cabin number may not be assigned until you arrive onboard the ship. (This is normal procedure for many small ships.) If there’s no cabin number on your invoice or online, you can presume it will be assigned later and communicated to you when you board.

Dining All meals are taken in a spacious window-lined dining room. The food onboard includes international food and typical local dishes. If you require a special diet please request this in advance by contacting one of our Travel Counselors. There is no room service on board. Dining times will vary according to the scheduled daily activities.

A selection of wine, beer, and other beverages will be available for purchase onboard your small ship. Because the Galápagos Islands are part of a national park with a very fragile ecosystem, alcohol is not produced locally and must be imported. This means that you will likely experience significantly higher prices than what you would typically find at home (ex. a $10-15 bottle of wine in the U.S. may cost $35-50 in the Galápagos). Some Galápagos ships may allow travelers to bring

79 a bottle of their own favorite wine or alcohol to enjoy at their table (please check with your Trip Experience Leader for your specific ship). Should you care to avail yourself of this service, there will be a corkage fee of approximately $10-20 per bottle.

Many crew members do not speak English, so be ready to practice a few words in Spanish at dinner (with the help of your Trip Experience Leader).

Electricity You’ll find the electric supply onboard to be the same as in the U.S., so you will not need an electric-current converter for the ship. (But you may need one for hotels; see the section on electricity in the chapter on packing.)

Internet Internet access is not available on the ship.

Laundry Services There is no laundry service available on board.

Public Spaces • Dining room: Enjoy international cuisine on board in a window-lined dining room.

• Indoor common areas: Spend time getting to know your fellow travelers in the small lounge or dining area.

• Outdoor common areas: Take in the scenery and wildlife on the shore from the upper sun deck.

• Zodiac crafts: We will embark on Zodiacs from the ship for daily exploration of the islands.

Shipboard Payments Cash, in the form of U.S. dollars, is accepted for purchases made on board. Credit cards and personal checks are not accepted.

Smoking Policy Smoking is prohibited on board, with the exception of one outdoor deck area reserved for smokers.

Wheelchairs The ship is not built to accommodate wheelchairs.

Dress Code There are no formal dinners on board; casual dress is encouraged.

80 ABOUT YOUR DESTINATIONS: CULTURE, ETIQUETTE & MORE

O.A.T. Trip Experience Leaders: A World of Difference During your adventure you’ll be accompanied by one of our local, expert Trip Experience Leaders. All are fluent in English and possess the skills, certification, and experience necessary to ensure an enriching adventure. As locals of the regions you’ll explore with them, our Trip Experience Leaders provide the kind of firsthand knowledge and insight that make local history, culture, and wildlife come alive. Coupled with their unbridled enthusiasm, caring personalities, and ability to bring diverse groups of travelers together, our Trip Experience Leaders ensure that your experience with O.A.T. is one you’ll remember for a lifetime.

Culture & Points to Know

Ecuadorian Culture From the legacy of the to Spanish colonialism, Ecuador offers an astonishingly diverse blend of cultures, weaving together indigenous traditions with those of the Spanish and Afro-Ecuadorian people.

One of many traditions that the have kept alive throughout Spanish rule is immediately apparent—each village has specific style of clothing that is unique to their community. In the Andean mountains, these indigenous women are often seen sporting a kaleidoscope of colors on their skirts and capes, usually topped with a vibrant hat ornamented with beads. These hats can even be used to designate social status in the village based on the number of beads adorning the woman’s hat. But these colorful outfits are as practical as they are beautiful; not only does the clothing keep them warm in the chilly mountain air, but the Quechua have designed their apparel to aid them with their work, such as fastening a chumpi (belt) to their skirt, which supports their lower back to carry heavy loads, or to secure a swaddled infant to their back.

Since the arrival of the conquistadors in 1531, Spanish influence has made a permanent mark on Ecuadorian culture. With their arrival also came the spread of Roman Catholicism, which began to transform the religious landscape until it was eventually declared the official religion of Ecuador in 1869. Roman Catholicism continues to permeate modern-day culture, particularly in rural communities where we see this reflected by a deeply patriarchal society with traditional values, such as a strong sense of duty to one’s family and neighbors.

During this period of colonialism, the Spanish also engaged in the African slave trade, with the first enslaved African people arriving to Ecuador in the mid-16th century. The African people and their descendants, many of whom settled along Ecuador’s coast, have contributed to the unique cultural tapestry of modern Ecuador, particularly their musical influence. Afro-Ecuadorians are famous for their marimba music and traditional chants, a form of artistic expression used to share stories and poems, worship, honor the deceased, or celebrate life. This percussion-style of music is integral to passing along legends and cultural through oral traditions.

81 Language While Spanish is the official language of Ecuador—a legacy of the conquistadors that conquered the Incan Empire, it is not the primary language for many of the nation’s indigenous peoples. Throughout the highlands and rural areas, many people still speak Quechua, a language passed down from the Incas.

English is increasingly spoken here, especially among people who work in the tourism industry. But you can also converse with gestures and body language. To break the ice, bring along some family photographs, or a few postcards of your hometown. But please do learn a few phrases in the local language. Your efforts will be greatly appreciated, even if your pronunciation is off.

Your attire is a key part of your non-verbal presentation. Your clothing should show a respect for local tradition. In South America, this means you should dress in a relatively modest style.

Accommodations Our hotels are comfortable, but not luxurious. At our rainforest lodge, creature comforts are basic. (Remember to bring a flashlight.) The boats we charter in the Galapagos also provide basic accommodations. Cabins are small and bathrooms can be cramped. During your trip, there can be occasional problems with electricity, hot water, and air conditioning in any of our accommodations.

Expectations in Colombia Colombia has long been a closed destination for Americans, and is slowly opening for American tourism. The most important things for you to pack are your sense of adventure, an open mind, and an understanding that service and standards will not be what you are used to. While the people are friendly and the country’s beauty is vast, there will be some things that surprise you. There are few people in Colombia who speak English, including at hotels and restaurants. (Come prepared to practice your Spanish.) Many hotels were once private homes, so the rooms many be smaller, darker, or noisier than you expect. In some areas, hotels will have fans but not air-conditioning.

The locals will love to help you, but service is not up to American standards. The staff will be friendly, but, again, will most likely not speak English and may be slower than expected. Be prepared for a leisurely meal, and allow extra time if you have a specific request. Patience with this developing country is important. Our advice is: When in Colombia, do as Colombians do.

Ecuadorian Cuisine Here, the of choice is mani, based on peanuts and often served with fried . The country is also known for its succulent . Try it in the , hornado, a whole, spit-roasted pig, usually served with salad, fried plantain or cheesy fried potato pancakes called llapingachos.

82 In the highlands of Ecuador (and Peru), a staple source of protein is cuy or . Many families raise them (not as pets, but for food) and then grill or roast them with herbs till the skin is crispy. Many have compared the taste to that of suckling pig. A weekend brunch favorite is fritada de chancho, a piece of pork shoulder that’s been boiled and then fried, and served with a spicy red sauce. It is accompanied by llapingachos (potato pancakes), corn, and fava beans.

Ecuadorians also love their ceviche but here, the seafood of choice is . It is usually served in its marinade, which includes tomato, and with a corn-nut tostado for crunch. If you are a vegetarian, try the veggie-based ceviche called cevichocho that is made with lupini beans. You can also find mango ceviche, mushroom ceviche, heart of palm ceviche and many others.

On the go? Grab some humitas from a pushcart vendor. These are like —steamed masa (corn meal) and corn kernels in a leaf. They are either salty or sweet and can also contain onions, cheese, or eggs. When you crave something crunchy, grab a bag of habitas, crispy fried and salted fava beans.

For dessert, try dulce de leche, a caramelized dairy confection, or alfajores, which are flaky layers of dough filled with sweet cheese or gooey caramel or molasses.

Peruvian Cuisine There is no question about Peru’s status as the culinary jewel of South America. Along with offering authentic indigenous dishes that have been in existence for close to 70 centuries, has embraced culinary techniques and flavors from Europe, Africa, and Asia to create dishes and flavors you won’t experience anywhere else—as well as several world renowned restaurants and chefs in Lima.

One reason that Peru has grown into a culinary superpower is that few places on earth offer such a variety of indigenous ingredients, The extreme elevations and range of climate zones has enabled Peru to draw from a staggering variety of ingredients—including close to 4,000 varieties of potatoes, 650 varieties of native fruit, 2,000 species of fish, and more than 300 varieties of chilies, an essential ingredient in Peruvian cuisine. Chilies like the native aji, which is often puréed into , have been cultivated in Peru for some 7,000 years.

Aji might make an appearance in Peruvian ceviche. This famous seafood dish is popular all over South America’s Pacific coast, but claim to have perfected the recipe: Raw fish and shellfish are marinated in citrus juices, and flavored with cilantro, onions, salt, and peppers. The acid in the citrus “cooks” the fish a bit. Peru’s Japanese community add their own twist called tiradito, in which the fish is sliced sushi-style, and marinated in soy, mirin, and puréed aji.

Peru’s geography and varied climates mean that cooking styles vary by region. No matter where you are in Peru, however, you’ll find hearty soups and accompanying most meals. Roasted chicken is eaten all over Peru, along with tamales and humitas (like tamales but using fresh, not dried corn). Dishes in the Andes often revolve around corn, potatoes, and a source of protein like cuy (guinea pig). Usually raised in the household, the traditional method of cooking cuy is to fill it with herbs and roast it over an open flame. Another traditional meat in the Peruvian Highlands is , which is very lean and is similar to buffalo meat. Indigenous influences come through

83 in the cuisine of northern Peru, especially in dishes like shambar, a hearty soup made with wheat, pork rinds, smoked ham, onion, and several types of beans. And in the Amazon, a staple in many dishes is the paiche, one of the world’s largest freshwater fishes.

Lomo saltado is a fusion of Chinese techniques and Peruvian ingredients. Strips of beef are marinated in soy and other spices, then stir fried with aji, onions, and tomatoes. It’s served with and french fries. Don’t miss the chance to try pachamanca, a Peruvian specialty based on meats like lamb, beef, pork and guinea pig which are seasoned with sprigs of rosemary and wrapped in banana leaves. The packets are cooked over hot stones and smothered with grass and earth for a smoky finish. Various vegetables also get tossed on the fire.

Tacu Tacu is a tasty Peruvian made of seasoned rice and beans shaped into a loaf. It can be fried or baked till a crispy crust is formed; then simmered in a tomato and pepper sauce. Forget about your cholesterol and enjoy it the Peruvian way: Topped with a , grilled steak, or seafood; then smothered in cheese and baked till bubbly.

You can wash down your meal with a pisco sour, the national cocktail made with a grape brandy called pisco, lime juice, bitters, and a froth of egg whites. For a non-alcoholic refresher, try chicha morada. This “purple beverage” is based on purple corn kernels that are boiled with , quince, cinnamon, sugar and cloves. The mix is strained, chilled, and served with lemon or chopped fruit. It is high in antioxidants. (In Ecuador, it is called colada morada.) Traditional Mate de coca (coca tea) is also popular and is a tried and true remedy for altitude sickness—but please don’t try to bring any back to the U.S. with you.

Colombian Cuisine If you want to understand the national cuisine, bandeja paisa is essentially Colombia on a plate. This is a hearty platter filled with red beans, ripe plantain, white rice, pieces of chicharrón (crispy pork rinds), avocado, sausage, carne en polvo (a finely ground flank steak), and a fried egg. This traditional, filling meal would sustain workers all day.

For a hearty soup, try , which includes large pieces of chicken with chunks of corn on the cob, plantains, and herbs. It is often served with salsa de hierbas, a spicy cream and herb sauce. A delicious seafood chowder is sancocho de pescado con coco, which are chunks of local fish simmered in coconut milk. Looking for something lighter? Maybe start your meal with aborrajados. These are mouthfuls of plantain that have been stuffed with cheese and deep fried. Another tasty appetizer choice would be carimañolas, which are yuca fritters.

One of the most popular foods in Colombia are arepas. Similar to tortillas, these are fried corn flatbreads topped with anything from shredded beef to roasted goat to grilled seafood, cheese, fruits, veggies, and more. They are eaten any time of day.

Panamanian Cuisine The diverse population of Panama influences the local cuisine, with an emphasis on Spanish, American, Afro-Caribbean and indigenous elements. Generally, dishes are spicy or highly seasoned. Most meals are based around , beans and fried green plantains (patacones.)

84 You’ll find a lot of fried foods—even at breakfast—so you may have to navigate around that if you’re dieting or working around health issues. Breakfast options include eggs, toast, and fruit, but you’ll also find Panamanian tortillas—a deep-fried corn topped with eggs and cheese. Spotted rooster (gallo pinto) is a kind of made with rice, beans, and pork.

Chicken is a staple—as sancocho, a chicken unique to Panama—attests. You’ll often find pork and beef on the menu, as well. You would expect seafood, as Panama means “abundance of fish”, and you’ll find everything from red snapper to crab and octopus. Langostino (jumbo shrimp) and lobster are available, but are pricey due to overfishing. Traditionally, Panamanian seafood is offered fried, grilled, al ajillo (prepared with a spicy garlic sauce) and a la españoula (sautéed with tomatoes and onions). Fresh fruit is a constant, with pineapple, , melon and banana always in evidence. However, vegetables are a bit harder to come by. The hot, humid climate here doesn’t sit well with vegetables that thrive in more temperate regions.

If you’re just feeling a bit peckish, try some Panamanian-style ceviche—uncooked fish and onion marinated in lemon juice. Or investigate the meat-stuffed cornmeal pastries known as . Panama also boasts its own version of the , which is similar to the Mexican snack, but served in banana leaves. And even if you’re a confirmed tea drinker, Panamanian coffee is a must.

Travel in South America Part of the adventure of this trip is the possibility that things may change. Local influences may make it impossible for us to follow the planned itinerary exactly and the sequence of sites visited may change. Rest assured that we have considerable experience at responding to changing circumstances on the spot. Our goal is always to offer you the best travel experience and the most memorable explorations of this intriguing land.

Complex, multi-layered cultural traditions and stunning natural geography make South America a fascinating destination. To get the most enjoyment out of your trip, remember that many South American countries are still considered developing nations, and be aware that you may be approached to buy crafts or solicited by children to take photographs.

In restaurants, hotels, and at cultural sites, everything works according to a slower sense of time than what you are used to. It’s best to wind down and adjust to the local pace and philosophy.

Taking Photographs The etiquette of photographing most people in South America is about the same as it would be on the streets of your hometown. You need permission to take a close-up, but not for a crowd scene. Consent is especially important if you want to take a photo of a child or minor—ask their parent for permission first. To get a great portrait, show interest in your subject and try to have a bit of social interaction to put them at ease. Then use sign language to inquire if a picture is OK.

85 Safety & Security As you travel, exercise the same caution and awareness that you would in a large American city. Don’t be overly nervous or suspicious, but keep your eyes open. If you are venturing out after dark, go with one or two other people.

Carry a one-day supply of cash in your pocket. Carry most of your money, and your passport, in a travel pouch or money belt under your shirt. Replenish your pocket supply when you are in a safe and quiet place, or in our vehicle. Don’t leave valuables unattended in your hotel room. Most hotels will offer use of a hotel safe at the front desk or an electronic in-room safe (for which you can set your own personal number). Please utilize them.

Pickpockets may create a sudden distraction. In any sort of puzzling street situation, try to keep one hand on your wallet or money belt. If an encounter with a local turns out to be long and complicated and involves money or your valuables, be very careful. Con artists sometimes target travelers.

Regional Flights in South America In South America, it is simply a fact of life that schedules for internal flights often change on short notice. When this happens, our air travel experts strive to get you on new flights as close to the original schedule as possible, but limited availability of seats may require us to use early- morning flights or change the day of the flight. If schedule changes make it necessary, we may have to rise before dawn on some days where early-morning wake-ups are not mentioned in your printed itinerary.

Photography in Machu Picchu The use of professional cameras in Machu Picchu requires special permission by Peru’s Ministry of Culture, so you will not be able to use a professional-grade camera or camcorder during our visit there. Your average camera - point-and-shoot or DSLR - is not considered professional- grade. However, lenses over 200 mm, tripods, and monopods are not allowed in Machu Picchu.

Shopping: What to Buy, Customs, Shipping & More There may be scheduled visits to local shops during your adventure. There is no requirement to make a purchase during these stops, and any purchase made is a direct transaction with the shop in question, subject to the vendor’s terms of purchase. O.A.T. is not responsible for purchases you make on your trip or for the shipment of your purchases.

Returns If you discover an issue with an item, you should contact the vendor directly and expect that any resolution will take longer than it would in the U.S. We recommend that you keep a copy of all your receipts, invoices, or contracts, along with the shop’s contact information. Keep in mind, local practice may vary from U.S. standards, so don’t assume that you have a certain number of days after the purchase to speak up or that you are guaranteed a refund.

86 Crafts & Souvenirs

Ecuador Traditional souvenirs include jewelry and sculptures created from Tagua ivory (using the nut of the Tagua palm tree), ceramics, Tigua paintings, Panama hats, and items with images of Galapagos animals.

Peru Traditional souvenirs available in Lima and Cuzco include gold and silver jewelry, old and new weavings, ceramics, woolen clothing, hand-knitted alpaca sweaters, woven ponchos, rugs, coats, and blankets. A much more limited selection is available in .

Colombia You can find many local crafts in Bogotá—even if you fall in love with a design from another region, you can find it here. Traditional mochilas (woven bags with indigenous textile designs) are both practical and typically Colombian. Hats like the sombrero vueltiao, which is made from cane fibers by the Zenu tribe, or sombrero aguadeno (a version of the Panama hat) are also popular. Lastly, if you are in the market for a high-end purchase, Colombia is known for gold and emerald jewelry.

Panama In Panama, locally made items can be found at good prices. Look for leatherwear, beaded necklaces strung by local Guaymí Indians, native costumes, jewels and precious stones, straw products, electrical equipment, handicrafts of carved wood, ceramics, papier mâché artifacts, macramé and mahogany bowls.

U.S. Customs Regulations & Shipping Charges For all things related to U.S. Customs, the ultimate authority is the U.S. Bureau of Customs & Border Protection. Their website, www.cbp.gov has the answers to the most frequently asked questions. Or you can call them at 1-877-227-5511.

The top three points to know are:

• At time of writing, your personal duty-free allowance is $800 for items brought with you. Items totaling more than $800 are subject to duty fees.

• Items shipped home are always subject to duty when received in the U.S. Even when the shop has offered to include shipping and duties in the price, this typically means shipping to the nearest customs facility and payment of the export duties—not door-to-door shipping or payment of the import duties. All additional duties or shipping charges would be your responsibility. Unless an item is small enough to send by parcel service (like FedEx), chances are you will need to arrange shipping or pick-up once the item is in the U.S. and will need to pay customs duties.

87 • It is illegal to import products made from endangered animal species. U.S. Customs & Border Protection will seize these items, as well as most , coral, tortoise shell, reptile skins, feathers, plants, and items made from animal skins.

88 DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY

Ecuador

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 109,484 square miles

• Capital: Quito

• Languages: Spanish is the official language; Quechua is also spoken.

• Location: Ecuador is bordered by Colombia and Peru.

• Geography: Ecuador is roughly the size of the state of Washington and straddles the equatorial line. Because of this geographical feature and combined with its different altitudes, Ecuador has a striking diversity of landscapes for a country of its size. Tropical rainforests in the Amazon Basin dominate its eastern section, the Oriente. The Eastern and Western Cordilleras of the Andes make up the Sierra region that bisects the country, topped by the towering peaks of Cotopaxi (19,347 feet) and Chimborazo (20,702 feet). The costa is the Pacific tropical coastal plain, which constitutes about one-quarter of the country.

• Population: 17,684,536 (estimate)

• Religions: Roman Catholic (95%), Other (5%)

• Time zone: Ecuador is on Ecuador Time, which is the same time as U.S. EST. When it is 6am in Washington D.C., it is 6am in Quito.

National Holidays: Ecuador

In addition to the holidays listed below, 05/24 The Ecuador celebrates a number of national 08/10 Independence Day holidays that follow a lunar calendar, such as Carnival and Easter. To find out if you will be 10/09 Independence of Guayaquil traveling during these holidays, please visit www.timeanddate.com/holidays. 11/02 All Soul’s Day

01/01 New Year’s Day 11/03 Independence of Cuenca

05/01 Labor Day/May Day 12/6 Foundation of Quito

12/25 Christmas Day

Ecuador: A Brief History There is archaeological evidence of settlements established by hunter-gatherer groups as early as 10,000 BCE along Ecuador’s southern coast and in the central highlands. Agricultural societies that followed produced the famous Valdivia ceramics, the oldest pottery in the Western Hemisphere. These ancient peoples traded with others in Peru, , and the Amazon Basin,

89 building a civilization sophisticated enough to construct large coastal cities by 500 BCE. These city dwellers worked metal and had navigational skills sufficient for them to trade with cultures as far away as the Maya in ancient .

The Inca ruler Tupac-Yupanqui invaded from the south in 1460 CE, but could not conquer the territories of three strong groups in Ecuador—the Canari, Caras, and Quitu. It fell to his son to accomplish this in the next generation. The Incas brought their language, Quechua, to Ecuador, where it is still widely spoken. Huayna Capac celebrated by building the monumental city of Tomebamba, whose ruins near Cuenca remain impressive. This city in Ecuador became as important as Cuzco in Peru.

On his deathbed in 1526, Huayna Capac split the empire between his sons and Huascar. Atahualpa defeated Huascar in a civil war that weakened the empire just before the Spanish arrived—and just enough for them to overtake it. conquered the Incas in 1532, and made his brother Gonzalo governor of Quito, Ecuador. A few years later, Francisco Pizarro was killed in a dispute with his former comrades. Gonzalo rebelled against Spain, but was left to rule Ecuador until Spanish forces finally showed up seven years later and killed him.

Spanish governors ruled Ecuador from Lima, Peru; and then from Bogotá in New Granada (now Colombia). Life for the colonists was prosperous, but for the indigenous and mestizo population, it was miserable. Impressed into servitude, they staged several failed rebellions. By the early 18th century, the Spanish were importing enslaved Africans from the Caribbean to work their sugar and cocoa plantations. In 1822, Simon Bolivar’s chief lieutenant, Antonio Jose de , brought an end to Spanish rule in the area, though it was not until 1830 that Ecuador gained autonomy. Following independence, civil war broke out between the conservatives of Quito and more liberal elements in Guayaquil, initiating a pattern of conflict that persists today.

Ecuador’s 20th-century history has been a series of democratic and military regimes. Between 1930 and 1940, there were 17 duly elected presidents, but not one completed his term due to military coups. President José María Velasco Ibarra was elected five times between 1934 and 1972, and was ousted by the military before he could complete any of his terms. Throughout the 20th century, bananas were the country’s most important export—until oil was discovered in 1967. This boosted the economy, but the wealth remained in the hands of a privileged few.

After years of staggering inflation, in 2000 then-president Mahaud dumped the national currency (the sucre) in favor of the US dollar. Dollarization did not hurt the wealthy, as they’d already invested in US dollars. But ordinary people struggled to convert their near-worthless to dollars, amidst rigid austerity measures. In 2006, the social democrat economist Rafael Correa was elected president; he was re-elected twice, and had some success in delivering on his promises to reduce poverty, increase the GDP, and develop social programs. Accused of overreaching power, Correa chose not to seek a fourth term when the economy declined in 2015. He was succeeded in 2017 by his former vice president, Lenín Moreno. Moreno was expected to continue Correa’s “21st century socialism,” but has since moved more to the center.

90 Peru

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 496,225 square miles

• Capital: Lima

• Languages: Spanish and Quechua are the official languages; Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages are also spoken.

• Location: Peru is bordered by Bolivia, Brazil, , Colombia, and Ecuador.

• Geography: Peru is the third-largest country in South America. Topped by towering Andean peaks, its landscape also includes a portion of the Amazon River Basin and an extension of Chile’s Atacama Desert along the coast. Three of Peru’s largest cities—Lima, Trujillo, and Chiclayo—are in the coastal desert region. The city of Iquitos (population 400,000) is the capital of Peru’s Amazon region on the eastern slope of the Andes. It is accessible only by airplane and Amazon riverboat.

• Population: 32,824,358 (estimate)

• Religions: Roman Catholic 81.3%, Evangelical 12.5%, other 3.3%, unspecified or none 2.9%

• Time zone: Peru is on Peru Time, which is the same time zone as U.S. EST. When it is 6am in Washington D.C., it is 6am in Lima. Peru does not observe Daylight Savings, so during Daylight Savings, Peru Time is 1 hour behind EST.

National Holidays: Peru

In addition to the holidays listed below, Peru 07/28 Independence Day celebrates a number of national holidays that 07/29 Independence Day (Day 2) follow a lunar calendar, such as Easter . To find out if you will be traveling during these 08/30 Santa Rosa De Lima holidays, please visit www.timeanddate.com/ holidays. 10/08 Battle of Angamos

01/01 New Year’s Day 11/01 All Saints Day

05/01 Labor Day / May Day 12/08 Feast of the Immaculate Conception

06/29 St. Peter & St. Paul 12/25 Christmas Day

Peru: A Brief History Although Peru is well known as the land of the Incas, its rich ancient history pre-dates the Inca Empire by thousands of years, with the earliest evidence of indigenous societies going back to the eighth millennium BC.

91 By 1200 BC, several groups had begun moving from the north into what is now Peru, including the Chavín, Chimú, Sechìn, Nazca, and Tiahuanaco. The ruins of the Chimú city of Chanchan, built around 1000 AD, still exist today. Another legacy of these early peoples is the striking religious iconography of the Chavín, who portrayed animals, particularly the jaguar, in a distinctive and impressive style.

Around the 5th century BC, the Saliner and the Paracas came into the picture and made many artistic and technological advances, including kiln-fired ceramics and sophisticated weaving techniques. The Nazca, creators of the huge, cryptic Nazca Lines, were successors to the Paracas culture.

The Inca Empire had a surprisingly brief reign at the end of this long pre-colonial history. From the early 1400s until 1532, the Incas expanded their domain from the river valley around Cuzco to the whole region from northern Argentina to southern Colombia, including much of present-day Peru and Ecuador.

In its prime, the Incan capital at Cuzco was the richest city in all of the Americas, dominated by gold-plated temples. Though only fragments of Cuzco’s Incan architecture remain, the ruins of an Incan ceremonial center at Machu Picchu have survived to astonish the world.

When Francisco Pizarro landed with his band of Spanish conquistadors in 1532, the Inca Empire was weakened by a dispute over succession to the throne. Pizzaro arranged a private meeting with the Inca ruler, Atahualpa, and assassinated him while the conquistadors sacked the city of Cuzco and took control, thus ending the Inca Empire. In 1535, Pizarro established a new capital city at Ciudad de los Reyes, now Lima, but was killed six years later by a rival .

For 200 years, Spanish officials ruled Peru using native intermediaries as go-betweens to deal with the indigenous population. In 1780, some 60,000 indigenous Peruvians rose up in revolt against Spanish rule. It was unsuccessful, as was another revolt in 1814. But in 1821, with the help of Jose de San Martin of Argentina and Simon Bolivar of , Peru finally drove the Spanish military out and declared independence.

A series of Bolivar’s lieutenants—known as the “marshals of Ayacucho”—governed Peru in the following decades, including Ramon Castilla, who presided over the adoption of a liberal constitution in 1860.

Since then, Peru’s history has been a dramatic alternation between democratic and dictatorial governments, each of which has faced pressing social and economic issues. Opposition to dictatorship has played a prominent role in Peruvian politics since the 1920s, when Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre founded the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA).

Peruvian democratic reformers have long advocated guaranteed civil liberties and improved living conditions for the nation’s Native Americans. There have also been radical and violent opposition movements, including the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), whose leaders were captured in 1992.

92 Peru’s next four heads of state were democratically elected presidents: Fernando Belaúnde Terry in 1980, Alan García Pérez in 1985, Alberto Fujimori in 1990, and Alejandro Toledo in 2001. In 2006, Alan Garcia Perez was elected for a second term and presided over a period of economic growth until 2011 when Peru’s current president, Ollanta Humala was elected.

Colombia

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 439,736 square miles

• Capital: Bogotá

• Languages: Spanish is the official language.

• Ethnicity: Mestizos (mix of European and Amerindian) 58%, White 20%, Afro-Colombian 21%, Amerindian 1%

• Location: Colombia is bordered by Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, the Pacific Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea.

• Geography: Colombia is the fourth largest country in South America—roughly the size of Texas and California combined. In the west, low peaks rise over the flat Pacific lowlands. Moving inward, these give way to the three mountain chains that run across the center of the country. Mountain peaks of up to 13,000 feet soar over these central regions. Moving further east, the countryside descends to grassy lowlands, and then to the coastal areas on the Caribbean Sea.

• Population: 46,736728 (estimate)

• Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, other 10%

• Time zone: Colombia is in Eastern Standard Time. When it is 6am in Washington D.C., it is 6am in Bogotá

93 National Holidays: Colombia

In addition to the holidays listed below, June Corpus Christi (moves each year) Colombia celebrates a number of national 07/20 Independence Day holidays that follow a lunar calendar, such as Epiphany, Feast of the Sacred Heart, and 08/07 Battle of Boyaca Day Easter. To find out if you will be traveling during these holidays, please visit www. 10/12 Columbus Day (usually observed on timeanddate.com/holidays. closest Monday)

01/01 New Year’s Day 11/05 All Saint’s Day

03/25 St. Joseph’s Day 11/12 Independence of Cartagena

05/01 Labor Day/May Day 12/08 Feast of the Immaculate Conception

12/25 Christmas Day

Colombia: A Brief History Among the cultures scattered in Colombia’s Andean region before Europeans arrived were the Tayrona, Sinú, Muisca, Quimbaya, , and San Agustín, known for intricate goldwork, pottery, and rock paintings. The first recorded Spanish visit occurred when Alonso de Ojeda, an officer of Columbus’ second voyage, stepped ashore in 1499. He sought the mythical land of , and the Amerindians’ gold made him think he’d found it. Several expeditions followed and short-lived settlements arose; the oldest, established in Santa Marta in 1525, still stands.

At first, local tribes tolerated the visitors, but they rebelled when it grew clear that the colonists meant to enslave them. They were no match for Spaniards’ advanced weapons. Colonial towns prospered for 200 years, including the port of Cartagena (founded in 1533). It was a prosperity borne on the backs of enslaved Africans, who soon outnumbered indigenous people. Through the 18th century, there were sporadic rebellions, but the fight for independence gained strength when Napoleon abolished the Spanish monarchy. This divided Colombia, but a great liberator arose: Simón Bolívar of Venezuela, who defeated the Spanish at the Battle of Boyaca in 1819.

Colombia joined Venezuela and Ecuador to form the Republic of , but it dissolved after ten years due to political differences. By 1849, these coalesced into two political parties. The Conservadores had centralist views, believed government should align with the Catholic Church, and favored a limited voting pool. The Liberales wanted a decentralized government, separation of church and state, and broad voting rights. This division set the tone for numerous wars until 1899. Colombia was relatively quiet from 1902–1947, but conflict between the Conservadores and Liberales boiled over in 1948 during “La Violencia,” which killed 300,000. A 1953 coup by General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla did not result in reforms. In 1957, both parties united as the National Front, overturning the general and agreeing to share power for 16 years.

The National Front ended in 1974. Meanwhile, left-wing guerrillas were surfacing, such as the National Liberation Army (ELN), Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and the April 19 Movement (M19). They had complicated relations with the growing drug cartels in Medellin and Cali. Some guerillas used the drug trade to fund their activities, while others rejected the

94 cartels, going so far as to kidnap cartel members. Many cartels started death squads, ostensibly for protection. In reality, many death squads were paramilitary groups used to terrorize civilians into cooperating with the cartels. By 1990, violence threatened to paralyze the country.

By 1992, government control was strengthened by the death of Pablo Escobar, the head of the Medellín cartel. In the late 90s, conservative Andres Pastrana accused President Samper’s campaign of being financed by drug money. He won the 1998 presidential election with a plan to combat drug trafficking, strengthen democracy, and improve Colombia’s human rights record. Vowing to continue Pastrana’s “Plan Colombia,” right-wing hardliner Alvaro Uribe was elected president in 2002. Uribe had studied at Oxford and Harvard, and his father had been killed by FARC. For the first months of his presidency, the war grew intense. But a breakthrough occurred in 2003 with a peace treaty between the government and the right-wing paramilitary AUC. Uribe was re-elected in 2006, and succeeded by Juan Manuel Santos in 2010, who surprisingly began peace talks with FARC, signing an accord in 2016. Santos won the Nobel Peace Prize, and his administration improved human rights policies. Relations with Venezuela have fluctuated due to ideological differences. Still, Colombia has provided Venezuela with food and medicine to mitigate shortages as presidential control of Venezuela remains disputed.

Panama

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 29,157 square miles

• Capital: Panama City

• Languages: Spanish is the official language; English and Panamanian are also spoken.

• Location: Panama is bordered by Costa Rica and Colombia.

• Geography: Panama is a west-to-east S-shaped isthmus. At its narrowest point, it is about 40 miles wide. A mountain range, the Cordillera Central, runs down its center.

• Population: 3,309,679

• Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%

• Time Zone: Panama is on Eastern Standard Time. When it is 6am in Washington D.C., it is 6am in Panama City.

95 National Holidays: Panama

In addition to the holidays listed below, 11/03 Independence Day Panama celebrates a number of national 11/05 Colon Day holidays that follow a lunar calendar, such as Easter. To find out if you will be traveling 11/10 First Attempt for Independence at La during these holidays, please visit www. Villa de los Santos timeanddate.com/ holidays. 11/28 Independence from Spain 01/01 New Year´s Day 12/08 Mother’s Day 01/09 Martyr’s Day 12/25 Christmas Day 05/01 Labor Day / May Day

Panama: A Brief History The first known inhabitants of Panama—the Cuevas and the Coclé—were wiped out when the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, eradicated by weapons and diseases brought from Europe. The Spanish settled along the Pacific Coast and founded Panama City in 1519. Spaniards headed south to Peru in search of gold and the riches that they brought back drew the attention of pirates. It wasn’t long before travel through the Caribbean was ripe with the threat of . Many of the Spanish people brought it all the way back to Europe via Cape Horn in an effort to protect their cache.

As a result, the once-rich Panama slipped into poverty. When Colombia declared its independence in 1821, it claimed Panama as a province. It wasn’t until 1846 that the U.S. became involved in the region, signing a treaty to allow America to build a railway from the Pacific to the Caribbean, and to defend it with force. U.S. interests aligned with the revolutionary ambitions of Panama’s opposition party, and the former supported the latter as it declared its sovereignty in 1903. Soon after, a new treaty was signed, granting the U.S. a canal zone ten miles wide and five miles on either side.

Canal construction began in 1904. The original lock plan called for one three-step set of locks at Gatun, one step at Pedro Miguel and a two-step set at Sosa Hill. Later the Sosa Hill locks were moved further inland to Miraflores. All lock chambers were built with the same 100 by 1,000 feet dimension, and are built in pairs, allowing for two lanes of traffic. It took four years to build all of the locks.

The first complete Panama Canal passage by a self-propelled vessel took place on January 7, 1914. At the end of construction, the canal cost Americans around $375 million—which, unlike any other such project on record, was under budget. In fact, the final figure was $23 million below the 1907 estimate, in spite of landslides and a design change to create a wider canal.

The canal treaty also granted the U.S. liberal rights to intervene in Panamanian affairs, resulting in tense relations. The U.S. relinquished its right to interfere with Panama’s affairs outside the Canal Zone in 1936, but it wasn’t until 1999 that Panama formally gained control of the canal.

96 In 1984, General Manuel Noriega—once head of Panama’s secret police and once a CIA operative—rose to power as dictator. Over the next five years, he murdered his opponents and stomped on attempts at democracy, trafficking drugs and laundering money along the way. The 1989 election results seemed to promise new leadership, but the winning candidate was beaten on national television and the election annulled. Still, Noriega declared himself the winner and announced a state of war with the U.S. The killing of an unarmed U.S. soldier fueled these flames.

“Operation Just Cause” was launched with 26,000 U.S. troops to bring down Noriega and bring democracy to Panama. More than 2,000 civilians lost their lives in the operation, and thousands were left homeless. Noriega fled, claimed asylum in the Vatican embassy, and was ultimately captured and convicted of money laundering.

Panama has seen six presidents since, its first female president among them, with Laurentino Cortizo holding the Presidential office since 2019. Privatization has increased, infrastructure has improved, and more attention has been paid to health care and education.

97 RESOURCES

Suggested Reading

Ecuador Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin (1839, Natural History/Exploration). The adventurous account of a young scientist on a five-year sea voyage that changed his life—and our understanding of life on earth. First published in 1839, this book is still essential reading.

The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time by Jonathan Weiner (1994, Natural History) An accessible take on the ongoing debate over evolution that garnered the 1995 Pulitzer Prize.

Satan Came to Eden: A Survivor’s Account of “The Galapagos Affair” by Dore Strauch (1936, Memoir) Perhaps Satan did not come to the Galapagos, but in 1929 the eccentric German doctor Frederick Ritter did, along with his mistress, the author. These naturists were soon joined by other, more prudish settlers who disapproved of their peculiar ways—and a mysterious, whip- wielding baroness and her two lovers. It was a bad mix, and the ensuing scandals and murder caused an international sensation in 1934. The mystery still reverberates today.

Traveller’s Wildlife Guide: Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands by David L. Pearson and Les Beletsky (1987, Field Guide) A comprehensive, all-purpose field guide for your Galapagos cruise.

The Boy on the Back of the Turtle by Paul Quarrington (1997, Travel Narrative). Humorist, novelist, and family man on a quest, Quarrington offers an entertaining account of a Galapagos voyage in the company of his seven-year-old daughter and seventy-year-old father.

The Panama Hat Trail by Tom Miller (1986, Travel Narrative/History) Miller’s entertaining and insightful social revolves around its iconic hat and the story of its creation. It’s a classic example of travel writing, and one of the best things written on Ecuador.

Peru Conversation in the Cathedral by Mario Vargas Llosa (1969, Literature) A novel about power, corruption, and identity, set in 1950s Peru under the dictatorship of Manuel Odria. Considered one of the world’s greatest novelists, Mario Vargas Llosa is not for everyone, however. But if you can handle the Nobel-Prize winning author, you should also try Death in the Andes, a suspense tale in a remote Andean village, or Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, set in the Lima of Llosa’s youth.

Making Machu Picchu: The Politics of Tourism in Twentieth-Century Peru by Mark Rice (2018, Nonfiction) This historical inquiry explores the development of Machu Picchu into a national symbol (and major tourist attraction) from its “discovery” by Hiram Bingham in 1911 to the present. A thoughtful look at nationalism, the indigenous experience, globalism, and the impact of tourism (pros and cons) on national identity.

98 Conquest of the Incas by John Hemming (2003, History). A masterful history of the Inca struggle against the Spanish invasion. An engaging work that brings together wide-ranging scholarly material in the interests of telling a good story.

Eight Feet in the Andes by Dervla Murphy (1983, Travel Account). Murphy and her nine-year-old daughter traveled 1,300 miles by mule through the Andes, from Cajamarca to Cuzco. This account describes their three-month journey.

Incas: People of the Sun by Carmen Bernand (1994, History). The story of the rise and fall of the Inca civilization. It includes excerpts from the writings of conquistadors, travelers, and the Incas themselves.

Lima: A Cultural History by James Higgins (2005, History). An erudite guide to the cultural gems and literary history of Peru’s capital city. James Higgins, who specializes in , covers the scope of the city’s history from its pre-Columbian museums, to its conquistador heritage, to its dynamic present.

Lost City of the Incas by Hiram Bingham (1948, History/Adventure) A first-rate tale of adventure by the man who rediscovered Machu Picchu in 1911. This classic account is a gripping story of exploration, archaeology, and natural history—and still an outstanding overview of the site itself.

Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams (2012, History/Travel Narrative) The humorous and engaging tale of what happens when a modern-day adventurer tries to follow the steps of Hiram Bingham by re-creating the expedition that discovered Machu Picchu.

Life in the Treetops: Adventures of a Woman in Field Biology by Margaret Lowman (1999, Memoir). The sprightly memoir of an ecologist who climbs, studies, and sleeps in trees for a living, balancing multiple roles of scientist, wife, and mom. She continues her story in a second memoir (written with her now-grown sons) entitled It’s a Jungle Up There: More Tales from the Treetops.

Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice by Mark Plotkin (1994, Culture). An ethnobotanist recounts his work documenting the use of medicinal plants among remote Amazon tribes.

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond (1997, Cultural Anthropology). While not exclusively about Peru, Diamond provides readers with stunning insights into the period of European colonization and the conflict between the Incas and the Spanish. And you’d be correct to surmise that his theory about the factors that tipped the balance to favor the Spanish have something to with guns, germs, and steel!

The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder (1927, Literature). A 1928 novel by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Wilder, set in the Peru of 200 years ago. The story, about five travelers who are killed when a bridge built by the Incas collapses, is told from the point of view of a Franciscan missionary.

99 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann (2005, History). Mann portrays the richness of culture and history that already existed before the arrival of European settlers. And contrary to popular belief, what he describes is not remote villages in a pristine wilderness, but a series of populous, sophisticated societies stretching from South America, through Mexico, and up the U.S. Mississippi Valley.

At Play in the Fields of the Lord by Peter Matthiessen (1965, Literature). A wild tale about the impact of outsiders on an indigenous tribe, set in the Peruvian Amazon.

Little Tiny Teeth by Aaron J. Elkins (2007, Mystery). When a forensics professor joins an Amazon riverboat expedition, he expects a vacation. But in a jungle full of predators, he realizes the humans may be the deadliest of all. (We promise, this won’t happen to you—well, it probably won’t …)

The : A Tale of Deadly Obsessions in the Amazon by David Grann (2009, Biography/ Memoir). This riveting, real-life adventure tale bounces between a biography of Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett and the author’s own quest to find out what happened to the great explorer, who disappeared in the Brazilian Amazon in 1925. (Although set in the Brazilian Amazon, we’ve included this book because it gives a good sense of exploration in the mysterious Amazon forest).

The Mapmaker’s Wife: A True Tale of Love, Murder, and Survival in the Amazon by Robert Whitaker (2004, History) Colonial politics, the travails of a cartographer, and a good old-fashioned murder all add intrigue to this absorbing tale of 18th-century European exploration of the Amazon and one woman’s quest to find her husband deep in the jungle.

The River of Doubt: ’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard (2005, History/ Biography). In the truth is stranger than fiction realm, this is a gripping account of a journey to the Amazon by Teddy Roosevelt late in his life—and one that almost ended his life.

Colombia One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967), Love in the Time of Cholera (1985), and Of Love and Other Demons (1994) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Literature) Reading anything by this Nobel Laureate will provide tremendous insight into Colombian life, along with lyrical passages that mix the real with the magical, and plenty of humor. Years is the sprawling tale of a family that founds a town and their subsequent relations with the inhabitants. Cholera is a sometimes-difficult tale abut the complicated diseases that we call love and romance. And Demons is the tragic story of a girl who may have rabies and her romance with the priest who was hoping to cure her.

The War of Don Emmanuel’s Nether Parts (1990), Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord (1991), and The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman (1992) by Louis de Bernières. (Fiction) These three novels (“The Latin American Trilogy”) take place in an unnamed country, but were inspired by the author’s experiences in Colombia. Here, the stories of mystical indigenous deities, corrupt politicians, idealistic philosophers, hardened guerilla fighters, and lovestruck peasants are woven together in a web of magical realism and that is at once terrifying, hilarious, and affectionate.

100 The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vasquez (2011, Fiction) This tale charts the dissolution of a flawed professor, his marriage, and the entire city of Bogota as even law-abiding citizens become entrapped in the pervasive drug trade.

Colombia: A Comedy of Errors by Victoria Kellaway and Sergio J. Lievano (2014, Humor/History) Want to know about Colombian history? Everyday customs? Influential politicians? Pop culture? This book presents it all in incredible detail, and with a lighthearted humor and 160 illustrations.

Panama How Wall Street Created a Nation: J.P. Morgan, Teddy Roosevelt & the Panama Canal by Ovidio Diaz Espino (History) An intriguing look into the treachery, behind-the-scenes financial wrangling and Roosevelt-era dollar diplomacy that resulted in both the Panama Canal and the establishment of Panama as an independent nation.

Panama Canal by Cruise Ship by Anne Vipond (Guidebook) An outstanding guide to the Panama Canal that features a mile-by-mile guide to the transit, a history of the building of the canal, and a detailed pullout map.

The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 by David McCullough (History) McCullough reveals the full scope of the Panama Canal with page-turning storytelling ability. Capturing the international intrigue, it reads more like a suspense novel than a historical account.

The Tailor of Panama by John Le Carré (Novel) Set in Panama, this thriller by master storyteller John Le Carre includes spymasters, corrupt officials, arms manufacturers and other unsavory types.

Suggested Film & Video

Ecuador Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life (2009, Documentary) This one-hour film explains Darwin’s theory of evolution with panache. An extension of the “BBC Earth” series narrated by David Attenborough.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003, Adventure). A seafaring adventure starring Russell Crowe. It’s set during the Napoleonic Wars, when maritime battles determined the balance of power between England and France—even if those battles were off the coast of South America (as depicted in this movie). A few key scenes are set in the Galapagos.

Galapagos: The Islands that Changed the World (2007, TV Documentary). A beautifully shot documentary about the diversity of life in the islands, narrated by actress Tilda Swinton.

101 Peru Fitzcarraldo (1982, Adventure) The story of an obsessive rubber baron who is determined to build an opera house in Iquitos (the gateway to the Peruvian jungle) and will go to incredible lengths to achieve his goal.

The Ghosts of Machu Picchu (2005, Documentary) This PBS-production goes deep into the history of this legendary site, questioning why it was ever built and why it was abandoned.

Contracorriente (Undertow) (2009, Drama) A Peruvian fisherman loves his pregnant wife, but is haunted by the ghost of his drowned male lover. Winner of the 2010 World Cinema Audience Award at Sundance. (In Spanish with English subtitles, available on various streaming services.)

Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Adventures: Return to the Amazon produced by PBS (2008, Documentary) In the 1980s, Jean-Michel accompanied his famous underwater filmmaker father, Jacques Cousteau, on an expedition down the Amazon River. Twenty-five years later, her returns with his children.

Asu Mare (2013, Comedy/Biopic) The story of the rise to fame of stand-up comedian Carlos Alcántara, who grew up fatherless and in a poor community in Lima and was a member of the popular Peruvian sitcom Pataclaun. Wildly successful, Asu Mare became the second biggest box office hit in Peru. Spanish with English subtitles.

The Motorcycle Diaries (2004, Biopic) The only film that Asu Mare couldn’t top for box office success, The Motorcycle Diaries follows a 23-year-old medical student, Ernesto (soon-to-be “Che”) Guevara de la Serna (played by Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal), and his friend, a 29- year old biochemist, Alberto Granado (played by Argentine actor Rodrigo de la Serna) on a road trip through South America by dilapidated old motorcycle (and by raft, truck, and foot) in 1952. Spanish with English subtitles.

In Search of History: Lost City of the Incas produced by the History (2005, Documentary) An informative overview of fabled Machu Picchu, including the story of its rediscovery in 1911.

The Naked Jungle (1954, Adventure) Deep in the South American jungle, a swath of ravenous ants are eating everything in sight, and Heston’s cocoa plantation is right in their path. Also in harm’s way is his new mail-order bride, played by Eleanor Parker. Not for serious cultural study; just a lot of fun.

Colombia Love in the Time of Cholera (2007, Drama/Romance) A fanciful yet dramatic story about a 50-year love triangle, patience, magic, and (of course), cholera. Based on the masterful Garcia Marquez novel of the same name and starring Javier Bardem and Benjamin Bratt.

Maria Full of Grace (2004, Drama) A teenager becomes a drug mule to earn money for her family. This film deals with some difficult and controversial topics, but was acclaimed for its moving performances.

102 (2015, Docudrama) Two scientists search the Amazon for a scared healing plant with the aid of Karamakate, a shaman and the last of his people. With its striking black and white cinematography and vivid portraits of Amazonian people, it was Colombia’s first - nominated film.

Colombia: Wild Magic (2015, Documentary) A well-received wildlife documentary about the country’s amazing biodiversity, with stunning wildlife and landscape shots.

Panama NOVA: A Man, a Plan, a Canal—Panama (2004, documentary) An interesting and informative documentary on the sheer engineering feat that is the canal. Hosted by David McCullough, the author of A Path Between the Seas.

The Tailor of Panama (2001, drama) The film adaptation of the classic John Le Carre spy thriller.

Useful Websites

Overseas Adventure Travel World Weather www.oattravel.com www.intellicast.com www.weather.com Overseas Adventure Travel Store www.wunderground.com www.oatshop.com Basic Travel Phrases (80 languages) Overseas Adventure Travel Frequently www.travlang.com/languages Asked Questions www.oattravel.com/faq Packing Tips www.travelite.org International Health Information/CDC (Centers for Disease Control) U.S. Customs & Border Protection http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel www.cbp.gov/travel

Electricity & Plugs Transportation Security www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/ Administration (TSA) plugs-and-sockets www.tsa.gov

Foreign Exchange Rates National Passport Information Center www.xe.com/currencyconverter www.travel.state.gov www.oanda.com/converter/classic Holidays Worldwide ATM Locators www.timeanddate.com/holidays www.mastercard.com/atm www.visa.com/atmlocator

103 VACCINATIONS NOW REQUIRED FOR ALL TRAVELERS, SHIP CREW, TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADERS, AND COACH DRIVERS Plus, updated Health & Safety Protocols for our Land Tours

The health and safety of our travelers is always our #1 priority, and we understand travelers are concerned about exploring the world in light of the unprecedented crisis we are currently facing. To ensure your safety and give you peace of mind, we have worked with our regional team and listened to government guidance and feedback from our travelers to create these health and safety protocols for our trips. As we continue to make changes, we will keep our website updated with the latest information.

VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS • All travelers, ship crew, and Trip Experience AND UPDATED HEALTH & SAFETY Leaders will have their temperature checked PROTOCOLS FOR SMALL SHIP every time they return to the ship using a non- ADVENTURES contact infrared temperature scanner. • All travelers must be fully vaccinated against • All meals are served by the dining staff— COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to departure buffets are no longer available. and provide proof of vaccination upon VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS AND boarding the ship. If you are unable to UPDATED HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOLS provide proof of vaccination upon arrival at FOR SMALL GROUP ADVENTURES ON LAND your destination, you will have to return • All travelers must be fully vaccinated against home at your own expense. COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to departure. If To meet this requirement, please bring your you are unable to provide proof of vaccination original COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card upon arrival at your destination, you will with you on your trip. The white card must have to return home at your own expense. display your name, type of vaccine, and the To meet this requirement, please bring your date(s) the vaccine was administered. We also original COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card with suggest taking a picture of this card to keep for you on your trip. The white card must display your records as a backup. your name, type of vaccine, and the date(s) • All local Trip Experience Leaders, the vaccine was administered. We also suggest fully ship staff, and crew will be taking a picture of this card to keep for your vaccinated against COVID-19. records as a backup. fully • All coach drivers will be • All local Trip Experience Leaders will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. vaccinated against COVID-19. • All public areas will be sanitized nightly and • All coach drivers will be fully vaccinated all ships are equipped with High Efficiency against COVID-19. Particulate Air (HEPA) filters.

Help us ensure travelers’ safety and health while on our trips. Please follow best health and hygiene practices to prevent the spread of illness—wash your hands regularly and cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. Together, we can create a safer travel experience for everyone.

Learn more at www.oattravel.com/covid-update

104 Notes

105 Notes

106 Cuzco

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O Napo Center Cultural Coca

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a

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o C PERU Quito ECUADOR

A I B

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O Darwin Research Center Cristobal C Genovesa ECUADOR Española Quito Riobamba Alausi Baltra Santa Fe

Ayora Puerto

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a

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Floreana c i

f i GALAPAGOS ISLANDS GALAPAGOS c Santa Cruz Santiago a Cuenca Bartolome P Rabida Isabella

107 YOUR TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADER

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