YD does Galapagos - 30.09.07-13.10.07 (Yes, you did read that right!!!)

[Scubanut]

Originally Posted by Buoyant Babe

I hate this thread, don't you?

Me too, in fact I think that this is my first post


Foggy, I know a man, who knows another man, who knows a bloke in India. Might get a good price, you'll have to stop drinking pop though

Is it only 12 months

[Jules]

we can't be nearly there because i still haven't decided between cloud forests/ volcanos/ hummingbird santuarys/ whitewater rafting in equador or going to peru for Machu pichu.

On the subject of insurance...
I checked with Westfield the other day and if you have an annual policy then you are covered for cancellation etc even though the trip isn't in this years period of insurance. So it's all cool and groovy. Mine renews in April.

I got fed up of waiting for this holiday so i have had to book a couple of sly ones in whilst I wait.... Lily Beach Maldive in feb for example. It's tough but i do need to stay dive fit

[John Gulliver]

Originally Posted by Jules

I got fed up of waiting for this holiday so i have had to book a couple of sly ones in whilst I wait.... Lily Beach Maldive in feb for example. It's tough but i do need to stay dive fit

February ?! I couldn't possibly wait that long. Off to Lembeh on Thursday. Ain't life tough .

[030782]

[quote=SCUBA Chick]Well after much deliberation over DavidA's recent trip report a few of us have decided that we really needed to stop faffing about and pay this wonderful place a visit. We are booked through Maldives Scuba Tours (Maldives Scuba Tours are leading experts on liveaboards and diving holidays worldwide) for a 10 night itinery on the boat Deep Blue. There is a PDF file on the MST site which details the itinery that we will be following but as it is a 10 night cruise 4 days will be spent up at Darwin and Wolf with several land visits in between diving. See here for details of the boat along with a trip report:

Deep Blue Galapagos Dive Trips

More info and some stunning pictures can be found here:

ECHENG.COM: Galapagos, June 2004

We now have a couple of spaces available on this boat but they won't last long as MST also have a waiting list of people. The cost is coming it at around £2540 for the boat plus cost for flights/park fees/airport taxes as applicable. You can also add on a tour/additional nights if you wish to spend more time there. There is also an additional service charge of £206.00 to cover tips for the crew. We are able to get a free space if we fill the boat which will be divided amongst each of us so that we all get a discount! To secure your place a deposit of £250 is needed by MST as soon as possible and then £500 needs to be paid to them before 30.09.06 with the balance payable around 8 weeks before our departure.

Please also see this note that has recently been posted on the Maldives Scuba Tours Website:

GALAPAGOS: We’ve been informed by the Galapagos park authorities that from January 2008 that no boat will be able to hold a dive licence and a naturalist licence at the same time. This means that if you go on a dive trip you will not be able to visit the land and vice versa. Big shame for sure – but even bigger blow is that the Galapagos Park Authority will no longer give permits for longer than 7 days. This means our 2007 trips will be the last of the 10 day dive trips. If we do two back-to-back trips we will not go to separate areas – we will just have to repeat the same itinerary. Remember these are the last of the 10 night trips!!!

So it looks like our trip will be one of the last few of it's kind. Sad but true...



Here's the Galapagos team as it stands:

1. Kathy
2. Gary
3. Fiona
4. Jenny
5. Lou
6. Caroline
7. Jules
8. John Gulliver
9. Rick
10. James aka Narked@50
11. Terry Hooper
12. Jason aka principia
13. KevW
14. Ken
15. Jane
16. SPACE

Subs Bench

1. SimonTW (Last minute cancellations only)
2. JoRawley (Last minute cancellations only)



So if anyone out there fancies joining us please PM me or e-mail (toptotty1972@hotmail.com) me for further info etc...

Cheers

Kathy[/QUO

[030782]

£206 tips for crew!! any job vacancies?

[Fiona]

Did you quote Kathy's full post for a reason ?

[Jules]

I am seriously looking at this

..:::Equatorial Travel:::... Fair and Sustainable Tourism to Morocco, The
Sahara, Guatemala, Ecuador and Rajasthan

it starts from quito on 12th october , the day after we get there from Galapagos and runs for two weeks. See the real Equador.

Would anyone else be interested in this. It's approx £1000


jules

[Jules]

and did you lot see the BBC programme that was on Friday night?? Saw it last night on video... It was fab. Two further episodes to go...

Are we there yet?

[Lou]

Our extension is all up in the air at the moment

If my knee is confirmed as a ruptured ACL next week (which I am very, very hopeful it won't be) then that will be the end of the Inca Trail plans for us. I very much doubt that I can rehabilitate my knee and get fit enough the trail in 12 months.

I hadn't really considered anything else whihc leaves me in a bit of a panic at the moment. That tour looks good, Jules, but I also did a few searches on kayaking the Amazon, and there were quite alot of hits. My theory being if I can't do the Andes we could do the rainforest.

Until Tuesday I am not giving up on the Inca trail totally though!

[Jules]

good luck with that then Lou, keep me posted on what you decide to do becuase the one days trips from Quito were looking quite pricey.