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> American Airlines (aa.com) flies direct from Miami to Quito, Ecuador. Most U.S.–to–Ecuador flights arrive in the evening, so plan to stay the night.
> Swissôtel Quito is a 275-room modern luxury hotel with six restaurants and an Amrita spa. Doubles from $170; swissotel.com.
> The next day, book a flight on Ecuadorian airline Tame to one of the Galápagos Islands’ airports, Baltra or San Cristóbal. Round-trip fares for $375; tame.com.ec.
ADVENTURE
> Lindblad Expeditions (expeditions.com), which partnered with Exclusive Resorts for the destination club’s Galápagos trip, offers its own ten-day voyages to the islands. After a night at the Hotel Hilton Colon in Guayaquil, get shuttled to either the National Geographic Polaris or Islander, a 164-foot, 24-cabin luxury ship equipped with a lounge, library, and wellness center. Doubles from $4,320.
> California-based Mountain Travel Sobek offers a nine-day Galápagos journey year-round through its Private Adventures program, a series of flexible-date trips designed for small groups. Fly to Baltra to begin five days of island hopping, with daily excursions including a hike up Isabela’s 4,888-foot Sierra Negra volcano and a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz. Doubles from $2,995; mtsobek.com.
> If you’re looking for a high-style Galápagos trip without the distractions of group travel, charter Quasar Expeditions’ M/Y Grace, a 145-foot luxury liner formerly owned by Princess Grace of Monaco. The Grace sleeps 18 and features an entertainment salon, alfresco dining, and Jacuzzi, plus a personal cruise director and two naturalists for guided trips to the islands. $70,000; galapagosexpeditions.com.
EXCLUSIVE RESORTS
> Exclusive Resorts, a destination club founded in 2002, provides its members with vacation options at 350 properties in 11 countries around the world. The company offers six membership levels, with yearly fees ranging from $140,000 for ten days of vacation time at any of its destinations to $480,000 for 60 days, along with annual dues of 8 to 10 percent of the membership fee. In 2007, Exclusive Resorts launched the Once in a Lifetime program, a selection of specialized, high-end trips designed to give members more travel options such as an eight-day, four-country journey through Africa.
PHILANTHROPY
Donate to the Galápagos Conservancy (galapagos.org), which supports the Charles Darwin Research Station and helps protect the 50,000-square-mile Galápagos Marine Reserve.
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