Toucanto

29/06/2024

Ecuador raises the Galapagos Islands entry Fee.

Tourists visiting the Galapagos Islands will face a doubling of entry fees this year due to concerns that increasing visitor numbers are straining the ecologically fragile area.

Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism has declared the new fees, effective from August 1, 2024.

The entry fee will rise from $100 to $200 for citizens of most countries, with the exception of other South American trade bloc Mercosur members, which include Argentina, Brazil, and Peru.

Mercosur members will now be charged $100 per person, up from $50. Children under two years old can enter for free, regardless of their nationality.

This marks the first hike in Galapagos entry fees since 1998.

19/03/2024

It's Back for 2024! register your interest now! by messenger, visiting our website and leaving a comment, email or post in the comments below!🙂

We are pleased to announce that we will be running our action packed family program once more this November 2024! Meet other intrepid families as you visit up to four incredible islands including Santa Cruz, Isabela, Floriana and Pinzon. Enjoy incredible proximity to the amazing Galapagos wildlife,....

14/03/2024

The Ministry of Tourism for Ecuador has recently announced the doubling of the park entry fee for the Galápagos Islands from US $100 per adult and child under 13 years old to US $200. Children up to 12 years old face an increase from US $50 to US $100. The rise is due to take place from 1st August 2024. Here is what the Latin American Tourist Association had to say about it.

ENTRY FEE TO DOUBLE FROM $100 TO $200 PER ADULT FROM 1 AUGUST The Galapagos National Park Authority has announced that from 1 August 2024 the entry fee to visit the Galapagos Islands will increase to $200 per adult. This increase, the first in over 25 years, stands as testament … View details

03/03/2024

06/08/2023

Don't be a Lonesome George this Thanksgiving! Join us on our Galápagos Family Adventure from November 13th to 26th 2023 and experience the magic of this Unesco World Heritage Site. Visit up to FOUR islands as you enjoy our action-packed 2-week program. Visit https://toucanto.co.uk for details and booking! 🙂

29/07/2023

We are happy to announce that our new website is now live! Why not check it out for yourself and let us know what you think? 😊

https://www.toucanto.co.uk/

Toucanto Galápagos Family Adventure is a two-week immersive family vacation packed with tours, trips, Spanish classes, experiential learning, fantastic scenery and incredible wildlife. Whether you are swimming with sea sharks, snorkelling with sea lions, or climbing down inside a volcano lava tunne...

27/06/2023

Moonlit Magic: The Captivating Nesting Habits of the Galápagos Green Turtle - https://www.toucanto.co.uk/post/moonlit-magic-the-captivating-nesting-habits-of-the-gal%C3%A1pagos-green-turtle

Six hundred miles off the West coast of South America lie the Galápagos Islands, an archipelago of islands formed by mighty volcanic eruptions that four million years ago created the island of Espanola and continue to this day with the youngest of the islands, Fernandina, now a mere million years o...

26/06/2023

Did you ever wonder how sea turtles navigate? This fascinating video reveals their incredible secret and many interesting facts about these amazing animals. :-)

https://youtu.be/5Rmv3nliwCs

23/05/2023

Happy World Turtle Day to everyone 😀

14/05/2023

A few spaces still available for 2023, click to book now! https://form.jotform.com/TOUCANTO/Galapagos-Family-Adventure-usa

26/04/2023

What are you planning for this November?
Places still available on our Galápagos Family Adventure, see below for details!

https://toucanto.co.uk/itinerary/galapagos-family-adventure/?preview=true&_thumbnail_id=3941

25/04/2023

What are you planning for this Thanksgiving?

A two-week experiential family holiday in the Galápagos Islands offers an incredible learning experience and a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with nature. Swim with sea turtles, play with sea lions, and observe giant tortoises in their natural habitat. The islands are also home to a vibrant local community eager to share their culture and traditions. Families can learn about the local way of life, try new foods, and visit traditional craftsmen and women at work.

Our Family Adventure offers a chance to learn and grow as a family, develop real bonds with the local community and forge new and lasting relationships with other families from around the world. Step outside of your comfort zone and experience a new culture with Toucanto. It's a great way to disconnect from daily stress and reconnect with loved ones. The Galápagos Islands offer adventure, culture, and quality time for everyone. Don't miss out on this unforgettable experience. Book your family holiday with us today and start creating lasting memories with your loved ones. Contact us to start planning your adventure today!
https://toucanto.co.uk/itinerary/galapagos-family-adventure/

22/03/2023

https://www.toucanto.co.uk/post/why-you-should-take-your-children-to-the-gal%C3%A1pagos-islands

The Galápagos Islands are a unique and fascinating destination that offers a wealth of educational opportunities for children. If you didn’t already have it on your list of must-see destinations then here are few reasons why you should consider taking your children to the Galápagos Islands: Educ...

06/03/2023

Family vacations recommended by experts - just ask the kids! 😊


learning

30/01/2023

We are very grateful to Galápagos Animal Doctors for inviting us to bring our families into their premises to witness the incredible work that is carried out by their dedicated team. We learned about the care they are providing to domestic animals, the problems that are caused by the large numbers of unsterilized pets that are often left to roam the streets, and the hazards they present to endemic species. Galápagos Animal Doctors are working hard to educate pet owners and the children of Galápagos about the care of their animals, to bring positive and lasting change to these precious islands. 😀

30/01/2023

La Casa de Los Sueños (The House of Dreams) has been the life’s work of artist Carlos Palacios. We took our families to discover this little-known Galápagos treasure, and were impressed by his imagination, artistic talent and commitment to his dream. Watch this short video for a glimpse into his world. 😊

Join us in June /July or November / December in the incredible Galápagos Islands for the holiday of a lifetime!

26/01/2023

Read this heart-warming tale of generosity and humanity.

Meet Isabella and Sofia. These sisters live in Puerto Ayora, the principal town of Santa Cruz in the Galápagos Islands and theirs is a heart-warming story. The language of the Galápagos Islands is Spanish, but most of the tourists that flock there every year are from North America, which means tha...

24/01/2023

We very much enjoyed our trip to Jacinto Heras' workshop. Find out a bit more about what to expect here. :-)

0 Likes, 0 Comments - Toucanto (.co.uk) on Instagram: "This is one of the many activities on our Galápagos Family Adventure! "

11/01/2023

Worldschooling In Galápagos - 2023 dates and more! - https://mailchi.mp/5520084ff22d/worldschooling-in-galpagos-2023-dates-and-more

11/01/2023

Meet Carol Caceres Jimenez, from the Galápagos Language Academy.

At Toucanto we believe one of our strengths is in the warm, human relationships our families are able to form during our programs with the people of Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands. They are reno…

09/01/2023

Thinking of heading to the Galápagos Islands this year? Fancy a free $100 discount voucher? Be our guest! All you have to do is follow these three simple steps....

Thinking of heading to the Galápagos Islands this year? Fancy a free $100 discount voucher? Be our guest! All you have to do is follow these three simple steps.

07/01/2023

Galápagos 2023 dates and booking now available! See page and website for details! Book today with a low, $100 per person deposit! . .

07/01/2023

We are happy to announce that our 2023 program dates and booking are now available!

2-week Galápagos Family Adventure:

Block One - November 13th to November 26th.
Block Two - November 27th to December 10th.

Click the link below for more details.
https://toucanto.co.uk/worldschooling-in-the-galapagos/

New for this year is our ten-day three island program which is running in June! Beginning with two nights in San Cristobal, then two nights in Isabela and finishing with five nights in Santa Cruz!

10 Day, 3-Island Galápagos Family Adventure dates:

Block One - 12th June to 21st June 2023
Block Two - 24th June to 3rd July 2023

Please feel free to message us with any questions!

01/01/2023

Happy New Year to you all wherever you may be, from Maria and James at Toucanto. We couldn’t think of anything to signify the ‘New’ better than this gorgeous Galápagos baby sea Lion, just a few days old! 😍

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17/12/2022

I originally posted this in our Toucanto Galápagos Travellers group, but I would like to share it with all of you. In recent times we have become so accustomed to bleak news and dark tidings that I am grateful for the opportunity to share a little bit of light and Christmas cheer with you all. If you like the story that I am about to tell you, please feel free to share it with others.

This coming Monday at 4pm Galápagos time, two young girls aged 10 and 8 will be joining many of their friends to begin learning English at the Galapagos Language Academy in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz.‘What is so unusual about that?’ You might be tempted to ask. The answer is that these two young girls are from a disadvantaged background in Santa Cruz, Galapagos, where the only family income comes from the cookies their mother bakes in their modest home, and sells door to door to eke out a modest living.

A few weeks ago, the prospect of these sisters being able to take English clases was just a distant dream, but that all changed when a family from the United States began taking Spanish lessons as part of their Toucanto Galápagos Family Adventure.

The couple have asked to remain anonymous, so I will just call them John and Jane. They enjoyed their Spanish lessons so much that they diligently practised their Spanish whenever and wherever they could. As they travelled around the town they soon noticed that the people that spoke English tended to be employed in the better paying jobs in the tourism industry. They began to really see how the ability to speak the language of the majority of the tourists in Galápagos could transform the employment prospects and life opportunities for these young Ecuadoreans.

Before the end of the program, John and Jane had made up their minds to do something positive to help; they spoke to Carol, their Spanish teacher and the owner of the language school, and told her they wanted to sponsor an underprivileged child to learn English.

When they told us about their plan we were deeply touched by their generosity, but we were even more surprised when we heard that the Language Academy are already supporting a couple of other children from the community. They have even opened a classroom in Bellavista, a town a few miles out of Puerto Ayora, because the families there couldn’t get their children into town as well as pay for the lessons. “There are lots of deserving cases,” Carol explained to us, “but there is only so much we can afford to do.”

After talking to Carol about the fees, John and Jane committed to sponsor TWO children, and left it up to Carol to find a couple of deserving cases.

It so happened that Carol knew the mother of the two girls already, because she had been to the school a couple of times to ask how much English lessons would cost, but went away disappointed that she couldn’t afford the $70 a month for each child that the lessons would cost.

Wednesday of this week, just sixteen days after they left Galápagos, John and Jane transferred $1000 into the account of the Galápagos Language academy.

When Carol went to the house to give the mother of the girls the good news that her children could start English classes next Monday, she broke down and cried, so happy was she that her girls would have this potentially life changing opportunity.

We know that not everyone is in a position to make such a generous donation, but we felt inspired by John and Jane’s incredible act of kindness, and have been talking to Carol about ways our friends and other families can contribute even very small sums in the future. Carol has agreed to investigate setting up a funding page on the internet where anyone can pledge as little or as much as they choose and we will publish the details in this group as soon as they are available. She is also going to provide us with a list of school supplies that can be expensive or hard to get hold of in the islands, but are cheap and plentiful in our own countries. It is our sincere hope that when families join us on our program they might consider bringing with them a little something from this list.

The last thing I want to say about this right now is how much it means to us personally that the program my wife and I set up during the dark days of the pandemic to create an experience that connects our travelling families with the amazing people from the Galápagos community has born fruit beyond our wildest expectations and we feel humble and privileged to have had the opportunity to meet all of you incredible people who have shared this journey with us so far, and excited to meet those of you who are yet to come. Merry Christmas everyone.

13/12/2022

Are you considering a trip to the Galápagos Islands? Have you already been? Would you like to know more about it and have your questions answered? Maybe you would like to share your experiences with other families or just find new friends you might like to travel with?

If the answer to any of these is yes, then we have a group for you!
Join our Toucanto Galápagos Travellers group and get first access to special deals when they are available, the opportunity to help choose the dates we run our programs and access to a pool of knowledge from our team and other members for handy tips to help you plan your dream vacation to the Galápagos Islands!
just click on the link below to join our group!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/921797711984918/

13/12/2022

As we look to finalise our dates for 2023, we could do with your help! What dates work best for you? Please answer the survey question below so that we can select the best dates to run our program. :-)

04/12/2022

Nestled in the hillside high above the beautiful Garrapatero beach is the tourist farm known as Highland View, perhaps better known by the name of El Columpio Magico, or Magic Swing as it translates to in English. The farm is a family business belonging to the Loyola family, and we were lucky enough to have Venus Loyola, who's parents founded the farm, as our guide for our visit. The farmhouse and restaurant sit on the crest of a hill with spectacular views across the landscape to the turquoise coastal waters of Garrapatero and beyond. A short distance away, to the South East, lies the Island of Santa Fé, with Floriana clearly visible in the distance due South.

We began our tour of the property by enjoying the enormous swings that take you far over the hillside and high above the landscape that slopes away beneath you, before beginning the trail the Loyola's had created around their property.

Our first stop was the animal encounter area with chickens, guinea pigs, goats, donkeys and horses, where the children and adults were able to feed and pet the baby goats, and touch many animals before we continued.

The forest path took us past banana palms laden with fruit and countless exotic plants resplendent with their spectacularly colourful foliage, until we eventually arrived at an amazing lava tunnel. The tunnel twisted and squirmed its way down into the earth, and we were forced to use the lights from our phones to light our way through the narrow, darkened passageways, until we emerged once more into daylight, a few minutes later but not far from where we had entered.

A little further on, we passed a pretty lake with ducks and chickens nesting in the surrounding bushes before coming at last to the original swing, tucked away amongst the trees.

We soon found ourselves back in the restaurant where Venus brought us coffee and juice to drink, some delicious carrot cake, and fantastic patacones with cheese to satisfy our appetites - a delicious end to an enjoyable visit. 😀

30/11/2022

When Don Adriano Cabrera arrived to Santa Cruz 45 years ago to begin his new life in the Galápagos Islands, he had but a single sucre in his pocket. The bustling town we see today was just a collection of small cottages with less than a thousand residents, yet with land costing 400 Sucres an acre, his dreams of owning a farm of his own were still a long way away.

For three years Don Adriano took what work he could find, until he had scraped together enough money to buy a small parcel of land in the Santa Cruz highlands and El Trapiche was born. Don Adriano planted sugar cane and coffee, and later the chocolate for which he has become famous.

Today his farm has grown to over 60 hectares yet he still farms by traditional methods, exporting his products to Chile and the United States. Although now in his eighties, he shows no signs of slowing down and welcomed us to El Trapiche in his own inimitable style.