The Galapagos for £0 or £80,000 - take your pick here

2009 marks the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth (12th February) and the 150th of the publication of the ‘Origin of the Species’ (24th November).

2009 is also the 200th anniversary of Ecuadorian independence from Spain so it will be a fun year to visit both Ecuador and the Galapagos.

Here are two more options for visiting the Galapagos – one at each extreme of the cost scale.

For a free trip to the Galapagos, pull up close to your screen and watch this really quite good video.

This video takes you on a whirlwind tour of the wildlife of the islands. The first couple of minutes include a bit of voiceover about Darwin then it’s over to mood music and video of the animals.

For a less than free trip to the Galapagos, my favourite is the one being organised by the alumni office of Stanford university in the states.

Running from the 5th – 31st January it is a trip inspired by Darwin’s travels.

Travelling with by private 757 with some very high brow professors as guides, you and your 80 or so fellow passengers will visit (hold onto your hats):

Silicon Valley (2 nights)
Galapagos Islands (3 nights)
Uruguay (2 nights)
Ushuaia (2 nights)
Easter Island (2 nights)
Rarotonga (1 night)
New Zealand (2 nights)
Tasmania (1 night)
Perth & Western Australia (3 nights – at last, time to relax!)
Mauritius (2 nights)
Cape Town (2 nights)
Cape Verde Islands (1 night)
London (2 nights)

The trip culminates in a ‘cruise along the Thames’ to Greenwich. Seems a bit cruel to complete such a massive trip with a boat along the Thames in late January particularly when you are paying us60,000 a head.

So, if the video doesn’t cut it for you, and you have £80k burning a hole in your pocket, you and a loved one can join this exercise in box ticking.

Alternatively, call us on 01237 676712 and we can arrange a holiday which allows you more than two nights per continent.