Travel with Us
Two Tours Led by Julian & Leslie Duval San Diego Botanic Garden
Ensenada And Its Surroundings:
A Wine And Culinary Experience
April 27 - 30, 2018
Bestowed with prime climate and soil conditions, Mexico’s magical wine country produces 90% of the country’s wines. Attracted by the peculiarities of the Northern Baja region, enologists, chefs, and artists alike established an exuberant, world-class wine and culinary industry.
Discover Mexico’s wine country, savor its exquisite wines, compare flavors and production processes, delight on the region’s unique gastronomy and get to know local art.
Galápagos Islands, Amazon Rainforest,
& Cloud Forests September 25 – October 7, 2018
Get a glimpse of the land and sea of Ecuador during this 13-day program, highlighting three very different ecosystems: the rainforests, cloud forests, and Galápagos Islands. Begin your exploration in the bustling capital of Quito, where you’ll have a chance to visit the botanical garden and sample local culture. Then take an exciting four-night cruise amid the Galápagos Islands, known for their high levels of endemism,
before returning to the mainland, where you’ll explore the high elevation cloud forests of Mindo. Conclude your journey in the Amazon rainforest, where you’ll get treetop views from canopy walkways and see iconic flora and fauna. This trip offers incredible sights and experiences you won’t forget.
Program Highlights
Tour the collections of Quito Botanical Garden, whose highlights include carnivorous plants, roses, and orchids.
Discover endemic vegetation in the Galapagos Islands, such as
Scalesia villosa, Lecocarpus pinnatifidus, Galápagos Milkwort, white and black mangrove, and palo santo (“holy stick”).
Take guided hikes in the Mindo cloud forest, characterized by lush green vegetation, ferns, bromeliads, and more than 270 orchid species.
Learn how native cultures have used medicinal plants in the rainforest for hundreds of years as you traverse terra firma and igapo forest habitats.
Canoe through the flooded Amazonian forest to catch a glimpse of native fauna, including birds, caimans, and several types of monkeys.