To ensure that you enjoy as much of the Galapagos as possible the day starts early and has two excursions per day:
Day 1
Saturday: Baltra Airport, Galapagos islands | Santa Cruz Island
The flight from Quito (via Guayaquil) to the Galapagos Islands takes approximately 2.5 hours. Upon arrival at Baltra Airport, you will be met by your guides, who will escort you on a short bus ride to the harbor. Motorized dinghies, known locally as pangas will transport you to the boat, where the captain and crew will welcome you aboard. After departure there will be a briefing, lunch and a safety drill.
Las Bachas Beach is located in the north of Santa Cruz. Its soft, white sand is derived from decomposed coral, making it a favorite nesting site for sea turtles. Behind the beach there is a small brackish water lagoon, where it is possible to observe flamingos and other coastal birds, such as black-necked stilts and whimbrels.
Day 2
Sunday: Santa Cruz | Puerto Egas, Santiago Island
Puerto Egas or James Bay is located on the northwest side of Santiago. You land on a black beach surrounded by eroded rock formations. The trail crosses the dry interior, where the remains of a salt mine can be seen, then continues along the coast. Tidal pools are home to a variety of invertebrate organisms, including sea urchins, octopus and starfish. The trail leads to the fur seal grottos, one of the only places in the islands where they can be seen. After the walk you can swim or snorkel off the beach, where you may see harmless sea lions, turtles, fish and small reef sharks.
Bartolome Island
Bartolome is a small island that has two visitor sites. You can swim and snorkel around Pinnacle Rock, among the penguins. Later board the dinghy for a dry landing and a climb to the highest point on the island. On the way up, you will encounter different volcanic formations, including spatter and tuff cones, lava tubes and flow. From the summit you will have a wonderful view of Sullivan Bay.
Day 3
Monday: Cerro Dragon, Santa Cruz Island
The name Cerro Dragon or Dragon Hill stems from the fact that it was one of the few sites on Santa Cruz Island where a healthy population of land iguanas were found in 1975. After landing at the small pier, a hike takes to you to a saltwater lagoon behind the beach, frequented by common stilts, pintail ducks and occasionally flamingos. Up the hill you will find a land iguana nesting site and breathtaking views of the bay. The rest of the day can be spent snorkeling or swimming.
Rabida
Rabida is a small volcanic island with red boulders surrounding a beautiful red sand beach. You will discover a colony of sea lions and a pelican rookery. The trail leads to a saltwater lagoon where shore birds can be seen nesting. Bring your mask and snorkel as Rabida is considered one of the best snorkeling sites in the Galapagos Islands. You will also have the opportunity to go kayaking along the coast of this dramatic natural habitat.
Day 4
Tuesday: Tagus Cove, Isabela Island
Tagus Cove was historically used as an anchorage for pirates, buccaneers and whalers. Here you will see the names of hundreds of ships painted on the ridge around the bay (a practice now forbidden). Depending on the season, you can hike, snorkel or kayak. On the hike, the trail passes through areas of vegetation and the dramatic volcanic landscape of Darwin volcano. Reaching the highest elevation you will enjoy an incredible view of Tagus cove and Darwin Lake.
The morning activities are followed by a panga ride around the coast, where you can see and photograph large numbers of blue-footed boobies perched the cliffs, as well as marine iguanas, penguins, brown pelicans, brown noddy terns and swallow-tailed gulls. In the channel between Fernandina and Isabela Islands dolphins and whales may surface.
Elizabeth Bay, Isabela Island
Elizabeth Bay is the furthest point southwest visited on the cruise. A short panga ride accesses sea turtles and rays in a sheltered cove along with a wonderfully diverse mangrove ecosystem.
Day 5
Wednesday: Punta Espinoza, Fernandina Island
La Cumbre Volcano dominates the landscape with lava fields stretching towards the ocean from its base, the last eruption was in April, 2009. Punta Espinosa is a narrow piece of land where some of the most unique Galapagos species can be found including: the flightless cormorant, the Galapagos hawk, penguins, marine iguanas and some Galapagos snakes.
Punta Vicente Roca
Punta Vicente Roca offers unrivalled snorkeling and you will see turtles as well a kaleidoscope of colorful fish. Later in the day join a boat tour to look at some of the Galapagos' spectacular geological rock formations. Nazca boobies, pelicans, swallow-tailed gulls, marine iguanas, flightless cormorants and penguins are seen along the coast.
On Wednesday afternoon, we cross the Equator, you are welcome to go to the bridge and observe the GPS showing latitude 0º and afterwards enjoy delicious Sushi in the al fresco area.
Day 6
Thursday: Charles Darwin Research Station, Santa Cruz Island
On your visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station you will gain insight into the efforts being made by scientists, guides, rangers and park managers to preserve this UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will have a chance to see the famous Galapagos tortoises that are the islands' namesake. After the research station visit explore the town of Puerto Ayora.
From Puerto Ayora travel by shuttle bus to the lush green highlands of Santa Cruz, where you will visit a tortoise reserve. Spend the afternoon searching for giant tortoises in their natural surroundings and walk through dark lava tunnels - bring a flashlight! Optional activities include relaxing on the beach or exploring and shopping in the town are also possible.
Day 7
Friday: Gardner Bay, Espanola Island
Gardner Bay's wonderful white sandy beach is home to one of the most important colonies of sea lions in the Galapagoes and is also a nesting site for sea turtles. After wandering among beached sea lions there is a chance for a deep-water snorkel from the panga, or a kayak tour.
Punta Suarez, Espanola Island
Punta Suarez is one of the most unique and attractive sites in the Galapagos. Due to its isolation from other islands, it has very a high proportion of endemic fauna. A few steps inland from the landing site, groups of Espanola marine iguanas bask in the sun. Further inland, Nazca and blue-footed boobies nest along on the trail, Galapagos doves peck around unaware of visitors and finches go about their business. The trail continues towards a blowhole, which is a fissure in the lava where water spurts high into the air like a geyser. The cracks in the cliffs are home to swallow-tailed gulls and red-billed tropicbirds. Further up the cliff, in an area of low-lying trees, you will find waved albatrosses nesting. The 10,000 to 12,000 pairs of albatrosses on Espanola represent the entire population of this species on the planet. They perform one of the most spectacular courtship rituals of the animal world.
Day 8
Saturday: Black Turtle Cove | Santa Cruz Island
Black Turtle Cove is one of the most beautiful marine sites in Galapagos. It is a complex maze of tranquil salt-water inlets, surrounded by three different species of mangrove. The waters are a resting site for sea turtles, rays and sharks. This site is only accessible by panga boat ride. After the morning tour it is time for a sad farewell.
Disembark: 10:00hrs.
Please note: This itinerary serves as a guide. We reserve the right to cancel, amend or reschedule any cruise itinerary, shore excursion or any other services in the interests of operational necessity and/or passenger safety.