| Day | Visitor Site |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | AM - Baltra Island Airport: Arrival and Transfer to the boat |
| PM - North Seymour Island | |
| Wednesday | AM - Genovesa Island: El Barranco |
| PM - Genovesa Island: Darwin Bay | |
| Thursday | AM - Santiago Island: Sullivan Bay |
| PM - Rabida Island | |
| Friday | AM - Santa Cruz Island: Charles Darwin Station |
| PM - Santa Cruz Island: El Garrapatero Beach | |
| Saturday | AM - Santa Cruz Island: Dragon Hill |
| PM - Santa Cruz Island: Eden Islet or Whale Bay | |
| Sunday | AM - Floreana Island: Post Office Bay |
| PM - Floreana Island: Cormorant Point or Devil's Crown | |
| Monday | AM - Española Island: Suarez Point |
| PM - Española Island: Gardner Bay | |
| Tuesday | AM - San Cristobal Island: Interpretation Center |
| Transfer to the Airport |
Day 1 – Baltra Island & Santa Cruz Island
AM: Arrival in airport and transfer to the boat. Briefing on board about the boat and the island.
PM: Black Turtle Cove is located on the north side of the island and is only accessible by boat and with a guide. This shallow inlet is surrounded by mangroves and provides natural protection for a variety of marine life, attracting the vulnerable juveniles of many species. Below the surface of the water, you can see both blacktip and whitetip reef sharks, sea turtles, golden cownose rays, spotted eagle rays, and an occasional hammerhead shark. Pelicans and Boobies hunt here, diving gracefully into the water.
Day 2 – Genovesa Island
AM: Prince Phillip´s step is an extraordinary, steep path that leads through a seabird colony full of life, up to cliffs that are 25m high. At the top the trail continues inland, passing more seabird colonies in a thin palo santo forest. Leaving the forest you can overview a rocky plain. You could get a view of masked and red-footed boobies, great frigate birds, swallow-tailed gulls, red-billed tropicbirds and hundreds of storm petrels at the edge of the cliff.
PM: The beach of Darwin Bay is a coral beach where a 750m trail takes you through more seabird colonies. You get to see the cliffs from the seaward side, which are home to a large red-footed booby colony. Once ashore the number of birds seems overwhelming – Nazca boobies soar overhead, great frigate birds display their pouches while resting on the nearby rocks and plants, and mockingbirds scamper quickly across the sand.
Day 3 – Santiago Island & Rábida
AM: The Sullivan Bay lava field has a variety of interesting patterns made by the shapes and textures of trees that once existed there and hornitos caused when pockets of gas or water trapped under the lava exploded. The low-lying mollugo and the lava cactus are the only plants that have managed to take root in this harsh environment. On the shoreline black and white oystercatchers can be seen fishing for crabs and molluscs in the tide pools.
PM: The high amount of iron contained in the lava at Rábida gives the island a distinctive red color. White-Cheeked Pintail Ducks live in a salt-water lagoon close to the beach, where brown pelicans and boobies have built their nests. Up until recently, flamingos were also found in the salt-water lagoon, but they have since moved on to other islands, likely due to a lack of food on Rábida. Nine species of Finches have been reported in this island.
Day 4 – Santa Cruz Island
AM: The Charles Darwin Research Station is an international not-for-profit organization that provides scientific research, technical information and assistance to ensure the proper preservation of the Galápagos Islands. Visitors can learn about natural history, issues concerning the islands, and see the tortoise breeding and rearing project at work.
PM: El Chato is a reserve in the highlands of Santa Cruz, where you have the amazing opportunity to observe the magnificent giant tortoise in the wild. This area is vegetated with transition zone vegetation and is located in the humid zone of the highlands of Santa Cruz. The walk to the reserve is one of the best places to observe ground birds, tree and ground finches, the vermillion flycatcher, cattle egrets and occasionally Galápagos rails.
Day 5 – Santa Cruz Island
AM: The Dragon Hill (Cerro Dragon) visitors’ site was established by the Galápagos Islands National Park administration. A hypersalinic (saltier than the ocean) lagoon behind the beach is often frequented by flamingos, common stilts, pintail ducks and other species of birds. There is a short walk to the hill, which has rewarding views of the bay and a nesting site of land iguanas.
PM: Located on the north shore of Santa Cruz, Las Bachas is a swimming beach. One of the few remnants of the U.S. World War II presence in the Galápagos, a floating pier, can be seen here. You may see flamingos, Sally Lightfoot crabs, hermit crabs, black necked stilts, and whimbrels. Sea turtles also nest off the beach.
Day 6 – Floreana Island
AM: The best known site on Floreana is Post Office Bay, a white-sand beach where in the past sailors used to leave and receive their letters in a barrel. The tradition continues – leave your postcard in the barrel and see how long it takes to be delivered, and at the same time if there is a postcard with an address close to your home, please take it with you.
PM: Noted for the volcanic green olivine crystals found in the beach, Cormorant Point offers a trail overlooking a saltwater lagoon that is a favourite of flamingos. Beyond the lagoon the trail leads to a magnificent white-sand beach. Green sea turtles lay their eggs in the sands here during the night and their tracks leading to and from the sea mark the beach.
Arguably the best snorkeling site in the islands, Devil’s Crown is a collapsed volcanic cone that boasts an extraordinary number and variety of fish. It is a popular roosting site for seabirds such as boobies, pelicans, and frigates. In addition, sharks, sea lions, sea turtles and eels can be found amongst the rocks and corals.
Day 7 – Española Island
AM: Suárez Point is one of the most outstanding wildlife areas of the archipelago, with a long list of species found along its cliffs and sand or pebble beaches. In addition to five species of nesting seabirds there are the curious and bold Española Island mockingbirds, Galápagos doves and Galápagos hawks. Several types of reptiles, including the marine iguana and the oversized lava lizard, are unique to this island.
PM: Gardner Bay has a magnificent beach with turquoise waters. Around the small islets nearby, snorkellers will find lots of fish and sometimes turtles and sharks. The bay is also frequented by a transient colony of sea lions which like to swim with you. Birds, like the endemic Hood-mockingbird and different species of Darwin finches, are omnipresent.
Day 8 – San Cristobal Island
AM: The Galápagos National Park Interpretation Centre has a series of interactive exhibits providing information about the history and biodiversity of the Galápagos Islands. The self-guided walking tour will take you through the history of the Islands in the context of nature, humankind and conservation.
Transfer to the Airport.
| Departure | Arrival | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 21st of May 2024 | Tuesday 28th of May 2024 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 4th of June 2024 | Tuesday 11th of June 2024 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 18th of June 2024 | Tuesday 25th of June 2024 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 2nd of July 2024 | Tuesday 9th of July 2024 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 16th of July 2024 | Tuesday 23rd of July 2024 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 30th of July 2024 | Tuesday 6th of August 2024 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 13th of August 2024 | Tuesday 20th of August 2024 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 27th of August 2024 | Tuesday 3rd of September 2024 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 10th of September 2024 | Tuesday 17th of September 2024 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 24th of September 2024 | Tuesday 1st of October 2024 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 8th of October 2024 | Tuesday 15th of October 2024 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 22nd of October 2024 | Tuesday 29th of October 2024 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 5th of November 2024 | Tuesday 12th of November 2024 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 19th of November 2024 | Tuesday 26th of November 2024 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 3rd of December 2024 | Tuesday 10th of December 2024 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 17th of December 2024 | Tuesday 24th of December 2024 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 31st of December 2024 | Tuesday 7th of January 2025 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 14th of January 2025 | Tuesday 21st of January 2025 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 28th of January 2025 | Tuesday 4th of February 2025 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 11th of February 2025 | Tuesday 18th of February 2025 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 25th of February 2025 | Tuesday 4th of March 2025 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 11th of March 2025 | Tuesday 18th of March 2025 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 25th of March 2025 | Tuesday 1st of April 2025 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 8th of April 2025 | Tuesday 15th of April 2025 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 22nd of April 2025 | Tuesday 29th of April 2025 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 6th of May 2025 | Tuesday 13th of May 2025 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 20th of May 2025 | Tuesday 27th of May 2025 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 3rd of June 2025 | Tuesday 10th of June 2025 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 17th of June 2025 | Tuesday 24th of June 2025 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 1st of July 2025 | Tuesday 8th of July 2025 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 15th of July 2025 | Tuesday 22nd of July 2025 | [request availability] |
| Tuesday 29th of July 2025 | Tuesday 5th of August 2025 | [request availability] |