| Day | Visitor Site |
|---|---|
| Friday | AM - Baltra Island Airport: Arrival and Transfer to the boat |
| PM - Chinese Hat | |
| Saturday | AM - Punta Espinoza (Fernandina) |
| PM - Urbina Bay (Isabela) | |
| Sunday | AM - Punta Moreno (Isabela) |
| PM - Tagus Cove (Isabela) | |
| Monday | AM - Puerto Egas (Santiago) |
| PM - Espumilla Beach & Buccaneer Cove (Santiago) | |
| Tuesday | AM - Puerto Ayora and the Charles Darwin Station (Santa Cruz) |
| PM - El Chato (Santa Cruz) | |
| Wednesday | AM - Puerto Villamil, Wetlands & Muro de las Lagrimas (Isabela) |
| PM - Sierra Negra Volcano (Isabela) | |
| Thursday | AM - Whale Bay & Eden Islet (Santa Cruz) |
| PM - Cerro Dragón (Santa Cruz) | |
| Friday | AM - Black Turtle Cove (Santa Cruz) |
| Transfer to the Airport |
Day 1 – Baltra Island & Mosquera Island
AM: Mosquera Island is located between Baltra and North Seymour. This is a small islet formed by a geological uplift, with a reef of rocks and coral and a great white sand beach, where a population of sea lions can be found. You can also observe several species of shorebirds. Along the rocks are commonly running Red Lava crabs or Sally light-foot crabs. If the tide is too low a dinghy ride will be made.
Day 2 – Isabela Island & Fernandina Island
AM: At the Vicente Roca Point the remnants of an ancient volcano form two turquoise coves with a bay well protected from the ocean swells. The spot is a popular anchorage from which to explore the cliffs, where masked and blue-footed boobies perch while flightless cormorants inhabit the shoreline. The upwelling of coldwater currents in this part of the Galápagos give rise to an abundance of marine life, which make Punta Vicente Roca one of the archipelago’s sough after dive spots.
PM: Punta Espinosa is a narrow stretch of land where hundreds of marine iguanas gather largely on black lava rocks. The famous flightless cormorant inhabits this island and Galápagos penguins, pelicans and sea lions are also abundant. Different types of lava flows can be compared and the mangrove forests can be observed.
Day 3 – Isabela Island
AM: The waters of Urbina Bay are a good place to see turtles and rays and ashore is a short trail leading to a coral reef, which is evidence of an uplift from the sea which occurred in 1954. This provides the rare experience of walking in the middle of a bed of coral. Marine iguanas, flightless cormorants and pelicans can be seen at this site.
PM: Tagus Cove was named after a British warship which anchored here in 1814, this cove is located to the west of the island and you can take a panga (zodiac) trip below the high cliffs. Here there is an opportunity to see penguins as well as marine iguanas, Sally Lightfoot crabs and sea lions. Blue-footed boobies are also in abundance.
Day 4 – Santiago Island & Sombrero Chino Island
AM: Puerto Egas, with its black sand beaches, was the site of small salt mining industry in the 1960s. A hike inland to the salt crater is an excellent opportunity to sight land birds such as finches, doves, and hawks. A walk down the rugged shoreline will turn up many marine species. Iguanas bask on the rocks and sea lions laze in the tide pools. At the end of the trail there is a series of grottoes or sea caves where fur seals and night herons are found.
PM: Sombrero Chino is named after its shape formed by volcanic rock giving it the name, Chinese Hat. Since it was given a maximum visiting capacity by the National Park Service it offers rare, up close viewing of Galapagos wildlife and well preserved remnants of fragile volcanic rock that can’t be found in such a unique condition anywhere else. The islet is home to a colony of sea lions on the white coral sand beach. Here you can see American Oystercatchers, Galapagos Penguins swimming along the shores, and Sally-Lightfoot Crabs in bright contrast to the dark volcanic rock.
Day 5 – 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: The highlands are located in the northern part of the island and can reach elevations up to 1500 meters. On a journey into the higher elevations of Santa Cruz you will experience all seven different vegetation zones. The vegetation here is abundant and lush and the weather moist.
Day 6 – Isabela Island
AM: A short distance from Puerto Villamil is the small island known as Las Tintoreras. Here a colony of white tip sharks can often be seen resting in a lava canal. You can snorkel or swim in the unique habitat of these animals. On the nearby sandy beaches, sea lions play and relax in the sun. This is one of Isabela’s most beautiful visitor sites.
The Tortoise Breeding center was created to protect animals in their first years of life from the threats of foreign species such as pigs and donkeys. Giant tortoise eggs are collected and brought to the center where they are hatched and kept for five years before being released to their natural environment.
PM: The Wetlands of Isabela Island are located just outside of Puerto Villamil. The Wetlands consist of lagoons, swamps and mangroves and are home to a variety of unique bird species such as common stilts, whimbrels, white-cheeked pintails and gallinules. The Wetlands can be visited on foot via a path that winds through the swamps.
Between 1946 and 1959 Isabela was a penal colony, where prisoners were made build a wall with huge blocks of lava as punishment. Due to the arduous labour and harsh conditions in which the prisoners lived, this site is known as the wall of tears. A set of stairs provides a bird’s eye view of the wall and the surrounding landscape. You can still see the foundations of a USA base from the Second World War.
Day 7 – Rábida Island & Santa Cruz Island
AM: 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.
PM: 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.
Day 8 – Santa Cruz Island
AM: 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.
Transfer to the Airport.
| Departure | Arrival | |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 31st of May 2024 | Friday 7th of June 2024 | [request availability] |
| Friday 14th of June 2024 | Friday 21st of June 2024 | [request availability] |
| Friday 28th of June 2024 | Friday 5th of July 2024 | [request availability] |
| Friday 12th of July 2024 | Friday 19th of July 2024 | [request availability] |
| Friday 26th of July 2024 | Friday 2nd of August 2024 | [request availability] |
| Friday 9th of August 2024 | Friday 16th of August 2024 | [request availability] |
| Friday 23rd of August 2024 | Friday 30th of August 2024 | [request availability] |
| Friday 6th of September 2024 | Friday 13th of September 2024 | [request availability] |
| Friday 20th of September 2024 | Friday 27th of September 2024 | [request availability] |
| Friday 4th of October 2024 | Friday 11th of October 2024 | [request availability] |
| Friday 18th of October 2024 | Friday 25th of October 2024 | [request availability] |
| Friday 1st of November 2024 | Friday 8th of November 2024 | [request availability] |
| Friday 15th of November 2024 | Friday 22nd of November 2024 | [request availability] |
| Friday 29th of November 2024 | Friday 6th of December 2024 | [request availability] |
| Friday 13th of December 2024 | Friday 20th of December 2024 | [request availability] |
| Friday 27th of December 2024 | Friday 3rd of January 2025 | [request availability] |
| Friday 10th of January 2025 | Friday 17th of January 2025 | [request availability] |
| Friday 24th of January 2025 | Friday 31st of January 2025 | [request availability] |
| Friday 7th of February 2025 | Friday 14th of February 2025 | [request availability] |
| Friday 21st of February 2025 | Friday 28th of February 2025 | [request availability] |
| Friday 7th of March 2025 | Friday 14th of March 2025 | [request availability] |
| Friday 21st of March 2025 | Friday 28th of March 2025 | [request availability] |
| Friday 4th of April 2025 | Friday 11th of April 2025 | [request availability] |
| Friday 18th of April 2025 | Friday 25th of April 2025 | [request availability] |
| Friday 2nd of May 2025 | Friday 9th of May 2025 | [request availability] |
| Friday 16th of May 2025 | Friday 23rd of May 2025 | [request availability] |
| Friday 30th of May 2025 | Friday 6th of June 2025 | [request availability] |
| Friday 13th of June 2025 | Friday 20th of June 2025 | [request availability] |
| Friday 27th of June 2025 | Friday 4th of July 2025 | [request availability] |
| Friday 11th of July 2025 | Friday 18th of July 2025 | [request availability] |
| Friday 25th of July 2025 | Friday 1st of August 2025 | [request availability] |
| Friday 8th of August 2025 | Friday 15th of August 2025 | [request availability] |