| Day | Visitor Site |
|---|---|
| Monday | AM - Flight to San Cristobal |
| PM - La Loberia (San Cristobal) | |
| Tuesday | AM - South Plaza |
| PM - Black Turtle Cove (Santa Cruz) | |
| Wednesday | AM - Espumilla Beach (Santiago) |
| PM - Puerto Egas (Santiago) | |
| Thursday | AM - Puerto Ayora & Charles Darwin Station (Santa Cruz) |
| PM - Santa Cruz Highlands (Santa Cruz) | |
| Friday | AM - Bartolome |
| PM - Sullivan Bay (Santiago) | |
| Saturday | AM - Rabida |
| PM - Dragon Hill (Santa Cruz) | |
| Sunday | AM - Daphne |
| PM - Santa Fe | |
| Monday | AM - Interpretation Center (San Cristobal) |
| Tour Ends - Transfer to Airport |
Day 1 – San Cristobal Island
AM: Arrival in airport and transfer to the boat. Briefing on board about the boat and the island.
PM: At the information centre La Galapaguera in the highlands you will learn about the giant tortoise breeding programme established by the National Park. You can see giant land tortoises living in a semi-natural habitat and also learn about their origin, evolution and the threats from introduced animals.
Day 2 – Santa Fe Island & Santa Cruz Island
AM:Santa Fe is a volcanic uplift and hosts a forest of Opuntia cactus, which are the largest of the archipelago, and palo santo. Weathered cliffs provide a haven for swallow-tailed gulls, red-billed tropic birds, and sehar-waters petrels. The Santa Fe species of land iguanas are often seen, as well as lava lizards. There is a picturesque turquoise lagoon and calm waters where you can snorkel amongst sea lions.
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 3 – Santiago Island
AM: This large coffee-coloured sand beach is just north of the prized fresh water supply that once attracted pirates and whalers. A short walk inland will take you through a mangrove forest normally inhabited by the common stilt. Sea turtles also visit these mangroves to nest. Beyond the mangroves is a brackish lagoon where flocks of pink flamingos and white-cheeked pintails can be seen. Sea turtles often lay their eggs on Espumilla Beach.
PM: 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.
Day 4 – Genovesa Island
AM: 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 frigatebirds display their pouches while resting on the nearby rocks and plants, and mockingbirds scamper quickly across the sand.
PM: 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.
Day 5 – Bartholomew Island & Santiago
AM: Bartholomew is the most photographed island in the Archipelago, and its pictures are the most shown next to Galapagos’ name. In fact, a walk through an unusual lava landscape, and then up some wooden stairs, will take you to the top, from where the view is more spectacular than what the images suggest.
PM: 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.
Day 6 – 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 7 – 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 8 – San Cristobal Island
AM: El Junco Lagoon, in a small crater which in turn is located within the large caldera of a volcano, is the only permanent freshwater lake in the Galápagos. From the top of the crater there are breathtaking views of the Lagoon and surrounding hills. It is frequented by dozens of frigates and you can normally also see Galápagos pintails, moorhens and pied-billed grebes.
Transfer to the Airport.
| Departure | Arrival | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 27th of May 2024 | Monday 3rd of June 2024 | [request availability] |
| Monday 10th of June 2024 | Monday 17th of June 2024 | [request availability] |
| Monday 24th of June 2024 | Monday 1st of July 2024 | [request availability] |
| Monday 8th of July 2024 | Monday 15th of July 2024 | [request availability] |
| Monday 22nd of July 2024 | Monday 29th of July 2024 | [request availability] |
| Monday 5th of August 2024 | Monday 12th of August 2024 | [request availability] |
| Monday 19th of August 2024 | Monday 26th of August 2024 | [request availability] |
| Monday 2nd of September 2024 | Monday 9th of September 2024 | [request availability] |
| Monday 16th of September 2024 | Monday 23rd of September 2024 | [request availability] |
| Monday 30th of September 2024 | Monday 7th of October 2024 | [request availability] |
| Monday 14th of October 2024 | Monday 21st of October 2024 | [request availability] |
| Monday 28th of October 2024 | Monday 4th of November 2024 | [request availability] |
| Monday 11th of November 2024 | Monday 18th of November 2024 | [request availability] |
| Monday 25th of November 2024 | Monday 2nd of December 2024 | [request availability] |
| Monday 9th of December 2024 | Monday 16th of December 2024 | [request availability] |
| Monday 23rd of December 2024 | Monday 30th of December 2024 | [request availability] |
| Monday 6th of January 2025 | Monday 13th of January 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 20th of January 2025 | Monday 27th of January 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 3rd of February 2025 | Monday 10th of February 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 17th of February 2025 | Monday 24th of February 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 3rd of March 2025 | Monday 10th of March 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 17th of March 2025 | Monday 24th of March 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 31st of March 2025 | Monday 7th of April 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 14th of April 2025 | Monday 21st of April 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 28th of April 2025 | Monday 5th of May 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 12th of May 2025 | Monday 19th of May 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 26th of May 2025 | Monday 2nd of June 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 9th of June 2025 | Monday 16th of June 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 23rd of June 2025 | Monday 30th of June 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 7th of July 2025 | Monday 14th of July 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 21st of July 2025 | Monday 28th of July 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 4th of August 2025 | Monday 11th of August 2025 | [request availability] |