Day 1: Sunday - Santa Cruz. Departure from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra (aprox. 2 and half hour flight). Passengers are picked up at the airport by our guides and taken to the Itabaca canal, then cross to the Island of Santa Cruz and travel to Puerto Ayora. Santa Cruz (Highlands). One option is to cross the highlands of Santa Cruz. Passengers will observe the twin pit craters and visit Cerro Chato. You’ll be able to observe the famous giant tortoises. Additionally, travelers can walk inside the dormant lava tubes. Day 2: Monday - Española (Suarez Point). Dry landing. Visitors will learn about the lava terrain and cross the inactive lava fields. Besides the sea lion colonies, this is one of the most important sites for bird watching. Many species, like the hooded mockingbird and red-billed tropic, can be spotted and observed closely. Past the nesting grounds you’ll reach the world’s largest colony of waved albatross. From May to December their mating rituals are a highlight of the visit. Later, you’ll visit the famous blowhole, where water shoots 23 m (75 ft) into the air. Española (Gardner Bay). Wet landing on a white coral beach amidst a large colony of sea lions. This site has no trails, so hiking is not possible. It’s an open area where you can spot Galapagos hawks, American oyster catchers, Galapagos doves, hood mockingbirds, 3 species of Darwin finches, yellow warblers, lava lizards, marine iguanas. It’s great for swimming and snorkeling, and you can see many Galapagos marine species like king angelfish, creole fish, damsel fish, parrot fish, manta rays, white tipped reef sharks. Day 3: Tuesday - Floreana (Cormorant Point). Wet landing on a greenish colored beach. Passengers will hike from black mangrove beds to a lagoon. This large, brackish lagoon holds one of the largest flamingo populations in the Galapagos. This island is best known for its endemic plant life like the Galapagos millwork, passion flower, and button mangrove. Novice snorkelers can practice on the main beach with the playful sea lions; experienced snorkelers can roam around Devils Crown. Champions. After Cormorant Point, we’ll make dinghy ride along the coast. One hour tour to observe: blue footed bobbies, sea lions, marine iguanas, swallow-tailed gulls. Deep water snorkeling, this unforgettable activity lasts an hour approximately you will be swimming in an aquarium with colorful fishes, tame sharks, and rays. Floreana (Post office). Located on the north side of Floreana Island, the bay is so-named because in 1793, Captain James Colnett installed an empty barrel which served as an informal post box for sailors who passed through the Galapagos, taking with them the letters to their destinations. Today, our visitors continue the tradition by placing unstamped postcards inside the barrel which reach their destinations for free. It can take weeks, sometimes months, or sometimes the cards never arrive at all! A short walk from the famous barrel, you’ll come to a tunnel formed by lava flows. Down a path you can observe the mocking bird of Galapagos, some species of Darwin’s finches, yellow Wardle and lava lizards. After a short trip in the panga, you’ll make a dry landing at Lookout Point where you enjoy a great view among marine birds. Day 4: Wednesday - North Seymour. Dry landing. Guests will encounter swallow tailed gulls and sea lions. This site is a major nesting colony of blue footed boobies and has the largest colony of the magnificent frigate bird. Travelers will also spot both iguana species, the marine iguanas and land iguanas, and then hike around the nesting sites. Disembark at the docks (Baltra); passengers will take a bus to the airport for their flight back to the mainland via Guayaquil to Quito. For 7 nights passengers remain on board. Notes:
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