Itinerary - Angelito Cruise
Sunday - Day 1
Baltra and Seymour Norte:
AM: The island of Baltra is the only island of all Galapagos, not included in its totality in the National Park area. The Americans built Baltra`s airport between 1941- 1948, using it as an air force base in the Pacific during World War II. The airport and the port are now Ecuadorian military territory. Unfortunately, both military presences left their traces.
The flight from Guayaquil to Galapagos takes about 90 minutes. Upon arrival at the airport, visitors will have to pay the entrance fee of US$ 100 to the National Park. Leaving the arrival hall, the National Park Guide will wait for you and accompany the entire group to the port of Baltra, where our Yacht is anchored.
PM: Seymour Norte is a flat and elevated island in the "rain shadow" of Santa Cruz Island and, for this reason, with dry vegetation of the Arid Zone.
The landing on the pier is often a bit complicated, depending on the waves.
The arrival on the rocky coast is full of surprises with sea lions, swallow-tailed seagulls, light-footed crabs and marine iguanas. The trail leads through the nesting area of the colonies of blue-footed boobies and frigate birds.
Monday - Day 2
Chinese Hat - Bartolome:
AM: Only a 200 meters wide channel separates this small island from the big island of Santiago. The shape of the island looks like a Chinese hat, and the island is beautiful because of the landscape.
The landing is on a small white coral beach with sea lions. The smooth and short trail leads along the coast with very fragile lava. There are many small lava tubes and little, but very attractive, vegetation. The cushioned lava can be found at the turning point of the trail.
PM: The landing is at a pier. The trail leads to the summit of Bartolome on a wooden walkway and stairs to protect the fragile landscape. The view from the top of Bartolome, Santiago with Sullivan Bay and the neighboring islands is wonderful. All the secondary cones, lava flows and lava tubes imitate a lunar landscape.
We have the possibility to dive around Pináculo Rock, Bartolome`s famous landmark.
In the late afternoon, we go with the boat along the coast to observe the Galapagos penguins. The penguin lives and nests in the lava tubes of the rocky coast, where we also fish.
Tuesday - Day 3
Genovesa: Darwin Bay - The steps of Prince Philip:
AM: Landing on a small white beach made of coral sand. The trail follows the coastal vegetation of red mangroves and bushes. The thorny pear cactus in particular grows on Genovesa often as a cactus hanging with soft, hairy thorns. Under the coastal vegetation, swallow-tailed gulls are nesting, and in the bushes, there are the nests of red-footed boobies and magnificent frigate birds. Some boobies nest on the ground. The trail leads along small pools of fresh water to the cliff with a spectacular view over the caldera. At low tide, there are thousands of Galapagos crabs on sandy soil.
PM: Disembark near the cliff. Prince Felipe`s steps offer the only possibility to climb the steep basaltic cliff. The following trail leads, through a small colony of masked boobies nests and crosses a low and dense forest of palo santo where the red-footed boobies have their nests. Arriving at the edge of the island, there are thousands of small petrels nesting in the cracks and lava tubes. They are the favorite food of the short-eared owls. On both sides of the trail, there is a large colony of Nazca owls nesting.
Wednesday - Day 4
Porto Egas - Rabida:
AM: The landmark of Puerto Egas are the cliff formations with the relief structures. The landing is on a black beach. The walk shows, during the ever changing levels of the tide, an unusual and peculiar fauna. Often we can observe lava herons fishing in the tide pools.
Throughout the walk we can see Galapagos sea lions, light-footed crabs and marine iguanas. Depending on the season, there are also many migrant coastal birds that live on these shores during the winter. Next to the trail we will find a colony of Galapagos fur seals. The Galapagos fur seal found an ideal living space in the cracks and caves of the rocky lava coast.
PM: Rabida looks red by the color of the lava that contains a lot of ferric oxide. Very special is the red sand of the beach with the salt vegetation and the silver trees of palo santo on the slopes. Before El Niño, Rabida had one of the largest colonies of sea lions in Galapagos. The colony is recovering again with small remaining population. There is a small lagoon behind the coarse salt vegetation area with (depending on the season) flamingos and white-cheeked ducks.
Thursday - Day 5
Darwin Station - Transfer from Porto Ayora to Itabaca Channel - Baltra:
AM: The visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station gives the opportunity to know the scientific work that is being done in the National Park. Especially the survey programs for the different subspecies of giant turtles.
In the Van Straiten Exhibition Hall, there is interesting documentation about the Galapagos Islands with photos and diagrams. The vegetation is lush green and many of Darwin`s finches are easy to identify.
End of the five-day cruise: passengers returning to the mainland are accompanied to the Itabaca Channel.