Cruise - Galapagos Islands First Class

AM: Flight from Quito or Guayaquil to the Galapagos Islands.

PM: Upon arrival at Baltra Airport, our guide will welcome you in the lobby, help you with your luggage and accompany you on the short bus ride (15 minutes) to the Itabaca Channel. After the crossing we will travel for 45 minutes to 1 hour by bus to the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. Then we will enjoy a delicious lunch at a private ranch. The passengers who will board the yacht in Puerto Ayora will have lunch on board and will visit the altiplano with the rest of the group later.

Our guide will take us for a walk through a beautiful forest full of ferns, sediments and miconias, while you will also be able to observe some giant turtles in their natural habitat.

Later, we will go to one of the many lava tunnels in the region. Here we will enjoy a short walk through the tunnel, where we will be able to admire the results of a powerful volcanic eruption that occurred millions of years ago.

After our visit, we will head to Puerto Ayora and board the yacht, where we will have an official welcome drink followed by dinner. 

After dinner, our guide will explain the activities of the following day, as well as some general recommendations for visitors to the Galapagos Islands.

AM: Isabela is the name of the largest and youngest island within the Galapagos Archipelago.

In the morning we will begin our first visit to the islets known as Las Tintoreras, located south of Puerto Villamil. This area has a small bay of calm turquoise waters, where we can observe sea lions, sea turtles, marine iguanas, rays, and many other aquatic species. Next, we will walk along a path and explore two different beaches. The first beach we will find is a popular place for sea lions and marine iguanas that nest in the area, while the second beach is surrounded by button mangroves (Conocarpus erecta) and white mangroves (Laguncularia racemosa).

After the visit to Tintoreras, we will disembark in Puerto Villamil to head to the Sierra Negra Volcano, found in the altiplano of the island, which rises to an altitude of 1124m. It is located between Cerro Azul volcano in the west and Alcedo volcano in the north. It is also one of the most active volcanoes in the Galapagos, with the last eruption occurring in June 2018.

PM: After lunch, during the afternoon, we will visit the swamps known as "Los Humedales", where we will be able to see a great variety of swamp birds, most of them endemic to the island.

After our visit, we will have some free time in the small town of Puerto Villamil. At the end of the day, we will board the yacht for dinner and a well deserved rest.

AM: Punta Moreno is located on the northern coast of Isabela Island, between the Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul volcanoes. The distance of the trail is approximately 2100 meters, but this will give us a panoramic view of the three most active volcanoes of the Galapagos: Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul on Isabela Island, and the summit of Fernandina Island. We will have the opportunity to make a surface dive in this area where, despite the cold waters, marine life is abundant. After this visit, we will return to the yacht for lunch and rest a little before leaving for our afternoon activity.

PM: In the afternoon, we will visit Elizabeth Bay. The trip will begin in a bay surrounded by red mangroves. Here we will be able to observe sea turtles, flightless cormorants, spotted eagle rays, golden rays, brown pelicans and sea lions. Visitors have often seen Galapagos falcons flying over their heads, while shoals of Pompano and Mahi-mahi fish are seen swimming below. This is an amazing place due to the large amount of marine and land fauna, as well as the unique and beautiful landscape of the region. After this visit, we will return to the yacht for dinner and rest.

AM: The bay is located at the eastern base of the Alcedo volcano, with a path of approximately 3200m connecting it to the beach, where, after landing on the beach, we will have to cross the coastal area, crossing sand, rocks, lava, corals and plant formations. In this place, we will be able to see large land iguanas, as well as giant Galapagos turtles, flightless cormorants, blue-footed boobies, Galapagos penguins, pelicans and marine iguanas.

PM: We will return to the yacht to enjoy a delicious lunch, followed by a short navigation towards the Tagus cove. Here we will have the opportunity to snorkel, surface dive or kayak. Around 4:00pm, we will walk to the top of the cliff that leads us to a viewpoint of Lake Darwin, a lake with high salt concentrations.

Finally, we will observe Lake Darwin. It does not contain any fish, and only some life forms due to its high salinity. Supposedly, in the past there was an explosive volcanic eruption in the area, since there are a large number of volcanic rocks of various sizes that can be found here. Among the most common are small spherical balls, almost perfectly shaped, called "lapili" or petrified rain.

AM: Fernandina is the third largest island in the archipelago and has only one point of interest. Punta Espinoza is located in the extreme northeast of the island and is a narrow platform of lava and sand that extends from the base of the volcano to the sea. Punta Espinoza is well known for its large colonies of marine iguanas, and its unique fauna full of species such as the flightless cormorant, Galapagos penguin, Galapagos falcon, and Galapagos racing serpent. After this visit, there will be the possibility to snorkel in the area, where we will be able to swim with marine iguanas, large colonies of sea turtles, and if we are lucky, even with beautiful sea horses.

PM: It is believed that Isabela Island is shaped like a sea horse, where Punta Vicente Roca would be considered the mount. Here you will find the remains of an ancient volcano that forms two coves with clear turquoise water, together with a bay protected from the ocean waves. From this point we will have a snorkeling activity, followed by a panga walk along the cliffs to observe the remains of the volcano, or we will be able to explore a cave that is partially found under water. Nazca boobies and blue-footed boobies perch along the steep cliffs, while flightless cormorants inhabit the coast.

At the end of our activity, we will begin to sail the ship, so that we will approach and cross the equator line. At this point, we will have a special cocktail to celebrate our crossing to the northern hemisphere.

AM: Puerto Egas is a black sandy beach located on the west side of James Bay, northwest of Santiago Island. The place is named after Mr. Héctor Egas, who tried to exploit the salt found in this area, but failed due to the price of salt in other parts of the country. The walk along the rugged coast, especially during low tides, will allow us to observe many marine species, such as iguanas relaxing on the rocks and sea lions resting in tidal pools.

We will have the opportunity to snorkel near the beach of Puerto Egas to enjoy the marine landscape that is relatively different from the places visited previously.

PM: In the afternoon, we will visit Rábida Island, considered unique due to the red color of its rocks and sand. The volcanic material on this island is very porous and external factors such as rain, salt water and sea breeze have acted as an oxidizing agent. When we arrive, we will enjoy a snorkeling activity in order to learn about the marine life in this area, which is full of interesting aquatic species. A short walk along a trail will take us to a lagoon to observe the beautiful land birds such as finches, pigeons, yellow-bellied warblers and mockingbirds. This lagoon is also home to a colony of flamingos. The red sand beach, together with the animals, lagoons and vegetation make this place an excellent place to visit.

AM: After a short night of sailing, the sun will dawn on the beautiful Sombrero Chino channel. This small islet is located near the southeast coast of Santiago Island. Our visit provides an excellent opportunity to observe and understand geological features such as lava tubes and lava flows. The landscape is covered by colonies of sea lions, sea iguanas and occasionally Galapagos penguins.

The trail is 700 meters (round trip) and the minimum time needed for this walk is one hour at a moderate pace. We will have time to swim in this beautiful area of the bay, where we will be among sharks, rays, unique species of fish and, occasionally, penguins, before returning to the yacht to enjoy a barbecue on the upper deck. We can also spend some time exploring the area with kayaks, visiting the magnificent geological formations on the surface.

PM: Bartolomé Island is one of the most famous Galapagos points, located in front of Sullivan Bay, near Santiago Island. Upon arriving at this unique location, we will have the opportunity to enter the water and swim around the famous Pedra do Pináculo (Pinnacle Rock), and among the rocks that come out from below the water surface, forming an incredible labyrinth for marine life.

Later we will visit the top of the island, where we will be able to observe a variety of volcanic formations, including volcanic pumps, ash cones, lava flows and lava tubes. This lunar scenery provides one of the most scenic landscapes of the archipelago.

In the second place we will visit, we will have the opportunity to relax on a beautiful beach, which offers excellent opportunities for snorkeling. Multicolored fish, and occasionally penguins and sea turtles were seen at the base of the Pinnacle rock, which dominates Bartolomé`s landscape.

AM: North Seymour is a small island located north of Baltra and will act as our last visit on the onboard itinerary where we will be able to observe the land iguanas of Baltra.

In Baltra we will take a bus to Baltra Island Airport. Our incredible trip through the Galapagos ends here.

We say goodbye to our guide and companions with whom we share this wonderful adventure.