Itinerary - Angelito Cruise
Thursday - Day 1
Baltra and Santa Cruz Highlands:
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: The trip to the highlands takes approximately half an hour. In this short time you can observe the transition between the different vegetation zones, from the arid zone to the Escalda zone (and agricultural area), where the problems of introducing animals and plants are quite noticeable. At the highest point of the road, the National Park starts again.
Primicias Ranch: we visit a farm in the Santa Cruz highlands to watch the Galapagos Turtles in freedom.
During their migratory routes, they spend part of the year in these highlands and are easy to observe.
Friday - Day 2
Gardner Beach - Punta Suarez:
AM: Landing on a beautiful, long and white beach made of coral sand. For this visit, you do not need shoes. A perfect place to watch the finches and mockingbirds in the salt vegetation, you can also enjoy the beach near the Galapagos sea lions.
You can swim and dive on the beach.
PM: Loop trail with landing on a pier. The walk on rocky and stony ground is long and quite challenging.
Visitors can find, even at the beginning of the trail, the colorful Spanish iguana marine and Galapagos sea lions. Everywhere, the curious mockingbird approaches visitors. The path leads through the nesting colonies of blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies and wavy albatrosses. The large Spanish lava lizards are everywhere.
A resting place near a cliff gives the opportunity to observe all the different sea birds flying along the coast.
The take-off of an albatross is a fantastic event to witness.
There is another stop by the blowhole where the sea water is pushed through a crack in the cliff into the air, depending on the waves and tide level up to 80 feet high.
Saturday - Day 3
Santa Fe - South Square:
AM: The landing is on a beach with a large colony of sea lions.
The short trail leads from the sea lion colony, through the dry vegetation of the Arid Zone, to a wonderful cliff wooded with fig pear cactus and then back to a second beach.
Only the very attentive visitors will be able to detect the endemic land iguana of Santa Fe, as they camouflage perfectly in the same colors as the vegetation and their territories are quite significant.
PM: Easy trail with landing on a pier.
Plaza Sur is a small elevated island with a cliff 25 meters high on the southern side of the island. The entire north coast, flat and rocky, has a large sea lion colony of Galapagos and at point east a colony of single sea lions. Very attractive are the beautiful pear-thorn cacti and of course the large colony of land iguanas.
Depending on the season, the terrestrial vegetation of the desert changes its color from intense green in the rainy season to orange and purple in the dry season.
Sunday - Day 4
Black Turtles Cove - Baltra:
AM: With the boat, early in the morning, before breakfast, we enter the large protected inlet of the mangroves. We turn off the motor of the boat to watch the sea turtles.
There are many of them in the inlet during the mating and nesting season (December to February), but even out of season, there are always some turtles that stay in the mangrove inlet to rest. You may also spot eagle rays, golden rays and white-tipped reef sharks.
At the end of the cruise, you will leave the Angelito at Baltra port to be transferred to the airport to board your plane back to the continent.