Athala – 8 Days (Española)

Day 1 – Baltra Island & Sombrero Chino Island
AM: Arrival in airport and transfer to the boat. Briefing on board about the boat and the island.
PM: Sombrero Chino is named after its shape formed by volcanic rock giving it the name, Chinese Hat.  Since it was given a maximum visiting capacity by the National Park Service it offers rare, up close viewing of Galapagos wildlife and well preserved remnants of fragile volcanic rock that can’t be found in such a unique condition anywhere else.  The islet is home to a colony of sea lions on the white coral sand beach.  Here you can see American Oystercatchers, Galapagos Penguins swimming along the shores, and Sally-Lightfoot Crabs in bright contrast to the dark volcanic rock.

Day 2 – Santa Cruz Island & Rábida Island    
AM: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.
PM: 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.

Day 3 – Isabela Island
AM: Puerto Villamil is a small peaceful town with a laid back atmosphere and long white-sand, palm-lined beaches. Behind Villamil are several brackish water lagoons where pink flamingos, common stilts, whimbrels, white-cheeked pintails, gallinules are usually seen. Villamil is also home to a tortoise breeding centre. Here you can see several species of Isabela tortoises next to each other and observe the way each evolved differently depending on their environment.
PM:The Tortoise Breeding center was created to protect animals in their first years of life from the threats of foreign species such as pigs and donkeys. Giant tortoise eggs are collected and brought to the center where they are hatched and kept for five years before being released to their natural environment.

Day 4 – Floreana Island  
AM: The Baroness´ Observatory is a site that shows a breath-taking view of La Lobería and the inland features of Floreana Island. You can also learn about the mysterious disappearance of Baroness Eloise Wehrborn de Wagner-Bosquet, an attractive young Austrian, who lived on Floreana with her two lovers.
The best known site on Floreana is Post Office Bay, a white-sand beach where in the past sailors used to leave and receive their letters in a barrel. The tradition continues – leave your postcard in the barrel and see how long it takes to be delivered, and at the same time if there is a postcard with an address close to your home, please take it with you.
PM: Noted for the volcanic green olivine crystals found in the beach, Cormorant Point offers a trail overlooking a saltwater lagoon that is a favourite of flamingos. Beyond the lagoon the trail leads to a magnificent white-sand beach. Green sea turtles lay their eggs in the sands here during the night and their tracks leading to and from the sea mark the beach.
A small island located very near Floreana, snorkeling and diving around Champion can be excellent. Champion Rock is a beautiful drift dive on a wall. The walls are covered with black coral bushes and yellow cup corals and if you take a close look you are likely to find a Pacific seahorse or some of several species of hawkfish, as well as green turtles, salema and surgeonfish.

Day 5 – San Cristobal Island
AM: One of the first sites visited by Charles Darwin, Cerro Brujo is a beautiful white-sand beach where brown pelicans, blue-footed boobies, sea lions, and marine iguanas can all be found. An onshore version of nearby Kicker Rocks, Cerro Brujo is a very striking, eroded tuff cone. There is also fantastic snorkeling in the turquoise waters.
PM: Isla Lobos is a small island named after the sea lions that rest and play on its rocky shores. It is also home to blue-footed boobies, great frigate-birds, brown pelicans, lava gulls, common noddies, yellow warblers and small and medium ground finches. There is good snorkeling in the clear waters of the channel and this is one of the best sites at which to swim with sea lions underwater.

Day 6 – 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: Puerto Ayora is the economic centre of the Galápagos Islands with many restaurants, souvenir shops, discotheques, bars, internet coffee shops and other stores. A good way to wind down after a Galápagos Islands cruise is to take a stroll through the town of Puerto Ayora. The bay is a good location to spot brown pelicans, golden rays, marine iguanas, herons, lava gulls, frigate birds, Galápagos sea lions, and large numbers of blue-footed boobies.

Day 7 – Española Island
AM: Suárez Point is one of the most outstanding wildlife areas of the archipelago, with a long list of species found along its cliffs and sand or pebble beaches. In addition to five species of nesting seabirds there are the curious and bold Española Island mockingbirds, Galápagos doves and Galápagos hawks. Several types of reptiles, including the marine iguana and the oversized lava lizard, are unique to this island.
PM: Gardner Bay has a magnificent beach with turquoise waters. Around the small islets nearby, snorkellers will find lots of fish and sometimes turtles and sharks. The bay is also frequented by a transient colony of sea lions which like to swim with you. Birds, like the endemic Hood-mockingbird and different species of Darwin finches, are omnipresent.

Day 8 – Daphne Island
AM: Daphne Island is a volcanic tuff cone, formed by successive explosions produced by the mixture of lava and water. On this island, Dr. Peter Grant has made a long-term study of Darwin’s finches, which is why you can see these birds are banded. The palo santo present herein Bursera malacophyla is endemic to the Daphne Islands, North Seymour and Baltra. The blue-footed booby nests inside the craters and the masked booby nests on the flanks of the cone and the edge of the craters and the tropical bird that nests in cavities in the cliffs.

Transfer to the Airport.

Departure	Arrival
Saturday 4th of January 2025	Saturday 11th of January 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 18th of January 2025	Saturday 25th of January 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 1st of February 2025	Saturday 8th of February 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 15th of February 2025	Saturday 22nd of February 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 1st of March 2025	Saturday 8th of March 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 15th of March 2025	Saturday 22nd of March 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 29th of March 2025	Saturday 5th of April 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 12th of April 2025	Saturday 19th of April 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 26th of April 2025	Saturday 3rd of May 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 10th of May 2025	Saturday 17th of May 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 24th of May 2025	Saturday 31st of May 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 7th of June 2025	Saturday 14th of June 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 21st of June 2025	Saturday 28th of June 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 5th of July 2025	Saturday 12th of July 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 19th of July 2025	Saturday 26th of July 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 2nd of August 2025	Saturday 9th of August 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 16th of August 2025	Saturday 23rd of August 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 30th of August 2025	Saturday 6th of September 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 13th of September 2025	Saturday 20th of September 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 27th of September 2025	Saturday 4th of October 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 11th of October 2025	Saturday 18th of October 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 25th of October 2025	Saturday 1st of November 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 8th of November 2025	Saturday 15th of November 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 22nd of November 2025	Saturday 29th of November 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 6th of December 2025	Saturday 13th of December 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 20th of December 2025	Saturday 27th of December 2025	[request availability]
Saturday 3rd of January 2026	Saturday 10th of January 2026	[request availability]
Saturday 17th of January 2026	Saturday 24th of January 2026	[request availability]
Saturday 31st of January 2026	Saturday 7th of February 2026	[request availability]
Saturday 14th of February 2026	Saturday 21st of February 2026	[request availability]
Saturday 28th of February 2026	Saturday 7th of March 2026	[request availability]
Saturday 14th of March 2026	Saturday 21st of March 2026	[request availability]