Cachalote – 8 Days (Fernandina)

Day 1 – Baltra Island & Santa Cruz Island
AM: Arrival in airport and transfer to the boat. Briefing on board about the boat and the island.
PM: El Chato is a reserve in the highlands of Santa Cruz, where you have the amazing opportunity to observe the magnificent giant tortoise in the wild. This area is vegetated with transition zone vegetation and is located in the humid zone of the highlands of Santa Cruz. The walk to the reserve is one of the best places to observe ground birds, tree and ground finches, the vermillion flycatcher, cattle egrets and occasionally Galápagos rails.
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.

Day 2 – Sombrero Chino Island & Rábida Island
AM: 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.
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: Sierra Negra is a large shield volcano at the South eastern end of Isabela Island. It is the habitat for the Sierra Negra giant tortoise, which has a saddleback shell. On the way up to Sierra Negra you can see tall trees and lush highland vegetation and the summit offers a spectacular view of the lowlands.

Day 4 – Isabela Island
AM: At the Moreno Point you can see beautiful rocky shores where penguins and shore birds, including great blue herons, are usually spotted. You can also enter a grove of mangroves, where oysters can be seen at the base of the trees. A trek traverses the sharpest lava rocks in the Islands where dry lava is interspersed with lagoons and small ponds containing abundant wildlife.
PM: Elizabeth Bay is a marine visitor site. As enter you the bay Galápagos hawks can soar overhear and schools of pompanos and dorados can be seen swimming underneath you. Las Marielas, the small islets just outside the bay, are home to the largest concentration of Galápagos penguins living in the Islands. You can also see a red mangrove cove, passing through the red root and green leaf breeding ground for fish.

Day 5 – Isabela Island
AM: The waters of Urbina Bay are a good place to see turtles and rays and ashore is a short trail leading to a coral reef, which is evidence of an uplift from the sea which occurred in 1954. This provides the rare experience of walking in the middle of a bed of coral. Marine iguanas, flightless cormorants and pelicans can be seen at this site.
PM: Tagus Cove was named after a British warship which anchored here in 1814, this cove is located to the west of the island and you can take a panga (zodiac) trip below the high cliffs. Here there is an opportunity to see penguins as well as marine iguanas, Sally Lightfoot crabs and sea lions. Blue-footed boobies are also in abundance.

Day 6 – Fernandina Island & Isabela Island
AM: Punta Espinosa is a narrow stretch of land where hundreds of marine iguanas gather largely on black lava rocks. The famous flightless cormorant inhabits this island and Galápagos penguins, pelicans and sea lions are also abundant. Different types of lava flows can be compared and the mangrove forests can be observed.
PM: At the Vicente Roca Point the remnants of an ancient volcano form two turquoise coves with a bay well protected from the ocean swells. The spot is a popular anchorage from which to explore the cliffs, where masked and blue-footed boobies perch while flightless cormorants inhabit the shoreline. The upwelling of coldwater currents in this part of the Galápagos give rise to an abundance of marine life, which make Punta Vicente Roca one of the archipelago’s sough after dive spots.

Day 7 – Santiago Island & Bartholomew Island
AM: Puerto Egas, with its black sand beaches, was the site of small salt mining industry in the 1960s. A hike inland to the salt crater is an excellent opportunity to sight land birds such as finches, doves, and hawks. A walk down the rugged shoreline will turn up many marine species. Iguanas bask on the rocks and sea lions laze in the tide pools. At the end of the trail there is a series of grottoes or sea caves where fur seals and night herons are found.
PM: Bartholomew is the most photographed island in the Archipelago, and its pictures are the most shown next to Galapagos’ name. In fact, a walk through an unusual lava landscape, and then up some wooden stairs, will take you to the top, from where the view is more spectacular than what the images suggest.

Day 8 – North Seymour Island
AM: The 2km trail crosses the inland of the island North Seymour and explores the rocky coast, passing colonies of blue-footed boobies and magnificent frigatebirds. Daphne Major and Minor can be spotted in the distance and body surfing sea lions play close to the shore. Along the shoreline marine iguanas, white coral and black lava rocks complete the visit to North Seymour.

Transfer to the Airport.

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