Cachalote – 8 Days (Tower)

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 – Santa Fe Island & South Plaza Island
AM: Santa Fe is a volcanic uplift and hosts a forest of Opuntia cactus, which are the largest of the archipelago, and palo santo. Weathered cliffs provide a haven for swallow-tailed gulls, red-billed tropic birds, and sehar-waters petrels. The Santa Fe species of land iguanas are often seen, as well as lava lizards. There is a picturesque turquoise lagoon and calm waters where you can snorkel amongst sea lions.
PM: South Plaza has one of the largest populations of land iguanas in the Galápagos. It is also home to marine iguanas and a hybrid iguana whose fathers are marine iguanas and mothers are land iguanas. There are cliffs with spectacular views and a rocky trail circumnavigates the island displaying the combination of dry and coastal vegetation zone. The island is home to enormous prickly pear cactus and the endemic succulent sesuvian.

Day 3 – 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: El Junco Lagoon, in a small crater which in turn is located within the large caldera of a volcano, is the only permanent freshwater lake in the Galápagos. From the top of the crater there are breathtaking views of the Lagoon and surrounding hills. It is frequented by dozens of frigates and you can normally also see Galápagos pintails, moorhens and pied-billed grebes.

Day 4 – Española Island
AM: 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.
PM: 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.

Day 5 – Floreana Island
AM: 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.
PM: 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.

Day 6 – Santa Cruz Island & Santiago 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 Sullivan Bay lava field has a variety of interesting patterns made by the shapes and textures of trees that once existed there and hornitos caused when pockets of gas or water trapped under the lava exploded. The low-lying mollugo and the lava cactus are the only plants that have managed to take root in this harsh environment. On the shoreline black and white oystercatchers can be seen fishing for crabs and molluscs in the tide pools.

Day 7 – Genovesa Island
AM: The beach of Darwin Bay is a coral beach where a 750m trail takes you through more seabird colonies. You get to see the cliffs from the seaward side, which are home to a large red-footed booby colony. Once ashore the number of birds seems overwhelming – Nazca boobies soar overhead, great frigate birds display their pouches while resting on the nearby rocks and plants, and mockingbirds scamper quickly across the sand.
PM: Prince Phillip´s step is an extraordinary, steep path that leads through a seabird colony full of life, up to cliffs that are 25m high. At the top the trail continues inland, passing more seabird colonies in a thin palo santo forest. Leaving the forest you can overview a rocky plain. You could get a view of masked and red-footed boobies, great frigate birds, swallow-tailed gulls, red-billed tropicbirds and hundreds of storm petrels at the edge of the cliff.

Day 8 – Santa CruzIsland
AM: Black Turtle Cove is located on the north side of the island and is only accessible by boat and with a guide. This shallow inlet is surrounded by mangroves and provides natural protection for a variety of marine life, attracting the vulnerable juveniles of many species. Below the surface of the water, you can see both blacktip and whitetip reef sharks, sea turtles, golden cownose rays, spotted eagle rays, and an occasional hammerhead shark. Pelicans and Boobies hunt here, diving gracefully into the water.

Transfer to the Airport.

Departure	Arrival
Wednesday 25th of December 2024	Wednesday 1st of January 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 8th of January 2025	Wednesday 15th of January 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 22nd of January 2025	Wednesday 29th of January 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 5th of February 2025	Wednesday 12th of February 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 19th of February 2025	Wednesday 26th of February 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 5th of March 2025	Wednesday 12th of March 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 19th of March 2025	Wednesday 26th of March 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 2nd of April 2025	Wednesday 9th of April 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 16th of April 2025	Wednesday 23rd of April 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 30th of April 2025	Wednesday 7th of May 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 14th of May 2025	Wednesday 21st of May 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 28th of May 2025	Wednesday 4th of June 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 11th of June 2025	Wednesday 18th of June 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 25th of June 2025	Wednesday 2nd of July 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 9th of July 2025	Wednesday 16th of July 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 23rd of July 2025	Wednesday 30th of July 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 6th of August 2025	Wednesday 13th of August 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 20th of August 2025	Wednesday 27th of August 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 3rd of September 2025	Wednesday 10th of September 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 17th of September 2025	Wednesday 24th of September 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 1st of October 2025	Wednesday 8th of October 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 15th of October 2025	Wednesday 22nd of October 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 29th of October 2025	Wednesday 5th of November 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 12th of November 2025	Wednesday 19th of November 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 26th of November 2025	Wednesday 3rd of December 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 10th of December 2025	Wednesday 17th of December 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 24th of December 2025	Wednesday 31st of December 2025	[request availability]
Wednesday 7th of January 2026	Wednesday 14th of January 2026	[request availability]
Wednesday 21st of January 2026	Wednesday 28th of January 2026	[request availability]
Wednesday 4th of February 2026	Wednesday 11th of February 2026	[request availability]
Wednesday 18th of February 2026	Wednesday 25th of February 2026	[request availability]
Wednesday 4th of March 2026	Wednesday 11th of March 2026	[request availability]