Day | Visitor Site |
---|---|
Sunday | AM - Flight to San Cristobal |
PM - Galapaguera Cerro Colorado (San Cristobal) | |
Monday | AM - Prince Philip's Steps (Genovesa) |
PM - Darwin Bay (Genovesa) | |
Tuesday | AM - Bachas Beach (Santa Cruz) or Mosquera |
PM - North Seymour | |
Wednesday | AM - Punta Espinoza (Fernandina) |
AM - Elizabeth Bay or Punta Morena (Isabela) | |
Thursday | AM - Urbina Bay (Isabela) |
PM - Tagus Cove (Isabela) | |
Friday | AM - Puerto Egas (Santiago) |
PM - Rabida | |
Saturday | AM - Charles Darwin Station or Highlands (Santa Cruz) |
PM - Santa Fe | |
Sunday | AM - Puerto Baquerizo Moreno & Interpretation Center (San Cristóbal) |
Transfer to the Airport |
Day 1 – San Cristobal Island
AM: Arrival in airport and transfer to the boat. Briefing on board about the boat and the island.
PM: León Dormido is a small, distinctive island that comprises two rocks which jut out of the ocean and is home to a large colony of sea birds. Kicker Rock is an excellent dive site where you could see many reef fish as well as hammerhead and Galápagos sharks. Sightings of large rays and turtles are common but not guaranteed.
Day 2 – Genovesa Island
AM: 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.
PM: 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.
Day 3 – Santa Cruz Island & North Seymour Island
AM: Located on the north shore of Santa Cruz, Las Bachas is a swimming beach. One of the few remnants of the U.S. World War II presence in the Galápagos, a floating pier, can be seen here. You may see flamingos, Sally Lightfoot crabs, hermit crabs, black necked stilts, and whimbrels. Sea turtles also nest off the beach.
PM: 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.
Day 4 – 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: 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 5 – Isabela Island
AM: 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.
PM: 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.
Day 6 – Santiago Island & Rábida 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: 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 7 – Santa Cruz Island & Santa Fe 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: 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.
Day 8 – San Cristobal Island
AM: The Galápagos National Park Interpretation Centre has a series of interactive exhibits providing information about the history and biodiversity of the Galápagos Islands. The self-guided walking tour will take you through the history of the Islands in the context of nature, humankind and conservation.
Transfer to the Airport.
Departure | Arrival | |
---|---|---|
Sunday 5th of January 2025 | Sunday 12th of January 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 19th of January 2025 | Sunday 26th of January 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 2nd of February 2025 | Sunday 9th of February 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 16th of February 2025 | Sunday 23rd of February 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 2nd of March 2025 | Sunday 9th of March 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 16th of March 2025 | Sunday 23rd of March 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 30th of March 2025 | Sunday 6th of April 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 13th of April 2025 | Sunday 20th of April 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 27th of April 2025 | Sunday 4th of May 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 11th of May 2025 | Sunday 18th of May 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 25th of May 2025 | Sunday 1st of June 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 8th of June 2025 | Sunday 15th of June 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 22nd of June 2025 | Sunday 29th of June 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 6th of July 2025 | Sunday 13th of July 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 20th of July 2025 | Sunday 27th of July 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 3rd of August 2025 | Sunday 10th of August 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 17th of August 2025 | Sunday 24th of August 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 31st of August 2025 | Sunday 7th of September 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 14th of September 2025 | Sunday 21st of September 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 28th of September 2025 | Sunday 5th of October 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 12th of October 2025 | Sunday 19th of October 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 26th of October 2025 | Sunday 2nd of November 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 9th of November 2025 | Sunday 16th of November 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 23rd of November 2025 | Sunday 30th of November 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 7th of December 2025 | Sunday 14th of December 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 21st of December 2025 | Sunday 28th of December 2025 | [request availability] |
Sunday 4th of January 2026 | Sunday 11th of January 2026 | [request availability] |
Sunday 18th of January 2026 | Sunday 25th of January 2026 | [request availability] |
Sunday 1st of February 2026 | Sunday 8th of February 2026 | [request availability] |
Sunday 15th of February 2026 | Sunday 22nd of February 2026 | [request availability] |
Sunday 1st of March 2026 | Sunday 8th of March 2026 | [request availability] |
Sunday 15th of March 2026 | Sunday 22nd of March 2026 | [request availability] |