| Day | Visitor Site |
|---|---|
| Monday | AM - Flight to Baltra Airport |
| PM - Puerto Ayora & Charles Darwin Station (Santa Cruz) | |
| Tuesday | AM - Chinese Hat |
| PM - Rabida | |
| Wednesday | AM - Espumilla Beach & Buccaneer Cove (Santiago) |
| PM - Puerto Egas (Santiago) | |
| Thursday | AM - Punta Espinoza (Fernandina) |
| PM - Tagus Cove (Isabela) | |
| Friday | AM - Elizabeth Bay (Isabela) |
| PM - Punta Moreno (Isabela) | |
| Saturday | AM - Tintoreras, Wetlands & Muro de las Lagrimas (Isabela) |
| PM - Tortoise Breeding Center & Sierra Negra Volcano (Isabela) | |
| Sunday | AM - El Chato & Santa Cruz Highlands (Santa Cruz) |
| PM - Tortuga Bay (Santa Cruz) | |
| Monday | AM - Puerto Baquerizo Moreno & Interpretation Center (San Cristóbal) |
| Tour Ends - Transfer to Airport |
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: 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 – Santiago Island
AM: This large coffee-coloured sand beach is just north of the prized fresh water supply that once attracted pirates and whalers. A short walk inland will take you through a mangrove forest normally inhabited by the common stilt. Sea turtles also visit these mangroves to nest. Beyond the mangroves is a brackish lagoon where flocks of pink flamingos and white-cheeked pintails can be seen. Sea turtles often lay their eggs on Espumilla Beach.
Buccaneer Cove is a testament to the fact that Santiago Island was once a refuge for British buccaneers. These pirates would anchor in the protected bay to make repairs and stock up on tortoise meat among other things. The steep cliffs, where hundreds of seabirds perch in front of the dark red sand beach, are a magnificent site.
PM: 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.
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: 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.
Day 6 – Isabela Island
AM: A short distance from Puerto Villamil is the small island known as Las Tintoreras. Here a colony of white tip sharks can often be seen resting in a lava canal. You can snorkel or swim in the unique habitat of these animals. On the nearby sandy beaches, sea lions play and relax in the sun. This is one of Isabela’s most beautiful visitor sites.
The Wetlands of Isabela Island are located just outside of Puerto Villamil. The Wetlands consist of lagoons, swamps and mangroves and are home to a variety of unique bird species such as common stilts, whimbrels, white-cheeked pintails and gallinules. The Wetlands can be visited on foot via a path that winds through the swamps.
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.
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 7 – Santa Cruz Island
AM: 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.
PM: Tortuga Bay is a pristine location with a beautiful white-sand beach. It is a great place for swimming and even surfing. Tortuga Bay is also a favorite place for sea turtles (which gave the beach its name), sea lions, marine iguanas, pelicans, flamingos and lava gulls which are endemic to the Islands and are commonly found along the shore of most beaches.
Day 8 – San CristobalIsland
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 23rd of December 2024 | Monday 30th of December 2024 | [request availability] |
| Monday 6th of January 2025 | Monday 13th of January 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 20th of January 2025 | Monday 27th of January 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 3rd of February 2025 | Monday 10th of February 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 17th of February 2025 | Monday 24th of February 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 3rd of March 2025 | Monday 10th of March 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 17th of March 2025 | Monday 24th of March 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 31st of March 2025 | Monday 7th of April 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 14th of April 2025 | Monday 21st of April 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 28th of April 2025 | Monday 5th of May 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 12th of May 2025 | Monday 19th of May 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 26th of May 2025 | Monday 2nd of June 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 9th of June 2025 | Monday 16th of June 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 23rd of June 2025 | Monday 30th of June 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 7th of July 2025 | Monday 14th of July 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 21st of July 2025 | Monday 28th of July 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 4th of August 2025 | Monday 11th of August 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 18th of August 2025 | Monday 25th of August 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 1st of September 2025 | Monday 8th of September 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 15th of September 2025 | Monday 22nd of September 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 29th of September 2025 | Monday 6th of October 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 13th of October 2025 | Monday 20th of October 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 27th of October 2025 | Monday 3rd of November 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 10th of November 2025 | Monday 17th of November 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 24th of November 2025 | Monday 1st of December 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 8th of December 2025 | Monday 15th of December 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 22nd of December 2025 | Monday 29th of December 2025 | [request availability] |
| Monday 5th of January 2026 | Monday 12th of January 2026 | [request availability] |
| Monday 19th of January 2026 | Monday 26th of January 2026 | [request availability] |
| Monday 2nd of February 2026 | Monday 9th of February 2026 | [request availability] |
| Monday 16th of February 2026 | Monday 23rd of February 2026 | [request availability] |
| Monday 2nd of March 2026 | Monday 9th of March 2026 | [request availability] |