Mary Anne 8 Days East

DAY 1 – SATURDAY
PM After arriving at Baltra airport we will be greeted by an Angermeyer Cruises representant to then board the Mary Anne and have lunch. After lunch, we will navigate a short distance to Black Turtle Cove, a large mangrove lagoon on the north coast of Santa Cruz Island. Pelicans and herons roost on the branches, while marine dwellers such as Green Sea Turtle or Golden Ray may cruise right next to the panga as it makes its way through the mangroves.

DAY 2 – SUNDAY
AM We travel to Genovesa Island and reach Darwin Bay (wet landing), a unique site lined with red mangrove and soft-haired prickly pear cacti where Red-footed Boobies and Great Frigatebirds perch tamely.
PM At Prince Philip Steps (dry landing), we climb the edge of a cliff where Frigatebirds, Nazca Boobies, and Red-footed Boobies nest. We will be seeking out the impressive Red-billed Tropicbird amidst Galapagos Storm Petrels.

DAY 3 – MONDAY
AM Dry landing at Bartholomew to climb up the wooden steps and reach the summit of this spatter cone for a most breathtaking panorama of the islands’ well photographed Pinnacle Rock, views of neighbouring Santiago and many other central islands in the distance.
PM We head across to Sullivan Bay (dry landing) in Santiago to walk over a recent lava flow, including very fresh pahoehoe lava formations, lava bubbles containing crystallized minerals, and pioneer plants. Along the shoreline, we may find Galapagos penguins and herons going after small fish.

DAY 4 – TUESDAY
AM Wet landing onto Rábida’s deep-red beaches to explore the red island’s fascinating interior and saltwater lagoon. Darwin’s finches, Galapagos mockingbirds, and yellow warblers feed off the vegetation; given the right time of the year brown pelicans nesting on salt bushes that fringe the beach.
PM We head across to Cerro Dragón on Santa Cruz’s north-west shore (dry landing); we visit a saltwater lagoon, home to Greater Flamingos, Black-necked Stilts, and White-cheeked Pintails. Further inland we find a fantastic land iguana nesting site.

DAY 5 – WEDNESDAY
AM We will spend this day visiting Santa Cruz Island´s most famous highlights. We will have a dry landing in the dock of Puerto Ayora to then board our transportation and head to the Islands highlands. This are, in contrast to the coastal region, has lush vegetation and forest, due to the humidity that gathers in the higher regions. We will visit one of the ranches of the area, where it´s possible to see giant tortoises in their natural habitat. As these animals migrate from the coastal area to the highlands and back, the chosen ranch will depend on the presence of the tortoises, as they roam free and change their locations. This is also a good place to see the Galapagos hawk and barn owl of this island and the surrounding forests are filled of birds such as the vermilion flycatcher or the yellow warbler.
PM We will enjoy lunch in the ranch to then head back to Puerto Ayora for our second visit of the day, the Charles Darwin research station and the Fausto Llerena breeding center. Here, we will see tortoises from different islands. The animals are found in large semi natural pens for their protection, but also to ensure an easy view for the tourists. The pens are divided according to four different stages: eggs, neonates, juveniles (held here until they are mature enough to be “repatriated”), and adults. After this visit, we will have some time to explore the town of Puerto Ayora and its many souvenir shops, before boarding the S/S Mary Anne for dinner and the usual briefing.

DAY 6 – THURSDAY
AM Dry landing on one of the oldest docks of the Archipelago, colourful Plaza Sur is home to vibrant green prickly pears, deep red Sesuvium and coppery-orange land iguanas; impressive seaward cliffs are excellent for a variety of coastal birds. This is also a great place to observe the adult and pup sea lions swimming along the shores. PM After a wet landing onto a white beach where sea lions are usually resting, on Santa Fe, we will be looking for the endemic species of land iguana, larger and yellower than land iguanas on other islands. The largest prickly pear cacti in the Galapagos are also found here.

DAY 7 – FRIDAY
AM Punta Suárez (dry landing) is a spectacular walk into the intimacies of life at sea, with nesting sites of Bluefooted and Nazca Boobies, as well as the fascinating breeding rituals (April to December) of Waved Albatross. Lined with neon-colored marine iguanas (January), and lazy Galapagos sea lions, we walk up to an amazing viewpoint of the famous blowhole.
PM We will spend the day in fantastic Española, starting with Gardner Bay (wet landing), an outstanding beach with sea lions, marine iguanas, and the intrepid Española Mockingbird.

DAY 8 – SATURDAY AM This is our last day on the islands. After breakfast we will disembark in Puerto Ayora to take our transport to Baltra Airport, doing a short stop to visit the Lava tunnels found in the highlands. These intriguing tunnels were formed b y a lava flow that hardened on the outside while still maintaining its fluid scolding state on the inside, leaving hollow tunnels where it passed. We will walk inside one of this tunnel (that are artificially illuminated to help visitors) to have a close look at the formations and learn more about the origin of these very volcanic archipelago.

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