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Galapagos Islands cruise - 14 nights / 15 days

Suggested Itinerary

Friday, day 1
Fly from mainland Ecuador (Quito or Guayaquil) with airline TAME (EQ 192) arriving in Baltra at approximately 12:00 p.m. Your guide conducts you to the bus and after a short 5-kilometer ride to the pier, we board the Yacht without delay. As the crew weigh anchor, we greet you with our first orientation and offer of a light snack. After navigating around the Daphne Islets to observe some tropical bird species, we disembark on Playa de Las Bachas, a place where we can appreciate a Flamingo lagoon. During all walks, your guide will be explaining details about the lives of the birds and animals that we are seeing. Optional: time for those who would like to swim and/or snorkel. In the evening, we have an orientation about the Galapagos Islands in general, their origin and evolution. Welcome cocktail with the entire crew, and dinner.

Saturday, day 2
After breakfast, we make a wet landing on the beach of the island Rabida. Here we take a walk to the Flamingo lagoon of this island. Optional: time for those who would like to swim and/or snorkel. We come aboard for a delicious lunch while the crew takes us to Puerto Egas. We make a wet landing at Puerto Egas and walk to see the grottos where Fur seals live in colonies. We will be observing marine and land birds as we walk. Optional: time for those who would like to swim and/or snorkel from the beach. Return to the Yacht for dinner; we will be sailing for the island of Isabela.

Sunday, day 3
Early in the morning we take a dingy ride at Point Vicente Roca and the Bolivar Channel; depending on the season we may see whales and dolphins. We continue to sail till we arrive at Isla Fernandina. After lunch we make a dry landing and visit the colonies of marine iguanas and cormorants. Continuing to the mangroves and the lava beds of Punta Espinosa, we can see the life associated with these unique ecosystems. Optional: time for those who would like to swim and/or snorkel. Return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation.

Monday, day 4
After breakfast we make a dry landing on Caleta Tagus to walk to the top of the volcano; here is an impressive view of the bay, the lava formations that emanate from the Darwin Volcano. Returning to the dinghy for an opportunity to see penguins and cormorants. Lunch on the Yacht. In the afternoon we make a wet landing in Urbina Bay to observe giant tortoises and land iguanas. Also we can see cormorants and pelicans. Return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation.

Tuesday, day 5
After breakfast we take a dingy ride to the islands of Marielas and Bahia Elizabeth. We will have an opportunity to see penguins, cormorants and land iguanas. A ride by a mangrove ecosystem may allow us encounter sea turtles, rays, and marine birds. Lunch on the Yacht. In the afternoon we continue Punta Moreno where we make a dry landing and a walk along unique lava beds and lagoons with birds and marine iguanas. Return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation.

Wednesday, day 6
After breakfast we board a bus that brings us to the oldest and largest volcano of Isabela Island: Sierra Negra. We take a walk and there is an opportunity to rent and ride horses. Picnic lunch. At the end of the afternoon we return to Puerto Villamil to visit a lake where there are flamingos and a center of interpretation of the National Park. Return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation.

Thursday, day 7
Early in the morning we disembark at Point Cormorant and take a short walk to another lake where there are flamingos. Then we continue the walk until we reach the beach called "La Picona" to see marine turtles and their spawning grounds. We return to Point Cormorant for a dingy ride, and snorkeling for those who wish it. Lunch aboard the Yacht. Sail to Mailbox Bay, and a visit to this, the oldest postal system in the world. Return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation, which will be about important historical figures in the history of the Islands.

Friday, day 8
They disembark, board a bus, which takes us to the highlands of Santa Cruz Island for a visit to the native forests, and twin craters. Return to the port for a walk through the little town to appreciate various handicrafts. We return to the Yacht for lunch. In the afternoon we land at the pier of the National Park, for a visit to the Charles Darwin Station and its interpretive center. Dinner. Optional: you may visit the town again at night for dancing and entertainment.

Saturday, Day 9
After breakfast, we make a dry landing at Punta Suarez and walk along lava beds where we will observe unique colonies of marine birds including the Albatross (May - December). Return to the Yacht for lunch and sail to Gardner Bay. In the afternoon we make a dry landing in Gardner Bay for a walk on the beach here. Then we take a dinghy ride around the islets of Gardner and Tortuga. Optional: time for those who would like to swim and/or snorkel. Return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation.

Sunday, day 10
They make a wet landing at Punta Pitt and visit one of the best nesting sites of such marine birds as Blue-footed, Masked, and Red-footed Boobies, Frigates, Petrels, and others. Return to the Yacht for lunch while we set sail for Leon Dormido, where we spend the afternoon at the island of Lobos.

Monday, day 11
After breakfast we make a wet landing on the island of Santa Fe where we visit a cactus forest inhabited by land iguanas native to this island. Lunch on the Yacht while we sail to the Island of Plaza Sur. We make a dry landing on the pier, where we can enjoy the antics of the sea lions. We have a walk through a cactus forest, observing land iguanas and a great many species of tropical birds. At the end of the afternoon, return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation about our activities for the following day.

Tuesday, day 12
After breakfast, we make a dry landing on Bahia Darwin to walk and observe colonies of birds. Optional: time for those who would like to swim and/or snorkel. We come aboard for a delicious lunch. Later in the afternoon we take a dingy ride and make a dry landing on Barranco, then walk and observe the interesting lives of the birds here. Dinner on the Yacht, and then our orientation about conservation efforts is made to protect the Islands.

Wednesday, day 13
After breakfast we make a dry landing on Bartholomew Island and walk to the top of the island, and then return for a dingy ride around the Tower to observe Galapagos penguins. Optional: time for those who would like to swim and/or snorkel. We return to the Yacht for lunch. In the afternoon, we disembark on the beach of Bahia Sullivan to walk along the lava beds here. Optional: time for those who would like to swim and/or snorkel after the walk. At the end of the afternoon, return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation about our activities for the following day.

Thursday, day 14
Wet landing on Chinese Hat Island, walks to the top, and return to the beach. Optional: time for those who would like to swim and/or snorkel after the walk. We return to the Yacht for lunch. In the afternoon, dry landing to visit Playa de Conway Bay (Cerro Dragon) to take a walk of about two hours through the forests of Palo Santo trees, observing colonies of land iguanas and sea iguanas, Flamingos, Royal terns, Patillos, and Sea lions. Optional: time for those who would like to swim and/or snorkel after the walk. Return to the Yacht for a special farewell dinner and orientation about the following day.

Friday, day 15
After breakfast we make a dry landing on North Seymour Island for a walk along the coast and the interior of this beautiful island. Colonies of birds, iguanas, and sea lions await us. Return to the Yacht and sail to Baltra. We receive instructions and enjoy a last cocktail and snack before disembarking on the pier around noon. Our guide accompanies us on the bus ride directly to the airport and on to the plane for the flight to the mainland.

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