Itinerary

Day 1 (Saturday) - Arrive Quito, Ecuador

Upon arrival in Quito, you will take a short taxi ride to your hotel.  Your hotel arrangements and flight details will be confirmed for you approximately two weeks prior to departure.
Day 2 (Sunday) - Flight to Santa Cruz and snorkel at Bachas Beach

After breakfast, take a taxi back to the airport for your flight to Galápagos. The domestic terminal is small but you will want to arrive at least 1.5 hours prior to your flight from Quito to Baltra (which is adjacent to Santa Cruz).  Once in Galápagos, your guide will meet you at the terminal and take you to our yacht moored in the harbor.  You’ll check in to your cabins and then regroup to enjoy a delicious lunch. Soon after we will sail to Bachas Beach where you will have an opportunity to unwind, explore the beach and test your snorkeling gear (which is provided for you).  The expansive white sands here are home to sea lions and flocks of blue-footed boobies demonstrating their acrobatic dives.  Pelicans, tropicbirds and herons may also be a part of the mix.  Later in the day we’ll gather for the first in a series of congenial onboard dinners as we get to know our fellow travelers and navigate our way to Bartolome Island.
Day 3 – Hike and snorkel Bartolome and Sombrero Chino

This morning we will take our dinghy (locally known as a panga) to explore Bartolome.  Our landings may be dry or wet and your guide will let you know what to expect.  Once ashore, we will stretch our legs with a short hike to the top of Bartolome. There we will be rewarded with breathtaking views of Pinnacle rock – one of the most photographed sites in the Galapagos. After exploring the mangrove and dune vegetation we’ll slip into the warm seas for snorkeling.  We will eat lunch on the boat as we sail to Sombrero Chino, a small volcanic island so named because it’s shape resembles a Chinese hat. The snorkeling here is often quite exciting as there is a good chance of seeing white tipped sharks, sea lions, and even Galapagos Penguins.
Day 4 – Hike, snorkel or surf Isabela Island and The Tunnels

The most difficult part of today is deciding amongst the many adventure opportunities Isabela has to offer.

For those interested in hiking there’s a chance to do some volcano exploration; from the main center, Puerto Villamil, we head up to the highlands and hike 6 miles (9 km) on irregular terrain until we arrive at the rim of the Sierra Negra volcano.  Sierra Negra is the second largest caldera in the world.  From this spot you have a fantastic view of the 6- by 5-mile caldera, and the Perry Isthmus, a 12 km wide lava field. After a picnic lunch, we will trek along a lava trail to Volcan Chico a smaller cone of Sierra Negra where we often see fumaroles and are guaranteed an incredible landscape from the top.

If an exciting speedboat ride and snorkeling in a one of kind setting are what you have in mind, consider the trip to The Tunnels; arguably Galapagos’ most unique and special visitor site.  The ride down the coastline of Isabela is outstanding as we dodge our way through a “sea turtle highway” but the real highlight is exploring this labyrinth of tunnels set among lava flows (both above and under the water).  Forming an “aquarium like” setting, this natural nursery allows us to see all manner of sea and birdlife.

For those who are most interested in finding out about the wildlife conservation efforts on the island, there’s an opportunity to visit the giant-tortoise breeding centre, where we’ll see tortoises of many ages and sizes. We’ll find out about the dangers to the tortoises and why the breeding centre is needed to help preserve the species. We’ll also see other wildlife such as land iguanas and flamingos.

In the afternoon, the group will reunite to enjoy Puerto Villamil a laid back town with a beautiful white sand beach. The shoreline has some of the best migratory bird viewing in the Galapagos Islands, and the friendly beach breaks offer a great opportunity to try boogie boarding or surfing.

Closer to sunset, we visit Las Tintoreras Lagoon. An easy walking trail winds it’s way through a unique lava-formed landscape. Hundreds of marine iguanas gather here to mate, but the star attraction would be the many white tipped sharks that come here to rest.
Day 5 – Snorkel, hike and kayak Champion and Floreana

Snorkeling at Champion, a small islet off the eastern shore of Floreana, will present us with a delightful opportunity to get up close to the curious sea lions who live here. Beware: the playfulness of the pups is contagious! Our next stop is Punta Cormorant.  This unusual brown beach is littered with greenish olivine crystals. Pink flamingos and green sea turtles nest here (December to May) along with the "joint-footed" petrel, a nocturnal sea bird, which spends most of its life away from land. Floreana has an interesting human history and was one of the earliest islands to be inhabited.  Since the 18th century, whalers have kept a wooden barrel at Post Office Bay that served as a mail drop for boats bound for Europe and America.  Today, visitors to the Galapagos carry on a mail drop tradition of their own. Be sure to bring a postcard! Snorkeling in the bay gives us the opportunity to swim amongst giant sea turtles that come here to feed. We will also have an opportunity to explore the bay by kayak. Later in the day, we will snorkel at Devil’s Crown, a half sunken crater, where we may spot rays, eels and even hammerhead sharks.
Day 6 – Kayak, hike, swim and snorkel Española Island – Gardner Bay and Punta Suarez

After breakfast we will visit the picture-perfect white sandy beach of Gardner Bay. This is a great beach to get close to the sea lions and also to see red iguanas. Guests can also swim, snorkel or kayak here in the beautiful turquoise water.  From here it’s only a short boat ride to Punta Suarez, where we’ll walk along the rocky cliffs and witness the dynamic beauty of “the blowhole.” During the hike we’ll see more sea lions, colorful subspecies of marine iguanas, blue-footed and nasca boobies and red-billed tropicbirds. Between April and December Punta Suarez is home to hundreds of Waved Albatrosses. There is also a good chance we’ll see Galapagos hawks and doves on this hike.
Day 7 – Explore, snorkel and kayak Sante Fe and Charles Darwin Station

Santa Fe, located approximately half way between San Cristobal and Santa Cruz, has some of the archipelago’s largest cactus. Its protected bay is an excellent place for kayakers to observe sea lions and ample snorkeling sites boasting colourful fish in large numbers. After lunch we will sail on to Santa Cruz and visit Puerto Ayora, the archipelago’s busiest port.  We will visit the world famous Charles Darwin Research Centre where most of the efforts to protect and preserve the native flora and fauna are developed.  The center also has giant tortoise rearing programs and is home to Lonesome George, the last of his species.
Day 8 – Snorkel and hike South Plaza and North Seymour

This morning we will hike a scenic loop around North Seymour, the nesting ground for hundreds of blue-footed boobies and frigate birds. There are also great examples of the endemic vegetation, Palo Santo and Optunia cactus. Snorkeling at North Seymour affords the chance to see hammerhead and white-tipped sharks, eagle and golden rays, and dozens of species of tropical fish and marine invertebrates. Next we sail to South Plaza, where a walk along the cliffs will give us the opportunity to see swallow-tailed gulls, frigate birds, Audubon shearwaters, red-billed tropicbirds, brown pelicans, blue-footed and masked boobies. We’ll hike up to a sea lion bachelor colony and also visit a sea lion harem. Interestingly, South Plaza, home to marine iguanas and land iguanas, is the only place in the world where the two interbreed, creating a  hybrid species.
Day 9 – Caleta Tortuga Negra and the airport in Baltra

After another delightful breakfast, we take our panga into Black Turtle Cove on the north end of Santa Cruz.  The cove prohibits motorboats so we’ll row the dinghy into its tranquil body of water.   A number of small passageways through the mangroves lead us to countless schools of rays, green sea turtles and many white-tipped and Galápagos sharks.  Birdlife abounds as the morning sunrise lights up the pink skies.    Soon after, reality sinks in that it is time to leave this island paradise and make our way to the airport at Baltra.  Tonight we will regroup in Quito for a farewell dinner to share memories and laughs before retiring to our overnight accommodations.
Day 10

After an early breakfast at the hotel, take a taxi to the airport to catch flights home or get ready for your next adventure in Ecuador.

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