M/V Galapagos Legend Itinerary A Monday

General Info

The M/V Galapagos Legend is a 100 passenger capacity vessel with ample social areas where you can enjoy countless on board activities. Standard Plus cabins are exterior cabins with porthole windows, located on the Sea Deck. Highlights of Cruise A include giant tortoises & fur seals on Santa Cruz Island, snorkelling opportunities with Galapagos Penguins & sea turtles and blue-footed boobies and land iguanas on North Seymour.

Itinerary

Day 1 Baltra/Santa Cruz Island

AM- Baltra airport
Departure from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra (2 ½ hours flight). Passengers are picked up at the airport by our naturalist guides and taken on a ten minute bus drive to the pier to board the M/V Galapagos Legend.

PM – Highlands – Pit Craters (Santa Cruz)
Dry landing. We will reach the Santa Cruz highlands and visit a private farm, Primicias (El Chato), where giant tortoises are found in their natural habitat. Additionally, travelers can walk inside surprising lava tubes; we also visit Pit Craters created from the collapse of surface materials into chamber fissures underground. It’s a great place spot to spot Vermilion Flycatcher as we walk inside an endemic Scalesia forest. (LD)

Day 2 Santiago/Bartolome

AM- Egas Port / Salt Mines (Santiago)
Wet landing on a beach of black volcanic sand, visited by Darwin in 1835. The first section of the trail is comprised of volcanic ash (eroded tuff) and the other half of partially uneven terrain is comprised of volcanic basaltic rock lounging the shoreline.
The unique, truly striking layered terrain of Santiago’s shores is home to a variety of resident and migrant birds, including the bizarre Yellow-crowned Night Heron and astounding array of marine wildlife including lobster, starfish and marine iguanas grazing on algae beds alongside Sally Light-foot Crabs. Colonies of endemic fur seals swimming in cool water pools formed by volcanic rocks are also a highlight.
Snorkeling here offers rarities such as octopus and squid. We organize optional visits to the Salt Mines where you can observe the two species of sea lions: fur and Galapagos sea lions.

PM – Bartolomé
Dry landing. We discover a fascinating moonscape formed by different volcanic parasitic cones —lava bombs, spatter, cinder cones —as we hike to the summit for impressive views of the surrounding islands, including the eroded tuff cone Pinnacle Rock. We also encounter marine iguanas and lava lizards.
Beach time is a great opportunity to snorkel and see (perhaps swim with) Galapagos Penguins, sea turtles and White-tipped Reef Sharks among a great variety of colorful fish. For many visitors, this may turn out to be the best of snorkeling experiences; the water here is generally clear, without too much surf and full of marine life.
Due to its geographical location, the lack of vegetation is immediately noticeable. Pioneer plants are observed, so called because they are the first to establish roots on new ground. They include Tiquilia nesiotica (which is endemic to the island) and Chamaesyce (known as sand mat or spurge in English), lava cactus, and Scalesia bushes. Behind the beach we have dunes covered by mangroves. (BLD)

Day 3 Santa Cruz Island/North Seymour Island

AM- Dragon Hill (Santa Cruz)
Dry landing. We walk by a brackish lagoon where feeding flamingos can be occasionally found. The trail leads across typical dry zone vegetation up to Dragon Hill, an important nesting ground for endemic land iguanas, offering lovely views of the anchorage and neighboring islands. The forest is home to mockingbirds, Darwin’s finches, Yellow Warblers and Galapagos Doves.

PM – North Seymour
Dry landing. This is perhaps one of the busiest tourist destinations on the archipelago. Off of Baltra Island (where the airport is located) and not far from Santa Cruz, North Seymour is the most accessible for day trips out of Santa Cruz’s main port, Puerto Ayora.
An approximately two hour walk amidst large nesting colonies of blue-footed boobies, magnificent and great frigate birds, and swallow-tailed gulls for an in depth encounter with sea bird breeding cycles and as well as sea lions. You will also encounter sea lions, land iguanas, and on a lucky day, you might even come across a Galapagos Snake. (BLD)

Day 4 North Seymour Island/Baltra

AM- Baltra airport
In the morning you will go straight to the airport for return flight to Guayaquil or Quito. (B)

Prices

Cabin/ Season	Low	High
Standard	$1185	$1245
Standard Plus	$1415	$1475
Jr. Suite	$1690	$1750
Legend Suite	$1920	$1980
Balcony Suite	$2195	$2255

Rates are per person, twin share, low season
Departs every second Monday
Please note package prices do not include air tickets to/ from mainland Ecuador (from $450 roundtrip); Galapagos National Park fee (USD$100 per person) and Ingala Tourist Control Card (USD$10 per person) and Fuel Surcharge (USD$90 per person) subject to change without notice

Please note that Galapagos Islands itineraries are now based on 15 day cycles where no two sites are to be visited in one cycle. Cruises A, B, C and D can be combined to create 3,4,7,10,11 and 14 night cruises.

Enquire Now

* Required