M/V Galapagos Legend Itinerary B Thursday

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 B include marine iguanas & flamingos, opportunities to see giant tortoises on Isabela Island & snorkelling with turtles and sea lions.

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 – Ballena Bay / Eden Islet (Santa Cruz)
Wet landing. Whale Bay is a beautiful green sand cove at the base of Dragon Hill on the west coast of Santa Cruz Island. The beach contains a large amount of olivine crystals of volcanic origin. The crystals were formed when the magma was still underground. The content is magnesium, iron and silica. A small population of tortoises from Pinzón Island lived at the site, but were probably taken by whalers or previous inhabitants. Opportunity to see marine iguanas and sea birds followed by snorkeling. (LD)

Day 2 Isabela Island

AM- Moreno Point (Isabela)
Dry landing. The main attractions at Punta Moreno are coastal lagoons amidst black lava flows where bird life is particularly interesting. It has a panoramic view of three volcanoes, the mostactive of the Galapagos: Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul on Isabela Island and La Cumbre, on Fernandina Island. Mangrove forest, lava formations, coastal and migratory birds, usually flamingos, can be seen, lava cactus, sea turtles, lagoons and tidal pools, candelabra cactus are other highlights.

PM – Elizabeth Bay (Isabela)
We take a dinghy ride along the coast surrounded by mangrove forest for an opportunity to admire Flightless Cormorants, Galapagos Penguins, and a resting area for sea turtles. (BLD)

Day 3 Isabela Island

AM- Urbina Bay (Isabela)
Wet landing on a volcanic “black” beach. Depending on the season, we may find giant tortoises, land iguanas and the unusual Flightless Cormorant. After a short walk inland, snorkeling time is allotted, giving you yet another chance to swim with sea turtles, sea lions and countless tropical fish. Urbina Bay features a wide variety of plant life that changes depending on the season. We can observe the beautiful colors of plants that attract different insects, birds and reptiles. We will explore the uplifted coral reef that resulted from 1954 volcanic activity, with a spectacular view of Alcedo Volcano.

PM – Tagus Cove (Isabela)
Dry landing on Galapagos’ largest island, where we will learn about the eruption of the five volcanoes that form it. The trail leads to Darwin’s salt-water crater lake and excellent views of lava fields and volcanic formations.
We will return by the same path for a dinghy ride along a shoreline full of marine wildlife, where we will admire a variety of seabirds, such as Blue-footed Booby, Brown Noddy, terns, Flightless Cormorant and depending on the season, a large number of Galapagos Penguins which are only 35 cm. tall; the only penguin species in the world to extend its range into the northern hemisphere along the equator. They are monogamous and lay their eggs in small cracks of lava, on the lower parts of the island near the shoreline not reached by the ocean waves.
The population of penguins on the islands is about 2,000 individuals, most of which live on this western portion of Isabela; others are scattered further south on the island. We will have an opportunity to snorkel in deep water. Graffiti believed to have been left by19th-century pirates is a curious reminder of an intriguing past. (BLD)

Day 4 Fernandina (Espinosa Point)/Isabela Island

AM- Espinosa Point (Fernandina)
Dry landing. Espinosa Point is the only spot that we visit on Fernandina, and from it we can see the island of Isabela across the Bolívar Channel, an area that boasts some of the highest diversity of endemic sea fauna in the Galapagos. The largest, most primitive-looking race of marine iguanas are found mingling with sea lions and Sally Lightfoot Crabs; a wonderful opportunity to encounter Flightless Cormorants at their nesting sites, Galapagos Penguins and the “King” of predators on the Islands, the Galapagos Hawk.
“Pa-hoe-hoe” and “AA” lava formations cover the majority of the terrain. Vegetation is thus scarce inland, but we encounter Brachycereus cacti and extensive mangrove beds lining the shores.

PM – Vicente Roca Point (Isabela)
Great deep-water snorkeling at one of the richest marine havens on Earth (Bolívar Channel). We take a dinghy ride along the coast to observe a great diversity of sea and coastal birds. The upwelling of coldwater currents in this part of the Galapagos gives rise to an abundance of marine life. (BLD)

Day 5 Baltra

AM- Baltra airport
In the morning we transfer to the airport for return flight to Guayaquil or Quito.(B)

Prices

Cabin/ Season	Low	High
Standard	$1600	$1660
Standard Plus	$1830	$1890
Jr. Suite	$2290	$2350
Legend Suite	$2565	$2625
Balcony Suite	$2840	$2900

Rates are per person, twin share, low season
Departs every second Thursday
Please note package prices do not include air tickets to/ from mainland Ecuador (from $450 roundtrip); Galapagos National Park fee (USD$100 per person); Ingala Tourist Control Card (USD$10 per person) or fuel surcharges

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.

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