Day 1 San Cristobal Isl./Galapagos Islands
Morning arrival to San Cristobal Island by plane and immediate transfer to the dock and then by zodiac to your vessel anchored in the bay. Welcome introductory briefing and lunch.
Please remember that the exact route and program may vary according to weather and ocean conditions and the wildlife you will encounter.
There are two types of landings throughout your Galapagos tour:
Dry landing: guests step from the dinghy onto rocks or a dock.
Wet landing: as the dinghy edges onto a sandy beach, guests step into knee-deep water and wade ashore.
PM: El Junco Lake- Once you’ve boarded, you’ll have a welcome briefing and a short safety drill. Begin your expedition with a delicious lunch before travelling to El Junco Lake. Spanish for “sedge”, El Junco is the caldera of an extinct volcano and only sizeable freshwater lake in the Galapagos. Listen for the calls of sea lions – they may try to approach, and as you ride the zodiac you’ll see them lounging on the boats anchored in the harbour.
Day 2 San Cristobal Isl./Galapagos Islands
AM: Punta Pitt (San Cristobal)- is a tuff formation that serves as a nesting site for many sea birds including all three types of boobies – blue-footed, Nazca and red-footed boobies, both frigate bird species, swallow-tailed gulls, storm petrels, shear waters, and brown pelicans. Punta Pitt is considered one of the best sites for birds in the archipelago and is also home to a colony of sea lions. At Pitt Rock, you can snorkel with sea lions and colourful fish such as King Angel fish and Surgeon fish. Return to the yacht for lunch.
PM: Cerro Brujo (San Cristobal)- spend the morning at Cerro Brujo, a breathtaking white coral beach, with expansive views and good bird-watching. Take a peaceful walk along the beach, or swim with sea lions from the beach. Take out the kayaks or stand up paddle-boards for a different perspective of the marine life. Enjoy a scenic Zodiac ride that takes you through a cave called The Cathedral. Return to the yacht for a briefing followed by dinner.
Day 3 Española Isl./Galapagos Islands
AM: Gardener Bay (Española)- large colonies of sea lions dot the seemingly endless white sand beach. Take a leisurely stroll or relax on the beach, watching for the Galapagos Hawk, Darwin’s Finches or Espanola Mockingbird. Swim with playful sea lions right from the beach, explore the bay and islets by kayak or stand up paddle-board. Take a Zodiac ride to explore the caves covered with invertebrates. Admire the colourful array of underwater life at this excellent snorkelling site near Tortuga Rock. Return to the yacht for lunch on board.
PM: Punta Suarez (Española)- is home to the greatest number of endemic species found in Galapagos. Curious Hood mockingbirds peck at your shoelaces as sea lions bark as you land on their beach. From April to December, the waved albatross, found only on Espanola, perform its wild mating ritual. Colonies of blue-footed boobies engage in “sky-pointing” to show off for potential mates. Easily spotted wildlife are the Nazca boobies busily caring for their young, stunning swallow-tailed gulls, the only nocturnal gulls in the world and red-billed tropicbirds take shelter under the cliffs. There are also Darwin’s Finches, Galapagos Doves and Galapagos Hawks, as well as a unique species of marine iguana identified with traces of red and green colouring. Follow the trail to the dramatic ocean blew hole, and watch for colourful sally light-foot crabs crawling along the shoreline. Return to the yacht for a briefing followed by dinner.
Day 4 Floreana Isl./Galapagos Islands
AM: Post Office (Floreana)- this is one of the few populated islands in the Galapagos with a rich and intriguing human history. After lunch, visit one of the most famous sites in Galapagos, Post office Bay, where a post office barrel was erected in the late 18th Century to use by English whaling vessels. Visitors can leave a postcard and pick up any mail destined for their home town. There is a chance to swim from the beach with sea lions. Late afternoon, take a Zodiac ride near Baroness Point to look for sea turtles and rays. Return to the yacht for lunch on board.
PM: Punta Cormorant & Champion Islet (Floreana) – where the olive-sand beach is alive with the sounds of sea lions, lava herons, yellow-crowned night herons, blue-footed boobies, and penguins. Follow a trail to a brackish lagoon, home to Bahama ducks, common stilts, Galapagos flycatchers, yellow warblers and the greater flamingos. Wind your way past a wide variety of plants including the morning glory, cut leaf daisies, mangroves (black, red and white), palo verde and scalesia. The trail leads to a beach where sea turtles lay their eggs in the powdery dunes and sting rays swim in the shallow water. After the walk, there is an opportunity to snorkel at Champion Islet, a shallow sunken crater colonised by a brilliant array of colourful fish and corral, white-tipped sharks, sea turtles, spotted eagle rays and sea stars. Lunch is served back on board on the sundeck, weather permitting. Return to the yacht for a briefing followed by dinner.
Day 5 Santa Cruz Isl./Galapagos Islands
AM: North Seymour- go ashore at North Seymour, a small geological uplift to observe swallow-tailed gulls, blue-footed boobies and endemic land iguanas. Visit the largest colony of Magnificent frigate birds in Galapagos, and watch for marine iguanas and sea lions body surfing the northern swells. Afterwards, transfer to the airport for your flight back to the mainland.
