ANAHI ITINERARY B1 - 8 DAYS

DAY 2: SATURDAY
AM: ISABELA ISLANDS: PUERTO VILLAMIL.
Isabela is the name of the largest and the youngest island within the Galápagos Archipelago. In the morning we will begin our first visit to the islets known as Las Tintoreras, located south of Puerto Villamil. This area has a small bay of calm turquoise water, where we can observe sea lions, sea turtles, marine iguanas, stingrays, and many more aquatic species. Next, we will walk along a path and explore two different beaches. The first beach that we will encounter is a popular place for sea lions and marine iguanas that nest in the area, while the second beach is surrounded by button mangroves (Conocarpus erecta) and white mangroves (Laguncularia racemosa).
After the visit to "Las Tintoreras", we will disembark to Puerto Villamil to head to the Sierra Negra Volcano, found in the highlands of the island, as it rises to an altitude of 1124m. It is located between the Cerro Azul volcano to the west, and the Alcedo volcano to the north. Furthermore, it is one of the most active volcanoes of the Galápagos, with the latest eruption occurring in June 2018.

PM: SIERRA NEGRA VOLCANO
After lunch, during the afternoon, we will visit the wetlands known as “Los Humedales”, where we will be able to see a wide variety of wetland birds with majority of them being endemic to the island. After our visit, we will have some free time in the small town of Puerto Villamil. At the end of the day we will board the yacht for dinner and a well-deserved rest.

DAY 3: SUNDAY
AM: ISABELA ISLAND: MORENO POINT
Punta Moreno is located on the north coast of Isabela Island, between the Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul volcanoes. The distance of the trail is about 2100 meters, but this will grant us a panoramic view of the three most active volcanoes in the Galápagos: Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul on Isabela Island, and the summit of Fernandina Island. We will have the opportunity to do a surface dive in this area, where, despite the cold waters, marine life is abundant. After this visit we will return to the yacht for lunch and a little rest before heading out for our afternoon activity.

PM: ISABELA ISLAND: ELIZABETH BAY
In the afternoon we will visit Elizabeth Bay. The trip will begin in a cove surrounded by red mangroves. Here we will be able to observe sea turtles,green turtle animals flightless cormorants, spotted eagle rays, golden rays, brown pelicans and sea lions. Visitors have often been able to see Galápagos falcons fly over their heads, while Pompano and Mahi-mahi fish schools are seen swimming below. This is an amazing site due to the large amount of marine and terrestrial fauna as well as due to the unique and beautiful landscape of the area. After this visit, we will return to the yacht for dinner and rest.

DAY 4: MONDAY
AM: ISABELA ISLAND: URBINA BAY.
Urbina Bay is located at the east base of the Alcedo volcano, with an approximately 3200m path connecting it to the beach, where, after a beach landing, we will have to cross through the coastal zone, traversing sand, rocks, lava, corals, and plant formations. At this site, we will be able to see large sized land iguanas, as well as giant Galápagos tortoises, flightless cormorants, blue-footed boobies, Galápagos penguins, pelicans, and marine iguanas.

PM: ISABELA ISLAND: TAGUS COVE.
We will return to the yacht to enjoy a delicious lunch, followed by a short sailing towards Tagus Cove. Here we will have the opportunity to snorkel, surface dive, or to kayak. At around 4pm, we will hike to the top of the cliff that takes us to a viewpoint of Lake Darwin, a lake that has high saline concentrations.
Finally, we will observe Lake Darwin. It doesn’t contain any fish, and only a few lifeforms due to its high salinity. Supposedly, in the past there was an explosive volcanic eruption in the area, since there are large number of volcanic rocks of varying sizes that can be found here. Among the most common are small spherical balls, that are almost perfect in shape, referred to as “lapili” or petrified rain. 

DAY 5: TUESDAY
AM: FERNANDINA ISLAND:ESPINOZA POINT
Fernandina is the third largest island in the archipelago and has only one point of interest. Punta Espinoza is located on the far northeast part of the island and is a narrow platform of lava and sand that extends from the base of the volcano to the sea. Punta Espinoza is well known for its large colonies of marine iguanas, and its unique fauna full of species such as the flightless cormorant, the galápagos penguin, the Galápagos falcon, and the Galápagos racer snake. After this visit, there will be a possibility to snorkel in the area, where we will be able to swim with marine iguanas, large colonies of sea turtles, and if we are lucky even with beautiful seahorses.

PM: ISABELA ISLAND:VICENTE ROCA POINT.
Isabela Island is believed to have the shape of a seahorse, where Punta Vicente Roca would be considered the mouth. At this location you will find the remains of an ancient volcano that forms two coves with clear turquoise water, in conjunction with a bay protected from the waves of the ocean. From this point, we will have a snorkeling activity, followed by a panga ride along the cliffs to observe the remains of the volcano, or we may explore a cave that is partially found underwater. Nazca boobies and blue-footed boobies perch along the steep cliffs, while the flightless cormorants inhabit the coast.
At the end of our activity, we will begin navigating the ship, so that we will approach and cross the equator line. At this point, we will have a special cocktail to celebrate our crossing to the northern hemisphere.

DAY 6: WEDNESDAY
AM: SANTIAGO ISLAND
Puerto Egas is a black sandy beach located on the west side of James Bay, northwest of Santiago Island. The site gets its name after Mr. Héctor Egas, who tried to exploit the salt found in this area, however failed due to the price of salt in other parts of the country. The hike along the rugged coastline, especially during low tides, will allow us to observe many marine species, such as the iguanas relaxing on the rocks, and the sea lions resting in the tidal pools. We will have the opportunity to snorkel near the beach of Puerto Egas in order to enjoy the marine landscape that is relatively different from previously visited locations.

PM: RABIDA ISLAND
In the afternoon we will visit Rábida Island, said to be unique due to the red color of its rocks and sand.flamingo animal The volcanic material on this island is very porous and external factors such as rain, saltwater and sea breeze have acted as an oxidizing agent. When we arrive, we will enjoy a snorkeling activity, in order to learn about the marine life in this area, that is full of interesting aquatic species. A short walk along a trail will take us to a lagoon to observe the beautiful terrestrial birds,such as finches, pigeons, yellow warblers and mocking birds. This lagoon is also home to a colony of flamingos. The red sand beach, along with the animals, lagoons, and vegetation make this place an excellent location to visit.