DAY BY DAY
DAY 1: FRIDAY
AM: Baltra Island Airport: Arrival and Transfer to the boat
PM: El Chato Tortoise Reserve
The El Chato reserve is divided into two areas: Caseta and Chato. The trail begins at Santa Rosa (13.7 miles / 22 km) from Puerto Ayora, with the Caseta route being the more challenging. The reserve allows visitors to observe giant tortoises in the wild during the dry season and is also a good place to spot short-eared owls, Darwin’s finches, yellow warblers, Galapagos rails, and paint-billed crakes.
Highlights: Giant tortoises, finches, Galapagos rails
Possible Activities: Walking, bird watching
Type of Landing: Dry landing
Difficulty: Easy/medium
DAY 2: SATURDAY
AM: Dragon Hill (Cerro Dragón)
Situated on Santa Cruz Island, Dragon Hill is one of the newest visitor sites accessible to tourists in the Galapagos Islands. One of the lengthier Galapagos walking trails will lead visitors along a beach and up a trail to the lagoon lookout where bright flamingos, pintail ducks, and land iguanas can be spotted.
Highlights: Land iguana nesting spot, Galapagos flamingos, common stilts, palo santo trees, and cacti forest
Possible Activities: Walking and hiking
Type of Landing: Dry landing
Difficulty: Easy to moderate: the trail may get muddy at times, and there is uneven rocky terrain.
PM: Bachas Beach
Located on the north shore of Santa Cruz, Las Bachas is a swimming beach. One of the few remnants of the U.S. World War II presence in the Galapagos, a floating pier, can be seen here. You may see flamingos, Sally Lightfoot crabs, hermit crabs, black-necked stilts, and whimbrels. Sea turtles also nest off the beach.
Highlights: World War II remnants
Animals: Sally Lightfoot crabs, hermit crabs, black-necked stilts, whimbrels, sea turtles
Type of Landing: Wet
Difficulty: Easy
DAY 3: SUNDAY
AM: Post Office Bay
In the 18th century, whalers passing through the islands placed a wooden barrel on Floreana Island for use as an unofficial mailbox. The tradition continues today as visitors leave addressed postcards in the barrel and sort through left mail to deliver at home.
Highlights: Post office barrel, nice sandy beach
Possible Activities: Short hike (less than 0.6 miles/1 km) & snorkeling
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Difficulty: Easy
PM: Cormorant Point
This site hosts a large flamingo lagoon where other birds such as common stilts and white-cheeked pintails can also be seen. The beaches on this island are distinct: The “Green Beach” is named so due to its green color, which comes from a high percentage of olivine crystals in the sand, and the “Four Sand Beach” is composed of white coral.
Highlights: Flamingos, green-colored beach
Possible Activities: Dinghy ride & hike (1.2 miles /2 km)
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Difficulty: Easy
DAY 4: MONDAY
AM: Suarez Point
This area is great for spotting blue-footed boobies, albatrosses, and Nazca boobies. A beautiful site on the oceanfront, the large waved albatrosses use the cliff as a launching pad. The famous attraction is the magnificent blowhole, spurting water high into the air. This site presents wonderful photography opportunities.
Highlights: Hood mockingbirds, Nazca boobies, waved albatrosses, red-billed tropicbirds, lava lizards, Galapagos hawks, blue-footed boobies, blowhole, amazing landscape
Possible Activities: Hike (1.9 miles/3 km)
Type of Landing: Dry landing
Difficulty: Difficult
PM: Gardner Bay
Gardner Bay, on the eastern side of the island, is the breeding site of nearly all of the world´s 12,000 pairs of waved albatrosses. It has an ample white sandy beach with a myriad of sea lions, perfect for relaxing. Its rocky shores make this site a great place for diving and snorkeling.
Highlights: White sandy beach, sea lions, mockingbirds; snorkeling: colorful fish, sea lion nursery
Possible Activities: Snorkeling, dinghy ride, kayaking, short hike of (0.6 miles/1 km)
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Difficulty: Easy
DAY 5: TUESDAY
AM: Gianni Arismendy Interpretation Center
The Gianni Arismendy Interpretation Center was opened in 1998 as a phase of the project “Interpretation and Environment Education Project.” Visitors enjoy expositions on natural history, human history, and conservation. The conservation efforts represent the movement to protect the wildlife and natural environment through means of population and tourist control. The Gianni Arismendy Interpretation Center has an outdoor stadium, audio-visual equipment, and meeting rooms.
Possible Activities: Short walk
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: Dry
Highlights: Information and history about the Galapagos Islands.
Transfer to the San Cristobal Airport
Please note:
Itineraries are unlikely to change significantly but are subject to change. Weather, wildlife breeding, safety concerns, instructions from the Galapagos National Park, specific abilities and interests of passengers as well as operational matters may cause your guide or captain to change the time or nature of visits. Your guide and captain will always endeavor to select the best itinerary within these limits.
