Day 1: Baltra - Santa Cruz Highlands
Flight from mainland Ecuador (Quito or Guayaquil) to Baltra, with LATAM Airlines; arriving at 11:40 a.m. approximately. A guide meets us and accompanies us as we ride the bus to the Itabaca Channel, we cross the channel by barge and then we continue to Puerto Ayora by bus.
We aboard the Yacht and the crew greets us and offers us a light snack and we have our first orientation. In the afternoon, we land at the pier, after a short bus drive, we will visit the native forest at the Twin Craters. Return to the Port for a walk through the little town to appreciate various handicrafts. We have a welcome cocktail with the entire crew, and dinner.
Day 2: Baroness Point View / Post O. Bay - Cormorant Point / Champion Islet
After breakfast, you make a wet landing, you will continue to the Baroness Point view, named due to the presence of a particular character who lived on Floreana Island, it is the Baroness Eloisa von Wagner, you will enjoy of the beautiful landscape and the ruins of her house; then, we will stop at Post Office Bay, a historic site that recalls the days of the whalers, who presumably placed a wooden barrel in the 18th century to use it as a post office. Return to the Yacht for lunch. In the afternoon, you make a wet landing on Cormorant Point for a short walk to the Flamingo Lagoon of this island. You then continue the walk until we reach the beach called "La Picona" to see marine turtles and their spawning grounds.
Optional: time for those who would like to swim and snorkel. Then, we make a panga ride on Champion Islet, a small island off the Coast of Floreana Island. The principal attraction of Champion Islet is the nearly-extinct Charles (Floreana) Mockingbird. Visitors can also observe bird species such as Swallow-tailed Gulls, Nazca Boobies or Brown Noddies. It is a great place for snorkeling; we will see sea turtles, reef fishes, Galapagos Penguins and white-tipped reef sharks.
Optional: time for those who would like to swim and/or snorkel. You return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation
Day 3: Suarez Point - Gardner Bay / Gardner Islet / Osborn Islet
After breakfast, you make an early dry landing on Punta Suarez to walk along lava beds where you will observe unique colonies of marine birds, including Albatross (May - December). Return to the Yacht for lunch. In the afternoon, you make a wet landing in Gardner Bay for a walk on the beach and observe a colony of sea lions, which inhabit the beach in great quantity during the breeding season; this is also an important nesting area for sea turtles.
Optional: time for those who would like to swim, snorkel or kayak. Then, we make a panga ride around the Osborn Islet and the islets of Gardner. Return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation.
Day 4: Kicker Rock / Cerro Brujo
After breakfast, your experienced Captain sails easily around Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido), a massive tuff-rock that juts abruptly almost 500 feet straight from the ocean. Kicker Rock serves as nesting place for many sea birds. Then, you make a wet landing on Cerro Brujo to walk on a white sand beach and observe sea lions, brown pelicans, marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies.
Optional: time for those who would like to swim, snorkel or Kayak. You come aboard for a delicious lunch. In the afternoon, you make a dry landing on San
Cristobal port, visit to the Interpretation Center Gianni Arismendy at Port, where you learn about the origin and evolution of the Galapagos Islands, regarding the human, natural and conservation aspects. Time in town to do your last shopping or to go to the ATM. You return to the Yacht for dinner, and our nightly orientation.
Day 5: Mosquera Island / Baltra
After breakfast, you make an early wet landing on Mosquera Islet, a reef of rocks and coral (the result of an uprising) and a great white sand beach and tide pools. You observe colonies of sea lions, brown pelicans, blue-footed boobies and sally light-foot crabs, the contrast between these bright red crabs on top and blue on the bottom and the black lava is stunning. Optional: time for those who would like to swim and snorkel. You return to the Yacht for disembarking on the pier at 09:00. Your guide accompanies you on the bus ride directly to the airport.
