Day 1: San Cristobal airport - El Junco Lagoon
AM: Arrive at San Cristobal airport where you will be transferred to the vessel.
PM: El Junco Lagoon
Walk up the rocky path surrounded by rich vegetation and wildlife to the rim of the El Junco Lagoon, an impressive crater lake located in the highlands of San Cristobal island. Here you will enjoy superb panoramic views of the island, and you can often catch frigate birds diving and bathing in the crystal clear water below.
Activities and Excursions: Walk
Difficulty: Moderate
Day 2: North Seymour - Santa Cruz Dragon Hill
AM: North Seymour
North Seymour island is a small island named after Lord Hugh Seymour, a senior British Royal Navy officer. Walking amongst the low, bushy vegetation you will be able to observe a large variety of birds, including blue-footed boobies, swallow tailed gulls and a large population of frigate birds.
Look out for the marvelous bright red chests of the male frigates used to attract a mate.
Activities and Excursions: Walk, Snorkeling, Panga ride
Difficulty: Soft
PM: Santa Cruz Dragon Hill
The name Dragon Hill refers to the large population of Galapagos land iguanas that have made their home here.
As you walk along the rocky coastline and through the forests of cacti and Palo Santo trees, you will no doubt encounter a number of these incredible creatures that resemble miniature dragons.
The high tide also makes this a fantastic place to snorkel as the coral attracts a plethora of colourful fish close to the shoreline.
Activities and Excursions: Walk, Snorkeling
Difficulty: Moderate
Day 3: Tintoreras / Sierra Negra Volcano - Arnaldo Tupiza Breeding Center / Isabela Wetlands
AM: Tintoreras / Sierra Negra Volcano
Las Tintoreras is a chain of islets off the coast of Isabela island that are characterised by dark lava formations and have created a unique habitat for a variety of wildlife. It is therefore a fantastic site for water activities such as a panga ride, snorkelling, kayaking or paddle boarding and visitors are often treated to close-up sightings of turtles, sharks, penguins and sea lions.
The Sierra Negra is one of the most active volcanoes in the Galapagos and has the second largest caldera in the world. As you walk up to the top of the caldera you will encounter forests of guava trees and on a clear day you will be treated to spectacular views of the other five volcanoes on the island.
Activities and Excursions: Trek, Snorkeling, Panga ride, Kayak/Paddle Boarding
Difficulty: Moderate
PM: Arnaldo Tupiza Breeding Center / Isabela Wetlands
The Arnaldo Tupiza Breeding Center, where two species of giant tortoise are bred to increase the population of these incredible animals, plays an essential role in protecting the future of the Galapagos.
As you walk around the centre you will also be able to enjoy the beautiful gardens that boast of a wide variety of native plants.
Just outside Puerto Villamil you can also take a walk around the Isabela wetlands, comprised of lagoons, swamps and mangroves, which have become a paradise for migratory birds such as stilts and flamingos.
Activities and Excursions: Walk
Difficulty: Easy
Day 4: Isabela: Moreno point - Urbina Bay
AM: Isabela - Moreno point
Moreno point is located on the west coast of Isabela island and although it appears a barren lava flow at first, a walk along one of the trails soon reveals a multitude of beautiful green lagoons and mangroves and is a fantastic place to see penguins, blue herons and flamingos.
Meanwhile, a panga ride or snorkel along the rocky shoreline is a wonderful way to spot green sea turtles and white-tip sharks.
Activities and Excursions: Walk, Snorkeling, Panga ride
Difficulty: Moderate
PM: Isabela - Urbina Bay
Urbina Bay is located at the foot of the Alcedo Volcano and is the result of a major volcanic uplift that took place in 1954 and resulted in 6km of coral reef being lifted out of the ocean. Walking along this new shore, you can observe the corals and remains of marine life that were stranded due to this event.
However, it is now home to giant land iguanas and giant tortoises and it often a good spot to see Galapagos hawks and flightless cormorants. It is also ideal for snorkeling as turtles, rays and tropical fish frequent the coastline.
Activities and Excursions: Walk, Snorkeling
Difficulty: Moderate
Day 5: Fernandina: Espinosa Point - Isabela: Vicente Roca Point
AM: Fernandina - Espinosa Point
Fernandina is the youngest island in the Galapagos and Espinosa point is a wonderful area of natural beauty. Snorkeling and swimming from the zodiac allows you see thee marine iguanas feeding underwater.
On the rocks you will often see large numbers of colourful Sally Lightfoot crabs. On land, the walking trails enable you to explore the fascinating mangrove plants, lava cacti and striking black lava formations where marine iguanas enjoy basking themselves in the sun.
Activities and Excursions: Walk, Snorkeling
Difficulty: Moderate
PM: Isabela - Vicente Roca Point
Accessible by panga, Vicente Roca Point on the north west coast of Isabela island is a beautiful large bay with two coves that provide nesting sites for blue-footed and Nazca boobies, gulls, storm petrels and Brown Noddy Terns.
Snorkeling is also a great activity here as the cooler waters result in an abundance of food for marine life, and it is common to see groups of whales, dolphins, sea lions and marine birds gorging themselves.
Activities and Excursions: Snorkeling, Panga ride
Difficulty: Moderate
Day 6: Rabida - Bartholomew Island
AM: Rabida
Rabida island is most known for its dark red sand beach surrounded by a backdrop of cliffs and steep volcanic hills full of Palo Santo trees and endemic cacti.
A panga ride around the shoreline gives the chance to spot blue-footed and nazca boobies and water activities such as snorkeling, kayaking or paddle boarding are ideal for seeing white tipped sharks and rays.
On the beach you will find a large noisy colony of sea lions and the surrounding salt brush is home to a nesting colony of pelicans. Inland, bird watchers will delight in seeing mockingbirds, yellow warblers and Darwin finches - Rabida is the only site where all nine Darwin’s finches are found.
Activities and Excursions: Trek, Snorkeling, Panga ride, Kayak/Paddle Boarding
Difficulty: Moderate
PM: Bartholomew Island
Bartholomew island is an islet located in Sullivan Bay and its most famous landmark is a huge volcanic cone named Pinnacle Rock. A walking trail leads up to a viewpoint at the summit of the island where you can enjoy spectacular views of Pinnacle Rock and the surrounding lava flows.
The northern beach, a nesting site for green sea turtles, is perfect for snorkeling where sightings of spotted eagle rays, penguins and reef sharks are possible.
Activities and Excursions: Walk, Snorkeling, Panga ride
Difficulty: Easy
Day 7: San Cristobal: Kicker Rock - Witch Hill
AM: San Cristobal - Kicker Rock
Kicker Rock, is an iconic feature of the Galapagos that has been formed over time by the erosion of the cone of an extinct volcano. In addition, on the rock formation itself, blue-footed boobies, frigatebirds and sea lions can often be seen perched on the ledges above which makes an excellent site to take great pictures while the vessel circumnavigate the rock formation.
Activities and Excursions: Circumnavigation
Difficulty: ----
AM: San Cristobal - Witch Hill
Witch Hill features an idyllic white sand beach which can be accessed by panga and is a superb vantage point for seeing Kicker Rock in the south of the island. The hill itself is an eroded tuff cone and the calm waters at the base of it offer a magnificent spot for snorkeling.
Meanwhile, a walk along the beach or on one of the inland paths, provides opportunities to see a variety of shore birds, finches and mockingbirds.
Activities and Excursions: Walk, Snorkeling, Panga ride
Difficulty: Moderate
PM: Giant Tortoises’ Reserve, off San Cristobal
The visit to the Giant Tortoise’s Reserve is the longest hike on San Cristobal; the walk is about 5 km one way and may be quite hot.
This is an excellent site for observing giant tortoises in their natural habitat. San Cristobal has a population of six thousand giant tortoises; in a good day, hundreds of them can be seen along with other endemic species, such as lava lizards, and mockingbirds.
Snorkel is a great activity as you have opportunities to see sea turtles and tintoreras (white tipped reef sharks). The beach of this visitor site is a nesting area for sea turtles.
Activities and Excursions: Walk, Snorkeling
Difficulty: Moderate to High Intensity
Day 8: San Cristobal Interpretation Center - San Cristobal Airport
AM: San Cristobal Interpretation Center
A short distance from the centre of San Cristobal is the San Cristobal Interpretation Center, which provides an overview of the fascinating history of the islands. The main areas of focus, which are addressed through a number of expositions are: natural history, human history and conservation for the future.
You can also take one of the trails behind the center that lead to some great viewpoints of the ocean and volcanic rocks below.
Activities and Excursions: Walk
Difficulty: Easy
San Cristobal Airport
Depart from San Cristobal airport.
