Day 1: Baltra - Charles Darwin Research Station
Upon arriving in Baltra, your first visit will be to Charles Darwin Station, a non-profit institution that dedicates itself to studying and protecting the flora and fauna of the Galapagos. This is one of the best places to see land tortoises, including Lonesome George, the last survivor of his subspecies. Then you’ll visit the station’s Tortoise Rearing Center. Here you can find baby, hand-sized tortoises, between the ages of one and five, and marvel at how they achieve such large sizes as adults (500 lbs. or more!).
Aside from the Station headquarters, Santa Cruz Island is home to the largest town and economic centre of the Galapagos, Puerto Ayora. In this port-side town you can buy souvenirs (postcards, t-shirts, books, etc.) of the islands. After lunch, you will explore the upper region of the island and learn about the vegetation and animal life of the area. Return to town in the late afternoon and check out its night life while the boat is docked for most of this night.
Day 2: Cormorant Point, Devil's Crown & Post Office Bay, Floreana Island
Your first stop is Punta Cormorant, where you’ll follow a footpath to a lagoon inhabited by flaming-pink flamingos. You will also pass by Carolina Beach, a Sea Turtle nesting area and a superb spot for watching sea birds and sea rays.
Back on the yacht, you’ll skirt the island’s coast until you arrive at La Corona del Diablo (the Devil’s Crown), a sub-marine crater that offers some of the most spectacular snorkeling in the Galapagos. This is a great spot for seeing the wide array of tropical fish, many endemic to the islands, including purple sea stars and spiky sea urchins. The crater’s most thrilling undersea creatures, however, are the white-tipped sharks.
After returning to the boat for lunch you’ll sail on to Post Office Bay, where the islands’ original post office (really only a wooden barrel) was established in 1793. The current system still functions as it did three centuries ago: Visitors drop off unstamped letters and postcards and pick-up whatever mail they can hand deliver themselves when they return home!
Day 3: Suarez Point & Gardner Bay, Espanola Island
Espanola is one of the most magical of all the islands. It is a place where the animals reign supreme and we humans are merely guests. As your dingy brings you to shore you’ll see Sea Lion pups sunbathing with Marine Iguanas and Blue Footed Boobies nesting in between, nearby may be a Galapagos Hawk, Frigate Bird and Waved Albatross.
As you make your way around the island, you will pass by El Soplador, a giant blowhole that explodes to heights reaching 25 feet. In the nearby tide pools you can often find lounging sea lions enjoying the blowhole’s misty spray.
In the late afternoon, you will visit Gardner Bay, a great place for sunbathing, swimming and snorkelling. Lionfish, Flycatchers, and Galapagos Hawks will keep you company as you relax under the rays of the evening sun.
Day 4: Lobos Island - Depart San Cristobal
After breakfast, you will visit Lobos Island, a very small islet made of volcanic rocks that gets its name from the colony of Sea Lions that live there. Here you can observe the behaviour and interaction of Sea Lions living in a small community.
Before taking the flight back to the mainland you will have some time to visit the town on your own for last minute shopping or people watching in the Galapagos. You will then be transferred to San Cristobal Airport for your outbound flight home.
