Day 1: Quito
On arrival, check into your hotel and feel free to explore the culturally and historically vibrant capital city of Ecuador. Quito is lined with a variety of shops, churches occupied by fine art, overflowing market stands, hat makers, diverse food and nightlife displays. This city is well known for its ‘Old Town’, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising stunning colonial monuments, sculptures and architecture.
Day 2: North Seymour Island
Take an early flight to Baltra Airport to arrive into the Galapagos Islands in time for lunch. Transfer to North Seymour and enjoy an exciting wildlife experience. Follow trails to see all the action of frolicking sea lions and resting marine iguanas. See blue-footed booby nests and mating pairs perform their courtship dance.
Head to a rocky shore to see flocks of pelicans having lunch in a dive bomb feeding frenzy, then turn inland to a large nesting site of magnificent frigatebirds. These huge, dark acrobats have two-metre wingspans, and males, with their puffed-up scarlet throat sacks, sit precariously perched in low bushes to watch over their equally large chicks. Top off the excursion with a snorkel among sea lions and rays. Retreat to your spacious cabins aboard the Yolita and enjoy an Ecuadorian or international cuisine.
Day 3: Cerro Brujo, Kicker Rock & Isla Lobos (located in San Cristobal)
In the morning visit Cerro Brujo to explore its coastline, and look for wildlife on the beach, in the water and in the air. Learn about the human and natural history of the area from your naturalist guide. Take a refreshing dip in the turquoise waters, and then head out to a freshwater lagoon to witness herds of wading flamingos.
Afterwards dive into the best snorkelling experience at Kicker Rock one of the most stunning landmarks that rises 150m (492 ft) above the ocean's surface, and is home to an incredibly diverse range of marine life that inhabits the nutrient-rich water. See an array of sharks, rays, and a variety of tropical fish that are drawn to the rock.
Head off to Isla Lobos for another snorkelling experience off the beach amid families of sea lions and their inquisitive pups. Finally enjoy a thrilling panga (dinghy) ride in the waters of Isla Lobos to view nesting shore birds, a small colony of blue-footed boobies as well as two species of sea lions.
Day 4: Bahia Gardner & Punta Suarez (located in Espanola Island)
Set sail to Gardner Bay and relax on its white sandy beach home to sea lions and sea birds. Then you can enjoy a snorkelling session to search for incredible sea life including young sea lions, manta rays, whitetip reef sharks, yellow-tailed surgeonfish, king angelfish, and bump-head parrot fish to name a few.
In the afternoon head off to Punta Suárez on Española Island, the southernmost island in the Galápagos archipelago and home to several wildlife species. Hike to the top of the cliff for spectacular photo opportunities, and explore the island's untamed natural beauty.
Day 5: Sante Fe Island & South Plaza Island
Visit Santa Fé for amazing wildlife watching opportunities. Hike towards the cliffs along the island's northern shore to view a forest of giant prickly pear cactus known as Opuntia. This cactus forest is home to the endemic land iguana which feed on the cacti pads. Santa Fe is also one of the best locations to see sea turtles, swim with sea lions, and get a glimpse of a whitetip reef shark.
By the afternoon, set sail to South Plaza, one of the smallest islands in the Galápagos, but has one of the largest populations of land iguanas. Trek through a cactus forest and view a combination of dry and coastal vegetation home to a wide range of fauna, such as red-billed tropicbirds, and indigenous swallow-tailed gulls.
Day 6: El Chato & Charles Darwin Research Station (located in Santa Cruz)
Board a morning flight from Quito to the Galapagos Islands then transfer to the vast land of Puerto Ayora. Head to Santa Cruz’s verdant highlands and the El Chato Reserve, a perfect place to see giant tortoises in their natural environment. Explore the reserve’s lagoon and lava tunnels, keeping an eye out for owls that often roost in the tunnels’ entrances.
Later in the afternoon, you will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station and training centre that allows scientists, researchers and volunteers to work together and conserve the Galapagos ecosystem and wildlife. You will receive a tour of the exhibition centre and view photographs of recent volcano eruptions, charts outlining geological formations and drawings of evolutionary development of endemic species. Meanwhile observe the many species of tortoises and land iguanas as well as young turtles kept in the centre's nursery. In the afternoon fly back to Quito and enjoy the evening.
Day 7: Devil's Crown & Pot Office Bay (located in Floreana Island)
In the morning dive into an incredible snorkelling experience at Corona del Diablo known as 'Devil's Crown' to gaze upon tropical fish, rays, reef sharks and sea turtles. Finally you will visit Punta Cormorant and discover two contrasting beaches. The first beach has green sand consisting of olivine crystals and the other consists of purely white sand suitably named Flour Beach. Continue the trip by observing flamingos and other shore birds feeding in a lagoon and locate penguins and marine iguanas at the water's edge.
Enjoy the afternoon at Mirador de la Baronesa on Floreana Island to visit Post office Bay which is historically known as the place where English whaling vessels placed a barrel to be used as a post office. It is maintained today by tourists who send a postcard from the famous destination and help deliver any letters that are close to an address back home
Day 8: Chinese Hat Island & Cerro Dragon
Spend the morning at a small island named Chinese Hat named by its hat-shaped land mass. Here you will visit the white coral sand beach, then indulge in a snorkelling session with playful sea lions and penguins. There are swimming opportunities in the cove for the more adventurous.
After a delicious lunch, visit Cerro Dragon for some prime bird watching opportunities. Take a short walk from the beach to a hypersalinic (saltier than the ocean) lagoon filled with pink flamingos, common stilts, pintail ducks, and other species of birds. Later trek through a Scalesia tree forest; endemic to the area, there are only 400 specimens of Scalesia trees left in the world.
Day 9: Black Turtle Cove
In the morning you will explore the mangrove lagoon at Black Turtle Cove. Explore the mangroves by a thrilling panga (dinghy) ride to find rich marine wildlife between the fresh and salt waters. Keep any eye out for manta rays and sea turtles in this tranquil ecosystem. Mighty whitetip reef sharks can also be seen gliding by. In the afternoon, transfer for a flight back to Quito for one last night on the town.
In the afternoon fly back to Quito, check in to your hotel and enjoy the evening.
Day 10: Quito
Feel free to explore enchanting Quito for the last time before you depart back home. Remember to ask your CEO who can help with travel arrangements and extend your adventure.
