Your Travel Experience with Galapagos PRO
Day 1
Transfer from Baltra's airport to the port
After arrival at Baltra Airport, transfer to the harbour to board the luxurious Grace.
Las Bachas Beach, Santa Cruz
Afternoon: On the north side of Santa Cruz, you will land on Bachas beach - one of the most important nesting sites for the Galapagos Island's sea turtle population.
A hidden lagoon behind the bay reveals a treasure trove of animal sightings - sunbathing iguanas, curious shorebirds, and Darwin finches, mockingbirds and seagulls frolic here. Native plant life is also interesting in this area. Red and black mangroves and salt bushes line the edges of the pond.
In this heavenly place you will also find the remains of barges that sank long ago when the US Navy operated a base on the island of Baltra during the Second World War. Local people changed the word Barges to "Bachas".
Day 2
Prince Philip‘s Steps, Genovesa
Morning: Genovesa Island is secluded from the other main islands in the north of the archipelago and is well-known as the Bird Island.
Prince Philip's Steps are a staircase sunken into volcanic rock that leads to a plateau rich with vegetation and wildlife. True to the nickname of Bird Island, this area is home to nesting masked and blue-footed boobies, Bahama ducks, petrels and gulls amongst a host of other local species. The Galápagos horned owls bask on the warm volcanic rocks here, paying no attention the tourists around them.
Darwin Bay, Genovesa Island
Afternoon: Emerging from the narrow entrance, you'll reach Darwin Bay, surrounded by protective cliffs. Frigatebirds regularly patrol the skies here and petrels can be seen hunting coastal waters for smaller fish. The green water in the bay is evidence of a high plankton content which attracts fish and seabirds, making this wildlife-rich bay a wonderful site for snorkeling. With some luck, you may also encounter peaceful hammerheads and black spotted stingrays.
Day 3
Puerto Egas, Santiago Island
Morning: After landing on the black sand beach of Puerto Egas, Santiago Island hike along a 2km long coastal area boasting sea lions, Sally Lightfoot crabs, lava lizards, Galapagos hawks and lava herons. The rugged lava coast with natural pools, where sea lions bathe and herons play marks the end of your hike.
An excursion to Santiago Island is also one of the rare chances to see Galápagos fur seals in the wild, though not in large numbers.
Espumilla Beach or Buccaneers Cove, Santiago Island
Afternoon: The coffee-colored sand of Espumilla Beach invites youto relax in the afternoon, but beware where you settle down! This part of the beach is considered as an ideal nesting ground for sea turtles that mainly favor the sandy dunes a little further away from the water. Following an easy walk we invite you to embark on the footsteps of pirates who seized the islands in the 18th century to provide themselves with fresh meat (in the form of turtles) and water. In a small bay, protected by steep tuff cliffs, at that time the pirates retired with their booty. Today, this place is considered as a retreat for sea lions.
Buccaneer Cove is evidence of Santiago's long history as a haven for British buccaneers. These pirates were likely anchoring in this sheltered bay to make repairs and, among other things, to increase their supplies of turtle meat. The steep cliffs surrounding the bay, where hundreds of seabirds settle on the dark red sand beach, are an impressive sight to behold.
Day 4
Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela Island
Morning: The sea-horse-shaped island of Isabela is the largest of the archipelago and the most volcanically active. Punta Vicente Roca is considered one of the most impressive and spectacular places of the enchanted Galapagos Islands with high cliffs and tuffstone giving this area a majestic feel.
While you explore the two coves and the large bay with spectacular sea life, keep an eye out for seahorses, sea turtles, and the weird and wonderful mola-mola, also known as sunfish. In good conditions, Punta Vicente Roca is considered one of the best snorkelling sites in the Galapagos.
Tagus Cove, Isabela Island
Afternoon: The historical pirate hideaway of Tagus Cove has been frequented by sailors since the 1800s. The names of visiting ships were often painted and carved in to the cliffs surrounding the cove.
Trails wind their way around Lake Darwin up to a ridge, offering wonderful views of the landscape and the ocean, with Wolf and Darwin Islands dotting the horizon. Punta Tortuga, just north of Tagus Cove, is another idyllic tropical beach surrounded by mangroves. Later, enjoy a panga ride through the cliffs, observing penguins, flightless cormorants, boobies, pelicans and Sally Lightfoot crabs. Return to the cove to relax on the shore or snorkel.
Day 5
Punta Espinoza, Fernandina Island
Morning: Fernandina is the youngest island in the archipelago, at only around 700,000 years old. Surrounded by hills amidst a lava landscape covered with cacti and mangroves is the visitor location Punta Espinoza. Meet sea lions and hundreds of marine iguanas basking on the black lava rocks and on the beach. While snorkeling you might come close to the resident penguins darting quickly through the water.
Urbina Bay, Isabela Island
Afternoon: Urbina Bay graces the southeast flank of the Alcedo Volcano. After volcanic activity in 1954 caused a significant uplift, the coast expanded almost a kilometer out. Marine life found a way to thrive in this newly fertile area and many species chose to stay. Today, this area is a great place for snorkeling. During your hike, you may see a large colony of land iguanas, Darwin's finches, giant tortoises (from June to September) and flightless cormorants.
Several species of whale have been spotted in the waters you'll be navigating through today.
Day 6
Elizabeth Bay, Isabela Island
Morning: The wide and sheltered Elizabeth Bay, on Isabela's east coast, hosts a bevy of the archipelago's unique wildlife. The mangrove-lined shore contrasts starkly against the surrounding lava fields. The myriad of small islets and rocky reefs make this is a particularly rich area for wildlife.
The waters here are particularly clear, and this makes Elizabeth Bay a great place to spot the rays, sharks, green sea turtles, Galapagos penguins, pelicans, and Galapagos sea lions known to gather here. Nearer to the shores and mangroves you'll see Galapagos flightless cormorants and the sunbathing marine iguanas.
Punta Moreno
Afternoon: Punta Moreno is a rugged young lava bay. At first it appears to be a lifeless landscape, however as you walk over the cooled lava, you'll see new green areas and lagoons hosting a wide variety of birds. Marine iguanas and lava lizards are usually found in the lagoons you'll often meet flamingos foraging here for their favorite meal. While the sharp rocks make this hike a little tricky, its path itself is easy enough to be enjoyed by everyone and provides an unforgettable landscape set against a backdrop of the volcanoes Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul.
Day 7
Isabela Island: Las Tintoreras, Breeding Center & Wetlands
Morning: Puerto Villamil has a feeling of standing on the edge of the earth. The tiny shing village, founded in 1897 by Don Antonio Gíl, is something of a forgotten gem in the islands. It has a population of roughly 2,000 people and is set amidst miles of white sandy beaches that rest at the outer edge of Sierra Negra Volcano. Buried pirates’ treasures has been unearthed here some years ago in the shadow of a tall coconut palm, thereby giving credence to all the legends of hidden treasure buried beneath palm trees. Early in the morning, you will visit Las Tintoreras which showcase colonies of sea lions, Galapagos turtles and iguanas; skates, sharks, penguins, sea cucumbers, urchins and a myriad members of the native ora and fauna whose peaceful interactions make you question exactly who’s really watching who. For your next activity, you can choose between visiting Cuevas del Sucre, which are fascinating lava formations, caves and tunnels located at an endemic forest, or Sierra Negra Volcano. For those that want to visit Sierra Negra Volcano, you will travel by car to the highlands of Isabela. From there, you will begin a hike to a new geological world. During the hike you will have the opportunity to admire the beautiful views and incredible contrast between the volcanoes and the sea, to nally arrive to the edge of the Sierra Negra volcanic crater, the second largest active volcanic crater in the world. From there you may walk around this enormous 30 square mile crater, and, if desired, you can continue walking top the Chico Volcano, a place with very unique scenery where there is a fusion of shades of red, oranges, yellows and blacks. Here, you can observe fumaroles and spectacular lava formations. In the early afternoon, you will walk to the wetlands that are home a hyper- saline lagoon frequented by amingos and other waders and shore birds and have some leisure time while you enjoy the beautiful beaches of Puerto Villamil.
Navigation to Santa Cruz Island
Day 8
Highlands of Santa Cruz Island
Afternoon: As you venture into Santa Cruz's higher altitude areas, you will notice the changes in the vegetation as the climate becomes wetter and warmer. The earth in the upper altitudes is rich in minerals. Coffee plantations and fruit orchards line the streets. Here you can observe the famous Galapagos giant tortoises in the wild, using the new knowledge you gained at Charles Darwin Station in the morning.
The Scalesia forests in this area offer the opportunity to discover endemic species of the Galapagos Islands, as well as giant cacti and a variety of deciduous trees and edible fruits.
Here you can also visit the twin 'craters' Los Gemelos. While they are not craters in the technical sense, these 70 meter vertical gullies with a carpet of lush vegetation are an impressive sight to behold.
Transfer
Transfer to the airport of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno for your return flight to Guayaquil or Quito, or continue on with your individual Galapagos travels.