Your Travel Experience with Galapagos PRO
Day 1
Arrival at San Cristóbal
You will arrive at San Cristóbal in the morning where your Crew will greet you and your guide will bring you to the boat. You will be informed about the coming days and get a chance to get to know the boat and your cabin.
Roca León Dormido, Insel San Cristóbal
Afternoon In the morning, the first spot to be visited is Leon Dormido (eng. Kicker Rock), an impressive geological formation due to erosion. This is a nesting place for sea birds. Additionally, curious sea lions and marine life can be found, such as fish, turtles, sharks, rays, representing the main attraction for snorkelling. This is a nice spot to take pictures.
Day 2
Bartolomé Island
Morning: Bartolomé in the northern part of the archipelago was nominated for the World Travel Awards 2012 as the most beautiful beach of South America. Here, you will find a fascinating, lunar-like volcanic landscape. At its centre, the famous landmark of Galapagos: Pinnacle Rock.
A climb to the highest point of the island offers a wonderful view of the landscape. Take a swim together with some of the penguins who play in the waters and on the shores of the bay here.
Buccaneer Cove, Santiago
Afternoon: In the days of piracy in the 16th century, this cave on the northwest coast of Santiago was used by pirates and privateers to rest, get fresh water and replenish food supplies. From here, it is best to go inland to find water and bring turtles as provisions to the ship, as the ship was well protected and undiscovered in the cave. Today, numerous Galapagos bird species nest on the cliffs of the cave and circle in the skies above the island's red beach. This is also a great place for snorkelling and relaxing on the beach with the odd sea lion or fur seal.
Day 3
Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela
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 tuff stone 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.
Punta Espinoza, Fernandina
Afternoon: Today you are heading towards Fernandina, the westernmost and with just about 700,000 years, the youngest island in the archipelago. 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 snorkelling you might come close to the resident penguins darting quickly through the water.
Day 4
Tagus Cove, Isabela
Morning: 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 into 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. You can enjoy a panga ride through the cliffs, observing penguins, flightless cormorants, boobies, pelicans and Sally Lightfoot crabs or return to the cove to relax on the shore or snorkel.
Elizabeth Bay, Isabela
Afternoon: 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.
Day 5
Post Office Bay and Asilo de la Paz, Floreana
Morning: Floreana offers a wonderful testament to the fascinating human history of the Archipelago. Although paling in comparison to geological history, human history extends far beyond the island's first residents.
Here at Post Office Bay, learn about the historic barrel that has served as a post office in the archipelago for over two centuries. Lonely sailors, away from home for years at a time, would stop at Floreana to restock their supplies of food and water. The homesick sailors devised a clever solution - they left letters in a makeshift 'post box' on Floreana, and when passing ships stopped on the way back to their homeport, they would pick up all the letters destined for that place and deliver them.
To this day, the system is alive and well - each year thousands of visitors continue to leave letters for loved ones, and search for letters to bring home and deliver. To keep the tradition alive, hunt for a letter destined for a town near you and hand-deliver it.
As well as Post Office Bay, Floreana is famous for its mysterious stories revolving around its first inhabitants, Doctor Ritter, Dora Strauch and the Wittmer family. You should also be sure to visit the Cave of Pirates, which is located near a freshwater fountain that once served as the only source of freshwater for the families living there. The fountain was called the Asylum of Peace by the Wittmers.
Inselchen Champéon
Nachmittag: Das Inselchen Champéon befindet sich an Floreanas Nordküste und bietet mit eine steinigen und bloßen Fläche nicht viel. Taucht man jedoch in die Unterwasserwelt um die kleine Insel erlebt man ein unglaubliches Spektakel. Für gewöhnlich ist die Sicht hervorragend und mit etwas Glück erblicken Sie Riff Haie, grüne Pazifikschildköten oder spielende Seelöwen. Dass Sie auf tausende kleine silberne Fische, Tunfisch oder sogar Mondfische treffen können, ist bekannt.
Punta Cormorant, Insel Floreana
Punta Cormorant is home to two stunning natural beaches. You'll make a wet landing in the first bay, where you'll find a special black sand beach that twinkles green in the sunlight. The shimmering sand is made of olivine crystals, remnants of a long-gone violent volcanic eruption. Following the short trail along the beach, you'll come to a second little bay. Visitors will be delighted by the soft, white powdery sand that feels like walking in fine baking flour. This gorgeous beach certainly earned the name "Flour Beach". In the bay you will likely spot green sea turtles, and if you wander back from the sandy stretch, you can find a salt water lagoon that attracts vibrant flamingos and the adorable white cheeked pintails.
Day 6
Highlands of Santa Cruz
Morning: 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.
Charles Darwin Station, Santa Cruz
Afternoon: At Charles Darwin Station, scientists from around the world research the many tortoise subspecies that are endemic to the Galapagos islands. The highlight of the research center is the breeding station, Fausto Llerena, where baby turtles take a training course over rocks, branches and sandy stairs in prepareation for their upcoming release in to the wilderness.
Day 7
Cerro Dragón, Santa Cruz
Morning: You won't find a more apt place name than Cerro Dragón, "Dragon Hill", located behind a flamingo lagoon.
Dragon-like land iguanas roam across the sun-scorched, boulder-strewn island, grazing freely on the fruits and flowers of their favourite food, the Opuntia Cacti. Cerro Dragón is a great opportunity to get out your camera and capture some of what makes the Galapagos Islands so unique.
Guy Fawkes island
Afternoon: Guy Fawkes is a group of four small islands on the north-western side of Santa Cruz Island. They are satellite cones surrounded by deep waters. When they emerge from the depths, they are caught by the strong ocean currents, making the area a place full of life. These small islands have beautiful underwater cliffs covered with all kinds of marine invertebrates such as sponges, corals, starfish and sea urchins - a very colourful place for deep water snorkelling. Due to the conditions mentioned above, huge fish aggregations occur, and because of the depth of the water, it is not uncommon to see sharks or manta rays. Guy Fawkes is one of the most exciting places for deep water snorkelling.
Bahía Borrero, Santa Cruz
Afternoon: In the north of Santa Cruz Island is Bahía Borrero, a beautiful white coral beach used by green sea turtles as a nesting site. Behind the dunes is a forest with typical vegetation from the dry zone: palo santo, leatherleaf and salty shrubs. This vegetation is home to yellow warblers and some of the most characteristic species of Darwin's finches, such as the cactus finch or the small ground finch. This extinct volcano, due to its altitude, shows the different vegetation zones that go from littoral to dry and then, with more humidity, to the humid zone, finally ending in the dry pampas. It is an impressive landscape to enjoy while swimming in the turquoise waters of the bay or taking a relaxing walk on the beach.
Day 8
Departure from San Cristóbal
You will arrive at port in San Cristóbal. From here you will either journey to the airport for your travel back to the mainland or you will continue with you Galapagos program.