Galapagos Adventure

The unique wildlife of the Galápagos has no fear of humans—we walk trails right among courting, nesting seabirds who take no notice of us—it’s an experience like no other! The older, greener Eastern Islands of this famed archipelago have an incredibly diverse ecosystem and a remarkable number of endemic species. Our eastern cruise includes famous Tower, prime nesting site of beautiful red-footed boobies, colorful South Plaza Island, with its hybrid iguanas, and Santa Fé, home to such endemics as the Galápagos hawk, and a great place to snorkel with playful sea lions. And life on board our lovely yacht? It’s a delight, with delicious meals savored al fresco. This is the ideal way to discover one of the most spectacular settings imaginable.

Itinerary at a Glance

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Days 1-2
Guayaquil, Ecuador / Galápagos Cruise / Baltra / Black Turtle Cove

Arrive in Guayaquil for overnight at the Hilton Colon Guayaquil. The next day, fly to Baltra, board our yacht, and sail to Black Turtle Cove for a Zodiac ride.

Days 3-4
Tower / Bartolomé

Navigating north to Tower (Genovesa) Island, we land at magnificent Darwin Bay, lined with red mangroves and prickly pear cacti where red-footed boobies and great frigatebirds perch and peer at us. We also hike along a cliff to see nesting frigatebirds, Nazca boobies, and impressive red-billed tropicbirds. On tiny Bartolomé, a trail to the summit offers magnificent views.

Days 5-6
Sullivan Bay, Santiago Island / Rabida / Mosquera

We snorkel at Santiago Island, famous for the underwater ballet of its fur seals in the lava grottoes. Rabida, with its seashell-pink sands, has a lagoon full of pink flamingos and we hike amid Darwin’s finches and Galápagos mockingbirds. On a coralline beach on Mosquera, home to a sea lion colony, we snorkel and explore by Zodiac.

Days 7-8
Plaza Sur / Santa Fé Island / Gardner Bay, Española

Colorful Plaza Sur is home to its own species of coppery-orange land iguanas. We see Santa Fé’s endemic land iguana, and on fantastic Española’s Gardner Bay, with its many sea lion colonies, we look for Galápagos hawks, Galápagos doves, and Hood mockingbirds, endemic to this island.

Day 9-10
Charles Darwin Research Station, Santa Cruz / Baltra / Guayaquil

After a visit to Darwin Station, we head to Baltra and fly to Guayaquil for overnight, departing Day 10 (or join our Ecuadorian Highlands, Amazon, or Machu Picchu extensions).

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What the Trip is Like

This trip is rated Level 1+, Easiest. It is appropriate for anyone in good health who is physically active and enjoys moderate walks. There are daily shore excursions featuring walks on well-marked trails through wildlife colonies, rocky lava fields, and along beaches. Our shore landings are either “dry” (where there are rocks or wooden piers to step onto when you disembark from the Zodiac) or “wet” (which involves stepping out of the panga into a foot or so of surf and wading to shore). Getting out of the panga for a dry landing is occasionally tricky, especially on days when the seas may be active because the Zodiac moves up and down with the waves and the rocks you step onto may be slippery. The yacht staff will assist in these landings. While we travel aboard small sailing vessels, we normally motor from island to island because of the long distances between islands and the desire to maximize our time on shore.

Explanation of Trip Levels