Enchanted Isles

Snorkel with playful sea lions and equatorial penguins, hike past dancing blue-footed boobies, and savor one of our planet’s quintessential natural history experiences! Natural predators have never existed on the Galapagos Islands, so the wildlife shows no fear around humans—we walk right among basking iguanas and seabirds on their nests for incredible opportunities to observe and photograph. As we explore a new island each day, our fantastic naturalist guide brings this unique world to life. A Galapagos pilgrimage is the dream of every nature lover, and we’ve perfected this journey, set aboard a luxurious, air-conditioned 12- to 16-passenger yacht—it’s the only way to go!

Itinerary at a Glance

For a more complete description, Download Full Trip Brochure

Days 1-2
Quito, Ecuador

Meet in Quito and explore on your own in the colonial center, with its grand plaza, mansions, and baroque churches.

Days 3-4
Galapagos Cruise / North Seymour / Santa Cruz

There’s a world of wonder in Darwin’s bewitching islands—on land as well as in the sea. We fly out to the islands and sail to North Seymour Island for a hike among prehistoric-looking marine iguanas, Darwin’s “imps of darkness.” On Santa Cruz, we visit the town of Puerto Ayora and the Darwin Research Station, with its museum and tortoise breeding facility, then head up to the lush highlands for a chance to see Galapagos tortoises in the wild.

Day 5
Espanola

At remote Espanola (Hood), we discover a jewel of an island known for its high number of endemic species. Marine iguanas are inky black on most Galapagos islands, but on Espanola, they are brightly colored, with a reddish tint. At Punta Suarez, we find spectacular cliffs inhabited by colorful lava lizards, the indigenous Hood mockingbird, and cactus and warbler finches. We enjoy great snorkeling on the northeast coast at Gardner Bay, where sea lions laze on long white beaches. Between April and November, Espanola is famed for its colonies of nesting waved albatross. These giant birds use the island’s steep cliffs as runways to take off for their oceanic feeding grounds.

Days 6-8
Floreana / Isabela / Fernandina

Rich flora abounds on Floreana, and the snorkeling is out of this world at Devil’s Crown, the remnant of a volcanic crater whose pinnacles rise up from the sandy bottom. Red-billed tropicbirds nest in the crater’s rocky crevices, while schools of king angelfish and beautiful marbled rays swim below. On Punta Cormorant, we watch elegant pink flamingos wade in the shallows, and on Isabela Island, we snorkel among tiny Galapagos penguins who seem to fly through the water. We look for flightless cormorants at Punta Espinosa and marine turtles at Urbina Bay. On pristine Fernandina, we hike Punta Espinosa to see the biggest colony of marine iguanas in the islands. We can often see them diving in the intertidal areas.

Days 9-11
Santiago / Bartolome / Quito

Santiago (James) Island has numerous shorebirds, including lava herons, Galapagos doves, and Galapagos hawks. Our hike up the volcanic cone called Pinnacle Rock on Bartolome Island offers top-of-the-world views. We explore by panga in Black Turtle Cove, a red mangrove lagoon that is a nursery for many sharks and rays. Fly to Quito and depart on Day 11, or extend your journey to Machu Picchu, Ecuador’s mountain highlands, or the Amazon.

For a more complete description, Download Full Trip Brochure

Optional Extensions

If you would like to continue your adventure, we offer the following extensions:

• Otavalo & Hacienda Zuleta Extension (3 days)
• Amazon Rainforest Extension: Napo Wildlife Center (4 days)
• Amazon Rainforest Extension: Sacha Lodge (4 days)
• Cusco Machu Picchu Extension (6 days)

What the Trip is Like

The 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 panga) 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 because the panga is moving 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