Day 1: Baltra - Santa Cruz Highlands
Arrival at San Christobal Airport and transfer in. One of our representative Guides will meet you and transfer you to the M/C Archipell I.
Because wild Galapagos giant tortoises don’t stop at official National Park boundaries, dozens of them also roam on the adjacent woodlands in the populated agricultural zone of Santa Cruz.
Thanks to their concentrations around their favourite muddy pools, these semi-open pastures and moist scalesia-woodlands are the best place for a quick visit.
After this excursion you will have some time to visit the surroundings.
Day 2: Cormorant Point & Post Office Bay, Floreana
The peninsula of Cormorant Point forms the extreme north cape of Floreana, which was formed by a number of smaller volcanic cones, covered with tropical dry forest (palo santo). At the landing beach, you will be welcomed by a small Galapagos sea lion-colony. The green sand on this beach contains a high percentage of glassy olivine crystals that have been blown out by the surrounding tuff cones. The ‘flour sand’ beach on the southern side of the peninsula is made up of even finer white coral sand that feels very smooth on your feet. Parrotfish have pulverised it, grinding the calcareous skeletons of living coral. You can spot schools of stingrays who love burying themselves in the sandy bottom. During the first months of the year, Pacific green turtles come ashore to bury their eggs.
While having lunch we will navigate back to Post Office Bay (about 1hr). Post your holiday greetings in the historical barrel, one of three nearby visitor’s sites on Floreana’s north coast (short displacement, wet landing) and relax. Besides Galapagos sea lions, Pacific green turtles and golden cownose rays you might spot Galapagos penguins! This is the only place in the south-eastern archipelago where penguins reside. Explore by inflatable dinghy – or in your own pace by sea-kayak – another submerged crater rim around the bay of Baroness Lookout. Climb the miniature basaltic cone of Baroness Lookout and take in the paradisiacal coastal views. This viewpoint was the favourite spot of one of Floreana’s first colonists, the eccentric Baroness and self-proclaimed ‘Empress of Galapagos’ Eloisa von Wagner Bosquet, who even built her house a few metres behind. She and one of her lovers were the first in a series of mysterious disappearings and deaths in the 1930s.
Day 3: Gardner Bay & Suarez Point, Espanola
Being one of the crown jewels of Galapagos, Española gives you the exclusive opportunity to become eyewitness of revolution. It is home to many birds, like the endemic Hood-Mockingbird. Gardner Bay provides you an excellent beach for swimming. Around the small islets nearby, snorkelers will find lots of fish and sometimes turtles and sharks. The bay is also frequented by colonies of sea lions, which like to swim with you.
Española’s west tip, Suarez Point, is a true bird watcher’s and photographer’s dream. Feel yourself right within an exciting nature documentary, and hike in short distance past most colourful marine iguanas.
Day 4: Pitt Point & Witch Hill, San Cristobal
Two wind sculptured tuff cones at Pitt Point constitute the extreme eastern end of Galapagos and were the first sight of land of HMS Beagle with Darwin aboard. Punta Pitt is one of the only two sites where all three types of boobies breed, and as well the site where great frigate birds swallow tailed gulls and Galapagos storm-petrels.
Enjoy a leisure afternoon in the lovely setting of Witch Hill’s crescent-shaped natural beach of soft power sand
Day 5: Lobos Island - Depart San Cristobal Island
On your last day, visit the Asylum of Peace hike goes past a mesmerizing cave and visits a fascinating freshwater spring. La Loberia beach is an ideal spot to enjoy the ocean, as well as the cute sea lions that habit there.
You will be transferred to San Cristobal airport for your flight back to mainland Ecuador.
