Day 1: Baltra - Santa Cruz Highlands
Our guide will be waiting for you at Baltra Airport and once the group of passengers is completed. They will accompany you to the Archipell Catamaran which is anchored in Puerto Ayora harbor. After arrival on board, we will check in and give you general information.
Afterwards, we will visit the highlands of the island where you will visit the private farm “Las Primicias”. This reserve offers you one of the best possibilities to see the giant tortoises of Santa Cruz Island in their natural habitat. You can observe them from a very close distance.
Day 2: Cormorant Point - Post Office & Baroness Lookout
At Cormorant Point you land on a green olivine sand beach. Following a 100 m long path you will soon reach a beautiful lagoon with flamingo's.
In the afternoon you will visit the Post Office Bay, which still keeps the legendary post barrel that whalers historically used to post their mail in.
Later we will go to “Mirador de la Baronesa” (Baroness Lookout Point) and your naturalist guide will tell you the murder and mystery legend of the Baronesa. This viewpoint is located on the north of Floreana Island.
Day 3: Gardener Bay - Suarez Point
At Española Island you will explore a lot of natural wildlife. 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.
Suarez Point has one of the most outstanding wildlife areas of the archipelago, with a long list of species found along its cliffs and sandy or pebbly beaches.
Day 4: Pitt Point - Witch Hill
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.
In the afternoon visit Witch Hill, where the primary attraction of the site is the coral sand beach, an excellent place to swim and snorkel. Witch Hill is the remains of a tuff cone and one of the first sites visited by Charles Darwin. It has an impressive landscape, where it is often possible to see coastal and migratory birds, including pelicans, blue-footed boobies and swallow-tailed gulls; as well as sea lions and marine iguanas. At times, the lagoon is completely dry and deposits of salt can be found at the bottom. The people of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno used to use the lagoon as a salt mine.
Day 5: Interpretation Centre - Depart San Cristobal
Cerro Colorado Tortoises Protection and Growing Centre, located at approximately 40 minutes by bus to the southeast of the island, was built to improve the status of the population of the island tortoises. The centre includes a large corral, a Visitor Centre, breeding centre and an interpretative trail. Along this trail, it is possible to see different species of native and endemic plants as well as birds like the San Cristóbal mockingbird, yellow warblers, many species of finches and the Galapagos flycatcher. On your visit to Colorado Hill, you will get to discover the amazing and emblematic giant Galapagos tortoises in the tortoise breeding centre, and maybe even get to see one hatch (seasonally)! In addition, you will get to see how much hard work is put into
saving the last local giants of San Cristóbal.
You will be transferred to San Cristobal airport for your flight back to Quito/Guayaquil.
