Ecuador tour
4-Day Galapagos Cruise |
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Itinerary
Day 1 : Arrive Galapagos/ PM Activity
Visiting: Galapagos Islands
Make your way to the Quito or Guayaquil airport (optionally, we can help with hotels & transfers; please see our City Discovery Pack). Depart from the mainland to Baltra (about a 2 and half hour flight). Travelers are picked up at the Baltra airport by the ship guides and taken to the pier to board your vessel, either one of the Coral ships or the Legend or other craft (whichever boat you pick: contact us for the best options for when you want to travel).
North Seymour / dry landing: Travelers will encounter swallow-tailed gulls, blue footed boobies, and sea lions. This site is a major nesting colony of blue footed boobies, and has the largest colony of the magnificent frigate bird. Travelers will also likely spot both the marine iguanas and the land iguanas.
*** Note: this itinerary is only a guide to a typical Galapagos 4-day cruise; actual itineraries can vary by boat, season, year, park rules, and conditions. Contact us for the specific itinerary for your chosen cruise.
- Meals: LD
Day 2 : Explore the Galapagos
Visiting: Galapagos Islands
Santa Cruz (Dragon Hill)/ dry landing. Passengers walk to a saltwater lagoon behind the beach, where on occasion many pink flamingos can be observed. This trail leads up to Dragon Hill, which offers a lovely view of the bay. This is a nesting site for land iguanas, and there is also a unique Holy Stick Forest.
Floreana (Cormorant Point)/ wet landing. This afternoon we'll land on a sandy beach and head and venture inland. Visitors will hike from the black mangrove beds to a large, brackish lagoon, which holds one of the biggest flamingo populations in the Galapagos. This island features endemic plants such as Scalesia villosa, Galapagos daisies, white and black mangrove, and holy stick.
- Meals: BLD
Day 3 : Explore the Galapagos
Visiting: Galapagos Islands
Espaņola (Suarez Point)/ dry landing. Visitors will learn more about the classic inner-island Galapagos landscape on a hike cross the inactive lava fields. Besides the sea lion colonies, this is a very important island for bird watching. Various bird species such as the Galapagos mockingbird, Nazca booby (once considered a sub-species of the masked booby), and tropic bird can be spotted and observed from very close. You will also see a large colony of marine iguanas, lava lizards, and sally light foot crabs. After a short walk visitors encounter will colonies of masked and blue-footed boobies. The nesting grounds sometimes overlap the trail forcing us to carefully walk around the nests. Visitors will also find Galapagos doves, Galapagos hawks, and swallow-tailed gulls and then reach the world's largest colony of waved albatross. A major highlight is their mating season, from May through December. You'll visit the famous blowhole, where water shoots into the air 23 meters (75 feet) up.
San Cristobal (Interpretation Center or La Galapaguera)/ dry landing at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Travelers will visit the San Cristobal breeding center and learn about the Galapagos National Park's breeding program with the giant tortoises. In addition, one can observe some of the animals in their natural environment nearby. Passengers will also have the opportunity to the visit the town and go shopping for gifts such as shirts, hats, and other arts & crafts.
- Meals: BLD
Day 4 : AM Activity / Depart the Galapagos
Visiting: Galapagos Islands
Santa Cruz (Carrion Point). Today, passengers can choose either a wildlife cruise by dinghy to observe the Galapagos fur seal, seabirds, and marine wildlife or go snorkeling to see a variety of tropical fish, manta rays or even the harmless white-tipped reef sharks. Afterward, return to the vessel, check-out, and transfer to the airport.
Return by air to Quito or Guayaquil.
- Meals: B
