The M/C Galapagos Journey I

Galapagos Journey I itinerary

Sample day by day itinerary with description of visitor sites and activities (subject to changes).
Sample 8 day itinerary starting on Friday
Day 1 Friday morning: Baltra airport, Galapagos

The flight from Quito (via Guayaquil) to the Galapagos is approximately 2 ½ hours on a Boeing 727. Upon arrival at Baltra travelers passBaltra through an airport inspection point to insure that no foreign plants or animals are introduced to the islands and to pay the park entrance fee of $100 (unless prepaid). Your guide will meet you, collect your luggage and escort you on the short bus ride to the harbor. Motorized rafts, called ‘Pangas’ will then transport you to the M/C Galapagos Journey I and our crew will welcome you onboard. After a safety briefing, we set sail and eat lunch, after which the first island visit is made.

Friday afternoon: Plaza Island

These are two small islets that were formed a short distance from the East Coast of Santa Cruz. Land IguanaDespite its small size, some of the most interesting and outstanding species of the archipelago occur here. The principal attractions of Plazas are the land iguanas, sea lions and swallow–tailed gulls. It is possible to observe land iguanas relaxing in the shade of cactus plants and swallow-tailed gulls nesting on the rugged southern cliffs (which we will see along with various other sea birds). And that´s not all as the protected rocky seashore is a prime habitat for a large colony of noisy sea lions. Also we will be able to see yellow – tailed mullets, Audubon’s shearwaters, red-billed tropicbirds, frigate birds, and brown pelicans gliding past the cliffs.
(D)

Day 2 Saturday morning: San Cristobal Island - Interpretation Center & Tijeretas Hill

Built with the cooperation of the Spanish Science Centre, the interpretation centre gives a very good introduction to the Galapagos islands; its marine and land life and fauna and flora. It is located in the outskirts of the small city of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, (the capital of the Galapagos Province).

The trip to Tijeretas Hill takes approximately 20-40 minutesFridgate Brid. Once there, visitors are treated to a spectacular view of the white beaches on one side and the roofs of Puerto Baquerizo on the other. The hill is named after the Frigatebirds who frequent the area. Here you will be able to see both the Magnificent Frigatebirds and Great Frigatebirds in the same colony so this is the perfect place to compare and learn to distinguish them.

This site offers some safe snorkelling, a great place for beginners as there are no strong currents and a brilliant opportunity to look out for stingrays, barber fish and butterfly fish.

Saturday afternoon: Isla Lobos (Sea Lion Islet)

South Plazas island
This small islet, located only an hour by boat from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, is separated from the main Island by a narrow stretch of calm water. Upon its rocky shores blue-footed boobies nest and sea lions rest. The atmosphere is one of tranquillity and primitive beauty and reveals a very typical Galapagos environment.
(B,L,D)

Day 3 Sunday morning: Española island - Gardner BayGardnerbay

Located on the north-eastern coast of Hood, Gardner Bay is an excellent beach for relaxing, swimming and observing sea lions. Here we will also have the opportunity to observe sharks in the crystal-clear ocean waters.

Sunday afternoon: Española Island -Punta Suarez

This rocky land-point sustains one of the most impressive and varied colonies of sea birds

Waved Albatross
in the Galápagos. Along its southern shore, high cliffs rise up from the sea allowing the visitor spectacular views of soaring birds and of the blow hole, a lava tube where water can spout up to 75 feet into the air according to the intensity of the surf.
(B,L,D)

Day 4 Monday morning: Floreana Island - Cormorant Point & Devils crown

This site offers one of the largest and best flamingo lagoonsBlue food body courship dance in the Galapagos. It is situated between two tuff cones, giving the area its special atmosphere. Aside from the flamingos, various species of shorebirds can be seen, the most common being ilts, white-checked pintail ducks and other migratory birds. This is a unique zone due to the huge amount of endemic plant life. It is also very interesting to observe the two distinct beaches: the “green sand beach (due to the high percentage of olivine crystals in the sand) and the “Flour sand beach” which is made up of coral.

Monday afternoon: Post Office Bay
Charles Darwin StationsThis site is home to a wooden barrel, historically placed there in the 18th century by the crew of a whaling ship. Ever since this time the barrel has been used by mariners and tourists as a sort of postal service. Whalers and Galapagos residents used to leave their mail inside it, waiting for the captain of any boat headed to where the mail was addressed to deliver it… why not try it out to see if it still works? What´s more, apart from being the location of the Post Office Barrel, this site was also the landing area for some of the first colonists to the Galapagos Islands. (B,L,D)


Day 5 Tuesday morning: Santa Cruz Island - Charles Darwin Station

Although the majority of Galapagos visitors come here toGalapagos tortoise reserve observe and appreciate the natural wonders the Islands have to offer, many also find it interesting to learn more about the protection and conservation programs in place on the islands. Some of the principal attractions of the National Park Information Center are; the Van Staelen Exhibition Hall, the Breeding and Rearing Center for young tortoises, Lonesome George (the last surviving tortoise from Pinta Island) and other adult Galapagos tortoises in captivity.


Tuesday afternoon: Santa Cruz Island - Highlands

Galapagos penguins The trail to the highlands leaves from Bellavista and passes through the agricultural zone, near the National Park boundary, the Miconia Zone and then goes to the Fern and Sedge zone. With clear weather (unpredictable) this area offers beautiful scenes of rolling hills and extinct volcanic cones covered with grass and lush greenery all year round. (B,L,D)


Day 6 Wednesday morning: Chinese Hat

Chinese hat (sombrero chino) is a tiny Island just off the southeastern tip of Santiago Island and is less than a quarter of 1 sq km in sGalapagos marine iguansize. It is a recently-formed volcanic cone and its descriptive name accounts for the fact that it appears to take the shape of a downward-facing Chinese hat. (The hat shape is best appreciated from the northside.) Opposite Sombrero Chino, on the rocky shoreline of nearby Santiago island, Galapagos penguins and eagle rays are often seen. The island is home to a large sea lion colony and plenty of marine iguanas who cover the volcanic landscape. There are some excellent snorkeling opportunities in the cove.

Wednesday afternoon: Santiago Island - Puerto Egas

The excursion to Puerto Egas with its black sand beaches leads to one of the more rewarding visits of the Galapagos. The island was the site of a small salt mining industry in the 1960s, one of several unsuccessful attempts to commercialize the Galapagos. A hike inland to the salt crater is an excellent opportunity to see land birds such as finches, doves, and hawks. A walk along the rugged shoreline, especially at low tide, will allow us to observe many marine species as Iguanas bask on the rocks and sea lions laze in the tide pools. At the end of the trail there is a series of grottoes or sea caves where fur seals and night herons are regularly found resting on the shady ledges. For many, this is the only opportunity to see the Galapagos fur seal, once thought to be on the verge of extinction.
(B,L,D)


Day 7 Thursday morning: Santiago Island - Bahia Sullivan

This visitor site provides a unique opportunity to view lava flow that is approximately 100 years old. The Sullivan Bay Lava is known a Panoehoe (Hawaiian for Rope) due to the lava flow having solidified in a mostly ropey-like appearance; it is rare to the rest of the world but is common to the volcanoes of Hawaii Pahoe hoe lava fieland Galapagos. Only a few plants have managed to take root in this harsh environment. The low-lying Mollugo is commonly the first plant to emerge from a bare lava field. Together with the Lava Cactus (Brachycereus) found here these plants are evidence of life returning to Sullivan Bay.

Thursday afternoon: Bartolome Island

A small barren island that is located across from Sullivan Bay just off James Island, Bartolome has two main visitors’ sites. The first site offers the possibility to climb to the summit of the island, from where visitors canBartolome Island observe a variety of volcanic formations including lava bombs spatter and cinder cones, lava flows and lava tubes. The moon like landscape provides one of the most scenic panoramas in the archipelago. At the second site, visitors have the chance to relax on a beautiful beach, which offers great snorkelling opportunities. Multi –coloured fish and occasionally penguins and sea turtles have been seen at the base of the tall pinnacle rock, which dominates Bartolome’s landscape. A short walk across to Bartolome´s second beach and swimming is strictly prohibited. Here visitors can see White-tipped Reef Sharks at a safe distance swimming along the shoreline. (B,L,D)

Day 8 Friday morning: Santa Cruz Island - Bachas Beach

Located to the West of Turtle Cove, the sand on these two small beaches is made of Sea turtlesdecomposed coral. As a result the sand here is very white and soft, making it a favorite nesting site for sea turtles. Behind one of the beaches there is a small water lagoon, where occasionally it is possible to observe flamingos and other coastal birds, such as black-necked stilts and whimbrels. The other beach is longer and has two old barges that were abandoned during the Second World War, when the USA used Baltra Island as a strategic military point in order to protect the Panama Channel.

After your visit to Bachas, a bus transfer to Baltra airport is provided allowing you to catch your flight back to Quito or Guayaquil.
(B)

Note: Itineraries are subject to change due to weather conditions or Galapagos National Park regulations. B= breakfast, L= lunch, D= dinner.