9 days cruise Yacht Letty – B

Morning – Arrival at San Cristóbal Airport: Your TCC (Transit Control Card), also known as the Ingala card (US$20 per person), will be issued digitally after you complete an online form. At the airport, this digital card will be checked, and your luggage will be inspected to ensure that no non-native plant or animal species are introduced. In addition, the Galápagos National Park entrance fee (US$200) must be paid upon arrival if it has not already been paid.

Your guide will meet you at the airport, assist you with your luggage, and accompany you to the yacht. After a welcome from the crew and captain, your cabins will be assigned, followed by your first lunch on board.

Afternoon – Interpretation Center (San Cristóbal): In the afternoon, you will visit the Interpretation Center, where you will learn about the history of the islands from natural, human, and conservation perspectives. Two permanent interactive exhibitions — one focusing on natural history and the other on human history — provide fascinating insights into the development of the archipelago.

If time permits, a visit to Playa Mann will follow.

Return to the Yacht Letty for the daily briefing, dinner, and overnight stay on board.

Morning – Pitt Point: After breakfast, you will travel by Zodiac to Pitt Point. A wet landing on the beach is followed by an active hike up to a volcanic tuff cone with spectacular views.

This is one of the few places where all three booby species can be observed: blue-footed, red-footed, and Nazca boobies. You will also encounter frigatebirds, other seabirds, and playful sea lions. Pitt Point is also an excellent site for snorkeling and swimming.

Afternoon – Witch Hill, Kicker Rock: After lunch, another wet landing takes place at Witch Hill, an eroded tuff cone made of lava formations and volcanic rock. Here you will find a beautiful white sand beach, ideal for swimming and snorkeling. The area also provides excellent birdwatching opportunities for migratory species such as plovers, stilts, and other shorebirds.

Afterward, continue to Kicker Rock, an impressive rock formation that was once part of an active volcanic cone. Its shape resembles a sleeping lion, which inspired its name. Hundreds of blue-footed boobies, tropical birds, frigatebirds, and other species nest here. You will also have the opportunity to snorkel and explore the fascinating underwater world — with luck, even hammerhead sharks may be spotted.

Return to the yacht for the daily briefing, dinner, and overnight stay on board.

Morning – Gardner Bay: After breakfast, travel by Zodiac to Española, the oldest island of the archipelago, with a wet landing at Gardner Bay. This breathtaking coral sand beach is populated by curious sea lions — a perfect welcome to your island adventure.

Snorkeling here is highly rewarding, with chances to see rays, white-tip reef sharks, and colorful schools of fish. Kayaking is also highly recommended. On the island, you may encounter colonies of marine iguanas, endemic mockingbirds, Sally Lightfoot crabs, and blue-footed boobies.

Lunch on board the Letty.

Afternoon – Suarez Point: In the afternoon, a dry landing takes place at Suarez Point, one of the archipelago’s most important bird sanctuaries. Between April and December, magnificent waved albatrosses nest here. You may also observe endemic mockingbirds, swallow-tailed gulls, Nazca and blue-footed boobies, tropical birds, and many other species.

After a fantastic afternoon hike, return to the yacht for dinner and overnight stay.

Morning – Post Office Bay, Baroness Lookout: Today you will visit Floreana Island with a wet landing at Post Office Bay on the northern coast. The bay was named after Captain James Colnett, who established a wooden barrel here in 1793 as an improvised post office. Sailors deposited letters here to be carried by other travelers heading to distant countries, especially Europe — in some cases, the letters arrived years later.

From here, you will hike to Baroness Lookout, enjoying panoramic views of the island. Along the trail, Darwin’s finches, lava lizards, sea lions, yellow warblers, and other wildlife can be observed. The bay also offers excellent snorkeling and swimming opportunities.

Lunch on board the yacht.

Afternoon – Cormorant Point: In the afternoon, you will land at Cormorant Point in southern Floreana. The beach is famous for its greenish-golden sand, rich in olivine — a volcanic crystal originating from the Earth’s mantle and composed of aluminum, silicon, magnesium, and iron. Combined with eroded tuff, this creates the beach’s unique coloration.

Nearby lies a brackish lagoon that serves as habitat for numerous migratory and coastal birds and is an excellent place to observe flamingos. Although the total Galápagos flamingo population numbers only around 1,200–1,500 individuals, relatively many live in this single lagoon. Flamingos migrate between islands in search of food but do not fly to mainland Ecuador. Their ancestors originated from the Caribbean.

The trail continues to a white sand beach, one of the archipelago’s most important nesting sites for Pacific green sea turtles.

Return to the yacht for the daily briefing, dinner, and overnight stay.

Morning – North Seymour: The flat, small island of North Seymour is an uplifted section of the ocean floor. Among the dry shrubs, you may spot Galápagos land iguanas. Numerous seabirds can also be seen, including brown pelicans, red-billed tropicbirds, swallow-tailed gulls, and, depending on the season, Nazca boobies.

The main attraction, however, is the Galápagos’ largest nesting colony of blue-footed boobies — be careful not to step on their nests — as well as frigatebirds. During breeding season, the adult male frigatebirds inflate their bright red throat pouches to nearly football size.

Afternoon – Bartolomé Island: In the afternoon, visit one of the archipelago’s most iconic islands, Bartolomé — an excellent destination for snorkeling and hiking amidst breathtaking scenery.

There are two possible landing sites (determined by your guide the evening before): either a lava-and-concrete pier that transitions into a wooden staircase to prevent erosion, or directly at the coral bay. The staircase consists of 372 steps leading to the summit, home to perhaps the most photographed view in the Galápagos: Pinnacle Rock.

Due to the island’s elevation, the sparse vegetation becomes immediately noticeable. Pioneer plants dominate the landscape, being the first species to establish themselves on newly formed volcanic soil. Behind the beach stretch dunes covered with mangroves.

The coral bay beside Pinnacle Rock is a wet landing site and ideal for snorkeling. With luck, you may encounter tropical fish, sea lions, and Galápagos penguins resting on the lava rocks along the shoreline.

Evening briefing, dinner, and overnight stay on board.

Morning – Darwin Bay: Today you will visit one of the most beautiful islands in the archipelago, Genovesa Island, with a wet landing at Darwin Bay. The coral sand beach offers magnificent views across the horseshoe-shaped bay.

This is a fantastic opportunity to observe numerous bird species, including Galápagos hawks, frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, mockingbirds, lava gulls, and swallow-tailed gulls.

Lunch on board the yacht.

Afternoon – Genovesa Island: In the afternoon, continue your adventure on Genovesa — a true paradise for birdwatchers. After a dry landing, the hike begins at Prince Philip’s Steps, a narrow strip of land leading to the plateau surrounding Darwin Bay and forming the northern side of the island.

Travel by dinghy to the opposite side of the caldera, where red-billed tropicbirds circle noisily overhead and Galápagos fur seals rest along the shore. At the top of the steep staircase, Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies, mockingbirds, and various finches accompany you through a forest of Palo Santo trees until you reach a vast open lava field.

Above the lava, wedge-rumped storm petrels dart through the air, and with luck, short-eared owls may also be spotted.

Return to the yacht for the evening briefing, dinner, and overnight stay.

Morning – South Plaza: After breakfast, a dry landing takes place on beautiful South Plaza Island for a hike through a colorful cactus forest of Opuntia cacti. Along the way, you will encounter curious sea lions, marine iguanas, yellowish hybrid land iguanas, and a variety of bird species including tropical birds, Nazca boobies, blue-footed boobies, and more.

Return to the Letty for lunch.

Afternoon – Santa Fe: In the afternoon, a wet landing takes place on the northeastern side of Santa Fe Island. During a hike through the endemic cactus forest, you will search for land iguanas — the largest iguana species in the Galápagos — as well as Galápagos snakes, hawks, Darwin’s finches, and mockingbirds.

There will also be opportunities for snorkeling and swimming in the crystal-clear water.

Evening briefing, dinner, and overnight stay on board.

Morning – Highlands & Twin Craters: Today you will visit the highlands of Santa Cruz Island and a natural reserve for giant tortoises living in a semi-wild environment. These remarkable creatures can live up to 200 years and weigh more than 200 kg. This is an excellent opportunity to observe them in their natural habitat.

Optionally, you may visit lava tunnels formed millions of years ago during volcanic eruptions.

Afternoon – Charles Darwin Station: After lunch, visit the town of Puerto Ayora and the world-famous Charles Darwin Research Station. Here you can observe giant tortoises up close and learn about their various stages of development — from newly hatched juveniles to adults more than 100 years old.

Afterward, there is free time to stroll through Puerto Ayora, shop for souvenirs, and support the local economy before returning to the yacht for dinner and overnight stay.

Please note: Today’s excursions may be adjusted depending on weather and road conditions. Your guide will inform you of any changes the evening before.

Morning – Mosquera Islet: Early after breakfast, visit Mosquera Islet, a tiny flat island between North Seymour and South Plaza covered with coral sand. A colony of sea lions enjoys resting on the soft white sand here. Shorebirds, herons, lava gulls, and boobies can also be observed.

Afterward, return to the yacht and disembark on Baltra Island (approximately 09:30–10:00 am) for your return flight to mainland Ecuador. Alternatively, service may end at the Itabaca Channel pier if you wish to extend your stay in the Galápagos Islands.