5 days cruise yacht Aqua – B5

Morning – Arrival at Baltra Airport: Upon your arrival at Seymour Ecological Airport, the first step is a baggage check to ensure that no foreign plants or animals are being imported.
Furthermore, your TCC (transit control card) will be stamped. This must be kept in a safe place during your trip, as it must be presented again on your return flight. If you have not already paid the Galapagos National Park entrance fee (US$ 200), you will have to pay it upon arrival. Your guide will meet you at the airport, help you with your luggage, and will accompany you on the short bus ride to your hotel in Puerto Ayora.

Afternoon – Fausto Llerena Breeding Center (Santa Cruz): At the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center, you will have the opportunity to take amazing photos of the turtles! The tour starts at the GNP information booth. The trail continues to the Van Straelen Interpretive Center, the breeding center, and from there a path will take you to see the Española Island turtles, ending at the turtle exhibit enclosure. The turtles of this enclosure are used to people; it is an excellent place to be photographed with them!

Morning – Dragon Hill: On Dragon Hill there are two main species that are most likely to be seen on any visit to the Galapagos, although not spaced too widely across the islands: Galapagos land iguanas and American flamingos. They climb a hill with huge Opuntia cacti where these “dragons” feed and breed. Although they are quite shy and difficult to capture, you have a fair chance to see the success of this project with your own eyes.

The short trail crosses the coastal vegetation zone as well as the slightly higher dry zone with endangered tropical dry forest. In the warm and humid season in the first half of the year, everything turns green.
Evergreen giant prickly pear cacti with internal reservoirs chose a different survival tactic in this dry climate than the leaf-dropping palo santo trees; in the end, both were successful. It’s also a very photogenic place, with stunning panoramas across the bay and onto a fascinating, steep volcanic spout of red lava that overlooks the area. Dragon Hill has become popular for its salty lagoons behind the beach; these contain seaweed and shrimp and attract seasonal foraging American flamingos. Dragon Hill is the best place on Santa Cruz to see them.

Afternoon – Sullivan Bay: Arriving at Sullivan Bay is like landing on the moon. The desolate, sprawling fields seem mostly lifeless, but this island, especially popular with photographers, still offers plenty to see. There is even life! Green sea turtles burrow into the small white sandy beach, where you can also find crabs, blue herons and oystercatchers.

Morning – Puerto Egas: Puerto Egas, west of Santiago Island, is famous for its fur seal grottoes, where you will take a special guided walk along the coast. The coastline, sculpted as if by an artist’s hand, with black basalt and multicolored layers of ash form a photogenic scenery with collapsed lava tunnel, natural arches, caves and holes like “Darwin’s toilet”. In a grotto just below a spectacular stone arch at the end of the beach, a colony of sea lions cavorts in the shade. Hundreds of red cliff crabs glow bright orange on the pitch-black stones.

Afternoon – Chinese Hat: Chinese Hat is a 52 meter high volcanic cone that forms another small island out of the rocky coast of Santiago, where a small colony of Galapagos penguins has settled. Because its pri-mordial fire went out quite recently, this place is perfect for learning about volcanism, lava bombs and lava tunnels. On the beach, you can also discover pillow lava with coral on top. This area was originally underwater before it was raised above sea level. Beaches of white coral sand grow and the holes in the eroding lava fields are filled in with lava sand.

Galapagos sea lions and marine lizards contribute to the fertility of the soil. All together, they create more beneficial options for pioneer plants such as saltbush and the staining sesuvium carpet.

Morning – Rabida Island: After a “wet landing” on the remarkable red beach of Rabida, there are two short guided walks. Oxidized iron particles give the rocks and sand their rusty color. At the beach wall is a shallow, green-lined lagoon; this oasis is the most fertile spot on the usually arid island, covered with leafy palo santo trees. The salty pool attracts all kinds of species of waterfowl, such as pintails and sometimes American flamingos. Among the evergreen foliage of the surrounding man-grove bushes, many species of songbirds hide and breed. One of the most outstanding attrac-tions is the large breeding colony of brown pelicans, the only ones in the world that dive.

Afternoon – Bartolomé: The beautiful volcanic island of Bartolomé is one of the youngest islands and, in geological terms, was only recently formed out of fire. Even though lifeless at first sight, Bartolomé offers some of the wildest landscapes and the best panoramic views of the entire archipelago. To enjoy the postcard view of idyllic ‘Pinnacle Bay’, you must climb the stairs to the island lookout (114m/375ft). Enter a dramatic world of intimidating (albeit extinct) nearby spatter cones, cra-ters and light lava drops spewed by fiery fountains. The Summit Trail is also ideal for watching sparse pioneer vegetation, such as lava cactus, struggle to take root in the bare, untouched lava fields.

Morning – Mosquera: Mosquera is located in the middle of the Itabaca Channel, between Baltra and North Seymour. Mosquera offers beautiful white coral sand and simplifies the landing unlike their neighbors Seymour and Baltra with their rocky coastline. The Galapagos sea lions are real beach lovers. These flink fishermen come through the Itabaca Channel, which is a natural trap for marine life due to the submerged elevation between Baltra and Santa Cruz. Here you will have time to snorkel or take a walk on the beach. Among the rocks, red cliff crabs are waiting to play hide and seek while you try to snap the perfect photo. If you’re lucky, you might even see crab egrets or even a red-footed booby.

After this excursion, you will be transferred to the airport and say goodbye to the guide and crew!