8 days cruise yacht Elite – B8

Morning – Arrival at San Cristóbal Airport. At the mainland airport, you have purchased your TCC or Ingala card and a luggage inspection has already been conducted to ensure that no foreign plant or animal species are introduced. Upon your arrival at the San Cristóbal airport, 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. In addition, the Galápagos National Park entrance fee is due upon entry (US$200), if not already paid. Your guide will meet you at the airport, help you with your luggage and take you to the ship. After greeting the crew and captain, you will be assigned your cabins and then have your first lunch together.

Afternoon – Jacinto Gordillo Breeding Center. In 2004, the breeding and rearing center for young turtles Jacinto Gordillo, named after a famous settler in Cerro Colorado on San Cristóbal Island, has been established. In 2008, a program of assisted reproduction began on the island due to the birth of a small turtle in captivity. You can learn all about this at the Jacinto Breeding Center, where you can not only learn about breeding processes, but also get involved and learn why this breeding center does what it does.

Meals: Lunch / Dinner

Morning – Suarez Point. This rocky area is home to the most impressive and diverse seabirds of the archipelago. The endangered Galápagos Albatross returns to Española Island annually (March–December). This allows visitors to marvel at the courtship dance, characterized by whistles and bows (especially in October). Blue-footed and Nazca boobies, fork-tailed gulls and red-billed tropic birds are also native to this island. Along the southern coast, high cliffs allow spectacular views of soaring birds and seawater shooting up through air holes like fountains.

Afternoon – Gardner Bay. On the northeastern coast of Española Island, Gardner Bay offers a wonderful place to refresh in the turquoise sea and marvel at the large number of colorful reef fish. Snorkel side by side with green sea turtles, or enjoy the proximity of playful Galápagos sea lions. The white sand beach is additionally an important breeding ground for green sea turtles. You may also spot whales in the crystal clear ocean. Afterward, you will continue to Osborn Islet, where you will have wonderful opportunities for snorkeling and swimming.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Morning – Coromorant Point, Devil’s Crown. The peninsula of Cormorant Point forms the northern cape of Floreana, which was formed by a series of smaller volcanic cones covered with tropical dry forest (palo santo). The green sand on the beach at the site contains a high percentage of glassy olivine crystals that were blown out by the surrounding tuff cones. The ‘flour sand’ beach on the south side of the peninsula consists of even whiter coral sand that feels very smooth on the feet. Parrotfish have provided pulverization by grinding up calcium-bearing skeletons of still-living corals. You may spot swarms of stingrays that like to bury themselves in the sandy bottom. During the first months of the year, green sea turtles come ashore to bury their eggs. Devil’s Crown is probably one of the best places to snorkel in Galápagos. Here you can observe an incredible variety of marine life.

Afternoon – Baroness Lookout, Post Office Bay. In the north of Floreana Island is the beautiful “Baroness Lookout”. The island was the destination of the first colonialists in Galapagos. Among them was the Baroness Eloisa von Wagner. The viewpoint is located very close to the ruins of the house inhabited by the Baroness. From this viewpoint you have a wonderful view of the coastal landscape of Enderby Island to the Post Office Bay, Cerro Pajas, the Flamingo Lagoon and the Palo Santo Forest. Later, you will visit the Post Office Bay. The history of this place is closely linked to a wooden barrel that was built there by the crew of a whaling ship in the 18th century. At that time, the barrel was used by sailors as a post office. Even today, visitors use the barrel in the same way. The idea is to “send” letters and postcards to their destinations by placing them in the barrel. At the same time, other mail is taken out to be sent to one’s home address. This foreign mail is then delivered. Feel free to give it a try! It could well be that your mail will be at your destination faster this way than it would be with Ecuadorian mail.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Morning – Mosquera. Mosquera is located in the middle of the Itabaca Channel, between Baltra and North Seymour. The Galapagos sea lions are real beach lovers. Mosquera offers beautiful white coral sand and simplifies the landing, unlike their neighbors Seymour and Baltra with their rocky coastline. These 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.

Afternoon – Bachas Beach. The two small beaches of Bachas are located to the west of Turtle Bay. The sand is made of decomposed corals, so it is very white and soft, making it the favorite place for nesting sea turtles. Behind one of the beaches there is a small salty lagoon. From time to time, you can see flamingos or other shorebirds here, as well as the American stilt and the whimbrel. The other beach is longer, with two old barges from World War II, when the U.S. used Baltra Island as a strategic point to protect the Panama Canal. Over time, however, these ship ruins have been washed over by the sand and are currently barely visible.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Morning – Prince Philip’s Steps (Genovesa). Before landing, you will take a dinghy ride along the eastern arm of the caldera. As you approach, the soaring 25 m/80 ft high walls become overwhelming. Sometimes, a Galápagos fur seal is resting, or a seabird is nesting on one of the ledges at the base. You will then have to hike and overcome the steep stairs from the landing dock to a bush of palo santo shrubs on top. Red-footed boobies gratefully use these scarce nesting places; so that they don’t have to nest on the rocky ground. Upon arriving at the edge of the rim, the bushes open up, and you can enjoy panoramic views, a strong sea breeze and the amazing flying skills of countless seabirds. Following the exposed rim, you will first pass the Nazca boobies and finally reach the extensive storm petrel nesting places, where, if you’re lucky, you can spot the well-camouflaged short-eared owl hunting for food!

Afternoon – Darwin Bay (Genovesa). Within the submerged caldera of Genovesa lies Darwin Bay. This bay with its beautiful sandy beach holds some surprises as you walk over barren lava formations, past tide pools and shrubs, and then climb cliffs at the end. Every single species you observe along the way has its own ecological niche. Timbrels and migratory sandpipers actively forage in the surf alongside resting Galápagos sea lions. Impressive frigate birds and red-footed boobies nest in the mangroves, where songbirds such as yellow warblers, Darwin’s finches and Galápagos mockingbirds can also be seen. Something special are the two subpopulations of cactus finches, distinguished only by their song. There is wonderful snorkeling from the sandy beach.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Morning – Espumilla Beach, Buccaneer Cove. Espumilla Beach is a visitor site at the northern end of James Bay, on the west coast of Santiago. Hidden behind the beach are two picturesque lakes. The beach is an important breeding ground for turtles, which return year after year to bury their eggs in the cinnamon-colored sand dunes. Climbing a hill, you will be rewarded with a beautiful view of the transition from the sea to the beach, to mangroves to the Palo Santo forest. At the nearby Buccaneers Bay, you will have the opportunity to snorkel.

Afternoon – Puerto Egas. At noon, you will navigate south to Puerto Egas, which is famous for its fur seal caves, where you will take a special guided walk along the coast. The masterfully sculpted coastline with black basalt and multicolored ash layers form a photogenic scenery with collapsed lava tunnels, 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.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Morning – Black Turtle Cove (Santa Cruz). This small cove is located on the north side of Santa Cruz Island and offers a unique setting for adventure. The landscape gives you the feeling of being in the Amazon rainforest instead of the ocean. Explore the tranquil emerald lagoon and surrounding flat coves by dinghy. The crystal clear waters give you a view of groups of white tip reef sharks, hammerheads and eagle rays.

Afternoon – Highlands, Charles Darwin Station. In the highlands of Santa Cruz you can admire different species of birds, such as the small and large tree finches, ground finches, Galápagos flycatchers and cattle egrets (often standing on the backs of turtles). As you drive into the island’s protected area, you can see the contrasts of this diverse ecosystem. The path leads from the coast through the agricultural land and directly to the dense wet forests. Often you can see the Galápagos giant tortoises in the middle of the trail or walking across the pastures and through the grass. This place is a paradise for ornithologists, because almost all birds either live on the island or pass through here. Biological research and essential conservation of the unique archipelago are carried out here. The complex of Charles Darwin Station houses the Interpretation and Information Center of the National Park and the Galápagos Marine Reserve. The most memorable part of your visit will most likely be the successful hatchery and encounter with the Galápagos giant tortoises. Before lunch, you will have some time to explore the area.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Lobos Island (San Cristóbal). The beach on Lobos Island welcomes you right away with a lively sea lion colony. As in other colonies in the archipelago, you can get within a few meters of the nursing females. During the mating season, you will also observe males visiting the colony and mating with the females. But the island offers much more: blue-footed boobies and frigate birds, which try to impress the females (and the tourists) with their clumsy dances – using their remarkably blue feet or blowing up their balloon-like red pouches. During mating season, the fluffed-up, hungry chicks call out for food, and when their wings are strong enough, they learn to fly.

Transfer to San Cristóbal Airport (SCY) Accompanied by your guide and several crew members, rubber boats will bring you and your luggage safely ashore, where you will take a shuttle to the airport for your flight home.

Meals: Breakfast