8 days cruise yacht Infinity – B

Morning – Arrival at San Cristobal 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 Cristobal 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 Galapagos 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 – David Rodriguez Breeding Center or Puerto Chino: You reach the breeding center David Rodriguez after about one hour ride from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. This new visitor site is a temporal home for hatchlings and adult Galapagos turtles until they are released in their natural habitat. It was built to improve the state of the tortoise population on the island, within an environment with conditions similar to their natural state. At Puerto Chino Huge cacti grow over the path like trees. On the beach you can watch young sea lions playing and swimming. Enjoy the deep blue water with the waves and tides, occasionally turtles can be spotted.

Meals: Lunch/Dinner

Morning – Santa Fe: After lunch, you will be met directly by a Galapagos sea lion colony on the beach, where you will have time for either a refreshing swim or exceptional snorkeling surrounded by tropical reeffish in the crystal-clear waters of Barrington Bay. In addition, you will see vast opuntia cactus forests. The largest cacti on the island have extremely thick trunks and can grow over 10 meters tall. After a wet landing on Santa Fe beach, take a guided nature walk. This extraordinary island is a remnant of what is probably the oldest volcano in Galapagos. Your guide will decide if an easy, short walk or a strenuous, longer hike inland will follow (moderate difficulty, approximately 3 km).

Afternoon – South Plaza: You will take an unforgettable guided walk on South Plaza, the best place to encounter the native Galapagos land iguanas. Also, note the unique mix between a male marine lizard and a female land iguana. Once on the top ledge, you’ll get an impressive view of booming waves crashing against the cliffs some 20 meters below. Clouds of petrels, storm petrels, shearwaters and noddi terns delight you with their spectacular flights. Take your binoculars and watch the red-billed tropicbirds with their graceful tails and their spectacular mating fights. These cliffs are also the nesting sites of the native fork-tailed gulls. Before lunch you will sail to Santa Fe, possibly accompanied by bottlenose dolphins.

Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Morning – Fausto Llerena Breeding Center (Santa Cruz):  At 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!

Afternoon – Twin Craters: The Cráteres Gemelos (twin craters) are located on both sides of the road leading to Puerto Ayora. These impressive formations are not really volcanic craters and were formed by magma domes that hardened on the outside while the lava continued to flow inside, leaving huge, empty magma chambers that eventually collapsed, leaving two large holes. The craters lie amidst a lush Scalesia cloud forest, a high-altitude plant species endemic to the Galapagos Islands. This area is also home to the carpenter finch, which uses tools to forage for food. There is also the possibility of seeing the Pajaro Brujo (Vermilion Flycatcher), a small, red-breasted bird.

Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Morning – Moreno Point: Punta Moreno is located on the north coast of Isabela Island between the Sierra Negra volcano and the Cerro Azul volcano. The trail leads along the former wavy lava flow Pahoehoe to a complex of coastal lagoons whose main attractions are various species of birds.

Afternoon – Elizabeth Bay: Elizabeth Bay can only be visited from the water. Passing the Marielas Islands, home to the largest penguin colony in the Galapagos, you will enter the bay. Here you can admire the red mangroves, their red roots and green leaves. Sea turtles, cormorants, spotted eagle rays, golden rays, brown pelicans and sea lions can be seen here!

Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Morning – Urbina Bay (Isabela): Urbina Bay is located on the west coast of Isabela, between Elizabeth Bay and Tagus Cove. It is located near the base of the Alcedo volcano. The coastline underwent a major uplift in 1954, extending the shoreline for a kilometer. Here you can find corals, shells and many other calcareous organisms above water. Urbina Bay is home to the large and colorful land iguanas and giant tortoises of the Vulcan Alcedo population. There are also many Darwin’s finches to be seen.

Afternoon – Tagus Cove (Isabela): You will navigate around Tagus Cove along the cliffs. From the rubber boat you have a good chance to see the Galápagos penguins, the flightless cormorants and other seabirds. From the dock it is about a 30-minute walk to the cliff top where you can see Lake Darwin. The lake contains more salt than the sea itself. You can also see some volcanoes from here. Look out for the graffiti on the surrounding cliffs of the bay! They were written by pirates and whalers in the last centuries.

Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Morning – Espinoza Point (Fernandina): Espinoza Point is the only visitor destination by land on Fernandina Island and one of the few places where you can find some bizarre outgrowths of natural selection. The poster child for this is the flightless cormorant, which lives exclusively on the remote western side of the Galapagos and is a kind of Holy Grail of evolution. You’ll also love the almost alien view of the cone of La Cumbre volcano with its spectacular backdrop. The narrow headland you walk along is the end of the lava tongue that has reached the coast and solidified through contact with the cold sea water.

Afternoon – Vicente Roca Point (Isabela): During lunch you will cross the Bolivar Channel for the last time to reach Vicente Roca Point, at the mouth of the seahorse-like shape of Isabela Island. Entering a dark cave under a spectacular arch, the echoes of the waves will accompany you. Just around the corner, the collapsed amphitheater of the Ecuador volcano offers you another impressive view. The calm waters of the bay are well protected from the ocean waves. The water is quite cold, but an excellent place to snorkel among various species of sharks, penguins, puffer fish and seahorses.

Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Morning – Egas Port: After a “wet landing” take an easy walk along the trails and beautiful coastline of the black sand beach where you can see birds, sea lions, red cliff crabs, marine iguanas and the Galapagos fur seal. During the hike you may see some of the Darwin’s finches, yellow warblers and many other beautiful and unique animals!

Afternoon – Bartolomé: The beautiful volcanic island of Bartolomé is one of the youngest of the islands, and in geological terms was only recently born from fire. Although lifeless at first glance, Bartolomé offers some of the wildest landscapes and best panoramic views in the entire archipelago. To enjoy the postcard-like view of idyllic ‘Pinnacle Bay’, you’ll need to climb the stairs to the island’s lookout point (114m). Enter a dramatic world of menacing (albeit extinct) nearby spatter cones, craters 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, pristine lava fields.

Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Morning – North Seymour, Mosquera: The flat little island of North Seymour is an elevated part of the seabed. Among the scraggy bushes you can spot Galapagos iguanas. You will also see many seabirds such as the brown pelican, red-billed tropicbirds, fork-tailed gulls and, depending on the season, Nazca boobies. The main attraction, however, is Galapagos’ largest breeding colony of blue-footed boobies – be careful not to step on their nests! – and frigatebirds. Early in the breeding season, adult male frigatebirds inflate their bright red throat pouches to nearly the size of a soccer. You will then be transferred to Baltra Airport for your flight to the mainland.

Meals: Breakfast