8 days cruise yacht Natural Paradise – A

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 – Kicker Rock: The Kicker Rock is a massive rock with a dagger-like tower next to it. It is 150 m high and has the shape of a shoe from the side (hence the name Kicker Rock). Lengthwise it looks more like a sleeping lion (hence the name in Spanish Leon Dormido). Before breakfast, a speedboat ride and optional snorkeling is planned, where you can see squids, different types of sharks and green turtles.

Meals: Breakfast

Morning – North Seymour: The shallow 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. At the beginning of the breeding season, adult male frigatebirds inflate their bright red throat pouches to nearly the size of a soccer.

Afternoon – South Plaza: After breakfast, 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 spectacular mating fights. These cliffs are also the nesting grounds of the native fork-tailed gulls. Before lunch, you will sail to Santa Fe, possibly accompanied by bottlenose dolphins.

Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

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 mangrove bushes, many species of songbirds hide and breed. One of the most outstanding attractions 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, 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, untouched lava fields.

Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Morning – 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.

Afternoon – 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.

Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Morning – Highlands, Twin Craters: In the highlands of Santa Cruz you can admire different species of birds, such as the small and large tree finches, ground finches, Galapagos 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.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 in the middle of a lush Scalesia cloud forest, a high-altitude plant species that is 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.

Afternoon – Fausto Llerena Breeding Centre (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 path continues to the Van Straelen Interpretation Centre, the Breeding Centre, and from there a trail leads you to see the Española Island turtles, ending at the turtle exhibition enclosure. The turtles in this enclosure are used to people; it is an excellent place to have your photo taken with them!

Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Morning – Prince Philip’s Steps (also called El Barranco): During the morning you will continue sailing to Prince Philip’s Steps, one of the two visitor sites on Genovesa Island. Sometimes Galapagos fur seals rest on the rocky ledges. After climbing the steep stone steps, you will take a guided walk where you will see many different birds such as red-footed and blue-footed boobies. The red-footed boobies are almost only seen on Genovesa and nest in the palo santo trees. The bushes on the edge to the ocean side are loosening up and you can enjoy the incredible view and the ocean breeze. Continuing on, you will pass by a colony of Nazca boobies and eventually reach nests of storm petrels where, if you are lucky, you may also see the short-eared owl hunting.

Afternoon – Darwin Bay: Within the submerged caldera of Genovesa lies Darwin Bay. This bay with a beautiful sandy beach holds a few 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. Whimbrels and migratory sandpipers actively forage in the surf alongside resting Galapagos sea lions. Impressive frigatebirds and red-footed boobies’ nest in the mangroves, where songbirds such as yellow warblers, Darwin’s finches and Galapagos mockingbirds can also be seen. Something special are the two subpopulations of cactus finches, distinguished only by their song. From the sandy beach you can snorkel wonderfully.

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 – 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.

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

Meals: Breakfast