8 days cruise yacht Ocean Spray – B8

Morning – Arrival at San Cristobal 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, 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 – Lobos Islet, Kicker Rock. Lobos is a small island about an hour from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. There is a small colony of blue-footed boobies and frigate birds that nest in this area. On the beach you will encounter many sea lions. It is also possible to see wading birds. Kicker Rock is a huge boulder 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).

Meals: Lunch / Dinner

Morning – Pitt Point. Two wind-sculpted tuff cones at Pitt Point represent the eastern end of San Cristobal. On the small beach of green sand, you will be welcomed by barking Galápagos sea lions. From spiny bushes behind the beach, a trail leads to an area of tropical, dry forest vegetation: year-round leafless Palo Santo trees, Cordia Lutea bushes, opuntias and midday flowering plants that turn red during the dry season. After a steep climb through a canyon to the top, you can walk around the only colony of all three species of boobies in the Galápagos -red-footed, blue-footed and Nazca boobies.

Afternoon – Witch Hill. The main attraction in this place is the coral sand beach. It is perfect for swimming and snorkeling. Witch Hill is a remnant of a tuff cone. It is one of the first places Charles Darwin visited. Captain Fitzroy climbed the hill to spy out reefs. It’s an impressive landscape that often makes it possible to see shorebirds and migratory birds, including pelicans, blue-footed boobies, and fork-tailed gulls, as well as sea lions and marine lizards. Sometimes the lagoon is completely dry and salt deposits are on the bottom. The people of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno used the lagoon as a salt mine.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Morning – Post Office Bay. In the 18th century, a wooden barrel was placed at this bay by the crew of a whaling ship, which was used as a post office by sailors then and by tourists now. The idea was to ‘post’ letters and postcards, in which everyone who passed by left letters there and took others to be sent to places where the traveler wanted to go. Also, this area was the landing place of the first colonists. In the north of the island you will reach an elevated place from where you can enjoy the beautiful view of the “Baroness Viewpoint”. It is said that the Baroness Eloisa von Wagner loved this place and spent many hours there looking at the horizon. 30 meters from there are the ruins of the house where she probably lived. From this viewpoint you can see the whole landscape of the coastline from Enderby Island to Post Office Bay, Cerro Pajas, Flamingo Lagoon Flamingos to Palo Santo Forest.

Afternoon: Coromorant Point, Devil’s Crown. The peninsula of Cormorant Point forms the northern cape of Floreana, surrounded by a series of smallervolcanic 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 schools 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.

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 whitetip reef sharks, hammerheads and eagle rays.

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 view of idyllic ‘Pinnacle Bay’, you must 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 – Darwin Bay. 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. Whimbrels 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.

Afternoon – Prince Philip’s Steps (also called El Barranco). In the afternoon you will continue sailing to Prince Philip’s Steps, one of the two visitor points on Genovesa Island. Galápagos fur seals sometimes 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 can also see the short-eared owl hunting.

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 – North Seymour. The shallow little island of North Seymour is an elevated part of the seabed. Among the scraggy bushes, you can spot Galápagos Iguanas. You will also see many seabirds such as the brown pelican, red-billed tropic birds, fork-tailed gulls and, depending on the season, Nazca boobies. The main attraction, however, is Galápagos’ largest breeding colony of blue-footed boobies – be careful not to step on their nests! – And frigate birds. Early in the breeding season, adult male frigate birds inflate their bright red throat pouches to nearly the size of a soccer.

Afternoon – Highlands (Santa Cruz). In the highlands of Santa Cruz you can admire several 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.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

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 Galápagos sea lions are real beach lovers. 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.
After this excursion, you will be transferred to the airport and say goodbye to the guide and crew!

Meals: Breakfast