CASA NATURA LODGE

GTCN – 113-GALAPAGOS ISLANDS HOTEL BASED PROGRAM
CASA NATURA GALAPAGOS LODGE – ISLAND HOPPING
SANTA CRUZ ISLAND – FIVE DAYS / FOUR NIGHTS

Daily Departures

HIGHLIGHTS

DAY 1: Arrival in Baltra and Santa Cruz Island. Visit the Highlands and a Giant Tortoise Reserve (/L)
DAY 2: Santa Cruz Island Bay tour includes visits to the “Loberia”, Punta Estrada, Sharks’ Channel, Playa de los Perros & Grietas. Tranfers by speed boat to Isabela Island (B)
DAY 3: Boat tour to Tunnels (Cabo Rosa). Here you will see lava tunnels and lava bridges under and over sea level. You may be able to see blue footed boobies, sea lions, pelicans and if you are lucky Galapagos penguins. (B/L)
DAY 4: Day tour to Las Tintoreras. We may have the opportunity to see a small colony of penguins recently established in Puerto Villamil, often resting side by side with Blue Footed Boobies. (B/)
DAY 5: Cruise day tour to one of the following islands: North Seymour, Plazas Island, Bartolome Island or Santa Fe Island (B/L)
DAY 6: Departure Santa Cruz Island for Baltra Airport for your flight to Quito or Guayaquil or your next destination. (B)

GTCN – 113-GALAPAGOS ISLANDS HOTEL BASED PROGRAM
CASA NATURA GALAPAGOS LODGE – ISLAND HOPPING
SANTA CRUZ ISLAND – FIVE DAYS / FOUR NIGHTS

Daily Departures

ITINERARY

DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN BALTRA & SANTA CRUZ ISLAND

Arrive Baltra Airport. Reception and transfer. Ferry crossing to Santa Cruz Island (10 min-ride). Arrive to Santa Cruz Island. Stop in highlands of Santa Cruz where you will visit a Giant Tortoise Reserve for an easy hike to observe to Giant Tortoises in their natural habitat. Arrive to Casa Natura Galapagos Lodge and check in. Lunch at the highlands or at port.
Overnight at Casa Natura Galapagos Lodge in Santa Cruz Island.
Meals: Lunch

DAY 2: SANTA CRUZ BAY TOUR / ISABELA ISLAND

After breakfast at Casa Natura Galapagos Lodge, we´ll take the boat for a visit to Santa Cruz Island´s bay. The tour takes around 3 hours and a half. Starting from the main pier of Puerto Ayora, the boat will take us to “Lobería,” so named for the large seal colony where is snorkeling is possible not far from this amazing mammals. It is a very special place to see a variety of colors of fish. We´ll also visit Punta Estrada, Sharks´Channel, Playa de los Perros, and Grietas. During the visit we may find species like white tip Sharks, sea tortoises, marine iguanas, crabs, pelicans, and some other marine birds. At the end of the excursion, we´ll getting back to the pier. Afternoon at leisure. (B)
Departure to Isabela Island by shared speed boat around 2 PM. Arrive in the afternoon and transfer to hotel.
Overnight at Casa de Marita in Isabela Island
Meals: Breakfast

DAY 3: ISABELA ISLAND

BOAT TOUR TO TUNNELS (CABO ROSA)
After breakfast, we will take a boat trip to Cabo Rosa, a small islet in the middle of the ocean located about 1 hour away from Puerto Villamil. Here you will see lava tunnels and lava bridges under and over sea level. You may be able to see blue footed boobies, sea lions, pelicans and if you are lucky Galapagos penguins. This a great place for snorkeling as you may be able to swim with sea lions, sea turtles, golden rays, trumpet fish, surgeon fish and if lucky with white tip sharks. Lunch on board.
Overnight at Casa de Marita in Isabela Island
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 4: ISABELA ISLAND

LAS TINTORERAS
A short distance from Puerto Villamil is the small island known as ‘Las Tintoreras’. We may have the opportunity to see a small colony of penguins recently established in Puerto Villamil, often resting side by side with Blue Footed Boobies. Here a colony of white tip sharks may often be seen resting in a lava canal. You may snorkel or swim around this island. In the afternoon return by shared speed boat back to Puerto Ayora.
Overnight at Casa Natura Galapagos Lodge in Santa Cruz Island.
Meals: Breakfast

DAY 5: DAY SAILING TOUR TO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING ISLANDS:

NORTH SEYMOUR, PLAZAS ISLAND, BARTOLOME ISLAND OR SANTA FE ISLAND
Breakfast. Transfer to the pier to take boat for a shared daily tour to North Seymour, Plazas Island, or Santa Fe islands (according to availability). In the afternoon transfer back to the lodge.
Overnight at Casa Natura Galapagos Lodge in Santa Cruz Island.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch during the cruise

DAY CRUISE TOURS INCLUDES: Land and marine transportation, Bilingual naturalist guide, Lunch on board
NOT INCLUDED: Snorkel equipment. Tips and gratuities to guide and crew

NOTE: Description for the boat tours to North Seymour, Plazas Island, Bartolome Island or Santa Fe Island at the end of this tour. All the boat excursions are based on shared services. Spaces are subject availability.
Boats are capacity for 16 passengers only, in some exceptions boats can be capacity for 20 passengers.

DAY CRUISE TOURS DESCRIPTIONS:

FULL DAY NORTH SEYMOUR ISLAND
Around 8:00 AM we will picked up by the hotel. Transfer to Itabaca Chanel where we’ll board the boat. After 45 minutes sailing (approx.) we land at North Seymour Island. This, is a wonderful island to hike. In this island we´ll find Palo Santo (incense stick) tress, and also might see blue footed boobies in breeding colonies making its courtship dance (depend of the season), swallowed tail gull sitting in the cliffs and admire large number of frigate birds in their nests. One of the best attractions in the Galapagos Islands is watch the frigate birds with their enormous red pouches hanging up from their necks. In other part of the island we may see sea lions playing and surfing in the waves.
Seymour is mostly arid and flat, and has simple vegetation like palo santo, cactus, salt bushes and others. The trail of the National Park is circular and has 2 kilometers long, crosses the interior of the island and takes us to explore the rocky coast. Also this trail will take us to some of the largest colonies of sea birds in the Galapagos Islands. After the visit we will go to Bachas Beach for swimming and snorkeling. We´ll go back to the boat for lunch and sailing back to Santa Cruz.

FULL DAY SOUTH PLAZAS ISLAND
Around 8:00 AM we will picked up by the hotel. Transfer to Itabaca Chanel where we’ll board the boat. After 1 ½ hours sailing (aprox.) we land to South Plazas Island.
This island is located at the east of Santa Cruz and is the partner of North Plaza, there are two islets separate by a small channel of turquoise water that contrast with the a red natural carpet (sesuvium) and cactus.
When we arrive to the island, will be greeted by a Galapagos sea lions court. During the visit we´ll probably see a variety of sea birds fishing and flying really close to the cliff. We also find two different kinds of iguanas, the land iguana with their yellow-brown color eating cactus and the marine iguana having a sunbath. The second part of the tour is Carrión Point, where we can enjoy a unique experience doing snorkel. We might found white tip reef shark, different kinds of reef fishes and if we are lucky some marine turtles and sea lions. We´ll go back to the boat for lunch and sailing back to Santa Cruz.

FULL DAY SANTA FE ISLAND
Around 8:00 AM we will picked up by the hotel. Transfer to the pier where we’ll board the boat. After 2 hours sailing (approx.) the yacht will arrive to Santa Fe Island.
A short 300 meter trail takes us to one of the tallest stands of Opuntia Cactus in the island. From this point we can look out for endemic land iguanas, sea lions in white sand beach resting waiting for pictures. Crabs, nocturnal herons, marine iguanas, mockingbirds and Galapagos doves are often seen in Santa Fe island. After the hike will make snorkeling in the bay where tranquil turquoise waters make it one of the best places to admire the fauna of the Galapagos. After lunch on board the yacht we will go back to Puerto Ayora.

DAY 6: DEPART Galapagos Island

Breakfast at the Casa Natura Galapagos Lodge and Transfer out Baltra’s airport. Flight black to mainland for connections or visit Ecuador. End of services. . End of services.
Meals: Breakfast