MOTOR CATAMARAN ARCHIPELL I

GTEG-125 – M/C ARCHIPELL I CRUISE ITINERARIES
FIVE DAYS / FOUR NIGHTS (ITINERARY “A”)
THURSDAY TO MONDAY

ISLANDS:

Explore Santa Cruz, Isabela and Fernandina

SITES

Highlands, Tintoreras Islet, Tortoise Breeding Centre, Moreno Point, Elizabeth Bay, Tagus Cove, Espinoza Point, Bachas Beach

ICONIC SPECIES

Giant tortoise, Galapagos penguin, sea lion, white-tipped reef shark, greater flamingo, sea turtle, flightless cormorant, spotted eagle ray, golden ray, brown pelican, Galapagos Hawk, Pompano fish, dorado fish, marine iguana, black-necked stilt, whimbrel.

ITINERARY

DAY 1: Thursday Arrival Galapagos Islands

Morning flight from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra Airport. Meeting, assistance and transfer to Santa Cruz Island. Afternoon visit the Highlands. Transfer to M/C Archipell I .
Meals: Lunch, dinner

DAY 2: Friday Galapagos Islands

Isabela Island
AM: Tintoreras Islet
PM: Tortoise breeding center and wetlands
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 3: Saturday – Galapagos Islands

Isabela Island
AM: Moreno Pint
PM: Elizabeth Bay
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 4: Sunday – Galapagos Islands

Isabela Island & Fernandina Island
AM: Tagus Cove (Isabela)
PM: Espinoza Point (Fernandina)
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 5: Monday – Depart Galapagos Islands

Santa Cruz /Island
AM: Bachas Beach. Transfer to airport and check in assistance for flight to Quito or Guayaquil.
Meals: Breakfast.

GTEG-125 – M/C ARCHIPELL I CRUISE ITINERARIES
FIVE DAYS / FOUR NIGHTS (ITINERARY “A”)
THURSDAY TO MONDAY

Detailed Itinerary

DAY 1: Thursday – Arrival in Galapagos Islands

Morning flight from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra Airport. Meeting, assistance and transfer to Santa Cruz Island. Afternoon visit the Highlands. Transfer to M/C Archipell I .

PM – Highlands (Santa Cruz)
The road to the Highlands leaves from Bellavista, a small village located a 15-minute drive from Puerto Ayora, and passes through the agricultural zone, near the National Park boundary, the Miconia Zone, before going to the Fern and Sedge zone. With clear weather, this area offers beautiful scenes of rolling hills and extinct volcanic cones covered with grass and lush greenery all year round. Here you will visit the Twin Craters, which are two pit craters, as well as a local ranch where we can observe the giant Tortoise of Santa Cruz Island in its natural habitat.
Meals: Lunch, dinner

DAY 2: Friday – Galapagos Islands

Isabela Island
AM – Tintoreras Islets
“Tintoreras” are small islands in front of the Puerto Villamil coast. There are herons on the lookout on mangrove branches, as well as Galapagos penguins and sea lions that often pop out on the shore. White-tipped reef sharks (in Spanish: Tintoreras) are common in the archipelago and are very commonly found resting in this shallow waters.

PM – Tortoise breeding center & Wetlands
Isabela Island is the largest and one of the youngest islands in the Galapagos archipelago. We land in Puerto Villamil, which has the second smallest population in the Galapagos with approximately 3.000 habitants. First, we will visit the Flamingos Lagoon; the largest coastal lagoon found in the Galapagos and one of the main reproductive sites for the great flamingos.
On the visit to Colorado Hill, you will discover the amazing and emblematic giant Galapagos tortoises in the tortoise breeding center. In addition, you will get to see how much hard work is put into saving the last local giant tortoises.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 3: Saturday – Galapagos Islands

Isabela Island
AM: Moreno Point
Moreno Point is located on the north coast of Isabela Island between the Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul volcanoes. The trail runs along a solidified lava flow called “Pahohoe”, into a complex of coastal lagoons. Its main attraction are several species of birds, which are found around the lakes and mangroves.

PM – Elizabeth Bay (Isabela)
This is a marine visitor site, so the excursion has no landing place. Your zodiac ride starts with a visit to the Marielas islets where the largest and most important penguin colony reside in the Galapagos Islands. The excursion continues into the cove that is surrounded by red mangroves where you can admire their red roots and green leafs. Here, you are able to observe sea turtles, flightless cormorants, spotted eagle rays, golden rays, brown pelicans and sea lions. Frequent visitors have been able to see Galapagos Hawks soaring overhead whilst schools of Pompano and Dorado fish swimming down below.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 4: Sunday – Galapagos Islands

Isabela Island & Fernandina Island
AM: Tagus Cove (Isabela)
A tour along the cliffs will give the visitors a good chance to see the Galapagos penguin, the flightless cormorant and other seabirds. From the landing dock, we will take a 30minute hike along the trail and up to the top of the cliff from where you can view Darwin Lake, an uplifted lake saltier than the sea. You can also see several volcanoes from this location. Look carefully at the graffiti on the surrounding cliffs of the cove, done by pirates, whalers and buccaneers in past centuries!

PM – Espinoza Point (Fernandina)
Fernandina is the third largest island in the archipelago and has a single visitor site: Punta Espinoza, located at the northeastern tip of the island. Here, marine iguanas conglomerate in larger groups than in any other island. They bask around in the sand, swim near the shore and sometimes block the way at the landing dock. Among the unique species found here – the flightless cormorant.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 5: Depart Galapagos Islands

Santa Cruz Island
AM – Bachas Beach (Santa Cruz)
These two small beaches are found to the west of Turtle Cove. Their sand is made of decomposed coral, which makes it white and soft, and a favorite nesting site for sea turtles. Behind one of the beaches there is a small blackish water lagoon, where it is occasionally possible to observe flamingos and other coastal birds, such as black-necked stilts and whimbrels. The other beach is longer and it has two old barges that were abandoned during World War II, when USA used Baltra Island as a strategic point to protect the Panama Canal.

Transfer out to Baltra Airport
Assisted by the naturalist guide and some crewmembers, the dinghy will bring you and your luggage to the Seymour Ecological Airport (Baltra) and will assist you with your check in for your fight to Quito or Guayaquil. Meals: Breakfast