Galapagos cruises - Beluga yacht - day by day itinerary

Sample cruise itinerary

Day 1
Friday Morning:  Arrive at Baltra, Galapagos
The flight from Quito (via Guayaquil) to the Galapagos is approximately 2 ½ hours on a Boeing 727. Upon arrival at Baltra travelers pass through an airport inspection point to insure that no foreign plants or animals are introduced to the islands and to pay the park entrance fee of $100 (unless prepaid). Guides will meet you, collect your luggage and escort you on the short bus ride to the harbor.  Motorized rafts, called ‘Pangas’ will transport you to the Beluga and our crew will welcome you onboard.  After departure and lunch, the first island visit is made.
Friday Afternoon: North Seymour Island
Disembark at North Seymour a major nesting site for birding and wildlife encounters.

Evening welcome dinner and briefing on next days cruise activities.
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Day 2
Saturday Morning: Hood (Española) Island—Punta Suarez
One of the oldest of the islands, Hood is small and flat with no visible volcanic crater or vent.  Punta Suarez is one of the most outstanding wildlife areas of the archipelago, with a long list of species found along its cliffs and sand or pebble beaches. In addition to five species of nesting seabirds there are the curious and bold Hood Island mockingbirds, Galapagos doves and Galapagos hawks. Several types of reptiles, including the brilliantly colored marine iguana and the oversized lava lizard, are unique to this island. When heavy swells are running, Punta Suarez is also the site of a spectacular blowhole, with thundering spray shooting 30 yards into the air.
Saturday afternoon: Hood (Española) Island—Gardner Bay
Gardner Bay is on the eastern shore and has a magnificent beach.  This beach is frequented by a transient colony of sea lions, and is a major nesting site for marine turtles.  Around the small islets nearby, snorkelers will find lots of fish and sometimes turtles and sharks. On a trail leading to the western tip of the island you'll pass the only nesting sites in the Galapagos of the waved albatross, huge birds with a 6-foot wingspan.  These huge birds nest here from April to December and represent the majority of the world’s population of this species.
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Day 3
Sunday: Floreana Island
Floreana, one of the greenest islands in the archipelago. Ask your guide to tell you about its mysterious history laden with rumors of witches, murderous baronesses, blackmail and dubious disappearances.

Our first stop is Punta Cormorant, we will see flaming-pink flamingos, a sea turtle nesting area and a superb spot for watching sea birds and sea rays.
At La Corona del Diablo (the Devil's Crown), a sub-marine crater that offers some of the most spectacular snorkeling in the Galapagos.

After lunch, sail on to Post Office Bay, where the island's original post office was established in 1793. Visitors drop off unstamped letters and postcards AND pick-up whatever mail they can hand deliver themselves when they return home! (Try it, it actually works!).
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Day 4
Monday:  Santa Cruz (Indefatigable) Island—Puerto Ayora Town and the Highlands
Santa Cruz is the only inhabited island to be visited during this Galapagos cruise.  Puerto Ayora, with a population of about 10,000 people is the location of the Charles Darwin Research Station, world famous for its tortoise breeding programs.  After touring the Station, journey by bus into the highlands to Los Gemelos the two deep pit craters situated in the Scalesia forest with lots of interesting bird life.  Go for a walk through the giant lava tubes, visit the Tortoise Reserve to search for giant tortoises in their natural surroundings.  There will be some free time to explore the town of Puerto Ayora on your own.
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Day 5
Tuesday Morning: Isabela (Albemarle) Island—Punta Moreno
Cruise through Bolívar channel, possible to see whales or dolphins. Dry landing at Point Moreno (Isabela). Green sea turtles, oystercatchers, reef sharks & flamingos in salt water lagoons. Lunch.
Tuesday Afternoon:  Isabela (Albemarle) Island—Elizabeth Bay
At Elizabeth Bay enjoy a panga ride through the mangrove area to see the rays, turtles, sea lions, and, circling overhead, Galapagos hawks.  A colony of penguins inhabit a rocky islet at the entrance to Elizabeth Bay.
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Day 6
Wednesday Morning:  Isabela (Albemarle) Island—Urbina Bay
Urbina Bay is an easy wet landing on a gentle sloping beach.  This area is very interesting in that it is a perfect example of the geological activity of the islands.  In 1954 over 3 miles (5 kilometers) of the marine reef at the edge of the shore were uplifted by 13 feet (4 meters).
Wednesday Afternoon: Fernandina (Narborough) Island—Punta Espinosa
Fernandina is the youngest and most active volcano in the Galapagos with eruptions taking place every few years.  The flat lava of Punta Espinosa offers a stark and barren landscape, but here flightless cormorants build their nests on the point, sea lions sprawl on the beach or play in the tide pools and marine iguanas dot the sand.
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Day 7
Thursday Morning:  Santiago (San Salvador, James) Island—James Bay
This island has several sites to visit at the western end of James Bay. Puerto Egas with its black sand beaches was the site of small salt mining industry in the 1960s and a hike inland to the salt crater is an excellent opportunity to sight land birds such as finches, doves, and hawks.  A walk down the rugged shoreline, especially at low tide, will turn up many marine species as iguanas basking on the rocks and sea lions lazing in the tide pools.  At the end of the trail there is a series of grottoes or sea caves where fur seals and night herons are found resting on shady ledges. Just north of James Bay is Buccaneer Cove, a particularly scenic area of steep cliffs and dark beaches.
Thursday Afternoon: Bartolome (Bartholomew) Island
Bartolome is a small island that has beautiful white sand beaches, luxuriant green mangroves and a colony of penguins.  Activities will include swimming and snorkeling and a climb to the summit of the island for one of the most breathtaking views in all the Galapagos.  From the summit you will have the best view of the often-photographed Pinnacle Rock.
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Day 8
Friday:  Santa Cruz (Indefatigable) Island—Black Turtle Cove - Baltra airport - Mainland Ecuador
Arrive at Black Turtle Cove in the north of Santa Cruz Island. Visit the mangroves and observe sea turtles, white tipped reef sharks, and rays. Check out and board a bus, drive to the airport for a return flight to the mainland, stopping in both Guayaquil & Quito.
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