Galapagos cruises - Eric, Letty, Flamingo yachts - day by day itinerary

Sample Galapagos cruise itinerary

Cruise  8 days - 7 nights

Day 1
Sunday: San Cristobal / Cerro Brujo / Leon Dormido
Arrive at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, SAN CRISTOBAL Island, where our crew meets you at the airport and escorts you to your anchored yacht. This afternoon, visit Cerro Brujo, where we enjoy a subtle introduction to the Galapagos with a beautiful, white, powder-sand beach. As the sun sets, we cruise around Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido), a vertical tuff cone formation that abruptly juts up almost 500 feet out of the ocean. Watch sea lions, blue-footed boobies, masked boobies and magnificent frigate birds on the cliffs.
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Day 2
Monday: Darwin Bay/ Prince Philip’s Steps, Tower
We spend the entire day on TOWER (Genovesa), one of the most spectacular Islands in Galapagos. After a wet landing on Darwin Bay’s coral beach, wind your way past tide pools where swallow-tailed and lava gulls gather. Enter a forest of mangroves where colonies of great frigate birds nest. The males inflate their red-throated pouches to attract females that fly overhead. After swimming or sea kayaking, take a panga ride along the jagged shoreline. See the beautiful red-billed tropic bird. At Prince Philip’s Steps, find storm petrels and the elusive short-eared owl, and watch the famous red-footed boobies nesting in Palo Santo trees.
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Day 3
Tuesday: South Plaza/ North Seymour
This morning, we visit South Plaza, a geological uplift with tall cliffs offering spectacular views. After a dry landing, the trails lead us through “Prickly pear cactus” or Opuntia and Sesuvium. Here, we find the Galapagos land iguana feeding on the cactus leaves. Toward the end of the cliff, we encounter a colony of bachelor sea lions. The dominant bulls are in various stages of recovery from battles lost over prime beach territory. We also find swallow tailed gulls, shearwaters and red-billed tropicbirds who build their nests along the cliffs. This afternoon, we disembark on North Seymour, also a small geological uplift. After a dry landing, we follow a trail that leads us to sea lions, swallow-tailed gulls and blue-footed boobies. Visit the largest colony of magnificent frigatebirds found in Galapagos. As we stroll along the beach, watch for sea lions body surfing the northern swells.

Day 4
Wednesday: Tagus Cove, Isabela / Punta Espinoza, Fernandina
This morning, we visit Tagus Cove, ISABELA. Six volcanoes flowed together and formed Isabela, the largest Island in Galapagos. On a nature walk, discover a salt-water lagoon, a scenic overlook, and a spectacular view of lava fields, volcanic formations and the ocean. Note graffiti dating back to the 1800's is written on the rocky cliffs. Explore Tagus Cove in pangas or sea kayaks and find Galapagos penguins and other seabirds. After lunch, we cross the Bolivar Canal and disembark at Punta Espinoza, FERNANDINA. Located in the western part of the archipelago, Fernandina is the youngest and most pristine Island found in Galapagos. Hundreds of marine iguanas, the largest colony in Galapagos, bask in the sun along the rugged shoreline. Observe sea lion harems with resident bulls carefully guarding their territory. Flightless Cormorants build their nest on the point and Galapagos Hawk fly overhead. Evidence of recent lava flows formed by an active volcano stretch their way around the coast.
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Day 5
Thursday: Puerto Egas, Santiago/ Bartolome
This morning, stroll along the shore at Puerto Egas, SANTIAGO (James) looking for octopus, starfish and other sea life caught in the tide pools. At low tide, catch a glimpse of marine iguanas as they feed on exposed green algae. Watch for great blue herons, lava herons, oystercatchers and yellow-crowned night herons. Our walk ends at the grottos, deep pools of clear water where we encounter fur sea lions once on the verge of extinction. On Bartolome, it seems like we are walking on the moon. This young Island is inhospitable to most plants and animals. After a dry landing, climb 30 minutes up a steep slope to the summit of a once active volcano. Pause along theway to marvel at lava bombs, spatter cones and cinder cones. From the top, gaze out across a panoramic view including the famous "Pinnacle Rock", an eroded tuff cone. Down below, crystal clear water invites you to snorkel with schools of tropical fish. Galapagos Penguins often swim in this area. On the other side of the Island encounter sea turtles and white-tipped sharks.

Day 6
Friday: Darwin Station / Highlands, Santa Cruz
This morning, we visit the Charles Darwin Research Station. Scientists from all over the globe work at the station and conduct biological research from anatomy to zoology. Get your picture taken with the giant tortoises. Observe year-old tortoises and learn about the captive-breeding program. Next, stroll through the town of Puerto Ayora (population: 10,000) –the largest town in the Galapagos. Buy souvenirs, mail postcards and absorb local charm in the social heart of the Islands. After lunch on board, we climb aboard a bus and take an excursion to the highlands of SANTA CRUZ Island. Watch the scenery change as we wind our way through all seven vegetation zones found in Galapagos. From June to January you can find giant tortoises on a private farm in the highlands. The rest of the year, we visit Los Gemelos “The Twins”, a pair of large pit craters where we find the bright red male vermilion flycatcher. Afterwards, we head to "the tunnels", the largest lava tubes found in Galapagos.
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Day 7
Saturday: Gardner Bay / Punta Suárez, Espanola (Hood)
This morning, step onto Gardner Bay, ESPANOLA (HOOD). Walk along seemingly endless stretches of sandy beach where you’ll find colonies of sea lions. Swim and snorkel with the sea lions and enjoy the colorful diversity of sea life near Gardner Islet. This afternoon, we disembark at Punta Suarez, ESPANOLA, where we witness the highest rate of “endemicism” in the Galapagos. Sea lions noisily green us as we land on their beach. Curious mockingbirds peck at our shoelaces. From April to November waved albatross perform their wild mating rituals only on Espanola. Colonies of blue-footed boobies engage in “sky-pointing” while masked boobies busily care for their young. Stunning swallow-tailed gulls and red-billed tropicbirds take shelter under the cliffs. Other species endemic to Espanola include Darwin’s Finches, Galapagos Doves and Galapagos Hawks. Observe a unique specie of marine iguana identified with traces of red and green colorings. Colorful sally lightfoot crabs crawl along the shoreline near to the famous "blow hole".
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Day 8
Sunday: La Galapaguera/ San Cristobal
This morning, we drop anchor in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, SAN CRISTOBAL. We travel by bus into the interior of the island to visit a new site called Galapaguera of Cerro Colorado (Red Hill). At Galapaguera, we find Calandrinia an endemic plant of this island. The National Park has established a breeding program for the tortoises and set up an information center for visitors. Passengers not only get to see the terrestrial tortoises living in their natural habitat but also learn about their origin, evolution and threats by introduced animals.
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