Galapagos cruises - Tip Top II yacht - day by day itinerary

Sample cruise itinerary

Day 1
Friday: Mainland Ecuador - Baltra - Daphne Islets - Las Bachas
Fly from mainland Ecuador (Quito or Guayaquil) with airline TAME (EQ 193) arriving in Baltra at approximately 12:00 p.m. Your guide conducts you to the bus and after a short 5-kilometer ride to the pier, we board the Yacht without delay. As the crew weigh anchor, we greet you with our first orientation and offer of a light snack. After navigating around the Daphne Islets to observe some tropical bird species, we disembark on Playa de Las Bachas, a place where we can appreciate a Flamingo lagoon. During all walks, your guide will be explaining details about the lives of the birds and animals. Optional: time for those who would like to swim and/or snorkel in the evening, we have an orientation about the Galapagos Islands in general: their origin and evolution. Welcome cocktail with the entire crew, and dinner.
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Day 2
Saturday: Tower Island
After breakfast, we make a dry landing on Bahía Darwin to walk and observe colonies of birds. Optional: time for those who would like to swim and/or snorkel. We come aboard for a delicious lunch. Later in the afternoon we take a dingy ride and make a dry landing on Barranco, then walk and observe the interesting lives of the birds here. Dinner on the Yacht, and then our orientation about conservation efforts is made to protect the Islands.
BLD

Day 3
Sunday: Puerto Egas - Bartolome
After a delicious breakfast, we make an early wet landing to visit Puerto Egas and walk to grottos where Fur seals live in colonies. Again, we will be observing marine and land birds as we walk. Return to the Yacht for a delicious midday meal. In the afternoon the Yacht sails to the island of Bartolome. At about three in the afternoon we make a dry landing and walk to the top of the island, and return for a dingy ride around the Tower to observe Galapagos penguins. Optional: time for those who would like to swim and/or snorkel. We return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation about what we have seen and will see the following day.
BLD

Day 4
Monday: Santa Cruz Island - Higlands - Charles Darwin Research Station
They disembark, board a bus, which takes us to the highlands of Santa Cruz Island for a visit to the native forests, and twin craters. Return to the port for a walk through the little town to appreciate various handicrafts. We return to the Yacht for lunch. In the afternoon we land at the pier of the National Park, for a visit to the Charles Darwin Station and its interpretive center. Dinner. Optional: you may visit the town again at night for dancing and entertainment.
BLD

Day 5
Tuesday: Plaza Sur - Santa Fe Island
After breakfast we make a dry landing on the pier of the Island of Plaza Sur, where we can enjoy the antics of the sea lions. A walk through a cactus forest allows us to observe land iguanas and a great many species of tropical birds. Return to the Yacht for lunch and sail to Santa Fe Island. At 3:00 p.m. we make a wet landing on the Island to visit the cactus forest and a colony of land iguanas native to Santa Fe. At the end of the afternoon, we return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation.
BLD

Day 6
Wednesday: Española Island
After breakfast, we make an early wet landing in Gardner Bay for a walk on the beach here. We then take a dingy ride around the islets of Gardner and Tortuga. Optional: time for those who would like to swim and/or snorkel. Return to the Yacht and sail to Punta Suarez; lunch being served as we travel. In the afternoon we make a dry landing and walk along lava beds where we will observe unique colonies of marine birds, including Albatross (May - December). Return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation.
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Day 7
Thursday: Floreana Island
After breakfast, we make an early wet landing on Point Cormorant and take a short walk to the Flamingo Lagoon of this island. We then continue the walk until we reach the beach called "La Picona" to see marine turtles and their spawning grounds. We return to Point Cormorant for a dinghy ride, and snorkeling for those who wish it. Lunch aboard the Yacht. Sail to Mailbox Bay, and a visit to this, the oldest postal system in the world. Return to the Yacht for dinner and our last nightly orientation, which will be about important historical figures in the history of the Islands.
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Day 8
Friday: North Seymour - Baltra - Mainland Ecuador
After breakfast we make a dry landing for a walk along the coast and the interior of North Seymour Island, observing colonies of birds, marine iguanas, and sea lions. Return to the Yacht and sail to Baltra. We receive instructions and enjoy a farewell cocktail and snack before disembarking on the pier at 11:00. Your guide accompanies you on the bus ride directly to the airport.
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