GALAPAGOS  JOURNEY  CRUISE -  EGIC20
8 days / 7 nights - Friday thru Friday

 Day 1 - Friday  - MAINLAND ECUADOR - BALTRA - PLAZAS / Welcome transfer & excursion
AM - Our services will begin upon your arrival at the airport of Baltra from Quito or Guayaquil on mainland Ecuador. The flight from Quito (via Guayaquil) to the Galapagos is approximately 2 ½ hours on a Boeing 727. Upon arrival you will pass through an airport inspection point to insure that no foreign plants or animals are introduced to the islands, Here you will also have to pay the Galapagos National Park entrance fee of $100 (unless prepaid). The guides will meet you outside the inspection area, collect your luggage and escort you on the short bus ride to the harbor. From here, motorized rafts, called ‘Pangas’ will transport you to the M/C Galapagos Journey I where the crew will welcome you onboard.

PM - After departure and lunch we disembark for the first island visit on Plaza island. These are two small islets that were uplifted a short distance from the East Coast of Santa Cruz. The unusual vegetation and location of the island create an interesting landscape in which the fauna and flora of Galápagos are enhanced. Moreover despite its small size, some of the most interesting and outstanding species of the archipelago occur here. It is possible to guarantee the observation of land iguanas that often are in the shade of a cactus. Nesting on the rugged southern cliffs, we cab usually find swallow tailed gulls, along with various other sea birds. The protected rocky seashore is a prime habitat for a large colony of noisy sea lions. The principal attraction of Plazas is the land iguanas, the sea lions and the swallow – tailed gulls. Here we can also see yellow tailed mullets, Audubon’s shearwaters, red-billed tropicbirds, frigate birds, and brown pelicans gliding past the cliff.
 
EVE - Dinner and overnight on board.
(L, D.)
 
 Day 2 - Saturday  - SAN CRISTOBAL / ISLA LOBOS - Interpretation Center - Visit
AM - In the morning we disembark on San Cristóbal Island where we will visit the Interpretation Center. The centre was built with the cooperation of the Spanish Science Centre. It gives a very good introduction to the Galapagos islands, its marine and land life, fauna and flora. It is located in the outskirts of the small city of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, which is the capital of the Galapagos Province.
The trip to the Hill takes approximately 20 to 40 minutes. Once there, visitors are treated to a spectacular view of the white beaches on one side and the roofs of Puerto Baquerizo on the other. The hill is often visited by Frigate Birds, giving it its name. Here it is possible to see Magnificent Frigate Birds and Great Frigate Birds in the same colony and therefore is the perfect place to compare and learn to distinguish them. Down on the beaches we can enjoy some safe snorkeling without strong currents. It is great for beginners. You can find sting rays, barber fish and butterfly fish.
 
PM - After lunch we will disembark on "Isla Lobos", a small islet, located only an hour by boat from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. The island is separated from the main Island by a narrow stretch of calm water. Blue-footed boobies nest and sea lions rest on the rocky shores of the island. Here we find and atmosphere of tranquility and primitive beauty, a very typical Galapagos environment.
  
EVE - Dinner and overnight on board.
(B, L, D.)
  
 Day 3 - Sunday  - ESPANOLA ISLAND (HOOD) / Gardner Bay - Punta Suarez
AM - Overnight the yacht sails to Espanola (Hood island), where we will stop on the northeastern coast at Gardner Bay. This is an excellent beach for some relax, swimming and an opportunity to observe sea lions. Here we also have the opportunity to observe sharks in the crystalline waters of the ocean. We will return to the yacht for lunch.
  
PM - In the afternoon we stop at Punta Suarez, a rocky point of land sustaining one of the most impressive and varied colonies of sea birds in the Galápagos island. Along its southern shore, high cliffs rise up from the sea allowing us spectacular views of soaring birds and 'the blow hole', where water spouts up to 50-75 feet into the air according to the intensity of the surf.
  
EVE - Dinner and overnight on board.
(B, L, D.)
  
 Day 4 - Monday  - FLOREANA ISLAND / Punta Cormorant & Post Office Bay
AM - Today we will visit Floreana island which probably offers one of the largest and the best flamingo lagoons in the Galapagos. The lagoon is situated between two tuff cones that give the area a special atmosphere. There are various species of shorebirds to be seen besides flamingoes, the most frequent are common Stilts, White-cheeked pintail ducks and other migratory birds. This is a unique zone due to the high percentage of endemism in the plant life. We will also visit its two distinct beaches: the Green beach (due to high percentage of olivine crystals in the sand) and the “Flour sand beach” made up of coral.
 
PM - In the afternoon we visit Post Office Bay. Historically, this site is the location of a wooden barrel that was placed in the 18th century by the crew of a whaling ship. It has been used since this time by mariners and tourists as a post office. The idea is to carry letters or postcards to their destination by hand. Apart from being the Post Office Barrel, this site was the landing area for some of the first colonists on the islands.
 
EVE - Dinner and overnight.
(B, L, D.)
  
 Day 5 - Tuesday  - SANTA CRUZ ISLAND / Charles Darwin Station & Highlands
AM - After breakfast we disembark on Santa Cruz island. Although the great majority of Galapagos visitors come here to observe and appreciate natural wonders, it is also interesting to learn how the protection and conservation of the islands are carried out. Some of the principal attractions here are the National Park information center, the Van Staelen Exhibition Hall, the Breeding and Rearing Center for young tortoises, Lonesome George (tortoise from Pinta) and adult Galapagos tortoises held here in captivity for study purposes.
 
PM - After lunch we take the trail to the highlands. The trail leaves from Bellavista and passes through the agricultural zone, near the National Park boundary. From here we pass the Miconia Zone and then it goes on to the Fern and Sedge zone. With clear weather (unpredictable) this area affords beautiful scenes of rolling hills and extinct volcanic cones covered with grass and lush greenery all year round.
 
EVE - Dinner and overnight on board.
(B, L, D.)
 
 Day 6 - Wednesday  - CHINESE HAT & SANTIAGO ISLAND (JAMES) / James Bay / Puerto Egas
AM - This morning we visit Chinese hat, a tiny Island just off the southeastern tip of Santiago Island. The island is less than a quarter of 1 square kilometer in size. Chinese hat is a fairly recent volcanic cone, which accounts for its descriptive name, it has the shape of a down-facing Chinese hat. The hat shape is best appreciated from the north side of the island. Opposite Chinese hat (Sombrero Chino), on the rocky shoreline of nearby Santiago, Galapagos penguins are often seen.
A 400 meter trail goes around the cove and through a sea lion colony - marine iguanas cover the landscape. The volcanic scenery is attractive, and there are good views of the cone. We will also fine snorkeling and swimming opportunities in the cove.
 
PM - In the afternoon we will make a wet Landing at James Bay at the western end of Santiago Island. Here we find Puerto Egas with its black sand beaches. This was the site of small salt mining industry in the 1960's, one of several largely unsuccessful attempts to commercialize the Galapagos. Some groups will make the 1 hour round trip hike to the Sugarloaf Volcano (about 1000 feet in elevation). This hike inland to the salt crater gives us an excellent opportunity to sight land birds such as finches, doves, and hawks, but it is the Fur Seal Grotto tour that produces the most pleasure for visitors. Here one can get very close views of both fur seals and sea lions in a series of rocky pools. For many, this is the only opportunity to see the Galapagos fur seal, once thought to be on the verge of extinction. In addition to the fur seals we can observe night herons which can be found resting on shady ledges.
A walk down the rugged shoreline, especially at low tide, will turn up many marine species. Iguanas bask on the rocks and sea lions laze in the tide pools. James Bay offers the best opportunity for tide-pooling in the Galapagos.
 
EVE - Dinner and overnight on board.
(B, L, D.)
  
 Day 7 - Thursday  - SANTIAGO ISLAND (JAMES) & BARTOLOME ISLAND / Sullivan Bay
AM - This visitor on Santiago Island site provides a unique opportunity to view a recent lava flow of approximately 100 years old. The East Side of James Island is known to have barren volcanic landscapes, dominated by black pahoehoe (ropy) lava flows of very young age. On the surface of the lava is possible to observe some tree that was carried down by the flow of the fresh lava. It is also interesting to see how some Mollugo plants are starting to colonize the small lava fissures.
  
PM - In the afternoon we visit Bartolome Island, a small barren island, located across Sullivan Bay off James Island. Bartholomew has two visitor sites. At one of them it is possible to climb to the summit of the island, from where we can observe a variety of volcanic formations, spatter and tuff cones, lava flows and lava tubes. The moon like landscape provides the most scenic panorama in the archipelago. At the other site, we may be able to swim and snorkel from a beautiful beach or walk across the isthmus to another beach that faces south, where swimming is prohibited. Multi colored fish and occasionally penguins may be seen at the base of the tall pinnacle rock, which dominates Bartholomew’s landscape.
 
EVE - Dinner and overnight on board.
(B, L, D.)
 
 Day 8 - Friday  - SANTA CRUZ ISLAND & BALTRA / Bachas Beach - Departure
AM - Two small beaches are found to the West of Turtle Cove on Santa Cruz Island. The sand here consists of decomposed coral, which makes it white and soft, making it a favorite nesting site for sea turtles. Behind one of the beaches there is a small brackish water lagoon, where occasionally it is possible to observe flamingos and other coastal birds, such as black-necked stilts and whimbrels. The other beach is longer, but it has two old barges that were abandoned during the Second World War, when the USA used Baltra Island as a strategically point to protect the Panama Canal.
 
PM - After our visit to Bachas we transfer to the airport in Baltra for the flight back to Quito or Guayaquil.
(B, Lunch depending on flight schedules)

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