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Tour
Description: The
Coral I /
Coral II Exploration cruise
can be taken on either yacht as they will sail
alongside each other during most cruise departures. Both
yachts offer spacious accommodations and excellent
service provided by a professional and friendly crew.
Your cruise itinerary will take you on a exploration of
some of the most interesting islands of the archipelago.
Naturalist guides will explain and teach you about the
history of the islands and show you the fascinating
Flora, Fauna and underwater world of the Galapagos
islands.
A day on the Coral I or Coral II begins with breakfast
followed by an excursion. Morning and afternoon
excursions are scheduled either with a dry or wet
landing. During dry landings passengers step from a
dinghy onto rocks or a dock while on a wet landing the
dinghy will edge onto a sandy beach where passengers
will step into knee deep water and wade ashore.
Every night the Naturalist guides
will give a briefing on the day's activities and the
excursions planned for the following day. Enjoy your
Galapagos cruise.
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Day 1
- Sunday
AM / PM - QUITO or GUAYAQUIL /
BALTRA & SANTA CRUZ (INDEFATIGABLE
/ CHAVEZ) ISLANDS - Puerto Ayora & Highlands
Our services will begin upon your arrival at the airport of
Baltra island (Galapagos) from
Quito or
Guayaquil
after a flight of approximately
2 and a half hours.
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Contact us for services in Quito and Guayaquil and airfares
to the Galapagos and Ecuador |
The guides of the
Coral I or
Coral II (both yachts operate this program
side by side) will greet you outside the customs area of the
airport and provide the transfer to the Itabaca canal. The canal
separates the island of
Baltra from
Santa Cruz island (also called Indefatigable or Chavez). Cross
the canal by ferry and travel to Puerto Ayora by bus. During this
trip the guides may decide to
cross the highlands of Santa Cruz where you will visit Cerro Chato
where you will be able to observe the famous giant tortoises
that gave the name to these islands. On
Santa Cruz travelers can
literally get "into" the Galapagos by walking in the dormant lava
tubes.
Later we will board our yacht where we will check into our cabins.
EVE - The crew and your Naturalist guides on board the
Coral I or
Coral II will give a briefing on security procedures and an
outline of the program to follow over the next week. Dinner and
evening at leisure. Overnight on board.
(L, D.)
Day 2 -
Monday
AM - ESPANOLA (HOOD) ISLAND - Punta
Suarez
Wake up in the Galapagos islands and take in the smell and the
breeze of the ocean when stepping outside your cabin. After
breakfast on board we leave the yacht for a dry landing at Suarez Point
(Punta Suarez) on
Espanola island. Your Naturalist guides will explain and teach
you about the lava terrain while crossing the
inactive lava fields. We will be able to see several sea lion colonies
but mostly this is one
of the most important sites for bird watching. As soon as you step
foot on this island many species can be
spotted and observed at close range. Among the species that can be
found here are the hooded
mocking bird and red billed tropic. After crossing the nesting
grounds you will reach the world’s largest colony of waved albatross
(15,000 approx.). From May till December their mating rituals are a
highlight of the visit. Nearing the end of this excursion passengers
will visit the famous blowhole, where water shoots into the air at
almost 75 feet (some 23 meters).
PM - ESPANOLA (HOOD) ISLAND -
Gardner Bay
Lunch on board. For the afternoon excursion we will go for a wet
landing on a white coral beach on Gardner Bay (Espanola
island) amidst a large colony of sea lions. Hiking is not possible
here as the site has no trails, but it is considered an open area where you can spot
a great variety of fauna. Galapagos
hawks, American oyster catchers, Galapagos doves and Hood
mockingbirds, three species of Darwin finches and Yellow Warblers,
lava Lizards and Marine Iguanas all can be seen here. All of these species are endemic to
this island. This is also a great place for swimming and snorkeling. The
best place for this spot is by the rock outcropping that looks like
a turtle. Often snorkelers see many of the Galapagos marine species
such as: King Angelfish, Creole fish, Damsel fish, Parrot fish,
Manta rays, White tipped reef sharks and many more. Enjoy yourself
snorkeling in an open Galapagos aquarium.
EVE - Dinner and evening at leisure.
Overnight on board.
(B, L, D.)
Day 3 - Tuesday
AM - FLOREANA
(SANTA MARIA / CHARLES) ISLAND - Punta
Cormorant
After breakfast we
head out for a wet landing on a greenish colored sand beach
on
Floreana island. The guides will take us on a well-marked trail beginning in the Black Mangrove beds
and we will hike towards the back of the lagoon. The large, brackish lagoon
holds one of the biggest populations of flamingos in the Galapagos.
This island is best known for its endemic plant life. We can observe
the
Galapagos millwork, Passion flower, and unique button mangrove (one
of the four species in the Galapagos).
Novice snorkelers can practice their skills back on the main beach where the sea
lions are playful, while experienced snorkelers can roam the waters
around Devils Crown.
PM - FLOREANA
(SANTA MARIA / CHARLES) ISLAND - Post
Office Bay
During lunch the yacht will head towards Post Office baby, located
on the North side of
Floreana Island. The bay is so-named
because in 1793, Captain James Colnett installed an empty barrel of
rum which works as an informal post box for the sailors who
periodically passed through the Galapagos, taking with them letters
for their next ports of call or final destinations.
- The tradition carries on. Today, visitors to
the islands continue the tradition by placing postcards
without stamps inside the barrel which reach their destinations free
of charge. Sometimes it takes weeks, sometimes months, and sometimes
the cards never get there at all. You may want to try this easy mail,
be ready with your post cards and letters, it is a good way to get
Galapagos friends -
Just a short walk from the famous barrel, across typical vegetation of
the island, we come to a tunnel formed by lava flows. It is quite a
tricky way down to a path where we can observe land birds such as
Mocking bird of Galapagos, some species of Darwin’s finches, yellow
warblers and lava lizards. Later in the afternoon we make a wet landing on “Mirador de la Baronesa”.
Our Naturalist guide will tell the story about the murder and mystery legend of the
"Baronesa". This viewpoint is located on the north of the Floreana
Island. It is a tuff basalt formation between Punta Cormorant and
Post Office bay. The climb on the trails is very easy as steps are
placed in this area for security.
EVE - Dinner and evening at leisure. Overnight on board.
(B, L, D.)
Day 4 -
Wednesday
AM - NORTH SEYMOUR ISLAND
In the morning hours we will visit
North Seymour island for a dry landing. Here we will find Swallow tailed
gulls and Sea lions. The site is also known for being a major
nesting colony of blue footed boobies and the largest colony of the
magnificent frigate bird, a different species from the great frigate
bird. On a relaxing hike around the nesting sites we can also spot both endemic species of
Iguanas, the Marine Iguanas and Land Iguanas.
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- Some passengers will
disembark today while others will join us for
the remainder of our cruise - |
PM - SANTA CRUZ (INDEFATIGABLE
/ CHAVEZ) ISLAND - Dragon Hill / Venice
Our afternoon excursion takes us to Dragon Hill on
Santa Cruz island. After a dry
landing, we walk to a lagoon behind the beach which is occasionally visited by pink flamingos.
From here the trail leads up to
Dragon Hill, which offers a beautiful view of the bay. The area is a nesting site for a large number of land iguanas
that were re-introduced by the Charles Darwin Research Station.
There is also a somewhat bizarre Scalesia tree forest.
We continue on a dinghy ride around the islet along the coast of
Santa Cruz. The
land iguanas in Venice are protected from the wild dogs
that live on the island. It is also possible here to
observe the vegetation and marine animals like the Spotted Eagle Rays
and Golden Rays, Mullets, White Tipped Reef Sharks and pacific green
Sea Turtles which rest in the calm waters of the coves and channels.
EVE - Dinner and evening at leisure. Overnight on board.
(B, L, D.)
Day 5 -
Thursday
AM - RABIDA (JERVIS) ISLAND
 In
the morning hours we will go for a wet landing at the dark red colored beach of volcanic origin
of
Rabida island, frequented by sea lions. It is often considered the geographic
center of Galapagos because it has the most diversified volcanic
rocks of all the Islands. A short trail leads to a salt water lagoon, where
we
occasionally find flamingos. From July thru September is a good time to observe
brown pelicans nest in the salty bushes found at the far side of the
salty lagoon. Also to be observed are boobies and 9 species of
Darwin’s finches. We continue by dingy for a ride along the reefs
where we find an excellent opportunity for
snorkeling.
PM -
SANTIAGO (JAMES / SAN SALVADOR)
ISLAND - Puerto Egas
The Yacht will move on to Puerto Egas (Egas Port) on
Santiago island where we will disembark on a wet landing. Most of the landscape
here is tuff-stone
layers and lava flows. The surrounding area is prime
for spotting and observing hunting Herons, Great
Blue Herons, Lava Herons, Oyster Catchers, and the
Yellow Crowned Night Herons. Enjoy the sight of Marine
Iguanas
grazing on algae beds at low tide sharing space
with red sally light-foot crabs. A colony of Fur Sea
Lions swim in
deep pools of cool water called “grottos”. From the
beach you can swim and snorkel in search of
Octopuses, Sea Horses, Star Fish and other sea life
species.
EVE - Dinner and evening at leisure. Overnight on
board.
(B, L, D.)
Day 6 -
Friday
AM - FERNANDINA (NARBOROUGH)
ISLAND - Punta Espinosa
In the morning we will make a dry landing at Punta
Espinosa (Espinosa Point) on
Fernandina island. Here we will see the biggest Marine Iguanas mingle with
sally-light foot crabs. Flightless Cormorants have
their nesting sites here while Galapagos
Penguins, Galapagos hawks and sea lions can be found
here as well. Flora and volcanic formation observers
will note Brachycerus cactus, and two kinds of lava
formations “pa-hoe-hoe” lava and ”AA”. Numerous
mangrove beds extend into the sea, depicting a
healthy and thriving eco-system.
PM - ISABELA (ALBEMARLE)
ISLAND - Tagus Cove
This afternoon we will visit
Isabela island, the largest island in the Galapagos. At
Tagus Cove, we disembark on a dry landing. Our
Naturalist guides will explain about the eruption of five volcanoes
that flowed together to form this land mass. The marked trail leads to Darwin’s salt water
lagoon and an excellent view of the lava fields,
scoured with unique volcanic formations. From the
dingy we will have time to observe marine life. Frequently, Galapagos
Penguins
can be seen here. Graffiti, dating back to the 1800’s, can
help visitors better appreciate the
relationship between the islands and tourism today.
Most of the graffiti is believed to be done by
pirates and buccaneers.
Snorkeling is possible in this part.
EVE - Dinner and evening at leisure. Overnight on board.
(B, L, D.)
Day 7 -
Saturday
AM -
BARTOLOME (BARTHOLOMEW) ISLAND
Breakfast on board followed by a visit to
Bartolome island. We
will make a dry landing on this island where we will see volcanic formations including lava bombs,
spatter, and cinder cones. After a hike to the
summit we will enjoy one of the most impressive
views of the surrounding islands, including the
eroded tuff cone of Pinnacle Rock. During the hike
to the summit, visitors will often see large
colonies of Marine Iguanas, Lava Lizards, tiquila bushes and various cacti.
After the hike we will have a chance to cool off
while snorkeling. Here it is possible to see the
Galapagos Penguins, Sea Turtles and White Tipped Reef
Sharks from a safe distance.
PM -
SANTA CRUZ (INDEFATIGABLE /
CHAVEZ) ISLAND - Black Turtle Cove
After lunch we visit Black Turtle Cove, located near Las
Bachas beach in the north coast line of
Santa Cruz
Island. On this excursion we will take a
“dingy” ride though the mangrove, during which the
outboard motor of the small boat is turned off
allowing us to observe Marine Turtles,
White Tipped Reef Sharks, Spotted Eagle Rays and
Yellow Rays from up close.
EVE - Dinner and evening at leisure. Overnight on board.
(B, L, D.)
Day 8 -
Sunday
AM - SANTA CRUZ (INDEFATIGABLE /
CHAVEZ) ISLAND - CHARLES DARWIN STATION
On this last morning in the Galapagos we will visit the
Charles Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora on
Santa Cruz island. The station is staffed by international scientists conducting
biological research and conservation projects. Here
you can also admire giant tortoises that are part of
the breeding program. Time permitting we visit
"Rancho Primicias" in the highlands of the island before returning
back on board our yacht.
PM - BALTRA ISLAND / GUAYAQUIL or
QUITO
We disembark at the docks of
Baltra island from where we
take a bus to the airport for the flight back to
mainland Ecuador via Guayaquil to Quito.
(B, L.)
END OF SERVICES
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