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 Tour
Description: The Coral I & Coral II - Galapagos
Journey 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. This program can be taken on either the
Coral I or
Coral II 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.
 A day on the
Galapagos Journey begins with breakfast
followed by the morning excursion. Excursions are scheduled either
in the morning and afternoon and can be 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 the 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 days. 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.
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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