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Tour
Description: The Isabela II
Galapagos cruise is one of the best ways to experience
the Archipelago. You will experience excellent service by
its courteous staff, comfort in all cabins and during
excursions you will be accompanied by professional naturalist
guides who will show and teach you about the flora, fauna
and history of the islands. Every day you will disembark the
vessel twice. A morning and an afternoon excursion are
always scheduled either with a dry or wet landing. On dry
landings passengers step from the 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. A typical day on board begins with a wake
up call and a hearty breakfast followed by the morning
excursion. Lunch will be served onboard (except on Friday)
while the ship sails on to the next anchoring spot.
Afternoon excursions depart after lunch and return onboard
later in the afternoon. 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. |
Day 1
- Tuesday
AM - QUITO or GUAYAQUIL - BALTRA
ISLAND
Our services will begin in
Baltra upon arrival of Tame flight from Quito / Guayaquil.
Guides will be waiting for you outside the customs area of the
airport. They will assist you with luggage and immediately proceed
with the
transfer to the dock where your will board the
Isabela
II, your home for next eight days. After you have checked into
your cabins there will be a introductory briefing by the cruise
director on safety procedures and the schedule to follow over the
next week.
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Contact us for services in
Quito or Guayaquil and/or airfare to Ecuador and the
Galapagos islands |
PM - NORTH
SEYMOUR (SEYMOUR NORTE) ISLAND
While lunch is being served the Isabela II will sail
towards the Island of
North Seymour, the first stop on this Galapagos cruise.
There will be a dry landing for a walk along the coast
and the interior of the island. Observe the first colonies of blue
footed boobies, frigate birds and swallow tailed gulls. We can also
see sea
lions and marine iguanas. A shorter walk is available for those not
yet in the mood for exercise.
EVE
The captain will offer a Welcome Cocktail for all travelers on
the cruise followed by a briefing by one of the Naturalist guides on
next day's activities. Dinner and night at leisure onboard.
(L, D.)
Day 2 -
Wednesday
AM - HOOD (ESPANOLA) - Gardner
Bay
Wake up in the Galapagos islands, open up your curtains and
experience the peace surrounding this magical place.
After breakfast disembark at Gardner Bay on
Hood island and
head toward a white coral beach
for a wet landing. Here we can take a short walk to watch the sea lions,
mockingbirds, finches or enjoy the beach. There is great snorkeling
in this area (snorkeling equipment is available for guests at no
extra cost), or ride the glass-bottom boat around Gardner or Tortuga
islets before returning back to the yacht.
PM - HOOD (ESPANOLA) ISLAND
- Punta Suarez
Lunch followed by an afternoon dry landing at Punta
Suarez also on
Hood
island. During this, and all excursions, have your cameras ready for an exciting walk on lava terrain.
Here we will be able to visit
the island's unique sea bird colonies, including the Waved Albatrosses (May -
December) and the famous blowhole. A shorter walk is also available.
For those not planning to walk there will be panga (dinghy) ride
along the coastline of Punta Suarez.
EVE - Naturalist's briefing and dinner.
(B, L, D.)
Day 3 - Thursday
AM - FLOREANA (SANTA MARIA / CHARLES) -
Punta Cormorant
 After breakfast, disembark for a wet landing at Punta Cormorant on
Floreana island.
here we head out for an
easy walk to see the flamingos that inhabit a brackish-water lagoon.
Other birds, ducks, stilts, sandpipers, etc. can also be found here.
For those who wish to do some snorkeling there are some excellent
spots near the beach or near by, at the Devil's Crown. Those
who do not snorkel can enjoy a ride on the glass-bottom boat.
PM - FLOREANA (SANTA MARIA /
CHARLES) - Post Office Bay
Lunch on board. This afternoon's excursion takes us back to
Floreana island for a wet landing at the historical Post Office Bay.
Here we will learn about the
human side of the islands, its early inhabitants and the adventures
of pirates and whalers who used to frequent the islands. Later, a panga ride will take
us to nearby islets to observe sea lions, rays and sea turtles,
boobies and possibly the Galapagos penguin.
EVE - As normal, there will be a Naturalist briefing and
dinner on board.
(B, L, D.)
Day 4 -
Friday
AM - SANTA CRUZ (INDEFATIGABLE)
ISLAND - Highlands
After breakfast we will disembark (dry landing) to visit the highlands of
Santa Cruz Island, a Scalesia forest and the twin pit craters Los
Gemelos. From December to mid-April and if weather conditions are
good, a visit to see the giant
tortoises in the wild may be included.
PM - SANTA CRUZ - Charles Darwin
Research Center - Puerto Ayora
Lunch at the Finch Bay Eco Hotel on
Santa Cruz, a welcome change
from the meals onboard. During the afternoon hours we will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station.
Here we have a chance to observe the work done by scientists from
around the world and the giant
tortoise pens. We will visit an impressive giant prickly-pear cactus forest
where we will see many land birds. Before returning to the Isabela
II we stroll along the main street of Puerto Ayora.
EVE - Naturalist's briefing, dinner and evening at leisure.
(B, L, D.)
Day 5 -
Saturday
AM -
TOWER (GENOVESA) ISLAND - Darwin Bay
In the morning we head over to Darwin Bay on
Tower
island for a wet
landing. From the disembarkation point we take an easy stroll observing thousands of birds,
mainly frigate birds, red footed and masked boobies, gulls, herons,
finches and mockingbirds. If you wish you can continue walking over
sharp lava and uneven terrain, or just go back to the beach to enjoy
swimming and snorkeling at this beautiful natural harbor. Those most
adventurous can look for Hammerhead sharks, snorkeling along the
cliffs.
PM -
TOWER
(GENOVESA) ISLAND
- Prince Philip's Steps
Lunch on board.
The afternoon starts with a very interesting panga ride along the
cliffs of
Tower
island and then disembark on a dry landing on rocks for a steep
climb (90 feet) and then a leveled walk for about a mile to the
other side of this small island observing large colonies of masked
boobies, frigate birds, storm petrels and the short-eared owl.
EVE - Naturalist's briefing on the day's activities
and those for to tomorrow. Dinner and overnight on board.
(B, L, D.)
Day 6 -
Sunday
AM -
ISABELA (ALBEMARLE) - Punta Vicente Roca or Tagus Cove
Early risers will enjoy cruising right in front of famous Ecuador
Volcano on
Isabela island, which rises off the water line with one of its halves
completely collapsed, and now resting underwater, while crossing the
Equator line. This morning, the Expedition Staff will decide to
visit one of the following locations:
Option 1. Punta Vicente Roca
A magnificent landscape shows the uniqueness of the western
volcanoes of the Galapagos. We are now looking at the youngest
geological features of the archipelago, at the northern tip of the
Galapagos' largest island, Isabela. This area is part of Ecuador
Volcano, where a collapsed caldera floor is revealed after a major
sinking of half of the whole volcano structure. The anchoring place
lies in front of tuff-stone layers of a parasitic cone, next to the
slopes of the host volcano. Lava intrusions, called sills and dikes,
reveal the relatively recent volcanic activity of this area. Since
there is no landing site at this location, our outing will include
coastal exploration where our Naturalists will commit to explaining
the dramatic geology of the area. Wildlife here will definitely
surprise everyone; after just having crossed the Equator, this
tropical area holds surprises like dolphins, whales, sea lions, sea
birds, turtles, and more. Where is all this life coming from? The
answer is the Cromwell Current; a deep submarine current that wells
up right at the volcanic platform of the western islands. These cool
nutrient-rich waters attract plenty of sea-depending species which
include brown pelicans, blue-footed boobies, terns, shearwaters, and
the only tropical penguin on Earth, the Galapagos penguin. Depending
on sea conditions (current and visibility), we will schedule a
snorkeling outing too.
Option 2. Tagus Cove
On the northwest of Isabela, secluded Tagus Cove was in past
centuries a favorite anchor for pirates and whalers. Old graffiti is
still found on its walls. The vegetation in the area includes the
unusual Palo Santo trees. These white-barked trees are leafless and
look dead most of the year. They leaf out and spring back to life in
the short wet season, which usually begins in March or April. An
uphill hike through Palo Santo forest takes guests to the back of
Darwin Crater, filled with salt water. The view at the end of the
trail is worth the climb. Darwin is one of Isabela’s six volcanoes,
a remarkable contrast to the lower islands to the east of the
archipelago.
PM - FERNANDINA
(NARBOROUGH) ISLAND
- Punta Espinoza
Lunch on board.
The afternoon brings us to the youngest island,
Fernandina. We
will disembark on a dry landing for a one-mile walk. Punta Espinoza has an
amazing combination of barrenness with lots of wildlife. Having no
introduced mammals, Fernandina has a very unique environment with
the highest density of marine iguanas, sharing their space with sea
lions, sally-light foot crabs, hawks, penguins and the flightless
cormorant.
EVE - Naturalist briefing and dinner on board.
(B, L, D.)
Day 7 -
Monday
AM - JAMES (SANTIAGO / SAN
SALVADOR) - Puerto Egas
After breakfast wet landing for a mid-length walk at Puerto Egas on
James island. Most of the landscape is
tuff-stone layers and lava flows. This is a great opportunity to see
land and marine birds. At low tide, marine iguanas graze upon the
algae beds and there is a
 colony of fur-sea lions. There is some
great snorkeling
and swimming from the beach after the walk and before returning back
on board.
PM - BARTOLOME (BARTHOLOMEW) ISLAND
Lunch on board. On our last afternoon we will disembark at
Bartolome Island (dry landing) for a hike to the
summit. This is a steep climb aided by a wooden staircase; the view
from the top is worth the effort. There will be time for a panga
ride around Pinnacle Rock to observe penguins, to enjoy the beach
(wet landing), snorkeling and swimming from the beach, or a ride on
the glass-bottom boat.
EVE - On the last night there will be a farewell cocktail and departure briefing.
Dinner and overnight.
(B, L, D.)
Day 8 -
Tuesday
AM - BALTRA
After breakfast, departure to the port and airport on
Baltra to take the
flight back to the continent.
(B.)
END OF SERVICES
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