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Tour Description:
Explore and Discover the Galapagos islands on our
"Legend Nature cruise". Visit the most interesting islands of the archipelago while
traveling onboard a great ship, the
Galapagos Legend.
Spacious accommodations, great ambiance and excellent
service, provided by a professional and friendly crew, will
make this an unforgettable experience while cruising the
islands. During this eight day
cruise program you will be accompanied by Naturalist guides
who will explain and teach you about the
history of the islands and show you the fascinating
Flora, Fauna and underwater world of the this amazing
group of islands.
A day on the
"Legend Nature cruise" 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. |
Day 1 -
Thursday
AM / PM - QUITO or GUAYAQUIL /
BALTRA ISLAND
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
Galapagos Legend will greet you outside the customs area of
the airport and provide the transfer to the pier from where you will
board a dinghy to join the ship, anchored nearby. After a warm
welcome on board check into your suite or cabin in preparation for
the first excursion of the cruise itinerary.
PM - BARTOLOME (BARTHOLOMEW) ISLAND
In the afternoon we will make a dry landing on
Bartolome island where we will see volcanic formations including lava bombs,
spatter, and cinder cones. A hike to the
summit will reward us with an impressive
view of the surrounding islands, including the
eroded tuff cone of Pinnacle Rock. During the hike to the summit, travelers will
often see large colonies of Marine Iguanas, Lava
Lizards, Tiquila bushes, and various Cacti. Back at
the shore we have a chance to cool off
while snorkeling. Here it is possible to see the
Galapagos Penguins, Sea Turtles, and White Tipped
Sharks from a safe distance.
EVE - The crew and your Naturalist guides on board the
Galapagos Legend will give a briefing on security procedures
and an outline of the program to follow over the next 8 days. Dinner
and evening at leisure. Overnight on board.
(L, D.)
Day 2 -
Friday
AM - ISABELA (ALBEMARLE)
ISLAND - Urbina Bay
After breakfast we will make a wet landing at Urbina bay on
Isabela island. We will head towards
the fossil beach and then to the coral area. On the
way and depending of the season it will be possible
to observe many endemic organisms such as Giant
Tortoises, Land Iguanas and Flightless Cormorants.
PM -
FERNANDINA (NARBOROUGH) ISLAND -
Punta Espinosa
In the afternoon we will make
a dry landing at Punta Espinosa on
Fernandina island. Here we will be able to see the biggest Marine
Iguanas mingle with
Sally-Light Foot crabs and enjoy the nesting sites
of the Flightless Cormorants, the Galapagos
Penguins, Galapagos Hawks and Sea Lions. Among the flora and volcanic formations
we can observe 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.
EVE - Dinner and evening at leisure. Overnight on
board.
(B, L, D.)
Day 3 -
Saturday
AM - SANTIAGO (JAMES / SAN
SALVADOR) ISLAND - Puerto Egas
During the morning hours we will disembark the Galapagos Legend and
make a wet landing at on a dark sand beach at Egas Port on
Santiago island. Most of the landscape here is tuff-stone
layers and lava flows while the surrounding area is good
for spotting and observing hunting Herons, Great
Blue Herons, Lava Herons, Oyster Catchers and the
Yellow Crowned Night Heron. Enjoy the sight of Marine
Iguanas
graze upon algae beds at low tide sharing space
with Red Sally Light-foot crabs and observe a colony
of Fur-Seal swimming in deep pools of cool water
called “grottos”. Back at the beach you can swim and snorkel in search
of Octopuses, Sea Horses, Star Fish and other sea
life.
PM - RABIDA (JERVIS) ISLAND
Wet landing at a dark red colored beach on
Rabida island, frequented by Sea Lions. The coloration of the
beach is due to its volcanic origin. The island 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
you will occasionally find Flamingos. From July thru September is a good time of the year to
observe Brown Pelicans nest in the salty bushes
found at the far side of the salty lagoon. Here we
can also observe Boobies and 9 species of Darwin’s
finches.
At the end of the excursion we will take a dinghy ride by the reefs
where we have a great
opportunity for snorkeling.
EVE - Dinner and evening at leisure. Overnight on board.
(B, L, D.)
Day 4 -
Sunday
AM - SANTA CRUZ (INDEFATIGABLE /
CHAVEZ) ISLAND - Charles Darwin Station
In the morning hours we will visit
Santa Cruz island where we have a chance to observe the work
done at the
Charles Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora. The
station is
staffed with international scientists conducting
biological research and conservation projects. Giant
Tortoises, part of
the breeding program, can be observed here. Later we can also admire the impressive giant
Prickly-pear cactus forest and many land birds. The
visit to the station takes around 40 minutes. After
this visit, passengers will have some free time to
walk around town and shop for souvenirs.
PM - SANTA CRUZ (INDEFATIGABLE /
CHAVEZ) ISLAND - Highlands
In the afternoon we can cross the highlands of
Santa Cruz island. Here we will visit Cerro Chato where we
will be able to observe the famous
Giant Tortoises that gave the name to these islands.
In addition we can literally get into
the Galapagos by walking in the dormant lava tubes.
EVE - Dinner and evening at leisure. Overnight on
board.
(B, L, D.)
Day 5 -
Monday
AM - SANTA CRUZ (INDEFATIGABLE /
CHAVEZ) ISLAND - Bachas Beach
On this last morning of the cruise we will
make a wet landing at Bachas Beach, located on the Northern
coastline of
Santa Cruz island. Here you will be greeted by different sea
birds, Marine Iguanas and Sea Turtles. Opportunity to swim near the white
sand beach before returning to the ship for lunch.
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- Some passengers will
disembark here today while others will join us for
the remainder of our cruise - |
PM - SANTIAGO (JAMES / SAN SALVADOR)
ISLAND - Sombrero Chino (Chinese Hat)
Disembark the
Galapagos Legend for a wet landing at Sombrero Chino near
Santiago island. Here we will encounter a small colony of sea
lions on the our landing spot. The Naturalist guides will take us
from here on a one hour hike across the island during which we will
probably be able to observe a group of Flamingos. As they will do
during the entire cruise program, our guides will explain and teach
us about the history of the islands and show the different points of
interest on each island that we will visit over the next week. On
the other side of the island we will be picked up by a dinghy for
the return on board the ship.
EVE - Dinner and evening at leisure. Overnight on board.
(B, L, D.)
Day 6 -
Tuesday
AM - SANTA CRUZ (INDEFATIGABLE /
CHAVEZ) ISLAND - Dragon Hill or Venice
After a great breakfast leave the ship for a wet landing on
Santa Cruz island. We will start out on a trail that leads
us to a hyper-saline lagoon behind the
beach where observers report that at times they
observe a high number
of Flamingos. From here we follow the trail
up to Dragon Hill, which offers a beautiful view of
the bay. The area is a nesting site for a big
number of reintroduced Land Iguanas, thanks to the
Charles Darwin Research Station. There is also a
bizarre Scalesia tree forest.
Before returning to the ship we will have the option to make a dinghy
ride in Venice islet to observe the vegetation and
marine animals. Spotted Eagle Rays and
Golden Rays, Mullets, Sharks and Sea Turtles which
rest in calm waters of the coves and channels. Land
Iguanas are often been observed from the dinghy.
PM - FLOREANA (SANTA MARIA /
CHARLES) ISLAND - Punta Cormorant
Lunch on board while the ship sails to our next anchoring spot near
Floreana island. We disembark at Punta Cormorant for a wet landing on a greenish colored sand beach.
The guides will lead us on a well-marked trail, beginning
in the Black Mangrove beds, heading towards the back
of the lagoon. This large brackish lagoon holds one
of the biggest populations of Flamingos in the
Galapagos. The island is best known for its endemic
plant life, such as: the Galapagos millwork, Passion
flower, and unique Button Mangrove. Later, novice snorkelers can practice back
near the main
beach where Sea Lions are playful while
experienced snorkelers can roam the waters around
Devils Crown. We kindly remind you this activity is
an open water experience; it means there is no place
to step on.
EVE - Dinner and evening at leisure. Overnight on board.
(B, L, D.)
Day 7 -
Wednesday
AM - ESPANOLA (HOOD) ISLAND - Punta
Suarez
In the morning hours we will visit Punta Suarez on
Espanola (Hood) island where we will arrive on a dry landing.
Here we will learn more about
the lava terrain of the island while crossing the inactive lava
fields. Aside from the sea lion colony Punta Suarez is one of the
most important sites for bird watching in the
Galapagos. As soon as
we set foot on this island many species can be
spotted and observed from up close. Among the many
species we find the Hooded Mocking bird and Red Billed
Tropic bird. Visitors will also spot a
large colony of Marine Iguanas, Lava Lizards, and
colorful Sally Light Foot Crabs.
A short trek will take us to colonies of
Masked and Blue-Footed Boobies where the nesting grounds sometimes overlap the trail.
We will also find Galapagos Doves, Hawks and
Swallow-Tailed Gulls. After crossing the nesting
grounds we will reach the world’s largest colony of
Waved Albatross (15,000 approximately). From May thru December the mating rituals
of the Albatross are a
highlight of the visit. By the end of this excursion
we will visit the famous blowhole, where
water shoots almost 23 meters (75
feet) into the air.
PM - SAN CRISTOBAL (CHATHAM) ISLAND
- La Galapaguera
After lunch on board the ship we will visit the village of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
on
San Cristobal island.
Here we will visit the San Cristóbal breeding
center for about an hour. Here we have the
opportunity to learn more about the Giant Tortoises
breeding efforts of the Galapagos National Park, especially of
the endemic specie "Geochelone
Elephantopus
Chatamensis". We can also observe some of these
animals in their natural environment.
EVE - Dinner and evening at leisure. Overnight on board.
(B, L, D.)
Day 8 - Thursday
AM - NORTH SEYMOUR ISLAND / BALTRA
ISLAND
On this last morning of the cruise we will make a dry landing on
North Seymour island where we will encounter Swallow Tailed
Gulls and Sea Lions. This 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). We will also be able to spot both endemic species of Iguanas,
the Marine Iguanas and Land Iguanas. Enjoy a relaxed hike around the
nesting sites before returning to the ship for check out.
PM - BALTRA / GUAYAQUIL or QUITO
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 |
