Galapagos Western Islands Cruise (C)

Morning: Arrival in the Galapagos

Fly to the Galapagos Islands and pay a $20 migration control card fee at the airport before security screening.

Upon landing in Santa Cruz, undergo an inspection to prevent foreign species from entering the islands. Visitors must pay the Galapagos National Park entrance fee: $200 for international travelers and $100 for children under 12 (as of September 2024).

Your guide will meet you at the airport, assist with luggage, and accompany you on a bus ride to the ferry across the Itabaca Channel. Next, visit Ranch Manzanillo or a similar site in Santa Cruz’s highlands. Wear comfortable footwear, light clothing, and bring essentials like a waterproof jacket, sunscreen, a camera, and insect repellent. Enjoy a picnic lunch before boarding the M/C Seaman Journey, where your luggage will be transferred.

In Santa Cruz’s highlands, observe wild Galapagos tortoises and explore geological formations like lava tubes, sinkholes, and craters before heading to the yacht.

Morning: Moreno Point, Isabela Island

Located on Isabela’s western coast at the entrance of the Bolivar Channel, Moreno Point features a trail that crosses Pahoehoe lava fields leading to coastal lagoons. Expect to see a variety of birds, including blue-footed boobies and flightless cormorants near the lakes and mangroves.

Afternoon: Mangle Point, Fernandina Island

This snorkeling hotspot on Fernandina’s eastern side offers opportunities to spot Galapagos rays, sea lions, marine turtles, pelicans, and various seabirds while exploring the mangrove groves by panga or zodiac.

Morning: Urbina Bay, Isabela Island

Situated at the base of Alcedo Volcano, Urbina Bay is a fascinating site where the land rose in 1954, stranding marine life. Snorkel in crystal-clear waters and trek a 3.2-km trail featuring sand, lava, pumice, coral, and native coastal vegetation. Watch for Darwin’s finches, land iguanas, giant tortoises, and endemic flora like Darwin’s cotton flowers.

Afternoon: Tagus Cove, Isabela Island

Once a hideout for pirates and whalers, Tagus Cove offers a glimpse of historical pirate graffiti from the 1800s. Trek to a lookout above Darwin Lake, where you can see volcanic formations like lapilli (spherical rocks). This site is also ideal for snorkeling, sea kayaking, and observing flightless cormorants.

Morning: Espinoza Point, Fernandina Island

Explore one of the most untouched regions of the Galapagos Archipelago, home to marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, Galapagos penguins, hawks, and snakes. Large colonies of marine iguanas blanket the landscape like “armies.”

Afternoon: Vicente Roca Point, Isabela Island

This scenic bay, with its towering cliffs and lava formations, is rich in marine life. Take a panga ride or snorkel to see seahorses, sea turtles, sunfish (Mola-mola), blue-footed boobies, terns, penguins, and sea lions.

Morning: Espumilla Beach & Buccaneer Cove, Santiago Island

Located on Santiago’s northern coast, Espumilla Beach features pristine shores, eroded cliffs, and mangroves. Spot baby sea turtles nesting in the dunes, flamingos in the coastal lagoon, and varied wildlife including marine iguanas, sea lions, Galapagos doves, hawks, and herons. The soft, foam-like sand makes for a perfect snorkeling site, where you may encounter reef sharks, manta rays, and reef fish.

Afternoon: Puerto Egas, Santiago Island

Puerto Egas, known for its black volcanic beach, offers a striking contrast against the bright red Sally Lightfoot crabs. A hike through this area reveals an abandoned salt mine, a fur seal grotto, and tidal pools where marine iguanas and sea lions play. Snorkeling here allows you to observe marine iguanas, playful sea lions, and diverse marine life.

Morning: Rábida Island

Recognizable by its red sand beaches and oxidized volcanic rock, Rábida is home to flamingos, pelicans, and other land birds near its lagoon. Snorkel along the rugged coastline to encounter moray eels, reef sharks, starfish, and vibrant fish, often in the company of playful sea lions.

Afternoon: Chinese Hat

A small volcanic islet off Santiago Island, Chinese Hat is known for its striking rock formations and lava fields. Observe colonies of sea lions, marine iguanas, lava lizards, and Galapagos penguins. This site offers excellent deep-water snorkeling, where you may see white-tipped reef sharks, stingrays, parrotfish, turtles, and even dolphins or whale sharks.

Morning: Black Turtle Cove, Santa Cruz Island

Take a quiet dinghy ride through mangrove-lined waters, keeping an eye out for sea turtles, mating sharks (black-tip, white-tip, and Galapagos sharks), spotted rays, golden cow rays, egrets, and herons.

After this final adventure, transfer to Baltra Airport for your return flight to the mainland.