Itinerary from San Cristobal

Today's flight will take us to San Cristobal Island, Galapagos. The flight time to the mainland is less than two hours. Upon arrival, we board M/Y Evolution for lunch and briefing before heading to Isla Lobos, our first visitor site.

Lobos Island

It lives up to its name -Sea Lion Island - with its noisy population barking and frolicking animals. It is located just north of San Cristobal on the west coast. A channel separates it from the lagoon, creating an inviting lagoon. Here you will have your first encounter with the playful "wolves of sea", a group of playful "wolves of water". Kicker Rock is a magnificent formation rising 152m (500ft) from the Pacific. The rock appears to be a sleeping lion but, from another angle, you can see how it has been split into a massive tablet that is then pierced by the ocean, creating a great chisel for etching.

You will have some time to shower after the visit. Then, we'll get ready for our first formal briefing and welcome cocktail. (lunch, dinner)

South Plaza Island

We visit South Plaza Island in the morning. It is one of the most beautiful and small islands in the Galapagos. Yellow land iguanas walk through bright red carpetweed, waiting for prickly pear green cactus to drop. The landing site is surrounded by turquoise waters, with orange sally lightfoots crabs dotted the blackened lava. You'll find swallow-tailed gulls nesting on the small island's up-tilted side, and red-billed tropicbirds flying in dance displays. Blue footed boobies will also be visible along the cliff's edge.

Santa Cruz Island: Punta Carrion & Mosquera Islet

Afternoon snorkeling at Puntacarrion, followed by a visit Mosquera. Although Mosquera is a small sandbar, it's home to a playful colony sea lions. (breakfast, lunch, dinner)

Chinese Hat Islet

Morning visit to Chinese Hat Islet. It is a volcanic cone that was formed recently. It has the appearance of a Chinese hat. Galapagos penguins can often be seen on the nearby Santiago's rocky shoreline. The visitor site has a small cove where boats can anchor. The cove offers swimming and snorkeling opportunities, as well as the opportunity to spend the morning with penguins or sea lions.

James Bay

Afternoon trip to James Bay. We land on a sandy beach with interesting eroded rock formations. There is a trail that leads to several crystal-clear grottos, each with a natural bridge made of broken lava tubes. This is the ideal place in Galapagos for fur seals. It also has the opportunity to view samurai-like marine iguanas in the tidal pool nearby. The area is home to a large colony of sea-lions and the Galapagos Hawk. You can snorkel with Green Sea Turtles or tropical fish. (breakfast, lunch, dinner)

Darwin Bay

Tower Island could be used as a set for secret submarine bases! The island's southern portion is a caldera filled with ocean and surrounded by the throat of an enormous, mostly submerged volcano. It is located to the northwest of the Galapagos archipelago. The island is also known by the name "Bird Island" and Darwin Bay, where our first landings are made, lives up to its name in a stunning way. The stunning tidal grotto is the backdrop for the gaggle nesting and soaring birds birds. A path leads to the rookery rock cliffs to enjoy views of the bay, colonies of gulls and tropic birds, and the frigates.

Prince Phillip's Steps

Before our afternoon visit to Prince Philips Steps, kayak along the walls of the sunken caldera. This is the best Galapagos landing spot to see red-footed boobies. They are comically perched on tiny branches by wrapping their big red feet around small branches. We walk just a few meters to find short-eared owls that prey on storm petrels. It is spectacular to snorkel at the feet of the steps with brightly colored tropical fish that take on a neon-like quality against the background of black lava. (breakfast, lunch, dinner)

North Seymour Island

Morning visit to North Seymour Island, which is brimming with wildlife The swallow-tailed and eagle gulls are found just a few metres above the shoreline on cliffs that only measure a few meters. Just above the landing is a small forest of Palo Santo silver-grey trees. Here, we can find sea lions and blue footed bobies, land iguanas as well as magnificent frigatebirds, land iguanas, and marine iguanas.

Santa Fe Island

Afternoon visit Santa Fe Island. This island is home to one the most beautiful and protected bays in the archipelago and offers some of the best snorkeling with its clear waters. You can swim with sea lions here and even see the Galapagos White Tipped Shark. This is one of the most beautiful places to see sea turtles. After a wet landing, you will be able to walk up to a nearby rock to view the land iguanas in an area called Opuntia Cactus. (breakfast, lunch, dinner)

Post Office Bay

Floreana's history is full of pirates, whalers and convicts. There was also a small group of eccentric colonists (a Baroness being one) who chose to live a Robinson Crusoe life that ended in mystery, death, and confusion. We will visit Post Office Bay where, in 1793, British whalers established a barrel to serve as the island's Post Office. This was used to send letters home from ships passing by. You can literally swim under the ocean in this natural lava cave by climbing down a staircase.

Cormorant Point

Afternoon excursion to Punta Cormorant, which has two beaches with very different styles: a green-olivine and iron-red. The salt lagoon between the two beaches is frequented daily by pintails, stilts, flamingoes, and other wading birds. You can snorkel at Devil's Crown in the late afternoon, where you will find a wide variety of marine species, including corals, pencil sea-urchins, angelfish, wrasses and amberjacks. This makes for some of the most spectacular snorkeling in the Galapagos. (breakfast, lunch, dinner)

Charles Darwin Research Station

Santa Cruz, the second-largest island in the Galapagos, and its capital, Puerto Ayora is the economic heart of the Islands. We visit the Charles Darwin Research Station in the afternoon to see the Giant Tortoise and Land Iguana Breeding and Rearing Programme. We used to be able to find LonesomeGeorge (now deceased), which was the last member of his particular tortoise race.

Highlands

Afternoon excursion to the Highlands. Here, the coastal vegetation changes to lush greenery and forests that are covered with moss and other lichens. We will be visiting the Tortoise Reserve where we can see these animals in their natural habitat and also explore a lava tube. (breakfast, lunch, dinner)

Our Galapagos cruise is over. But before we say goodbye to the Evolution, we stop by Black Turtle Cove. This beautiful estuary has mangroves that we can drift in our pangas to see white-tipped reef sharks (white-tipped reef sharks), pacific green turtles and many other shorebirds. We will then fly to Baltra Island airport to return to Ecuadorian mainland. (breakfast)

We will then return to the airport from which we started our journey in Galapagos, to board the return flight to Ecuadorian mainland. (breakfast)