Itinerary B

Departure from Quito/Guayaquil to Baltra island (2 1/2 hours flight). Our natural guides pick up passengers at the airport and take them to the bus stop to board the M/Y Coral I/M/Y Coral II.

Santa Cruz Island: Highlands

Dry landing. Galapagos' mountains are home to many species of birds. These include vermillion flycatchers and yellow warblers as well as tree and ground finches and vermillion flycatchers. You can see the many ecosystems on the island from the road to the reserve. It is a great way to experience the diversity. From the coast, the road winds through the agricultural zone to reach dense and humid forests. You may also see Galapagos Giant Tortoises wandering in the paddocks and often seen along the road. This is an ideal spot for bird watchers as almost all land birds on the island live or migrate here.

Vicente Roca Point

Deep-water snorkeling is possible at the Bolivar Channel, Vicente Roca Point. Accessible by water only, we ride a dinghy along the coast to see a wide variety of coastal birds, including Nazca and brown pelicans, penguins and flightless cormorants. This area of the Galapagos is a great place to deep snorkel because of its abundance of marine life.

Espinosa Point

Espinosa Point offers a panoramic view of Isabela Island and Bolivar Channel. This area is home to some of the most diverse endemic marine fauna in the Galapagos. The largest and most primitive-looking marine Iguanas can be seen here, mingling alongside sea lions or Sally Lightfoot crabs. Fernandina offers a rare opportunity to see flightless cormorants nesting at Galapagos penguins' nesting sites and the Galapagos Hawk, the "King” of predators on the islands. The majority of Fernandina terrain is covered by AA and Pa-hoehoe lava formations. In the inland, vegetation is sparse with very few brachycereus and cacti. Mangroves can be found at the beaches

Urbina Bay

Urbina Bay: Wet landing (might prove difficult due to tides) You can find large tortoises and land iguanas on this volcanic black beach. A short walk inland will bring you to snorkeling, where you can swim with sea turtles and sea lions as well as many tropical fish. Urbina Bay is home to many different plants, each with a different range of flowers. This attracts different insects, birds and reptiles. The island's highlight is the coral reef, which was created by the 1954 seismic activity. Here you can see Alcedo Volcano. Whale watching is possible from Urbina to Tagus Cove during May-December.

Tagus Cove

We have a dry landing at Tagus Cove. Now we are on Galapagos largest island, where we will learn more about the eruptions of the five volcanoes which formed it. This trail takes you to Darwin's saltwater crater lake, with spectacular views of volcanic formations and lava fields. The same route will take us back to Darwin's salt-water crater lake. We will enjoy a dinghy ride along the shoreline, which is home to a wide variety of marine wildlife. We will also see terns and flightless cormorants. Depending on the season, we may also be able to admire the Galapagos Penguins, the only species of penguin that lives in the tropics. There are approximately 2,000 penguins living on the islands. Others live further south. You will be able to snorkel in deep waters. The curious reminder of a fascinating past is Graffiti, which is believed to be left behind by 19th-century pirates.

Egas Port

Wet landing. Egas Port, a volcanic sand beach of black color, was visited by Darwin in 1835. The trail's first section is made of volcanic ash, which is eroded tuff. The second half is uneven volcanic basaltic rock terrain. Santiago shore's unique and strikingly layered terrain is home to many animals, including the yellow-crowned nightheon. You can easily see colonies of endemic fur sealings in volcanic rock pools.

Sullivan Bay

Wet landing. This is a site of significant geologic importance, located in the southeast portion of Santiago Island. It is home to large relative young pa-hoehoe lava flows that were formed in the last quarter century. In the middle of the lava flow, older reddish-yellowcolored tuff cones appear. The fissures are home to Mollugo plants, which have yellow-to-orange-colored whorled leaves. It is like walking on solidified lava. There are tree molds that can be found. This indicates that large-sized plants were once found in those crevices until past eruptions destroyed the island's flora.

Wet landing. Two small flamingo lakes are located on the north side Santa Cruz. They were used by iguanas to sunbathe. This beach is the primary nesting site for sea turtles in the Galapagos. The average turtle will lay 70 eggs per season, which is three to four times the normal number. This paradisiacal spot will also contain the remains of barges, which were sunk long ago when the United States Navy had a base on Baltra Island during World War II. Locals changed the name barges to "Bachas"

Passengers will be taken to the airport to catch their return flight to Guayaquil, or Quito, after the visit.