EAST & SOUTH EXPEDITION (C+D)

Day 1 - Sunday

MORNING:

✈ Baltra Airport. Departure from either Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra Island is a 2 ½ hour flight. Upon arrival in the Galapagos, passengers are greeted at the airport by our knowledgeable guides who will accompany them on a short ten-minute bus ride to the pier where they will board the Coral I or Coral II.

AFTERNOON:

North Seymour Island. This flat, uplifting, island is an important spot to see both magnificent and great frigatebird males  courting the females and, we will also likely see courting blue-footed boobies too. Sea lions, swallow-tailed gulls, crashing surf and distant views of the Daphne Islands top off a great visit.

• Difficulty level: Medium
• Type of terrain: Rocky & Sandy
• Duration: 1 hour 45 min hike, 1 hour glass-bottom or 1 hour deep snorkeling

Day 2 - Monday

MORNING:

Charles Darwin Research Station (Santa Cruz Island). Once home to the famous Lonesome George, the last tortoise of the Pinta race. The center is set in the Galapagos National Park Service where various interpretative buildings are available to visit. The grounds, with large stands of native vegetation, are one of the better places to spot some of the seldom-seen Darwin’s finches.

• Difficulty level: Low
• Type of terrain: Flat
• Duration: 1 ½ hour visit

AFTERNOON:

Mosquera Islet. This tiny, low-lying islet, converted into coral sand, is set between the north and south Seymour Islands. It's home to a group of sea lions that come to laze on the soft white sand, it's an excellent spot to observe shorebirds, herons, lava gulls, and boobies. Snorkeling or diving here, one can often see sharks, rays, and barracudas. 

• Difficulty level: High
• Type of terrain: Flat volcaninc lava
• Duration: 1 ½ hour walk, 1 hour snorkeling or 1 hour beach time

Day 3 - Tuesday

MORNING:

South Plaza Island. Sea lions, swallow-tailed gulls, and land iguanas are all present at the landing site. The small island is covered with a carpet of a red succulent studded with Opuntia cacti. At the cliff edge, we spend time watching birds like frigatebirds, flocks of Galapagos shearwaters, and of particular note, flights of displaying red-billed tropicbirds.

• Difficulty level: Medium
• Type of terrain: Rocky
• Duration: 2 hour hike.

AFTERNOON:

Santa Fe Island. After a fabulous snorkel in the turquoise waters of the protected bay, we may have enjoyed time with sea lions, turtles, reef sharks, and spotted eagle rays. Landing on a sandy beach, we spend time watching the abundant sea lions there with us. We begin a walk past a forest of island-endemic giant Opuntia cacti and we can watch the Santa Fe land iguana.

• Difficulty level: Low
• Type of terrain: Rocky
• Duration: 30 min kayaking, 1 hour 45 min hike, 1 hour deep snorkeling or 45 min glass-bottom boat

Day 4 - Wednesday

MORNING:

Lobos Island (San Cristobal Island). Isla Lobos is approximately 20 minutes by boat from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Once on the island, the trail is about 850 meters and there will be rocky trails and a nice & easy sand trail too. There is a small population of blue-footed boobies and great frigatebirds nests at this site.

• Difficulty level: Medium
• Type of terrain: Rocky - Sandy
• Duration: 1 ½ hour walk.

AFTERNOON:

Interpretation Center & Frigatebird Hill (San Cristobal Island). The interpretation center is full of interesting information and offers the perfect overview of the formation of the Galapagos. Following a hike to Frigatebird Hill (Cerro Tijeretas) we will have a great look at both species of frigatebirds, with the bonus of a beautiful view of the bay below.

• Difficulty level: Low / High
• Type of terrain: Flat path / Rocky 
• Duration: 1 hour hike, 1 hour walk

Day 5 - Thursday

MORNING:

Kicker Rock (San Cristobal Island). This ancient and eroded volcanic tuff lava named Leon Dormido or Kicker Rock, is formed from two rocks
approximately 148 m, named for its resemblance to a sleeping lion.

Cerro Brujo (San Cristobal Island). From our dinghy ride, as we head to shore, we are first humbled by the immensity of the stunning cliffs of the Sorcerer's Hill. You can enjoy simply sharing the beach with sea lions, snorkelling from shore, or taking a walk to a hidden lagoon where you
might spot black-necked stilts, ruddy turnstones, whimbrels, and white-cheeked pintails.

• Difficulty level: Low
• Type of terrain: Sandy
• Duration: 1 hour hike, 30 min kayaking, 30 min Glass-bottom boat, 1 hour 45 min beach or deep snorkeling

AFTERNOON:

Punta Pitt (San Cristobal Island). This is the only place on the islands where we will enjoy the chance to see all three of the booby species in the same place. The red-foots will be perched on the Cordia lutea and small trees, the Nazca´s on the ground near the cliff edge while the bluefoots will be a little further inland. Frigatebirds will be all around and the views are breathtaking.

• Difficulty level: Medium
• Type of terrain: Rocky
• Duration: 1 hour 15 min hike, 1 hour beach snorkeling

Day 6 - Friday

MORNING:

Punta Suarez (Española Island). Punta Suarez is a naturalist´s paradise. The oldes extant island in the archipelago is our only opportunity to commune with the endemic wave albatross during their breeding season between April and December. With luck, we can watch their complex courtship display.

• Difficulty level: High
• Type of terrain: Rocky 
• Duration: 2 hours 15min hike

AFTERNOON:

Gardner Bay (Española Island). One of the most stunning beaches in all of the Galapagos. The long, white, sandy beach, lapped by turquoise waters, home to a colony of Galapagos sea lions. Hood mockingbirds, endemic to this particular island. We can also snorkel here from the beach, in the shallows of the bay.

• Difficulty level: Low
• Type of terrain: Sandy & flat
• Duration: 1 hour 45 min hike,  45 min glass-bottom or 45 min deep or beach snorkeling

Day 7 - Saturday

MORNING:

Punta Cormoran & Devil´s Crown (Floreana Island). Our walk takes us to a large, shallow lagoon, often inhabited by a variable number of shockingly pink greater flamingos. We arrive at a powdery white beach, a nesting area for green turtles. Devil’s Crown is one of the favorite snorkeling sites on the islands..

• Difficulty level: Medium
• Type of terrain: Rocky
• Duration: 45 min walk, 1 hour 15 min snorkeling

AFTERNOON:

Post Office (Floreana Island). The famous Post Office Barrel. Claimed to have been first set up in 1793 by Captain James Colnett. The system involved whalers and fur sealers would leave addressed letters in the barrel to be picked up by homeward-bound colleagues. Actually visitors often take letters and handdeliver them to their home countries.

• Difficulty level: Low
• Type of terrain: Sandy
• Duration: 30 min walk, 30 min kayaking, 1 hour snorkeling

Day 8 - Sunday

MORNING:

Highlands Tortoise (Santa Cruz Island). Dry landing. In the Galapagos mountains, admire diverse bird species like finches, flycatchers, crakes, warblers, and egrets (often perched on tortoises' shells). The journey to the reserve showcases the island's contrasting ecosystems, from coastal areas to dense humid forests. Look out for Galapagos Giant tortoises wandering through pastures. This spot is a haven for birdwatchers, as it hosts a wide range of land birds that reside or migrate

• Difficulty level: Low
• Type of terrain: flat & muddy depending on the season
• Duration: 1 ½ hour walk, 45 minute drive

AFTERNOON:

Baltra Island Airport. After the visit, passengers will be transferred to the airport for their return flight to Guayaquil or Quito.