SOUTH EXPEDITION (D)

Day 1 - Thursday

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 Galapagos Legend.

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 2 - Friday

MORNING:

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
• Duration: 1 hour hike, 30 min kayaking, 30 min Glass-bottom boat, 1 hour 45 min beach or deep snorkeling

AFTERNOON:

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

Day 3 - Saturday

MORNING:

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

AFTERNOON:

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

Day 4 - Sunday

MORNING:

Dragon Hill (Santa Cruz Island). Arriving at a small lava dock, our first encounter is with marine iguanas that blend-in perfectly with the dark rock. As we walk past a large prickly pear cacti, we arrive at one end of a long, sickle-shaped beach with Dragon Hill standing in the distance. Our walk takes us on a circular path, past a shallow lake where flamingoes frequently come to feed. .

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

AFTERNOON:

Punta Bowditch (Santa Cruz Island). Feel the indescribable feeling of being where no one else has. Relax on a powdery beach. Snorkel around turquoise water islets and hike beside salt pools and dried white corals. Be one of the first humans –to visit Punta Bowditch at Galapagos Legend.

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

Day 5 - Monday

MORNING:

Highlands Tortoise Reserve (Santa Cruz Island). We have our best opportunity to interact at close quarters with totally wild, Galapagos giant tortoises. A short walk among these huge, 600lb, reptiles will also offer the chance for more highland species, especially several species of the famed finches.

• 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.