Alya Galapagos Cruise

AM: Genovesa is the favorite island for birdwatchers as it is home to very large colonies of seabirds. From the minute you set foot at the beach you will be amazed by hundreds of boobies, gulls, and frigatebirds flying over your heads, perched in the bushes, or nesting on the sandy terrain. The trail is an ultimate wildlife experience as there are animals everywhere; sea lions and marine iguanas near the sea; night herons, lava & swallow-tailed gulls, Darwin finches, Galapagos doves, mockingbirds, and many more species inland.

PM: El Barranco is located in the southern part of Darwin Bay at Genovesa Island. The cliffs that face the sea are made of very fragile fractured lava, making it the ideal place for storm petrel to build their colonies, which attracts an important population of short-eared owls preying on the nesting birds. Red-footed and Nazca boobies are abundant along the trail.

• Activity:Walking, Snorkeling, Panga Ride
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation:Double or Single Cabins

AM: This hike is a journey into understanding the birth of these volcanic islands. You will walk in a very well-preserved flow of Pahoehoe lava, which will give you endless opportunities to see the delicate textures of these types of lava which only appear in a few places throughout the world. At first sight, the barren landscape looks completely deprived of life, but look carefully for pioneer plants, lava lizards, and small birds. By the shore, you can find penguins, pelicans, and oystercatchers.

PM: Bartolome is one of the most iconic places in the Galapagos and one of the few where you can see penguins without going to the remote areas of western Isabela and Fernandina. You will get great views of Pinnacle Rock, located on the northern side of the island, right next to a beautiful peach-color sand beach.

• Activity:Walking, Snorkeling, Panga Ride
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation:Double or Single Cabins

AM: This small islet is formed by a volcanic cone with a perfectly symmetrical shape. It is separated from Santiago by a narrow channel forming one of the most beautiful bays on the islands. Blue-turquoise water and coral sand beaches surrounded by dark lava rocks give this area a real tropical character, which makes it even more surprising to find penguins resting in the rocks. The trail goes along the shore, taking you through a small colony of sea lions.

PM: Mosquera is mostly a barren sand bar with some rocky areas and scattered salt-resistant plants. You can walk along the beach and enjoy seeing playful sea lion pups surfing the waves and having a great time in the tide pools. Look for endemic lava gulls which are often seen flying over the beach in the search of food.

• Activity:Walking, Snorkeling, Panga Ride
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation:Double or Single Cabins

AM/PM: The Charles Darwin Station is a nonprofit organization that has been working for decades together with the Galapagos National Park to preserve the biodiversity of these unique islands. During this visit, you will learn about the projects that both institutions carry together to protect the native species and eradicate the invasive ones which are threatening the Galapagos environment. One of the most important and emblematic projects has been reproducing giant tortoises in captivity.

Then, transfer to the airport to take your flight back to continental Ecuador.

• Activity:Walking, Panga Ride
• Meal:Breakfast

AM: Moreno Point is a magical place with extensive lava fields which look lifeless at first sight. Once inland, scattered brackish lagoons form an oasis of life where you can find flamingoes, gallinules, ducks, and herons. Along the shore, we will look for penguins, marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, blue-footed boobies, sea lions, oystercatchers, and other shore birds.

PM: Elizabeth Bay is a beautiful sheltered bay surrounded by large mangroves and barren lava fields. There is no trail here so you will take a dinghy tour to explore many channels, pools, and coves teeming with life. This is one of the best locations on the islands to see Galapagos penguins, but don’t expect to see thousands of them, as the entire population of the islands is only about 3.000 of them.

• Activity:Walking, Snorkeling, Panga Ride
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation:Double or Single Cabins

AM: This place is known for the dramatic uplifting that happened here during the 1950s. A large portion of the coast was pushed up, exposing many hectares of previously submerged land. Look carefully along the trail and you will find small shells and corals, proof that the area was underwater more than sixty years ago.

PM: Located at the base of an imposing volcano (the most active in the Galapagos islands) this site is one of the jewels of the Galapagos National Park. As soon as you disembark you will be surrounded by hundreds of marine iguanas, as this is the largest colony for the species. Sea lions bask on the beaches while their pups play in tide pools. Along the shore, you will see flightless cormorants, which are restricted to the western areas of the archipelago.

• Activity:Walking, Snorkeling, Panga Ride
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation:Double or Single Cabins

AM: Tagus Cove is one of the places Charles Darwin visited during his exploration of the Galapagos islands. A trail will take you through dry Palo Santo forests where you can see Darwin finches and mockingbirds. You will get great views of Darwin’s lake and the large volcanos of northern Isabela.

PM: Surrounded by some of the tallest cliffs in the Galapagos, Vicente Roca point is a great location to observe spectacular landscapes and interesting volcanic features. There is no trail here but you will take a dinghy tour along the shore to get a closer view of pelicans, flightless cormorants, sea turtles, boobies, Galapagos fur seals, and marine iguanas. The area is also known to be a good location for whales and dolphins.

• Activity:Walking, Exploring, Snorkeling
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation:Double or Single Cabins

AM: Espumilla is a beautiful 1km (0,6 mi) long beach with rusty-brown sand, located on the northern coast of Santiago. It is surrounded by large mangrove trees and a very interesting native dry forest, which is home to Galapagos hawks but also a great diversity of finches, mockingbirds, and doves. Don’t forget to check the salt pan, as during the rainy season there could be flamingoes and ducks.

PM: Despite its name, there is no “port” at Puerto Egas, but you might see a few remains of the last attempts to colonize the island during the 60s. The trail goes along the coastline which is rich in wildlife, with marine iguanas basking in the sun everywhere, Galapagos sea lions, herons, oystercatchers, and many shorebirds.

• Activity:Walking, Snorkeling, Paddle Boarding, Panga Ride
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation:Double or Single Cabins

AM/PM: Bachas gets its name from the remains of two large barges (mispronounced by locals as “bachas”) left by the Americans during WWII. At low tide, you can still see the iron skeletons of the barges buried in the white sand. From November to May, this place is also one of the most important sea turtle nesting grounds in the entire Galapagos islands. There are also several small saltwater lagoons where we often see flamingoes, herons, and other aquatic birds.

Then, transfer to the airport to take your flight back to continental Ecuador.

• Activity:Walking, Snorkeling, Kayaking, Panga Ride
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation:Double or Single Cabins

AM: Of the two twin islands, only South Plazas are allowed to be visited, while North plazas are kept exclusively for scientific research. This is a small islet, but it packs an impressive amount of wildlife. Right after you land you will see Galapagos land iguanas waiting under prickly-pear cacti feed on their fruits. A large colony of sea lions will give you the opportunity to see playful pups enjoying the tide pools, but also large grumpy males defending their territories.

PM: Giant Prickly-pear cacti and barren lava rocks surround the landing spot at Santa Fe, located inside one of the most beautiful bays in the Galapagos. Turquoise water and white sand beaches make this location a perfect home for a large colony of sea lions which you will see basking in the sand. Inland, look down for endemic Santa Fe land iguanas, but also look up for Galapagos hawks, which often perch at the top of the cactus looking for prey. Darwin finches, Galapagos doves, mockingbirds, and lava lizards are also common along the trail.

• Activity:Walking, Snorkeling, Exploring, Panga Ride
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation:Double or Single Cabins

AM: Located on the outskirts of Puerto Baquerizo, this center is dedicated to the history of human presence in the Galapagos. From the times of the early Spanish explorers to the present times, including illustrious visitors such as Charles Darwin. Depending on the itinerary, snorkeling is allowed around Kicker Rick. A very good place to see sharks, sea turtles, rays, and a lot of different species of fish. A great diversity of invertebrates grows in the vertical walls.

PM: Lobos island is a small islet separated from San Cristobal by a narrow channel, forming a sheltered bay where sea lion pups play in tidal pools. Despite its small size, the island is surprisingly packed with wildlife, especially with “lobos marinos”, the Spanish name for sea lions.

• Activity:Hiking, Exploring, Snorkeling, Panga Ride
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation:Double or Single Cabins

AM: Gardner beach is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and interesting beaches to visit in the Galapagos. Its fine coral sand and turquoise water give it a totally tropical appearance, which contrasts with the presence of sea lions basking on the beach. You will have the opportunity to walk along the beach and learn about the biology of sea lions and other endemic species, such as the Española mockingbird, marine iguanas, and Galapagos hawks.

PM: From the moment you set foot on the island and all the way along the trail the amount and diversity of fauna are truly amazing. Sea lions and marine iguanas will be the first ones welcoming us, followed by large colonies of sea birds, including Nazca and Blue-footed boobies, gulls, and tropicbirds. At the end of the trail, we will visit a colony of waved albatross (April to January), the largest bird in the islands and one of the most interesting because of its powerful flight and elaborate courtship.

• Activity:Hiking, Exploring, Snorkeling, Panga Ride
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation:Double or Single Cabins

AM: Punta Cormorant is located in the north of Floreana and it is known for its large coastal lagoon with American flamingoes, white-cheeked pintails, black-necked stilts, and other shorebirds. There is a beautiful white sand beach which is an important nesting ground for green sea turtles where we can also see rays and reef sharks. Devil’s Crown, a heavily eroded little volcano right by Floreana island. This is considered by many as one of the best snorkeling sites in the entire archipelago as the current funnels plankton through the Crown, attracting huge schools of snapper, Creole fish parrot fish, angelfish, reef sharks, sea turtles, rays, and a phenomenal amount of marine life.

PM: Alieri hill is the remnant of an old volcano located in the transition zone of Floreana, 15 minutes away by bus from the town. This is one of the best locations for plant lovers, as the vegetation is largely native, with many endangered endemic species hard to find elsewhere. The views of the northern coast are also superb and there are interesting birds to look for, such as flycatchers, yellow warblers and Darwin finches.

• Activity:Hiking, Exploring, Snorkeling, Panga Ride
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation:Double or Single Cabins

AM/PM: a bus will take you to the highlands stopping along the way at one of the reserves to visit the lush highland forests where you will look for Galapagos Giant tortoises in their natural environment. This is the best place in the Galapagos to see these gentle giants (reaching over 300 kg / 600 pounds!) casually grazing and resting in freshwater ponds.

Then, transfer to the airport to take your flight back to continental Ecuador.

• Activity:Walking, Exploring, Departure
• Meal:Breakfast