Nemo III Galapagos Cruise

AM: Upon arrival, you will have to pay your Galapagos National Park entrance fee, and your luggage will be inspected to make sure no foreign substances are introduced.
PM: Welcome cocktail. Lunch service and navigation to Bachas Beach in Santa Cruz. Wet landing for snorkeling. Bachas is “Spanglish” for ‘barges’ that were wrecked offshore during World War II. A common first landing site, there is a delightful swimming beach here, with a lagoon behind, and a longer beach for a stroll and wildlife watching. The saltwater lagoon behind often has great blue herons and small waders such as sanderlings and semi‐palmated plovers.

• Activity:Arrival, Hiking.
• Meal:Lunch, Dinner.
• Accommodation:Double or Single Cabins.

AM: Also known as the bird island. El Barranco is a demanding walk up a cliff, where tropicbirds, red-footed boobies, and other nesting seabirds can be found. We follow the trail through Palo Santo forest to a storm petrel colony passing red boobies and great Frigatebirds along the way.
PM: Darwin Bay is the caldera of a collapsed volcano. We land on a small coral beach, where will take an easy walk. For those looking for a little more action, there is a demanding optional walk over lava rock.

• Activity:Hiking, Birdwatching.
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
• Accommodation:Double or Single Cabins.

AM: The main attraction of this bay is the broad, Pahoehoe, or rope lava flows. It is one of the most incredible places to compare the lava flows and their characteristics. Panga boat ride to Sullivan Bay. Nature walk. Snorkeling from the beach.

PM: Navigation to Santa Cruz to visit Dragon Hill for a nature walk and deepwater snorkeling. Cerro Dragon, situated in the northwestern part of Santa Cruz Island, is named after the fact that in 1975, it was one of the only sites on this island, where land iguanas were found in a healthy state.

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

AM: Visit Santa Cruz Highlands. Dry landing. The highlands of Santa Cruz have incredible zones of vegetation. Visit the private estate “Las Primicias”. This reserve offers you one of the best possibilities to see the huge turtles of Santa Cruz Island in their natural habitat. You can observe them very close.

PM: Visit Charles Darwin Scientific Station and Breeding Center. Dry landing. The main visit to Puerto Ayora is to Charles Darwin Station. An excellent way to begin learning about the islands, their origin, and their formation. You will learn about how the Galapagos turtles are raised and meet Jorge, the famous solitary turtle. The Scientific Station has a beach that receives many visitors on weekends. Guide briefing.

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

AM: Visit Moreno Point – a place where the forces of the Galapagos have joined to create a work of art. The tour starts with a panga boat ride along the beautiful rocky shores where Galapagos Penguins and shorebirds are frequently seen. After a dry landing, the path traverses through jagged black lava rock. As the swirling black lava flow gave way to form craters, crystal tide pools formed-some surrounded by mangroves.

PM: Navigation to Urbina Bay. Wet landing. Nature walks and more wildlife watching. Shallow-water snorkeling. Lying at the foot of Alcedo Volcano, south of Tagus Cove, is Urbina Bay, one of the best and the most recent example of geological uplift in the Galapagos. Uplifts occur when the molten materials beneath the surface shift. In 1954 the shoreline was uplifted by nearly 15 feet (4 meters).

• Activity:Hiking, Exploring, Snorkeling.
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
• Accommodation:Double or Single cabins.

AM: Visit to Fernandina Island. Wet landing. Nature walk on Espinoza Point. Deep water snorkeling. Fernandina Island is the youngest and most active volcano in the Galapagos, with eruptions taking place every few years. The flat lava of Punta Espinosa offers a stark and barren landscape, but here flightless cormorants build their nests on the point, sea lions sprawl on the beach or play in the tide pools, and large numbers of marine iguanas dot the sand.

PM: Navigation to Isabela Island. Visit Tagus Cove. Dry landing. Nature walk. Panga boat ride. Deep water snorkeling. Tagus Cove (Isabela Island) is situated directly east of Fernandina Island on the west coast of Isabela Island. It is a beautiful, well-protected cove sheltered by the shoulders of two volcanic craters and has been used as an anchorage for over 300 years. A nature trail here ascends through the typical dry vegetation zone and offers spectacular views of Darwin Lake, a saltwater crater lake, and the long narrow inlet that appears to connect with it.

• Activity:Hiking, Exploring, Snorkeling.
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
• Accommodation:Double or Single cabins.

AM: Wet landing. Visit Puerto Egas: nature walk, salt mines, and fur seal grotto. Shallow-water snorkeling. A visit to Puerto Egas begins with a wet landing on the dark sand beaches of James Bay. Taking a walk along the rocky coast offers visitors the opportunity to view some of Galapagos Island’s best tide pools.

PM: Panga boat rides to Buccaneer ́s Cove. Deepwater snorkeling. Less than an hour north of Puerto Egas, Buccaneers Cove served as a haven for pirates, sailors, and whalers during the 18th and 19th centuries. Anchoring in the protected bay they were able to make much-needed repairs to their ships while other men went ashore to stock up on salt, tortoises, fresh water, and firewood.

• Activity:Hiking, Exploring, Snorkeling.
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
• Accommodation:Double or Single cabins.

AM/PM: Among the central islands of the Galapagos Archipelago, Daphne Island sits north of Santa Cruz Island and west of Baltra Island. In reality, there are two islands: Daphne Major and Daphne Minor. They are one of the more accessible Galapagos Islands and are easily reached by most tour boats and cruises.

Transfer to Baltra Airport

• Activity:Hiking, Departure.
• Meal:Breakfast.
• Accommodation:Double or Single cabins.

AM: Upon arrival, you will have to pay your Galapagos National Park entrance fee, and your luggage will be inspected to make sure no foreign substances are introduced.

PM: Navigation to Seymour Island, North of Baltra. Dry landing. Nature walks in North Seymour. The trail is approximately 2 km (1.25 miles) in length crossing the inland of the island and exploring the rocky coast. Along the way, the trail passes colonies of Blue-Footed Boobies and Magnificent Frigatebirds. The Magnificent Frigatebird, a large black bird with a long wingspan, and a hooked beak is extremely fast and has excellent vision.

• Activity:Arrival, Hiking.
• Meal:Lunch, Dinner.
• Accommodation:Double or Single Cabins.

AM: Dry landing. Nature walks and more wildlife watching. Deepwater snorkeling. Lobos Island, as its name suggests is famous for its population of sea lions and fur sea lions. You will also encounter nesting grounds for the great Frigatebird and a small number of blue-footed boobies. The breeding center, there will be explained, in a simple manner, the natural phenomena that created the Galapagos Islands.

PM: Navigation to Cerro Brujo. Panga boat exploration rides. Wet landing. Nature walk. Deepwater snorkeling. One of the first sites visited by Charles Darwin, Cerro Brujo is a beautiful white sand beach where Brown Pelicans, Blue‐Footed Boobies, sea lions, and marine iguanas are all found. An onshore version of nearby Kicker Rock, Cerro Brujo is a very striking, eroded tuff cone. There is no landing at Kicker Rock. Also known as “León Dormido” these rocks are located off the coast of San Cristobal.

• Activity:Hiking, Snorkeling.
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
• Accommodation:Double or Single Cabins.

AM: Deepwater snorkeling. Panga boat exploration rides to Gardner Bay. Dry landing. Gardner Islet, Osborn Islet. Nature walk. Swimming. Gardner Bay is a 45‐minute boat ride from Suarez Point. It has a white sand beach and there is a small colony of sea lions. The possibilities for swimming or scuba diving are excellent here.

PM: Visit Suarez Point. Dry landing. Nature walk. Suarez point is located on the western tip of Española and it offers great wildlife viewing of such species as Sea Lions, Sea Birds, and the largest Marine Iguanas of the Galapagos. This is one of the best sites in the Galapagos. The amount of wildlife is overwhelming. Along the beach, there are many Sea Lions and large, colorful Lava Lizards, and Marine Iguanas.

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

AM: Visit to Floreana Island: Cormorant Point, Champion Islet, Baroness Viewpoint. Wet landing. Nature walk*. Possible activities: deep water snorkeling, kayaking, panga boat exploration rides. The visit to Cormorant Point offers two contrasting beaches. Arriving on shore you will encounter a green sand beach (the green sand is caused by the olivine crystals derived from silicates or magnesium and iron). From here you will follow the trail leading to a lagoon where Pink Flamingoes and other shore birds can be seen in the distance making their home.

PM: Panga boat ride to Post Office Bay. Wet landing. Nature walk. Snorkeling from the beach. In 1793 British whalers established the Post Office Barrel to send letters to and from England. This tradition has continued over the years, and even today visitors may drop off and pick up letters, without stamps, to be carried too far destinations. This is one of the few visitor sites that is visited for its human history.

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

AM: Visit Santa Cruz Highlands. Dry landing. The highlands of Santa Cruz have incredible zones of vegetation. Visit the private estate “Las Primicias”. This reserve offers you one of the best possibilities to see the huge turtles of Santa Cruz Island in their natural habitat. You can observe them from very close.

PM: Visit Charles Darwin Scientific Station and Breeding Center. The main visit to Puerto Ayora is to Charles Darwin Station. An excellent way to begin learning about the islands, their origin, and their formation. You will learn about how the Galapagos turtles are raised and meet George, the famous solitary turtle.

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

AM: Visit South Plaza. The rocky trail circumnavigates the island displaying a combination of dry and coastal vegetation zone. South Plaza has one of the largest populations of Land Iguanas in the Galapagos. The iguanas seem to be everywhere once you land. These larger-than-average yellow‐brown land iguanas feed on the fruit and pads of the prickly pear cactus.

PM: Navigation to Santa Fe. Santa Fe was formed from an uplift (rather than a volcano) giving the island a relatively flat surface rather than the typical conical shape of the other islands. Visits to Santa Fe begin with a panga boat ride across the lovely turquoise lagoon. Once ashore you are brought into contact with one of the many sea lion colonies in the Galapagos.

• Activity:Hiking, Exploring, Snorkeling.
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
• Accommodation:Double or Single cabins.

AM: Deepwater snorkeling. Visit Bartolome. Dry landing. Nature walk. This desolate island with few plants is the most visited and most photographed island in the Galapagos. The island consists of an extinct volcano and a variety of red, orange, green, and glistening black volcanic formations. The best-known of the island’s features is the Tuff Cone known as Pinnacle Rock.

PM: Visit Santiago Island. Wet landing at Chinese Hat. Nature walk. Deepwater snorkeling. Visit Chinese Hat, a tiny island just off the southeast tip of Santiago. Its name describes the island’s shape. The landing is on a beautiful crescent‐shaped white sand beach, home to Sea Lions and Sally Lightfoot Crabs.

• Activity:Hiking, Exploring, Snorkeling.
• Meal:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
• Accommodation:Double or Single cabins.

AM/PM: The Mosquera Islet is located between the islands of Baltra and North Seymour. It is a reef of rocks and coral (the result of an uprising) and a great white sand beach. Its narrowest width reaches about 160 meters and has an estimated length of 600 meters.

Assisted by the naturalist guide and some crew members, the dinghy will bring you and your luggage to Baltra, where we will take the airport shuttle. Your guide will accompany you to the check-in counters in the departure hall.

• Activity:Hiking, Departure.
• Meal:Breakfast.