Origin, Theory & Evolve Galapagos Cruises

AM: Upon arrival at San Cristóbal Island, our guides will be waiting for you to escort you to the vessel. After a short bus ride and Zodiac transfer to the yacht anchored in the bay, you’ll get your cabin assignment and be treated to a delicious buffet lunch.

PM: Visit El Junco Lake on San Cristóbal, the caldera of an extinct volcano and the Galapagos’ only large freshwater lake. Watch for sea lions—on your Zodiac ride, you might spot them on nearby boats. Back on the yacht, the Captain and crew greet you with a cocktail and a briefing for tomorrow’s adventures.

• Activity:Arrival. Walking.
• Meal:Lunch. Dinner.
• Accommodation:Double or single cabins.

AM: Still on San Cristóbal, discover Witch Hill on the northern coast—a stunning beach graced with powdery white sand and teeming with wildlife.

PM: At Pitt Point, on the island’s northeastern tip, encounter frigatebirds, storm petrels, and a trio of booby birds: Nazca, blue-footed, and red-footed. A thrilling trail takes you up cliffs, unveiling a birdwatcher’s paradise.

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

AM: Firstly, on the trail to Suárez Point, you can spot blue-footed boobies, albatrosses, and Nazca boobies. Interestingly, Española island is the breeding site for nearly all of the world’s 12,000 pairs of waved albatrosses. Next, you’ll visit a stunning oceanfront site with a cliff that large albatrosses use as a launching pad. Lastly, look forward to seeing the famous blowhole that shoots seawater into the air.

PM: The afternoon’s excursion takes you to the spectacular Gardner Bay. After landing, you can walk across a lovely white-sand beach amongst a busy sea lion colony or dive into the water to swim with sea lion pups. You may also see curious mockingbirds on the beach.

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

AM: On Floreana Island, Punta Cormorant’s olive-sand beach is filled with the sounds of sea lions, lava herons, yellow-crowned night herons, and blue-footed boobies. The green hue of the beach is caused by a high concentration of iron and manganese from the same basaltic lava found in Hawaii.

PM: Floreana is home to Post Office Bay, the site where English whaling vessels erected a post barrel in the late 18th century. When you drop a postcard in the barrel, no postage is required. You’ll search through the postcards left by previous visitors, and if you see one addressed to a location near your home, you may choose to take it with you and deliver it in person.

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

AM: When you look outside this morning, your view will be completely different from the last few days. A harbor full of boats is bustling with activity at Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, a town with a population of 24,000. You’ll travel by bus to a higher altitude with beautiful geological formations including the lava tunnels at El Mirador and Los Gemelos (The Twins), a pair of massive craters.

PM: Visit the exhibit honoring Lonesome George, whose death marked the extinction of his species of tortoise from Pinta Island. There’s another story with a happier ending: Diego, a tortoise from the San Diego Zoo, brought his species back from the brink of extinction by fathering hundreds of offspring.

• Activity:Hiking. Exploring.
• Meal:Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner.
• Accommodation:Double or single cabins.

AM: You’ll awaken to serene surroundings, distant from other boats. You can choose between two activities. First, there’s a rewarding hike up Bartolomé Island’s 400 wooden steps, culminating in a stunning view of Pinnacle Rock. As you ascend, your guide will highlight the intriguing volcanic geology, pointing out mini lava cones and remnants of past eruptions.

PM: Activities differ based on your yacht. Origin guests explore Sombrero Chino (Chinese Hat), aptly named for its hat-like shape. Those on Theory head to Las Bachas beach on Santa Cruz, marveling at vibrant flamingos in lagoons and then snorkeling in crystalline waters. Meanwhile, Evolve guests embark on a Zodiac journey through Caleta Tortuga Negra (Black Turtle Cove), meandering through mangrove-filled coves and inlets.

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

AM: This morning, you’ll start at South Plaza, a small islet with tall cliffs and a trail with a variety of plants and animals. Look for nests of a variety of birds, such as swallow-tailed gulls, shearwaters, small ground finches, and red-billed tropicbirds.

PM: During lunch, you’ll sail to North Seymour Island, where a spectacular sight awaits: magnificent frigatebirds with red sacs on their chests inflated, seeking mates. At the height of the mating season, you’ll be surrounded by dozens, but no matter what time of year you visit, there will be individuals seeking mates.

• Activity:Hiking. Snorkeling.
• Meal:Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner.
• Accommodation:Double or single accommodation.

AM/PM: After breakfast, you’ll step off the yacht and head to the Interpretation Center on San Cristóbal. It’s a fitting finale, offering insights into the Galapagos Islands’ human history. A short paved walk awaits you, followed by a quick bus trip to town. Take advantage of a bit of free time for those final snapshots. Then, it’s off to the airport. While your flight to the mainland might be brief, the memories you’ve made will last a lifetime!

• Activity:Walking. Departure.
• Meal:Breakfast.

AM: Upon arrival in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristóbal Island, our guides will be waiting to escort you to your expedition yacht. After a short ride by bus to the dock and a Zodiac ride to the yacht anchored in the bay, you’ll be shown your cabin and treated to a delicious lunch.

PM: You’ll have time to settle in after lunch before the yacht leaves the harbor. Within a few hours, we reach León Dormido, (Spanish for sleeping lion), a remnant of a vertical tuff cone formation, rising 500 ft (152 m) from the ocean. Erosion has split the rock, providing a spectacular backdrop for photographs at sunset. As we circle the formation, you’ll easily spot blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, and frigatebirds on the cliffs.

• Activity:Arrival. Hiking.
• Meal:Lunch. Dinner.
• Accommodation:Single or double cabins.

AM: In the morning, you’ll visit Prince Philip’s Steps. Genovesa Island is one of the most spectacular places in the Galapagos for birdwatching because of its diversity of species. Your guides will point out red-footed boobies nesting, Nazca boobies near the trail, and storm petrels as they gather in large numbers.

PM: Later in the afternoon, you’ll visit Darwin Bay, a gorgeous coral sand beach. Here, you’ll see both swallow-tailed gulls and lava gulls gather near the tide pools. A forest of cactus and mangroves provides shelter for magnificent frigatebirds. Males looking to attract a mate inflate a red pouch on their chests.

• Activity:Hiking. Swimming.
• Meal:Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner.
• Accommodation:Double or single accommodations.

AM: This morning, you will visit Las Bachas, on the northern side of Santa Cruz. Dozens of bright pink flamingos feed on the interior lagoons, and a long white sand beach is a beautiful sight for a stroll. Your guides will point out endemic plant species and share some fascinating Galapagos history. Before returning to the yacht for lunch, you’ll have time to snorkel from the beach.

PM: In the afternoon, when you step ashore on Cerro Dragón (Dragon Hill), you’ll have a magnificent panoramic view of the bay and island landscape. You may see flamingos in the brackish lagoon, along with a variety of plants, including opuntia cactus, Palo Santo, and Muyuyo trees. As you walk the trail, look for Darwin’s finches, Galapagos flycatchers, yellow warblers, and Audubon shearwaters.

• Activity:Hiking. Snorkeling.
• Meal:Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner.
• Accommodation:Double or single accommodations.

AM: Begin your morning with a Zodiac ride at Punta Vicente Roca on Isabela Island. Your skilled driver will navigate you through the wave-sculpted caves, bringing you up close to the tuff walls, covered in colorful Sally Lightfoot crab. Don’t miss the opportunity to snorkel here, with penguins diving playfully in the water or grooming themselves on rock formations.

PM: In the afternoon, you’ll disembark at Urbina Bay and see some surprising evidence of volcanic activity. Four files of the coastal seabed were exposed due to a dramatic uplift during an eruption in 1954, and some of the remaining coral skeletons still stand several feet high.

• Activity:Hiking. Snorkeling.
• Meal:Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner.
• Accommodation:Double or single accommodations.

AM: Begin at the Fausto Llerena Tortoise Breeding Center in Puerto Ayora. Marvel at Galapagos giant tortoises, from tiny 3-inch babies to 4-foot adults. Many older tortoises here are friendly, offering unique photo moments as they stretch out their heads.

PM: Journey from Puerto Ayora to the vibrant green highlands of Santa Cruz. The Scalesia trees paint the landscape in lush greenery. Next, explore the extensive lava tunnels, a unique underground experience, before enjoying lunch in this serene setting.

• Activity:Hiking. Snorkeling.
• Meal:Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner.
• Accommodation:Double or single accommodations.

AM: Arrive at a beach steeped in history, where an 18th-century whalers’ wooden barrel stands as an informal mailbox. This quirky tradition is still embraced by Galapagos visitors today. After Post Office Bay, dive into the waters at Devil’s Crown, an underwater relic of an ancient volcano. Here, a diverse range of marine creatures awaits, offering a splendid snorkeling adventure.

PM: Cormorant Point welcomes you with a vibrant flamingo lagoon, also a sanctuary for birds like common stilts and white-cheeked pintails. The island features two remarkable beaches: the Green Beach, its hue derived from olivine crystals, and the Flour Sand Beach, a pristine stretch formed from crushed white coral.

• Activity:Snorkeling. Hiking.
• Meal:Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner.
• Accommodation:Double or single accommodations.

AM: Santa Fe Island (Barrington) is home to the small picturesque bay and anchorage on the island’s northeast coast. The bay has two visitor trails: one leading to a scenic viewpoint atop a cliff, and the other spanning from a small beach to a tall prickly pear cactus forest.

PM: You will take an excursion to Lobos Island (Sea Lion Island). This appropriately named island is ripe with noisy, playful, jolly sea lions who will welcome you to their home with open, well, fins. This island also offers great snorkeling opportunities as well as the chance to see blue-footed and Nazca boobies.

• Activity:Hiking.
• Meal:Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner.
• Accommodation:Double or single accommodations.

AM: Breeding Center David Rodríguez (La Galapaguera), in Cerro Colorado, is a new visitor site in the southeast part of San Cristóbal Island and can now be reached in roughly one hour by road from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. On the trees and shrubs surrounding the site, you may see land birds like warblers, finches, and mockingbirds. Galapagos giant tortoises can be observed on the trails.

PM: After this final visit, you will be transferred to the San Cristóbal airport in time for your flight back to the mainland.

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