Coral 1 & 2

DAY 1 – Sunday

AM – Baltra Airport

Departure from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra Island (2 ½-hour flight). Arriving in the Galapagos, passengers are picked up at the airport by our natural guides and taken to a ten-minute bus drive to the pier to board the M/Y Coral I or M/Y Coral II.

PM – Charles Darwin Research Station & Fausto Llerena Breeding Center (Santa Cruz Island)

Dry landing.  Once home to the famous Lonesome George, the last tortoise of the Pinta race, the breeding and relocation center is named in honour of his long-time guardian. 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 such as the woodpecker, cactus and vegetarian finches.

• Difficulty level: easy
• Type of terrain: flat
• Duration: 1½-hour walk

DAY 2 – Monday

AM- Mosquera Islet

Wet Landing.  This tiny, low lying islet, covered in coral sand, is set between North and South Seymour Islands. It is home to a group of sea lions that come to laze on the soft white sand. It is a good spot to observe shorebirds as well as herons, lava gulls, and boobies. Snorkeling or diving here one can often see sharks, rays, and barracudas.

• Difficulty level: easy
• Type of terrain: sandy
• Duration: 1 ½-hour walk & snorkeling

PM – North Seymour Island

Dry landing.  This flat, uplifted, island is an important spot to see both magnificent and great frigatebird males courting the females by clicking, bill-clapping, shuddering and flapping their wings, all while showing off their grossly inflated, bright red, gular pouch. We will also likely see courting blue-footed boobies displaying their unique feet while ‘dancing’  to a prospective mate. Sea lions, swallow-tailed gulls, crashing surf and distant views of the Daphne Islands top off a great visit.

• Difficulty level: moderate
• Type of terrain: rocky
• Duration: 2-hour walk / 30-minute snorkeling

DAY 3 – Tuesday

AM – Santa Fe Island

Wet landing.  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 onto a sandy beach we are immediately distracted by the abundant sea lions there with us. We begin a walk past a forest of island-endemic giant Opuntia cacti. Here we search for another island-endemic the Santa Fe land iguana, paler than its cousins on other islands. Galapagos hawks and even endemic rice rats are also things to look out for.

• Difficulty level: moderate
• Type of terrain: rocky
• Duration: 1 ½-hour walk / 1-hour deep water snorkeling

PM – South Plaza Islet

Dry landing.  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 fly past at eye level in the updraught. These include frigatebirds, flocks of Galapagos shearwaters and of particular note, flights of displaying red-billed tropicbirds. Back at sea level, we once again encounter land iguanas, some of which have hybridized with their resident marine cousins.

• Difficulty level: moderate
• Type of terrain: rocky
• Duration: 2-hour walk

DAY 4 – Wednesday

AM –  Kicker Rock Circumnavigation & Cerro Colorado Tortoise Reserve (San Cristobal Island)

Kicker Rock can be seen directly from the vessel. In the sea northeast of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is this ancient and eroded volcanic tuff lava named Leon Dormido or Kicker Rock it is formed by two rocks approximately 148 m, named for its resemblance of a sleeping lion.

It serves as home to many of the typical Galapagos sea animals, such as birds, sea lions, blue and Nazca boobies and frigate. With rare sightings of swallow turtle gulls, tropic birds, and pelicans.

• Difficulty level: easy
• Type of Terrain: water
• Duration: 1-hour circumnavigation

Dry landing.  In the moist highlands of San Cristobal, we will visit the giant tortoise breeding center “La Galapaguera” to witness the most iconic creature of the archipelago in its various life stages. The tortoises wander in a semi-natural habitat which lends itself to good photographic opportunities. The aim of the reserve is to help restore populations of the threatened San Cristobal tortoise back into the wild. In town, there are shops to purchase local handicrafts and souvenirs.

• Difficulty level: moderate
• Type of Terrain: sandy
• Duration: 40-minute bus drive to the Reserve / 1-hour visit

San Cristobal Airport 

After the visit, you will go to San Cristobal Airport for the return flight to Guayaquil or Quito.

DAY 1 – Wednesday

AM- Baltra Airport

Departure from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra Island (2½-hour flight). Arriving in the Galapagos, passengers are picked up at the airport by our naturist guides and taken in a ten-minute bus drive to the pier to board the M/Y Coral I or M/Y Coral II.

AM – Highlands Tortoise Reserve & Pit Craters (Santa Cruz Island)

Dry landing. In the central highlands of 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. A visit to the collapsed, twin sinkholes (Gemelos) puts us in a stunning forest of the endemic tree-forming Scalesia. Apart from the dramatic scenery, this area is well known for its diversity of passerine

bird species.

• Difficulty level: easy
• Type of terrain: flat & muddy (depending on season)
• Duration: 45-minute drive / 1 ½-hour walk

DAY 2 – Thursday

AM- Punta Vicente Roca (Isabela Island)

This is a spectacular visitor site, surrounded by immense cliffs of the eroded volcano. Studded with resting seabirds such as brown noddies and Nazca boobies, we will enjoy them in close proximity from our dinghies. Snorkeling here is superb, with certain species of fish only found in the west of the archipelago. We also have a very real chance of swimming with penguins and potentially a plethora of green turtles.

• Difficulty level: moderate
• Type of terrain: water
• Duration: 1-hour snorkeling / 1-hour panga ride

PM – Punta Espinosa (Fernandina Island)

Dry landing.  The youngest island of Galapagos and one of the most pristine in the world. Fernandina is simply the ëmarine iguana capital of the worldí. This desolate volcanic backdrop is home to a huge concentration of these enigmatic reptiles. Incongruously, sharing the same shoreline, we can find the diminutive Galapagos penguins. Here we also have the exciting opportunity to snorkel with marine iguanas feeding underwater, penguins, turtles and the bizarre, endemic, flightless cormorants.

• Difficulty level: moderate
• Type of terrain: rocky
• Duration: 2-hour walk / 1-hour snorkeling

DAY 3 – Friday

AM – Urbina Bay (Isabela Island)

Wet landing.  At the far end of a long, level hike we arrive at a strange phenomenon where large blocks of coral lie completely exposed after a dramatic geological uplift in 1954. Located at the western base of Alcedo Volcano we hope to run into a few very impressive land iguanas as well as some of the volcanoís endemic Galapagos giant tortoises during the wet season.

• Difficulty level: moderate
• Type of terrain: flat & rocky
• Duration: 1 ½-hour walk / 1-hour snorkeling

PM – Tagus Cove (Isabela)

Dry landing.  A well-known hideout and deep water anchorage in the days of pirates, Tagus Cove was also one of the few sites visited by Charles Darwin and the HMS Beagle in 1835. A beautiful hike leads us past an overview of Darwin Lake and on to a stunning volcanic landscape revealing Isabela islandís dramatic northern volcanoes. Once back at sea level the perfect activity is to snorkel along a submerged wall with turtles, lots of fish, penguins and potentially flightless cormorants. You might even be tempted by a panga ride or kayak!

• Difficulty level: moderate/demanding
• Type of terrain: steep
• Duration: 2-hour walk / 40-minute panga ride / 1-hour deep water snorkeling

DAY 4 – Saturday

AM –  Egas Port (Santiago Island)

Wet landing. The black volcanic sand sets this landing apart from most. It is best known for the dramatic shoreline where we meet a host of species that chose to live between land and sea. Particular among these are the endemic Galapagos fur seals which maintain a small colony at the end of our walk. Other species of note include American oystercatchers, sea lions, waders, herons, lava lizards and even Galapagos hawks. An optional visit takes us to an abandoned salt mine famous in its day for supplying salt to mainland Ecuador.

• Difficulty level: moderate
• Type of terrain: flat & semi-rocky
• Duration: 1½-hour walk / 1-hour snorkeling

PM – Sullivan Bay (Santiago Island)

Wet landing.  Although, when viewed from the sea, the site does not look especially interesting visitors are always totally enthralled by the amazing beds of pahoehoe lava from the recent flow on the island. It is a landscape and macro photographer’s dream. The importance of pioneer plants such as the tiny Mollugo will be discussed as we hike over the lava. After our land visit we can enjoy a refreshing snorkel in the company of sea lions, turtles and rays.

• Difficulty level: difficult
• Type of terrain: flat volcanic lava
• Duration: 1½-hour walk / 1-hour snorkeling/beach time

DAY 5 – Sunday

AM – Bachas Beach (Santa Cruz Island)

Wet landing.  Named for some wrecked World War II barges whose ribs are still visible in the sand this visitor site offers great swimming, a lovely walk along the shore and a visit to a lagoon behind the high tide line with wading birds, marine iguanas and sometimes even flamingoes. The two beaches are also favorite nesting sites for green turtles which often leave tractor-like tracks in the sand.

• Difficulty level: easy
• Type of terrain: sandy
• Duration: 1-hour walk

 Baltra Airport

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