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Terms to Know
- Landings: Landings are how you arrive to the visitor sites. Each site is visited by dinghy, also known as zodiac or panga.
- Panga: Panga is the Spanish term for dinghy or zodiac. You will hear this word often.
- Dry Landing: Upon arrival to the visitor site you will not have to enter the water when exiting the zodiac or dinghy.
- Wet Landing: Upon arrival to the visitor site you will exit the dinghy by entering the water first, then walking ashore.
- No Landing: There will be no landing because activity will consist of panga ride or snorkeling.
- Dinghy Ride: The dinghy ride is a simple ride on the water around the visitor area. This is done when there is no landing permitted or to get a better view of nearby wildlife or landscapes.
- Possible Activities: All activities are to be ultimately decided by the guide considering weather, sea conditions, and other factors.The activities listed in all itineraries are the final decision made by the Galapagos national park officials with the best interest of the islands in mind. These cannot be altered in any way.
Wednesday to Saturday
Day 1 (Wednesday)
ARRIVAL TO SAN CRISTOBAL & KICKER ROCK (SAN CRISTOBAL ISLAND)
Assistance will be provided upon your arrival by a Cormorant representative after passing through immigration and baggage claim. When ready, you will be transferred to the yacht. You will then be shown to your cabin where you will have some time to settle in before the welcome briefing and lunch.
In the afternoon you'll be able to enjoy a dinghy ride and snorkeling around Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido), also known as the Sleeping Lion because of its resemblance. This site is located off the coast of San Cristobal. There are remains of a lava cone eroded by the sea and two vertical rocks rising 500 feet above the ocean which forms a small channel that is navigable by small boats. This Galapagos Island's natural monument has become a favorite sight for cruises due to the many tropic birds, frigatebirds and boobies that fill the surrounding area. Beneath the sea the crystal waters offer a brilliant sight of colorful tropical fish and invertebrates.
| KICKER ROCK | |
| Possible Activities: | Snorkeling & Dinghy Ride |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
| Type of Landing: | No Landing (Kicker Rock/Leon Dormido) |
| Highlights & Animals: | Deep water snorkeling, sharks, tropical fish, turtles, manta rays (occ.), hammerhead shark, spectacular rock formations, sea birds such as Blue-footed Boobies, Nazca Boobies & frigatebirds; second best place to snorkel in Galapagos. |
Day 2 (Thursday)
SUAREZ POINT & GARDNER BAY / OSBORN ISLET (ESPAÑOLA ISLAND)
Española Island is the southernmost island of the Galapagos and is the breeding site of nearly all of the Waved Albatrosses in the entire world. Española is densely populated with mockingbirds, Blue-Footed and Nazca Boobies, Darwin finches, Galapagos doves, hawks, red and green Marine iguanas and colonies of sea lions.
In the morning, we will begin the day at Suarez Point on a trail where you will have the chance to see Blue-footed Boobies, albatrosses and Nazca Boobies. We will also visit a beautiful site on the ocean front where there is a cliff that large albatrosses use as a launching pad! You'll also have the chance to see the famous blowhole that spurts water into the air. The landscape is great for photography.
| SUAREZ POINT | |
| Possible Activities: | Hike (1.9 mi / 3 km) |
| Difficulty: | Difficult |
| Type of Landing: | Dry landing |
| Highlights & Animals: | Hood Mockingbird, Nazca Boobies, Waved Albatross, Red-billed tropicbirds, lava lizards, Galapagos Hawk, Blue-footed Boobies, blow hole, amazing landscape. |
In the afternoon, we will visit the spectacular Gardner Bay & Osborn Islet . 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. It is also the breeding site of nearly all of the world's 12,000 pairs of Waved Albatrosses.
| GARDNER BAY & OSBORN ISLET | |
| Possible Activities: | Snorkeling, dinghy ride, kayaking, short hike of (0.6 mi / 1km) |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
| Type of Landing: | Wet landing |
| Highlights & Animals: | White sandy beach, sea lions, mockingbirds. Snorkeling: colorful fish and sea lion nursery. |
Day 3 (Friday)
CORMORANT POINT / CHAMPION ISLET &
POST OFFICE BAY / BARONESS VIEW POINT (FLOREANA ISLAND)
We will visit two sites on Floreana Island. Floreana is known for its fabulous snorkeling sites, its vibrantly pink flamingos and its black sand beaches.
We will head to Cormorant Point in the northern part of Floreana. Here, land on a green colored beach from the olivine crystals it is composed of. Enjoy a hike to a salt-water lagoon which is home to flamingos and other sea birds. The trail continues to another beach known as Flour Beach because of the very fine white-sand particles it is made of, it is also really important to turtles that nest there. You will also get to swim in Champion Islet, one of the best snorkeling sites in the Galapagos Islands.
| CORMORANT POINT / ISLET | |
| Possible Activities: | Hike, Dinghy Ride & Snorkeling (1.2 mi / 2km) |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
| Type of Landing: | Wet Landing |
| Highlights & Animals: | Sea lions, flamingos, rays, olive crystals, rock formations. |
In the afternoon, we will visit the famous Post Office Bay and Baroness View Point. You will land on a beach and head to a spot where 18th century whalers once placed a wooden barrel for use as an unofficial mail box. The custom continues to this day with Galapagos visitors. So, don't forget your postcards, and don't be surprised if the post card arrives to its destination before you even get home!
Baroness View Point- On the northern part of the island, Baroness Lookout Point has a beautiful landscape and historic view. It was named after the supposed Austrian Baroness that was the subject of many mysterious disappearances and well-known stories of loathing by those on Floreana.
| POST OFFICE BAY / BARONESS VIEW POINT | |
| Possible Activities: | Short hike (less than 0.6 mi / 1km) & snorkeling, historical views |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
| Type of Landing: | Wet Landing |
| Highlights & Animals: | Barrel Post Office, nice sandy beach, Mangrove forest, great views of coastline. |
Day 4 (Saturday)
CHARLES DARWIN STATION (SANTA CRUZ) & DEPARTURE
In the morning we start at the Charles Darwin Station- Breeding Center "Fausto Llerena" home to turtles ranging from 4-inches (new hatchlings) to 4-feet long. Here you will observe the various sub-species of turtles interacting with each other, and possibly with you. Many of the older turtles are accustomed to humans. The babies are only kept until they are about four years old, or large enough to survive in the wild. These conservation efforts continue to be extremely successful.
| CHARLES DARWIN RESEARCH STATION | |
| Possible Activities: | Walking, rocky beach to observe iguanas and crabs, interaction with tortoises |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
| Type of Landing: | Dry landing |
| Highlights: | Giant Tortoises, land and Marine iguanas, variety of birds |
Transfer to Baltra Airport
Your cruise has officially come to an end. We hope you enjoyed your Galapagos Cruise! We will now transfer you to your scheduled departure from Baltra Airport to mainland Ecuador. Safe travels!
Important: Itineraries and activities subject to change without prior notice. Depending on weather conditions and water currents, some wildlife described above may not be visible. The wildlife described is not guaranteed to be seen during your visit. Please remember to respect your distance between any and all wildlife. Please stay on marked trails and heed the directions of your Naturalist Guide. |
