Western Galapagos Islands Cruise - ODYSSEY M/Y

Arrival at Seymour Airport on Baltra Island

Fly from Quito or Guayaquil to Seymour Airport on Baltra Island this morning and meet and greet your naturalist guide and fellow passengers at the arrivals hall. Here, your luggage will be inspected and your Galapagos National Park entrance fee will be collected. By airport shuttle and ferry, reach our landing dock at Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz, and transfer to our inflatable dinghy to board the Odyssey. Our crew will welcome you on board for your check-in, briefing and safety drill before departing for your first site on the itinerary - Charles Darwin Research Station, the main breeding site of the Galapagos Islands.

Charles Darwin Research Station

Arrive at the Charles Darwin Research Station on the outskirts of Puerto Ayora, the premiere breeding site of the Galapagos archipelago. Featuring a number of interpretations and information centers about the National Park throughout, this facility is dedicated to marine life conservation and maintaining biodiversity in the region. Learn the story of Lonesome George, the fabled final survivor of the giant tortoise species who lived at the Charles Darwin Research Station for four decades. Enjoy some free time to stroll the quaint streets of Puerto Ayora before boarding the Odyssey. Before dinner tonight, your guide will engage you in the first daily briefing for tomorrow and explain the National Park rules. Then the captain and his crew will celebrate your arrival on board with a welcome cocktail.

Evening onboard Odyssey M/Y. 

Whitetip Reef Shark Channel

Visit the group of islets just outside Puerto Villamil on the largest island of Isabela and embark on a guided hike along a volcanic rock trail, passing a tidal channel where white tip reef sharks rest. At times, turtles and white-spotted eagle rays glide back and forth in the shimmering waters of this calm channel, as well as Galapagos sea lions and schools of small fish.

Sierra Negra

At 1124 meters in height, Sierra Negra is the Galapagos Islands' fifth-highest volcano and Isabela Island's third. Despite its last eruption taking place on October 2005, Sierra Negra's crater regions are open to visitors. Hike through the misty evergreen cloud forests to the rim of the crater, which measures 7 x 9 km. A sometimes muddy trail, you'll have the opportunity to encounter a collection of rich vegetation, ranging from endemic scalesia trees to orchids and ferns, as well as a variety of songbirds, like the yellow warbler and vermilion flycatcher.

Arnaldo Tupiza Tortoise Breeding Center

View hundreds of giant Galapagos tortoises of all sizes at the Arnaldo Tupiza Tortoise Breeding Center, where you'll be surprised to learn that hatchlings are smaller than the size of your hand. With your guide, learn how the facility works to rescue endangered species on Isabela Island and wander the accompanying botanical garden, which attracts yellow warblers, vermillion flycatchers and Darwin’s finches.

Wetlands & Beach

The largest coastal lagoon of the Galapagos resides here on the picturesque white sand beach of Puerto Villamil, attracting a collection of marine iguanas, Sally lightfoot crabs, aquatic and wintering shorebirds, some of which even visit from the arctic regions. The mangrove forests and saltwater lagoons of this wetlands region is home to the breeding site of American flamingos in the Galapagos archipelago, though these birds are shy and elusive, so sightings aren't guaranteed.

Evening onboard Odyssey M/Y. 

Moreno Point

Arrive at Isabela Island after breakfast this morning and visit Moreno Point on its western shores. Explore the tidal lagoons and extensive lava fields, keeping your eyes peeled for sightings of herons, frigatebirds and green turtles. Take in the shrub dotted landscape of Moreno Point, where candelabra cacti reach impressive heights of up to seven meters, towering above surrounding mangrove bushes and saltwater lagoons fringed with sea grass. On an inflatable dinghy ride along the pristine shoreline, keep your eyes peeled for marine iguanas, brown pelicans and a striking panoramic view of the Sierra Negra, Cerro Azul and La Cumbre - the three most active volcanoes in the Galapagos.

Mariela Islets & Elizabeth Bay

Reach both Mariela Islets and Elizabeth Bay by inflatable dinghy this morning and begin by spotting marine iguanas and endangered Galapagos penguins on the Mariela Islets with your naturalist guide. The inflatable dinghy will then reach Elizabeth Bay by entering a calm estuary. Coastal mangrove forests and rocky reefs make this collection of islets a sanctuary for wildlife, where you'll spend the afternoon viewing species ranging from brown pelicans to spotted eagle rays and sea lions.

Evening onboard Odyssey M/Y. 

Espinoza Point

As the third-largest island in the Galapagos, Fernandina is also the youngest. Visit Espinoza Point, home to the flightless cormorant and recognized for its large colonies of marine iguanas. Free of any introduced species, Fernandina is one of the world's most pristine islands, and despite its barren landscape, the lava cacti thrive here, against a dramatic backdrop of Volcán La Cumbre. Tread with care between January and June, during the nesting period of the marine iguana.

Tagus Cove

This afternoon, the Odyssey will cross the Bolivar Channel and reach Tagus Cove on the northwestern shores of Isabela Island. This site was historically frequented by pirates who left their mark by carving the names of their ships onto the cliff faces that surround the cove. Following a 3 km trail with your guide, reach Darwin Lake, a saltwater lagoon reaching nine meters in depth contained within a tuff cone. The cliff faces of Tagus Cove provide a number of nesting sites for sea and coastal birds, and from the inflatable dinghy, you'll have the opportunity to see flightless cormorants, storm petrels and flocks of blue-footed boobies and brown pelicans.

Evening onboard Odyssey M/Y. 

Espumilla Beach

Reach the western shores of Santiago Island on Day Five of this six-day Western Galapagos Islands cruise on the Odyssey. Take in the island's stunning landscape and see some of the region's tallest Palo Santo trees. Walk along the golden sands of Espumilla Beach, where green turtles come to nest. With your naturalist guide, ascend a hill for sweeping views of the sand and sea below. Following your time on Espumilla Beach, enjoy lunch on the Odyssey.

Puerto Egas

Reach Puerto Egas on Santiago Island this afternoon and disembark on its black sand beach by wet landing, a site named after entrepreneur Hector Egar who opened a salt mine here in the late 1920s. The site, which operated briefly, is now home to white-cheeked pintails and flamingos, though it remains closed to visitors. Admire the view of the 395 meters high Pan de Azúcar, and with your guide, learn the factors that made the salt mine business impractical on this island while roaming its scenic shoreline for a chance to see marine iguanas, sea lions, and Sally lightfoot crabs. Here, you'll also have the opportunity to see a colony of Galapagos fur seals bask in the shade provided by the area's rock arches and grottos.

Evening onboard Odyssey M/Y. 

Lobos Islet

Its name of Lobos Island pays homage to the large population of sea lions that take over the land, where visitors have the exciting opportunity to approach females within a few meters. On a short guided walk around the islet, witness seals, marine iguanas and lava lizards at play along the shoreline, before traveling to the port of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno for your departure.

Transfer to Seymour Airport

Your visit to Lobos Islet concludes this six-day Western Galapagos Islands cruise on the Odyssey. Your guide and friendly crew members will transfer you by shuttle to Seymour Airport on Baltra island for your onward journey, and accompany you to the check-in counters and departure hall.