Western Galapagos Islands Cruise - ECO GALAXY M/C

Arrival at Seymour Airport on Baltra Island (GPS)

Meet and greet your naturalist guide upon arrival at Seymour Airport on Baltra Island. Before leaving the airport, you'll pass an inspection point where your Transit Control Card will be stamped. Be sure to store this with your travel documents as you'll need to show it again when you depart the Galapagos Islands. If you haven't already, you'll also pay the Galapagos National Park entrance fee of 100 USD here. You'll then be escorted onboard the EcoGalaxy where your captain and crew will welcome you with drinks and lunch.

Charles Darwin Research Station

Visit the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island this afternoon. As the main breeding site of the Galapagos Islands, 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, and tour the information center, the Van Staelen Exhibition Hall and the Breeding and Rearing Center to witness tortoises live in captivity.

Enjoy dinner and evening on the EcoGalaxy.

Las Tintoreras

A group of islets just off the shores of Puerto Villamil, Las Tintoreras is the Spanish name for white-tipped reef sharks, which can be commonly spotted resting in the calm and clear turquoise waters. As you walk along the nature trail with your guide, keep your eyes peeled for Galapagos penguins and sea lions along the mangrove-lined shoreline, as well as colonies of marine iguanas and lava lizards that like to bask in the sun. Indulge in breakfast aboard the EcoGalaxy following this morning excursion, and set sail to your next destination.

Moreno Point

Arrive at Isabela Island after lunch this afternoon 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 seagrass. On a dinghy ride along the pristine shoreline, keep your eyes peeled for marine iguanas and brown pelicans. Then discover a striking panoramic view of the Sierra Negra, Cerro Azul and La Cumbre - the three most active volcanoes in the Galapagos.

Enjoy dinner and evening on the EcoGalaxy.

Elizabeth Bay

Made up of a collection of small islets, coastal mangrove forests and rocky reefs, Isabela Island is a sanctuary for wildlife and the premiere breeding site for Galapagos penguins. View a variety of wildlife on your visit to Red Mangrove Cove, ranging from brown pelicans to spotted eagle rays and sea lions. Then enjoy lunch aboard the EcoGalaxy.

Urbina Bay

On the western shores of Isabela Island at the base of Alcedo Volcano, Urbina Bay is an area that was a result of an uplift from the sea in 1954, causing the land to rise some five meters in height. Following a wet landing on the beach, you'll follow a 3.2 KM trail with your naturalist guide, observing land iguanas, tortoises and Darwin's finches.

Enjoy dinner and evening on the EcoGalaxy.

Punta Espinoza

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. 

Vicente Roca Point

Reach the northern shores of Isabela Island this afternoon on this seven-day EcoGalaxy cruise and visit Vicente Roca Point at the base of Volcán Ecuador. Observe the rich marine wildlife here and spot green turtles, seahorses, schools of barracuda, and the ocean sunfish Mola Mola.

Enjoy dinner and evening on the EcoGalaxy.

Puerto Egas

Reach Puerto Egas on Santiago Island this morning 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.

Rabida

Otherworldly Rabida boasts a landscape of strewn boulders and large prickly pear cacti, as well as a striking red sand beach backed by matching rust-colored cliffs. A result of oxidized iron, sunrise and sunset give these geologic features an intense glow. Outside of the mating season, visitors to the red beach are greeted by a large colony of Galapagos sea lions. Here you'll also visit a small saltwater lagoon, and because it's the arid island's most fertile place, it attracts a range of marine wildlife like pintails and flamingos. With your naturalist guide, embark on a 1.1 km trail and look for varieties of songbirds in the surrounding mangrove bushes. Rabida is also a favorite stop on this Western Galapagos Islands cruise for its breeding brown pelicans. Watch from the beach as they hover above the surface of the sea and hunt in V-shaped formations, plunge-diving for their prey.

Enjoy dinner and evening on the EcoGalaxy.

Black Turtle Cove

Discover Black Turtle Cove on your final morning aboard the EcoGalaxy. Situated on the northern coast of Santa Cruz Island, land among a tranquil landscape of mangrove forests. Seemingly unscathed by human development, this bay is accessible by dinghy only, and the shallow cove acts as a refuge for a wealth of marine life, where you'll have the opportunity to encounter black-tip reef sharks, marine turtles and numerous varieties of rays.

Following your visit to Black Turtle Cove, you'll be transferred to Seymour Airport on Baltra Island for your flight to Quito or Guayaquil.