Galapagos 15 Day Cruise | M/C Galapagos Seaman Journey

AM: Flight to Galapagos

Take a morning flight to the Galapagos from Quito or Guayaquil Airport. The flight from Quito to the Galapagos is approximately 2 ½ hours and from Guayaquil it is approximately 1 ½ hours. On arrival at Baltra Airport, you will be met by naturalist guides who will escort your for a short bus ride to the harbour where you will board the M/C Seaman Journey.

PM: Santa Cruz Highlands

Journeying across Santa Cruz into the highlands, you will be delighted by the island's variety of life and geology. Beginning at the coast and travelling across Santa Cruz the road departs from Puerto Ayora, climbing through the agricultural lands and into the mist covered forests. Santa Cruz possesses all the various life zones present in the archipelago. As you travel through these zones bird-watch enthusiasts will be enchanted. Whether it's the bright red feathers of a vermillion flycatcher or one of Darwin's finches, almost every bird present in the Galapagos can be found here. Santa Cruz also offers excellent opportunities for viewing and tracking wild Galapagos tortoises. There are also plenty of lava tubes, sinkholes and craters to explore. Theses eerie formations offer a fascinating insight into the volcanic make-up of the island.

AM: Mangle Point

Mangle Point lies off the eastern coast of Fernandina and is a superior snorkelling site and a beautiful location for riding in a panga or Zodiac through a forest of mangrove trees. You are likely to see penguins, sea lions, pelicans, rays, marine iguanas and numerous birds.

PM: Punta Moreno

Punta Moreno is located on the north coast of Isabela Island between Sierra Negra Volcano and Cerro Azul Volcano. A trail runs along a pahoehoe lava flow (solidified lava with a smooth, shiny or swirled surface), into a complex of coastal lagoons. The main attractions are several species of birds that can be found around the lakes and mangroves. Three species of cactus are also found here.

AM: Urbina Bay

Urbina Bay is located at the base of Alcedo Volcano on the west coast of Isabela Island, between Tagus Cove and Elizabeth Bay. The most unique feature at Urbina Bay resulted from a major uplift of the island in 1954, when a 6km stretch of coral reef rose up 5 metres, leaving marine life stranded on the new shore and coral exposed on the land. Urbina Bay has a path that starts at the beach where a wet landing is made, and takes you through the sand, pumice, lava, coral and vegetation. Flightless cormorants, pelicans, Darwin’s finches, giant tortoises and land and marine iguanas can be seen on land, whilst rays and turtles can be seen in the bay. It is an ideal place to see red and blue lobsters and a great place for snorkelling. There is also a large amount of interesting vegetation including chamomile and rosewood, as well as the beautiful flowers of the Galapagos or Darwin’s cotton, endemic to the Galapagos Islands.

PM: Tagus Cove

Tagus Cove is located west of Darwin Volcano on Isabela Island. Its name originated from a British warship that went through the islands in 1814 looking for the Galapagos tortoise for food. This was a favourite spot for pirates and whalers who etched their names into the cliffs and inside caves. Due to explosive eruptions that have occurred at the site, the substrate has a large amount of volcanic rocks of different sizes. Among the most common are small spherically shaped balls known as the "lapilli" or petrified rain.

A short, steep hike brings you past Darwin Lake, a deep saltwater lake and a great spot for viewing land birds such as ground and tree finches, hawks, large-billed flycatchers, yellow warblers and sometimes the woodpecker finch.

AM: Espinoza Point

Espinoza Point is famous for its large colonies of marine iguanas and as the habitat of species such as the flightless cormorant, Galapagos penguin, Galapagos hawk and Galapagos snake. Other attractions include sea lions and Sally Lightfoot crabs. Espinoza Point is one of the best places to see the lava cactus. La Cumbre volcano dominates the landscape.

PM: Punta Vicente Roca

This is one of the most impressive and spectacular places in the enchanting Galapagos Islands, with high cliffs, tuff stone, ash and lava formations giving the area a majestic touch. Located on the north-western coast of the island, this large bay has a spectacular marine life with seahorses, sea turtles and the strange yet fascinating mola-mola or sunfish. It is a great place for snorkelling. It is common to see ‘’feeding frenzies” with groups of whales, dolphins, sea lions, tuna, blue-footed and Nazca boobies, pelicans and other marine birds all feeding simultaneously.

AM: Playa Espumilla / Puerto Egas

Espumilla Beach is located on the northern coast of Santiago Island in James Bay. The beach is an important site for nesting marine turtles. A walk through the mangrove forest leads to a lagoon usually inhabited by a group of flamingos as well as pintail ducks and common stilts.

PM: Puerto Egas, Santiago Island

Named after Hector Egas who attempted to mine salt from the island, Puerto Egas is a long, black lava shoreline located on the west side of the island. The tidal pools are populated by fur seals and Sally Lightfoot crabs. Colonies of land iguanas are often seen basking in the sun. Birds include the Galapagos dove and Galapagos hawk, oyster catchers and the night heron.

The island's natural landscape features brown layered tuff stone and black basalt volcanic rock that creates apertures, crevices and natural bridges. Tours begin on a trail that runs along the coastline to one of the best tidal pool areas in the Galapagos. The black lava towers, basins and craters are filled with crystal-clear seawater.

AM: Rabida

Rabida Island is unique because of the red colour of the rocks and sand. The volcanic material in this island is extremely porous and external factors such as rain, salt water and sea breeze have acted as an oxidizing agents.

A short walk along a trail leads you to a coastal lagoon behind the beach where you can observe land birds such as finches, doves, yellow warblers and mockingbirds. At the lagoon there is a colony of flamingos.

PM: Chinese Hat

Sombrero Chino is a small islet (1 sq km) located just off the south eastern tip of Santiago Island and composed of delicate lava and spatter cones. It is a recent volcanic cone, shaped like a Chinese hat when seen from the north side. It is an excellent site for interpretation of geological features such as lava tubes and lava flows. The landscape is covered by sea lion colonies, marine iguanas and Galapagos penguins.

AM: Sullivan Bay

Santiago, also called James, or San Salvador Island, is located in the western central part of the Galapagos archipelago. It is the fourth largest island in the archipelago (following Isabela, Fernandina and Santa Cruz). Along with some of the large western volcanoes of Isabela and Fernandina, Santiago is also volcanically active, with many young flows and cones to be seen, particularly along the south, west and east coasts. A number of historic eruptions have been reported over the last 2 centuries. Lava is the main focus of the visit here with reddish-yellow tuff cones standing out in the middle of the lava flow and tiny Mollugo plants growing out of the fissures.

PM: Bartolome

Bartolome Island is situated across from Sullivan Bay. It has an altitude of 114 metres and is famous for its distinctive Pinnacle Rock. From the island’s summit there are spectacular views of Pinnacle Rock, the vast black lava flows at Sullivan Bay and the rest of Santiago Island. There are volcanic cones, lunar-like craters, lava fields and lava flows. There is very little vegetation on this island but the tequila plant grows here as does the lava cactus. Marine turtles are found here as well as a very small colony of Galapagos penguins.

AM: Bachas Beach

Bachas Beach is found to the west of Turtle Cove. The sandy white-coral beach is a major nesting site for sea turtles. There is a small lagoon behind the beach where it is possible to observe flamingos and other birds such as black-necked stilts, white-cheeked pintail ducks and whimbrels. There are the remains of a floating dock and old abandoned barges used by the Americans during WWII to be found here.

PM: North Seymour

North Seymour was created by seismic uplift, as opposed to being of volcanic origin and was formed by uplift of a submarine lava formation. It is fairly flat and the whole island is covered with low, bushy vegetation. The island teems with life and it is home to one of the largest populations of nesting blue-footed boobies and magnificent frigate birds. Blue-footed boobies perform their courtship dance in the more open areas and swallow-tailed gulls perch on the cliff edges. Despite the tremendous surf that can pound the outer shore, sea lions haul out onto the beach and can be found bodysurfing. Marine iguanas are also common and North Seymour boasts a large colony of land iguanas. Flocks of pelicans feed off shore, and Nazca boobies can also be seen.

AM: El Barranco

Genovesa Island is a horse-shoe shaped island formed from the eruption of a shield volcano. Also known as Prince Philip’s Steps, El Barranco has a steep rocky path leading up to a high cliff face. The cliffs are composed of very fragile lava and the natural erosion that has occurred in these lava flows has created the ideal nesting site for storm petrels. Red-footed, Nazca and masked boobies are all found here as are red-billed tropicbirds, short-eared owls and wedge-rumped storm petrels that are active during the daytime. During the panga rides along the cliffs, fur seals may be seen as well as several species of seabirds.

PM: Darwin Bay

The eventual collapse of one side of the caldera resulted in a submerged crater that formed Darwin Bay. The wet landing is on a beautiful white coral sandy beach. This is a favourite site for birdwatchers as red-footed boobies, masked boobies, wandering tattlers, lava gulls, whimbrels, yellow-crowned and black-crowned lava herons, swallow-tailed gulls and yellow warblers can be seen in the area.

The trail climbs gradually to the edge of the cliff where you may see red-footed boobies nesting in the mangrove trees below. Other birds to have been sighted here include sharp-beaked finches, large cactus finches, ground finches, Galapagos doves and Galapagos swallows. Reaching the end the trail at the cliff's edge offers an incredible view of the island and the many birds living there.

AM: Plazas

Plazas is located at the east of Santa Cruz Island, and forms part of two islands known as Islas Plazas. Despite its small size, some of the most interesting and outstanding species of the Galapagos are found here. The South Plaza land iguanas are the smallest in the archipelago. Marine iguanas are also abundant, as well as an occasional hybrid, a cross between a marine iguana and a land iguana. They are unique, recognizable at first glance by their black/grey colour, with a land iguana's crest, but face and tail of the marine iguana. The large population of iguanas is due to the presence of tuna, their favourite food. Swallow-tailed gulls nesting in the rugged cliffs are seen along with other sea birds such as Audubon’s shearwaters, red-billed tropicbirds, frigate birds and brown pelicans.

PM: Santa Fe

Santa Fe or Barrington Island is a small, relatively flat island in the centre of the Galapagos archipelago. It is one of the oldest volcanoes. Santa Fe is home to two species endemic to the island - the Santa Fe land iguana and the Santa Fe rice rat. The Galapagos hawk, Galapagos snake and Galapagos mockingbird are also found here.

The visit begins with a wet landing at Barrington Bay. Sea lions are found on the beach here in large numbers. Along the trail many salt bushes can be seen as well as the giant Santa Fe Opuntia (prickly pear) cactus. Snorkelling is an option here, with great possibilities of snorkelling with playful sea lions and tropical fish.

AM: Jacinto Gordillo Breeding Centre

In 2004 the Jacinto Gordillo Breeding Centre (named after the famous colonist) was inaugurated, located in the north east of San Cristobal Island, to care for the smallest tortoises on the island. The breeding program on the island began in 2008 with the hatching of the first tortoise in captivity.

PM: Interpretation Centre

Opened to the public in 1998, the Interpretation Centre is set in exuberant gardens with stunning ocean views. The Interpretation Centre presents a complete and documented history of the Galapagos, its flora, fauna and ecosystems. It focuses on the history of the archipelago from its volcanic origins to the present day with information on both the geological and human history as well as conservation facts and natural history.

AM: Galapaguera

The Galapaguera was built to increase the population of the Galapagos tortoise that is under threat from introduced species such as wild goats and cats. It is a breeding station and sanctuary for giant tortoises and provides a good place in which to observe Galapagos tortoises in their natural habitat.

San Cristobal Island is the easternmost island in the Galapagos archipelago. It has some endemic species including the San Cristobal mockingbird, San Cristobal lava lizard, leaf-toed gecko and turtles. The beach is large and serves as a nesting site for sea turtles. The females lay their eggs in the sand dunes between January and May.

PM: Cerro Brujo

Cerro Brujo is a beautiful white coral sand beach, with good swimming and snorkelling in the turquoise waters. It is home to a colony of sea lions and blue-footed boobies and there are great egrets and great blue herons in the lagoon behind the beach. Nazca boobies, frigate birds and shore birds can also be observed. This is the first coast where Charles Darwin went ashore in 1835.

The salt water pools behind the sand dunes were used by the fishermen as a salt mine in order to preserve food for the local population. Here you may see the Chatham mockingbird and the San Cristobal lava lizard, both species being endemic to the island and unique to this area. You may also spot Galapagos turtles and with luck the small bird known as the Pájaro Brujo in Spanish, an endemic species from San Cristobal Island. The vegetation on the island includes candelabrum cacti and carob trees.

AM: Gardner Bay

Española Island is the southernmost of the Galapagos Islands and one of the oldest, and due to its isolation it has a large number of endemic species including the Española mockingbird, Española lava lizard and the waved albatross.

Located on the north-eastern coast of Española Island (or Hood Island as it was named by the English), Gardner Bay provides an excellent beach for relaxing, swimming, snorkelling and kayaking. The beach attracts many sea lions and you may see sharks as well as green sea turtles in the crystal clear ocean waters.

PM: Suarez Point

This beautiful site on the ocean front is great for spotting blue-footed boobies, albatrosses and Nazca boobies. The large waved albatrosses breed on the island and use the cliff as a launching pad. The famous attraction is the magnificent blowhole, where waves crash into a lava fissure, creating a blowhole that spurts water 30-50 metres into the air. Suarez Point presents wonderful photographic opportunities.

AM: Cormorant Point

Cormorant Point on Floreana Island probably offers one of the largest and best flamingo lagoons in the Galapagos. It is situated between two tuff lava cones that give the area a special atmosphere. There are various other species of shorebirds to observe including common stilts, white-cheeked pintail ducks, large-billed flycatchers, finches and other migratory birds. There are two distinct beaches: “Green Beach” (due to its high percentage of olivine crystals in the sand) and “Flour Beach” which is made up of fine, pulverized coral. Green sea turtles nest on Flour Beach and several species of rays can be seen in the waters.

PM: Post Office Bay

Historically, this site is the location of a wooden barrel that was placed here by the crew of a whaling ship in the 18th century. It has been used since this time by mariners and tourists as a post office. The idea is to carry letters or postcards to their destination by hand. This area was also the site of a failed colonization effort by Norwegians in 1926.

AM: Charles Darwin Station

Although the great majority of Galapagos visitors come here to observe and appreciate natural wonders, it is also interesting to learn how the protection and conservation of the islands is carried out. Some of the main attractions include the National Park Information Centre, the Van Straelen Exhibition Hall and the Breeding and Rearing Centre for young tortoises and adult Galapagos tortoises in captivity.

After the morning excursion you will be taken to Baltra Airport for your flight to Quito or Guayaquil.