Quito – Baltra Island

This morning, you fly from Quito to Baltra Island, where you board the cruise ship M/V Santa Cruz; for the next 5 days and 4 nights you will explore the Galapagos Islands. A four-deck, 237-foot vessel, the Santa Cruz carries 90 passengers; built in 1979 and renovated in 1998, she is one of the largest and most comfortable ships in the region. Air conditioned and fully carpeted, there are broad sundecks and facilities for dolphin and whale watching. The atmosphere on board is informal; six English-speaking naturalists conduct nightly briefings and accompany you to the islands each day.

In the afternoon, you visit the adjoining island of Santa Cruz for a visit to Dragon Hill. You observe flamingos and a variety of waterfowl, as well as a colony of land iguanas. (B,L,D)

Day 4 (Friday) Baltra Island – Isabela Island – Fernandina Island

Today your cruise takes you westward to Isabela Island and the natural harbor of Tagus Cove, a haven for ships for over three hundred years. There are rocks here marked with the names of whaling ships and dates of their visits. Isabela is the largest of all the islands and consists of six different volcanoes connected by numerous lava flows. Its peaks are the highest, and some of the most varied natural habitats (including mangrove lagoons) are here. Various water birds, including flamingoes and white-cheeked pintails, can been seen here. Flightless cormorants nest along the rocky shore. Large colorful land iguanas have adapted to the arid conditions here; they can grow up to four feet long and are various shades of yellow, red and brown.

Nearby little Fernadina Island is the youngest in the Galapagos. The landscape is rather stark, streaked by various lava flows; but you see the green fringe of mangrove forests and the yellow-brown of the Brachycereus cactus. Along the shore, basking in the sun, are large colonies of marine iguanas, the only sea-going lizards in the world. Noisy sea lions laze on the beach or play in the tidal pools while penguins and pelicans keep close company. (B,L,D)

Day 5 (Saturday) Santa Cruz Island –Floreana Island

This morning you sail into Academy Bay and stop to visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, where you learn of the conservation projects currently underway. You see giant tortoises here in their natural surroundings; originally found on numerous islands, they are now found in large numbers only on Santa Cruz and Isabela Islands. These marvelous creatures can weigh up to 600 pounds and some are more than 100 years old.

There are a colonies of land iguanas and marine iguanas on all the shores around the island. Look for the red vermillion flycatcher, a small insect-eating bird commonly living in moist highlands; the male is a brilliant red and the female is a pale yellow. The highlands of Santa Cruz have moist, green forests of Scalesic trees and a grassy pampa zone, which is typical of the highlands elsewhere in the Galapagos.

Cruising southward, you arrive at Floreana Island - known for its colorful history of buccaneers, pirates, whalers, convicts, and eventually, colonists. In the highlands, the vegetation is diverse and luxurious; as Floreana was the first colonized island in the 19th century, it contains many species of plants introduced by the settlers. Visit the beautiful salt lagoon of Point Cormorant, surrounded by two contrasting beaches - one of volcanic origin composed of olivine crystals which give it a greenish tinge and the other of very fine white sand formed by the erosion of coral and other marine organisms. You will notice the many wading birds, including the rose flamingo, as well as boobies, pelicans, frigates, red-billed tropicbirds, brown noddies, the Galapagos albatross and penguins. (B,L,D)

Day 6 (Sunday) Hood Island

Today you sail to Hood Island (also known as Española). It is a relatively small, flat island; unlike most in the Galapagos, there is no visible volcanic crater here. One of the oldest in the group – between 3 and 5 million years old – it is the most southern of the islands. There is a transient colony of sea lions and a major nesting of marine turtles on the long, fine white beach of the eastern coast. You see the Galapagos hawk, finches, and the Hood mockingbird.

Cruising around the island, you see colonies of the various sea birds of the archipelago – the blue-footed boobies and the masked boobies – as well as albatross. You may also observe Galapagos hawks, Galapagos doves and some the Darwin’s finches – there are 13 different species. It is thought that all the finches come from a common stock of mainland finches that were marooned here long ago. Be sure to look for the brightly colored marine iguana and the lava lizard as well. (B,L,D)