Galapagos Island Cruises
M/Y Coral I & Coral II Cruises

EAST ITINERARY - 3 nights / 4 days

Day 1: Sunday - Galapagos (Baltra Airport)
Departure from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra (aprox. 2.5 hour flight). Passengers are picked up at the airport by our guides and taken to the Itabaca canal, then cross to the Island of Santa Cruz and travel to Puerto Ayora.

Santa Cruz (Highlands)
Travelers can trek through the highlands of Santa Cruz and visit Cerro Chato, where you can watch the famous giant tortoises in their natural habitat. Additionally, travelers can walk inside the dormant lava tubes.

Day 2: Monday - Española (Suarez Point)
Dry landing. Visitors will learn more about the lava terrain and cross the inactive lava fields. Besides the sea lion colonies, this is a very important site for bird watching. Various bird species such as the mockingbird of Española, Nazca booby and tropic bird can be spotted and observed from very close. You will also see a large colony of marine iguanas, lava lizards, and sally light foot crabs. After a short trek visitors encounter colonies of Nazca and blue-footed boobies. The nesting grounds sometimes overlap the trail. Visitors will also find Galapagos doves, hawks and swallow-tailed gulls and then reach the worldâs largest colony of waved albatross. A major highlight is their mating season, from May through December. You will also visit the famous blowhole, where water shoots into the air about 23 m (75 ft).

Española (Gardner Bay)
Wet landing on a white coral beach amidst a large colony of sea lions. Hiking is possible just along the white sandy beach.
It's an open area where you can spot Galapagos hawks, American oyster catchers, Galapagos doves, hood mockingbirds, 3 species of Darwin finches, yellow warblers, lava lizards, and marine iguanas. It's great for swimming and snorkeling, and you can see many Galapagos marine species like king angelfish, creole fish, damsel fish, parrot fish, manta rays, white tipped reef sharks.

Day 3: Tuesday - Floreana (Cormorant Point)
Wet landing on a greenish colored sand beach. Visitors will hike from the black mangrove beds to a large, brackish lagoon, which holds one of the biggest flamingo populations in the Galapagos. This island features endemic plants such as Scalesia villosa, Galapagos daisies, white and black mangrove, and holy stick. Novice snorkelers can practice on the main beach with the playful sea lions.

Champions
You have two options here, dinghy ride along the coast for one hour tour to observe: blue footed bobbies, sea lions, marine iguanas, swallow-tailed gulls. Or deep water snorkelling, this unforgettable activity lasts an hour approximately you will be swimming in an aquarium with colorful fishes, tame sharks, and rays.

Floreana (Post office)
Located on the north side of Floreana Island, the bay is so-named because in 1793, Captain James Colnett installed an empty barrel which served as an informal post box for sailors who passed through the Galapagos, taking with them the letters to their destinations. Today, our visitors continue the tradition by placing unstamped postcards inside the barrel. It can take weeks, sometimes months, or sometimes the cards never arrive at all! Down a path you can observe the mocking bird of Galapagos, some species of Darwin's finches, yellow Wardle and lava lizards. Opportunities abound for snorkeling.

Day 4: Wednesday - North Seymour
Dry landing. Guests will encounter swallow tailed gulls and sea lions. This site is a major nesting colony of blue footed boobies and has the largest colony of the magnificent frigate bird. Travelers will also spot both iguana species, the marine iguanas and land iguanas, and then hike around the nesting sites. Disembark at the docks of Baltra; passengers will take a bus to the airport for their flight back to the mainland via Guayaquil to Quito.

WEST ITINERARY - 4 nights / 5 days

Day 1: Wednesday - Galapagos (Baltra Airport)
Departure from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra (2.5 hour flight). Passengers will be picked up by our guides at the airport and taken to the Coral I and Coral II.

Santa Cruz (Dragon Hill)
Wet landing. Visitors walk to a saltwater lagoon which is occasionally visited by pink flamingos. Then you'll hike up to Dragon Hill, which offers a beautiful view of the bay. This area is a nesting site for numerous reintroduced land iguanas. There is also a peculiar scalesia tree forest.

Day 2: Thursday - Rabida (Jervis)
Wet landing. The volcano-formed beach is dark red and frequented by sea lions. It's considered the geographic center of Galapagos because it has the most diverse volcanic rocks on the Islands. Hike to a salt water lagoon, where a sea lions colony can sometimes be found. July through September is a good time to observe brown pelicans nesting in the salty bushes. Boobies and nine species of Darwin's finches can also be observed. You can take a dinghy ride by the reefs, as well as snorkel.

Santiago (Egas Port)
Wet landing on a beach of dark sand (volcanic ash). Most of the landscape is comprised of layers of rocks and lava flows. Here you can see great blue herons, striated herons, yellow-crowned night herons and American oystercatchers. Passengers will see marine iguanas grazing upon algae beds alongside red sally light-foot crabs. There is a colony of fur-seals swimming in pools of cool water. This is a place where you can swim, snorkel and look for squid, starfish and a variety of colorful tropical fish.

Day 3: Friday - Fernandina (Espinosa Point)
Dry landing. Visitors will see the biggest marine iguanas mingling with sally-light foot crabs, as well as flightless cormorants nesting sites, Galapagos penguins, Galapagos hawks, and sea lions. Among the flora and volcanic formations observers will spot brachycereus cactus, and lava formations. Numerous mangrove beds extend into the sea.

Isabela (Tagus Cove)
Dry landing on Isabela, the largest island. Visitors will learn about the eruption of five volcanoes that formed this island. The trail leads to Darwinâs salt water lagoon and an excellent view of the lava fields and volcanic formations. Ride a dinghy to observe marine life. Frequently, Galapagos penguins can be seen here. Opportunity for snorkeling. Graffiti believed to have been made by 19th century pirates helps passengers better appreciate the relationship between the islands and tourism today.

Day 4: Saturday - Bartolome
Dry landing. Passengers will see volcanic formations such as lava bombs, spatter, and cinder cones. After hiking to the summit you can enjoy a great view of the surrounding islands, including Pinnacle Rock's eroded tuff cone. On the way to the summit, you will often see lava lizards, tiquilla and various cacti. Go snorkeling near Galapagos penguins, sea turtles, and harmless white-tipped sharks from a safe distance.

Santa Cruz (Black Turtle Cove)
Located near Las Bachas beach on the north side of the island. Passengers will take a dinghy though the mangrove. The motor is turned off to allow close observation of marine turtles, white tipped reef sharks, spotted eagle rays, and yellow rays.

Day 5: Sunday - Santa Cruz (Charles Darwin Research Station)
The Charles Darwin Research Station has a giant tortoise reproduction program. You can observe several of these amazing giant tortoises up-close. Lonesome George, the last of the Pinta tortoises, lived at this research station for many years. The island also offers beautiful scenery, with prickly-pear cacti forest and many birds. Later on, you will have some free time to walk around town and shop for souvenirs. Disembark at Baltra. Passengers will take a bus to the airport for the flight back to the mainland via Guayaquil to Quito.

Note: 7 night Galapagos cruise itinerary can start in the west or in the east and can begin Wendesday or Sunday.