GALAPAGOS ODYSSEY

8 DAY GALAPAGOS CRUISE (Sunday - Sunday)

*Please note the itinerary may vary due to changes in air schedules, weather, national park regulations, local conditions, safety or unforeseen emergencies.

DAY 1 - Sunday / Galapagos Arrival, Bachas Beach

We begin our morning with a flight to the Galapagos Islands. Our crew meets us at the airport and assists us with our luggage and transfers with us to the Galapagos Odyssey. Once on board we have lunch and set sail to Las Bachas Beach.

Located west of Caleta Tortuga Negra on Santa Cruz, Bachas Beach is a favorite nesting site for sea turtles. The lagoon behind the beach offers the opportunity to view coastal birds like pink flamingos, black-necked stilts and whimbrels.  Bachas also is home to hundreds of blue-footed boobies who can be seen hunting in the waters just off the coast.

DAY 2 - Monday / Bartolome and Sullivan Bay, Santiago

Located just off Sullivan Bay east of Santiago, Bartolome, a desolate island with few plants is the most visited and most photographed island in the Galapagos. Bartolome's Pinnacle Rock has become one of the best recognized and most photographed sights in the islands and was the back drop for the motion picture Master and Commander.

In the early 1900's the volcano on Santiago erupted, lava flowed eastward towards Bartolome. The extreme heat created by the flow would cause obstacles like trees to evaporate, leaving behind only an imprint of the life which once existed. The Sullivan Bay lava field is a variety of interesting patterns. The shapes and textures of trees, which once existed there and Hornitos caused when pockets of gas or water trapped under the lava exploded.

DAY 3 - Tuesday / Sierra Negra and Los Tintorares

Isabela Island, the largest and one of the youngest in the Galapagos. Arriving in Puerto Villamil, we head up into the highlands where horses await us for the trip to Sierra Negra Volcano. At 6 miles by 5 miles Sierra Negra's Caldera is the second largest in the world. From the summit you have excellent views of Isabela, the other islands, and the geological forces that formed the Galapagos.

Returning to the coast we visit the small islets just outside Puerto Villamil.  Here we have the opportunity to view heron, Galapagos Penguin, masked boobies, blue-footed boobies, pelicans, sea lions, piles of marine iguanas and the sleeping white-tipped reef sharks that give this area its name.

DAY 4 - Wednesday / Highlands and Darwin Station, Santa Cruz

Located near the center of the archipelago, Santa Cruz is the center of tourism in the Galapagos. A trip to the highlands offers an excellent opportunities for viewing wild tortoises. As you walk through the forest, listen carefully for the sound of heavy foot steps and the sound of shrubs being slowly crushed as the tortoises make their way through the brush to enjoy a meal. The Highlands also offers plenty of lava tubes, sinkholes and craters to explore. Theses eerie formations offer a fascinating hike into the belly of the island to view its volcanic make-up.

A ten minute walk from the center of Puerto Ayora, the Charles Darwin Research Station is the working Galapagos based branch of the international, non-profit Charles Darwin Foundation, a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station is included in all cruises of the islands. Visitors learn about natural history, issues concerning the islands, and see the Tortoise breeding and rearing project at work.

DAY 5 - Thursday / Kicker Rock, Interpretation Center and La Loberia, San Cristobal

Our visit to San Cristobal begins as we cruise by the magnificent Kicker Rock. Here we observe the many species of birds nesting on the rocks as well as the many colorful fish and sea lions in the water surrounding the rocks. Arriving in the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno we visit the interpretation center to learn about the conservation efforts in the Galapagos.

This afternoon we take a 10-minute bus ride outside of town to La Loberia. Named for the many sea lions that frequent the beach, low tide is the best time to visit as the many playful pups can be found swimming in the tide pools surrounding the beach.

DAY 6 - Friday / Punta Suarez and Gardner Bay, Española

Española's two visitor sites offer an exceptional island visit. Gardner Bay is a favorite destination for swimming and snorkeling as well as offering a great beach. Punta Suarez is one of the highlights of the Galapagos Islands. The variety and quantity of wildlife assures a memorable visit. Visitors find migrant, resident, and endemic wildlife including brightly colored marine iguanas, Española lava lizards, Hood mockingbirds, swallow tailed gulls, blue-footed boobies, masked boobies, Galapagos hawks, a selection of finch, and the waved albatross.

DAY 7 - Saturday / Punta Cormorant, Devil's Crown & Post Office Bay, Floreana

Floreana is best known for its colorful history of buccaneers, whalers, convicts, and colonists. In 1793 British whalers established the Post Office Barrel to send letters to and from England. This tradition has continued over the years, and even today visitors may drop off and pick up letters, without stamps, to be carried to far destinations. Punta Cormorant offers two highly contrasting beaches. The landing beach is of volcanic origin and is composed of olivine crystals, giving it a greenish tinge. At the end of the short trail is a carbonate beach of extremely fine white sand. Formed by the erosion of coral skeletons, it is a nesting site for green sea turtles.

DAY 8 - Sunday Morning / North Seymour & Galapagos Departure

The small flat island of North Seymour is home to colonies of colonies of blue-footed boobies and magnificent frigatebirds. Sharing the same nesting area on North Seymour blue-footed boobies nest on the ground making their nests from the twigs of the palo santos trees, while the magnificent frigatebird nests just above them in the saltbushes. North Seymour is an excellent site to view the endemic Galapagos land iguana. We then return to the airport for our flight back to the Ecuadorian mainland.

View 8 Day Cruise Itinerary (Thursday - Thursday)

View 5 Day Cruise Itinerary (Sunday - Thursday)

View 4 Day Cruise Itinerary (Thursday - Sunday)