Horizon 8 Days - Itinerary B

In the morning: In the morning: Baltra Airport Arrival. Morning flight from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra, Galapagos Islands. You will arrive at Baltra Island in the morning. After passing through immigration and baggage claim, you will be met by a Horizon staff member and transferred to the yacht. You will be shown to your cabin where you will have some time to settle in before lunch and a welcome briefing. In the afternoon: In the afternoon: Sullivan Bay. You will visit Sullivan Bay located on the southeast part of Santiago. This place is interesting for its geology because the area is covered by lava flows. This place has elevations in the form of small volcanoes formed by the lava flows

First activity of the day will be taking a dinghy ride to Vicente Roca Point on Isabela Island, comprised of two separate coves and where you will see spectacular sea life. You can also see penguins, blue-footed boobies and Nazca boobies. During the afternoon, head to Espinosa Point site rich for its wildlife, like flightless cormorant, sea lions, penguins, crabs, herons and more, living along with the mangrove forest, native to this place. End of the day and dinner onboard.

After breakfast, the Trimaran will land at Tagus Cove, located west of Darwin Volcano on Isabela Island which used to be a favorite hiding spot for pirates and whalers, and is now a wonderful place to see mangroves and the native species that inhabit there. In the afternoon, you will visit Urbina Bay one of the recent examples of geological volcanic uplift in the Galapagos where seasonally is a nesting area for many tortoises, Galapagos Penguins, flightless cormorants and brown pelicans. This is also a good place for snorkeling.

Early in the morning, you will head to Elizabeth Bay, the only place where old tropical mangrove forest grows and penguins inhabit them, which you will visit by dinghy ride. After lunch, you will visit Moreno Point, which main attraction are the coast lagoons where white tipped sharks can be seen, and the panoramic views of Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul from the tallest spot on this place, which cannot be missed. End of the day and dinner onboard the trimaran.

In the morning: In the morning: Fausto Llerena Breeding Center. You will visit “Fausto Llerena” Tortoise Breeding Center in Puerto Ayora, where giant tortoises are bred in captivity. This is home to tortoises ranging from 3-inches (new hatchlings) to 4-feet long adults. Subspecies of the giant tortoises interact with one another, and many of the older tortoises are accustomed to humans stretching out their heads for a photo opportunity. The babies are kept until they are about four years-old and strong enough to survive on their own. In the afternoon: In the afternoon: Highlands. Accessible by bus from Puerto Ayora, the highlands of Santa Cruz are a deep green which contrast beautifully with the dry, lower part of the islands. The predominant vegetation in the highlands are Scalesia trees which create a lush green forest. The lava tunnels, over half a mile long, are underground and walking through them is a unique, surreal experience. At this place you’ll have lunch.

In the morning: In the morning: Post Office Bay. You will land on a beach and head to a spot where 18th century whalers placed a wooden barrel used as an unofficial mail box. The custom continues to this day with Galapagos visitors. So, don’t forget your postcards, and don’t be surprised if the post card arrives to its destination before you even get home! Afterwards: Afterwards: Devil’s Crown .You will have a chance to snorkel around Devil’s Crown which is the rocky remains of an offshore volcano sticking out of the water. This is a great location to spot a wide range of marine creatures. In the afternoon: In the afternoon: Cormorant Point. Cormorant Point hosts a large flamingo lagoon where other birds such as common stilts and white-cheeked pintails can also be seen. The beaches on this island are distinct: The Green Beach is named so due to its green color, which comes from a high percentage of olivine crystals in the sand, and the Flour Sand Beach is composed of white coral.

In the morning: In the morning: Santa Fé Island. Santa Fe Island (Barrington) is home to the small picturesque bay and anchorage on the island’s northeast coast. The bay has two visitor trails: one leading to a scenic viewpoint atop a cliff, and the other spanning from a small beach to a tall prickly pear cactus forest.  In the afternoon: In the afternoon: Lobos Island. You will take an excursion to Lobos Island which means “Sea Lion Island.” This appropriately named island is ripe with noisy, playful, jolly sea lions who will welcome you to their home with open, well, fins. This island also offers great snorkeling opportunities as well as the chance to see blue-footed and Nazca boobies.

After breakfast, the yacht will land at San Cristobal Island, and once you disembark you will visit the Interpretation Center, where you will learn about the Natural History of the Islands, as well as its colonization and efforts that have been made to preserve the species that inhabit the archipelago. Then, head to Galapaguera to learn about the Giant Tortoise breeding program established by the National Park. After this activity, you will be transferred to San Cristobal Airport and take your flight back to the continent.