Petrel 8 Days - Itinerary A

Upon your arrival to the airport on Santa Cruz Island, you will be transferred to the dock to get onboard Petrel Catamaran. After settling in the catamaran and lunch, you will take a panga ride to North Seymour Island, place formed by uplifted submarine lava, this island is home to a huge colony of marine iguanas and large populations of sea lions, blue-footed boobies and magnificent frigate birds. You can also snorkel of the shore. After this activity head back to the yacht for dinner and rest.

Full itinerary map here: http://bit.ly/petrel-8-days-a

First activity of the day will be taking a panga ride to Vicente Roca Point at Isabela Island, place that has outstanding geological formations, and is a great spot to see various bird species like blue-footed boobies and Nazca boobies. You can also snorkel at this place. During the afternoon after lunch, you will head to Espinosa Point, the only visitor site at Fernandina Island, where you can enjoy a hike to the highest spot of this place or snorkeling at the bay. End of the day and dinner onboard.

Early in the morning, you will take a panga ride to Tagus Cove, which used to be a pit stop for pirates and sailors in the 1800s. Once you land, you will hike to a cliff, which will provide incredible views of the cove and the mangrove forest found a t this spot. You can also snorkel at this place, and watch sea lions, and marine iguanas while doing this activity. During the afternoon, head to Urbina Bay, where you can see the geological lava formations that compose this island. Several species like sea lions, land iguanas and flightless cormorants inhabit this place. In here it’s also possible to snorkel. End of the day and dinner onboard.

First activity of the day will be taking a panga ride to Elizabeth Bay. There is not a landing point in here, so you will see the marine life from afar, like sea lions, frigate birds, flightless cormorant, and marine iguanas that inhabit this place. During the afternoon, after lunch, head to Moreno Point, the perfect place for birdwatching. Once you land, you will visit the coast lagoons where white tipped sharks can be seen, and after a brief hike, you will have a panoramic view of Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul Volcanoes at the distance.

First activity of the day will be disembarking at Isabela  island Port, from here you will take a bus ride to Sierra Negra Volcano, where you will go for a hike to its caldera, that shows evidence of the most recent activity back in 2005. During the afternoon, after lunch, you will be transferred to the Wetlands of this island and see the humid ecosystem and the species that reside here. Small lagoons, mangrove trees, and swamps have formed this unique and amazing ecosystem. Home of a large variety of birds, the wetlands are considered a sanctuary for many endangered species and one of the best places to admire the different varieties of birds that inhabit the island. Among them we find greater flamingos, common stilts, whimbrels, white-cheeked pintails, and gallinules. We continue later to the Wall of Tears. This structure is testimony of the penal colony that was established on Isabela. The extreme conditions and severe punishments in which the felons faced gave this grim wall its name. Today only a portion of the wall is still standing. We say goodbye to the small town of Villamil and we continue our cruise to the next destination

First activity of the day will be disembarking on Puerto Ayora at Santa Cruz Island, where you will visit Charles Darwin Research Station, place created to show information about the wildlife and geology of Galapagos Islands, and where you will learn about the endemic wildlife and the conservation efforts that have been made to observe the species that reside in the archipelago. During the afternoon, you will visit the Highlands of Santa Cruz.The Galapagos Islands are filled with surprises and the highlands of Santa Cruz are one of them. The presence of the now extinct volcanic cones, that once gave birth to the island, have created unique and complex ecosystems among them, the cloud forest of the highlands. Hidden in the mist, this exuberant forest is the home of giant Galapagos tortoises, colorful birds, and hundreds of plants that give a unique touch of green to the slopes of the now extinct volcanoes. We hike with our guide, discovering this buoyant habitat, and then we head to the town of Puerto Ayora where we board our yacht and continue our adventure.

First activity of this day, will be a short visit to South Plaza Island, one of the smallest islands, home to an incredible amount of diverse flora and fauna, like frigate birds, sea lions, and swallow-tailed gulls, but most importantly, a recent population of land iguanas, that grew healthily after the mice were eradicated from this place. After this activity, you will visit Santa Fe Island, home to the endemic Santa Fe iguana, and a place where you can visit a forest of Opuntia and Palo Santo Trees. After this visit, head back to the yacht for dinner and rest.

Early in the morning, the catamaran will take you to Lobos Island, named after the sea lions that reside here. This place is also home to many different species of birds like pelicans and frigate birds, and there is also a small channel where you can easily spot sea turtles, sea lions and white - tipped sharks. After this activity you will be transferred to the airport in San Cristobal Island to take your flight back to the continent.