Endemic 8 Days - Itinerary B

Upon your arrival to Baltra Airport, you will be transferred to Endemic Catamaran. During the afternoon, after lunch, you will visit Dragon Hill, located in the north-western part of Santa Cruz island, you will have the opportunity to walk into the island and see the land iguana, that just a few decades ago were on the brink of extinction at this island. You can also visit a flamingo ́s lagoon, and practice snorkel before you return to the yacht for dinner and rest.

Full itinerary map here: http://bit.ly/endemic-8-days-b

Early in the morning, the first spot to visit will be Kicker Rock, an impressive geological formation due to erosion. This is a nesting place of sea birds. Additionally, curious sea lions, and marine life can be found, such as fish, turtles, sharks, rays, representing the main attraction for snorkeling. The next place to visit will be Witch Hill, named like this because of the bird that lives here called “Pajaro Brujo” Witch bird, also known as Vermillion Flycatcher. In the afternoon you will head to Lobos Island, where you can snorkel along with sea lions and spot blue-footed boobies and marine iguanas.

In the morning, after breakfast, the first place to visit will be Gardner Bay, that provides an excellent beach for swimming and snorkeling, where you will spot turtles and reef sharks, and also sea lions, which like to swim along the divers. After lunch, head to Suarez Point, a basaltic cliff which forms a blowhole where water sprays high into the air. A hike to the top makes a great opportunity to take spectacular pictures. End of the day and dinner onboard

First activity of the day will be heading to Santa Fe island, which has two trail choices for visitors, one of which takes you to the tallest Opuntia cactus in the Galapagos. While the other trail takes you into the highlands where land iguanas can be seen. After a long walk, the opportunity to swim in calm waters or snorkel with playful sea lions. During the afternoon, visit the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center, also known as Charles Darwin Research Station. This place has an information center, a museum, a library and a tortoise breeding station where you will learn about the conservation efforts to preserve this species. 

After visiting the Charles Darwin station, we will continue to the verdant highlands of Santa Cruz to see the giant tortoises in the wild. These amazing reptiles is where the name of the archipelago comes from. Enjoy the quiet beauty of these gentle giants, and keep an eye out for a wide variety of endemic birds, as well! To wrap up our visit, we’ll visit some fascinating lava tunnels to better understand how the islands were formed. This is a fun adventure that adds a flourish to the end of our day! After the visits, we will return to the Endemic for a delicious dinner.

Early in the morning, you will visit South Plaza, home of a large sea lion colony and also of land iguanas, marine iguanas and hybrid of these species that coexist here. During the afternoon, after lunch, head to Bartholomew Island, where you will ascend to a view point to admire the spectacular panorama of the entire island and the famous Pinnacle Rock. The beaches at this island are excellent for snorkeling. End of the day and dinner onboard

In the morning, after breakfast, you will head to Devil ́s Crown, that is an underwater volcanic crater, almost covered completely by Galapagos waters, and from above it gives the image of a crown. It’s an excellent spot for snorkeling. After this, you will head to Cormorant Point and visit an olivine sand beach. During the afternoon you will visit Baroness Lookout, from where you will have an amazing view of Floreana Island, and by the end of the day you will head to Post Office Bay, that keeps the legendary post barrel in which whalers used to post their mail in two centuries ago, and where tourists can do nowadays too

First activity of the day will be taking a Dinghy Ride to Chinese Hat, a small islet off the south coast of Santiago, with the particular form of a Hat, hence its name. This place is a great location to view many geological formations such as lava tubes and lava flows you can also spot colonies of sea lions and marine iguanas here. Then you will head to North Seymour Island, contains the largest colony of magnificent frigate birds in the Galapagos. There is also a large population of blue-footed boobies that perform an amusing courtship dance when nesting conditions are right.

After breakfast, you will visit Black Turtle Cove, located on the north shore of Santa Cruz, it is a living illustration of how mangroves alter the marine environment to create a rich and unique habitat You will take a dinghy ride to observe the amazing marine life that inhabits there. After this activity you will be transferred from the boat to Baltra airport to take your flight back to the continent.