Treasure of Galapagos 7 Days - Itinerary C

Upon your arrival to Baltra Airport, you will be transferred to Treasure of Galapagos Catamaran. During the afternoon, after lunch, your first visit will be to Charles Darwin Research Station, where you will learn about the conservation and protection of endangered species such as Galapagos tortoises, and also have the opportunity to visit the Breeding and Rearing Center for young tortoises, and adult Galapagos tortoises in captivity. End of the day and dinner onboard.

Full itinerary map here: http://bit.ly/treasure-7-days-c

First activity of the day will be heading to Eden Islet, a paradisiacal tuff cone islet, just off the west coast of Santa Cruz (between Whale Bay and Dragon Hill). During the afternoon, you will head to Dragon Hill, located in northwestern Santa Cruz Island and consists of a trail that lead to a hyper-saline lagoon behind the beach, frequented by flamingos, pintail ducks and other species of birds. After these activities head back to the catamaran for dinner.

After breakfast, you will take a zodiac tide to Tintoreras Islet, located in front of Puerto Villamil, where you will spot species like Galapagos penguins and sea lions, along with reef sharks, named tintoreras, hence the name of this place.  In the afternoon, you will land at Isabela Island and begin with a visit to Flamingos Lagoon, and finally, you will head to The Wall of Tears, that was built by prisoners from 1946 to 1959, when Isabela used to be a penal colony. End of the day and dinner onboard.

Early in the morning, you will be transferred to Moreno Point, at the north coast of Isabela, between volcanoes Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul, where you will take a trail along a solidified lava flow, to a coastal lagoon where several species of birds can be found. In the afternoon, head to Tagus Cove on a zodiac ride, where you will have the opportunity to see Galapagos penguins, flightless cormorants, and other sea birds. You will also be able to visit Darwin Lake, an uplifted ultra-saline lake saltier than the sea, and from here you will also look at the graffiti on the surrounding cliffs of the cove, written by pirates, whalers and buccaneers in past centuries.

After breakfast, you will land at Espinoza Point in Fernandina Island, home to one of the largest populations of marine iguanas on the entire archipelago, and also the unique species, the flightless cormorant. During the afternoon, head to Vicente Roca Point, at the northwest of Isabela Island, by a panga ride, to observe the geological formation and volcanic tuff cones, that form this island, this is also home to a variety of nesting birds like blue footed boobies and nazca boobies. This is also an excellent snorkeling area, where you can spot sea lions, sea turtles and other marine life.

Early in the morning, you will head to Puerto Egas located at the west side of Santiago Island. A black sand beach formed by volcanic tuff deposits is the main attraction of this place. This port used to be a salt mine, the property of Hector Egas, hence the name of the place, that failed in the past century. After lunch, you will land at Rabida Island, a red sand beach, product of the volcanic material of this island, where you will visit a coastal lagoon behind the beach, where you will see finches, doves, and flamingoes.

During the final day, you will visit Las Bachas, two small beaches made of decomposed coral, and are a favorite nesting site for sea turtles. Behind one of the beaches, there is a small brackish water lagoon, where occasionally is possible to observe flamingos and other coastal birds, such as black-necked stilts and whimbrels. The other beach is longer, but it has two old barges that were abandoned during the Second World War, when the USA used Baltra Island as a strategically point to protect the Panama Channel. After this activity, you will be transferred to the airport in Baltra to take your flight back to the continent.