Letty 8 Days - Itinerary B

Upon your arrival to San Cristobal Island, you will be transferred to Letty Yacht. Once you've boarded, you'll have a welcome briefing and a short safety drill. After a buffet lunch you will head to the first visiting site. Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido) is the magnificent basalt remains of a crater in the middle of the sea, the shape resembling a sleeping lion. The rock rises 150 meters above the surface and is divided into two parts by a narrow channel. We cruise through the channel, with nesting seabirds on either side of the boat, tropic birds overhead, marine iguanas in the water and resting on the rocks and many sea lions also present. Snorkeling give us the opportunity to see Galapagos sharks, and with some luck even hammer head sharks among sea turtles and an incredible biodiversity of invertebrates on the wall. After this visit, and upon your return to the yacht, the Captain and crew will welcome you on board with a cocktail, and a briefing of the next day's activities.

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

Early in the morning you will head to Prince Phillip’s Steps at Genovesa Island, where you will spot red footed boobies and a Palo Santo trees forest. There are also Nazca boobies and storm petrels. After this visit, return to the yacht for lunch. Then you will go to Darwin Bay, and be amazed by a coral sand beach and see the swallow tailed and lava gulls that live here. You can relax at the beach or swim with sea lions. Return to the yacht for a briefing and dinner followed by a sky full of stars.

After breakfast, head to Bachas beach, Spanish translation for “barges” for one that was left here during WWII. This is a long white sand beach, with an interior lagoon where you can spot flamingos, pelicans, white-cheeked pintail ducks, stilts and iguanas. You can also stroll along the beach or swim from the shore. After the visit, you will return to the yacht for lunch and then you will head to Dragon Hill for a majestic view of the bay and to visit the island trail to see flora species like opuntia cactus and palo santo. You will spot Galapagos flycatchers, yellow warblers, shearwaters and endemic land iguanas. After this activities return to the yacht for dinner and rest.

First activity of the day will be taking a zodiac ride to Vicente Roca Point. You can also snorkel at this spot, and see penguins diving playfully in the water. Look for sea turtles beneath the surface. In the afternoon, after lunch, you will disembark at Urbina Bay on Isabela Island, product of a dramatic uplift produced by a volcanic eruption in 1954. Here you can see Galapagos land and marine iguanas, Darwin finches, brown pelicans, and flightless cormorant at this spot.

After breakfast, head to Espinosa Point on Fernandina Island, the most pristine and young island in the archipelago. You can spot sea lions at the beach, hundreds of marine iguanas, and nests of flightless cormorants, that stay close to the shore. After lunch, you will head to Tagus Cove, place that used to be a favorite anchorage for pirates and whalers in past centuries. This place is covered with graffiti they used to leave here. You can explore this places’ shoreline by kayak or stand up paddle board, while searching for Galapagos penguins, flightless cormorants, blue/footed and Nazca boobies. You can also snorkel at this spot.

Early in the morning, you will disembark on Rabida Island, a red sand beach, due to the high iron content in the volcanic shores. You can visit a salt water lagoon here, where you may spot flamingos. You can also snorkel from the shore while spotting sea lions and rays. In the afternoon, after lunch, you will visit Egas Port at Santiago Island and take a stroll along this place while you catch a glimpse of marine iguanas, and watch for blue herons, lava herons and American oystercatchers at this place. The walk ends at the grottos: deep pools of clear water where fur sea lions reside.

In the morning, you will visit Fausto Llerena Breeding Center, to see the giant tortoises and land iguanas from close, and learn about the conservation efforts done to preserve this species. In the afternoon, you will visit the highlands, passing the vegetation zones found in the Galapagos, to visit Rancho el Manzanillo a privately-owned hacienda where giant tortoises roam in their natural habitat. Stop at the lava tunnels, which are large enough to walk through, and visit Los Gemelos (The twins), a pair of large craters, collapsed volcanic craters that make an amazing landscape.

After breakfast, you will visit the Lobos island as last activity before getting transfered to the airport for your flight back.