Legend 8 Days - Itinerary C+D

Upon your arrival to the airport in Baltra Island, you will be transferred to the dock to get onboard Galapagos Legend Cruise Ship. After settling in the yacht and lunch, you will visit North Seymour Island, an important spot to see great frigate birds and blue-footed boobies doing their courtship and also their nesting sites. After these activities, head back to the yacht for dinner and rest.

Full itinerary map here: http://bit.ly/legend-8days-cd

In the morning Bartolome Island - We discover a fascinating landscape formed by different volcanic parasitic cones —lava bombs, spatter, cinder cones — that resembles the moon. Going up to the summit there will be an impressive views of the surrounding islands, including the eroded tuff cone Pinnacle Rock. We also encounter marine iguanas, lava lizards, and bluefooted boobies. Beach time is a great opportunity to do snorkeling and see the famous Galapagos Penguins, sea turtles and White-tipped Reef Sharks among a great variety of colorful fish. For many visitors, this may turn out to be the best snorkeling experience. Crystal clear water is the perfect spot to appreciate the incredible marine life it has to offer. Due to its geographical location, the lack of vegetation is immediately noticeable however, there are pioneer plants including the endemic Tiquilia nesiotica and Chamaesyce (known as sand mat or spurge in English), lava cactus, and Scalesia bushes. In the afternoon Sullivan Bay . This visitor site is located at the southeastern portion of Santiago Island and represents a great important geologic interest; it features extensive lava flows which are believed to have been formed during the last quarter of the 19th century. The area is covered by Pahoehoe lava flows (Pahoehoe wich means in Polynesian language “easy to walk”); this type of lava is rare to the rest of the world but is common to the volcanoes of the Galapagos Islands and Hawaii, as they share the same volcanic origin.You can see the path of lava flow as well as the various igneous rock structures formed from varying rates of flow, temperature of formation and pressure. Visitors can also find pioneer plants and “hornitos”, little ovens formed when bubbles escape from hot lava to form mini-volcanoes.

Pitt Point and Witch Hill: After breakfast, the yacht will land at San Cristobal Island, where you will visit Pitt Point, where you will go for a hike to the highest point of this eroded tuff cone, and once there you will have the opportunity to see various species off boobies and frigate birds. During the afternoon you will take a dinghy ride to Witch Hill or Cerro Brujo in Spanish, where you can rest at the beach while watching the sea lions that reside there or snorkeling from the shore. You can also take a walk to a lagoon where you might spot black necked stilts and white-cheeked pintails.

Tortoise Breeding Center: Early in the morning, you will disembark at San Cristobal Island Port. You will visit the giant tortoise breeding center “La Galapaguera” at Cerro Colorado, where you will see giant Galapagos tortoises wandering in a semi natural habitat and learn about the efforts to preserve these species. In the afternoon, the interpretation center is full of interesting information and offers the perfect overview to the formation of Galapagos, its significance in the world, threats and conservation efforts. Then, you will visit Frigatebird´s Hill, where you will be able to view all San Cristobal and the sea that surrounds the Island.

Gardner Bay and Suarez Point: The first visit of this day will be to Española Island, specifically to Gardner Bay, one of the most stunning beaches in all of Galapagos, home to a colony of Galapagos sea lions. You can also spot hood mockingbirds endemic to this island along with Darwin finches. You can also snorkel from the beach and you may spot marine turtles while doing this activity. In the afternoon, head to Suarez Point where you will take a walk on a lava terrain and spot marine iguanas, sea lions, endemic lizards and various species of boobies and gulls. End of the day and dinner onboard.

Post Office Bay and Cormorant Point: Early in the morning, the cruise will take you to Floreana Island, where you will visit Post Office Bay, which is the remain of the oldest functioning post office in the Pacific, that whalers and fur sealers used to send their letters, and it’s a tradition for tourists to post their letters to nowadays. During the afternoon, you will head to Cormorant Point, where you will visit an olivine sand beach and a lagoon inhabited by pink flamingoes, and also a white sand beach, that is a nesting area for sea turtles. From here, you can also visit Devil´s Crown, one of the most amazing snorkeling sites of the archipelago, and where you can spot turtles, eagle rays and hammerhead sharks while snorkeling, or to Champion Islet.

 Dragon Hill, is located in northwestern Santa Cruz Island, it consists of a trail that leads to a hyper-saline lagoon behind the beach, frequented by flamingos, pintail ducks and other species of birds. This site is also populated with land iguanas that were introduced here to reestablish this species in the afternoon you will visit Punta Bowditch.

At the beginning of the last day, you will land at Santa Cruz Island, and you will take a bus ride to the last visiting point, Santa Cruz Highlands, where you will see the agricultural island zone and spot giant tortoises in their natural habitat. After this activity, you will be transferred from the boat to Baltra airport to take your flight back to the continent.