Passion Western 8 Days - Itinerary B

Upon your arrival to the airport on Baltra Island, you will be received by the yacht staff, to begin with your first visit to Santa Cruz Highlands, where you will see the native flora of this place and the agricultural zone of the island. You will also visit a private ranch, where you will see Galapagos Tortoises roaming freely. Then you will be transferred to the yacht for lunch, and after this, the next visit will be to Charles Darwin Research Station and the Tortoise Breeding Center, where you will see tortoises from the different islands in captivity, and learn about the conservation efforts made to preserve this species. After this, you will head back to the yacht for dinner.

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

Early in the morning the first visit point will be Cormorant Point, place recognized for its olivine sand beach, and its white coral beach that is a nesting site for sea turtles. In here, you can also visit a brackish lagoon behind the beach, home to Greater Flamingos. From here, you will take a panga ride to snorkel at Devil ́s Crown, an old volcanic crater, perfect for this activity. In the afternoon, you will visit Post Office Bay, a place that was used for pirates and Buccaneers during the 18th century to send their letters, and nowadays tourists can deposit their letters here too.

Early in the morning,  you will visit Black Beach on Floreana Island to learn more about the intriguing human history of the island and its first inhabitants. We will ride up into the highlands of the island to visit a freshwater source known as the Asilo de La Paz and caves that initially served as hideouts for pirates. In the afternoon after lunch, the yacht will navigate and you will have the opportunity to see dolphins or whales, along with the amazing landscapes during the trip. End of the day and dinner onboard.

First activity of the day will be landing at Isabela ́s Moreno Point, where you will observe a pahoehoe lava flow surrounded by giant shield volcanoes. From this point you will do a short hike to a lagoon, home to flamingoes. In the afternoon, after lunch, you will disembark at Urbina Bay, onto a black sand beach, a nesting site for sea turtles. From this point you take a hike inland in search of land iguanas and giant tortoises. You can also snorkel in the waters of this Bay. End of the day and dinner onboard.

Early in the morning, you will land near Tagus Cove, a historical pirate hideaway, a historical pirate hideaway where names of countless ships are recorded for posterity on the cliff face. From this point you will take a hike to Darwin Lake, a salt water crater, that is considered an amazing landscape to admire. In the afternoon, you will disembark at Punta Espinoza in Fernandina Island, the perfect place to spot native species and where you will see Galapagos sea lions, Galapagos Penguins among other species. End of the day and dinner onboard.

After breakfast, you will disembark on a dark sand volcanic beach, called Egas Port that once was used as a salt mine, and is home to Galapagos fur seals that occasionally dip in the crystalline pools at this island, called grottos. During the afternoon, you will take a panga ride to Buccaneer Cove, which used to be a refuge for British Buccaneers, where they collected supplies for their long trips. Then, you will head to Espumilla beach, that is used by green sea turtles as a nesting site. From this point you will take a trail to a Palo Santo Forest to observe bird species like Galapagos flycatcher and Darwin finches.

In the morning, we will have a dry landing on Sullivan Bay in Santiago Island to start our walk over a recent lava flow, including very fresh pahoehoe lava formations, lava bubbles containing crystallized minerals and pioneer plants. Along the shoreline, we may find Galapagos penguins and herons going after small fish. During the afternoon, you will disembark on North Seymour, where you will take a short walk right up to bird nesting colonies, such as frigate birds, blue-footed boobies and swallow-tailed gulls. End of the day and dinner onboard.

Last visit of the trip will be to Mosquera Islet, located between Baltra and North Seymour, its home to one of the largest sea lion colonies and you may also spot orcas that occasionally come to fee on the sea lions. After this visit, you will be transferred to the airport to take your flight back to the continent.