Departure from either Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra Island is a 2 ½ hour flight. Upon arrival in the Galapagos, passengers are greeted at the airport by our knowledgeable guides who will accompany them on a short ten-minute bus ride to the pier where they will board the Galapagos Legend. Morning On the north shore of Santa Cruz Island, accessible only by sea, four species of mangrove crowd and form an internal lagoon, turtles visit the calm waters, peaking their heads above the surface while fish, rays circle below. White-tipped reef sharks can be seen beneath the boat, plus sea birds, including pelicans, herons and egrets. This cove has been declared as a “turtle sanctuary”.
Early in the morning, the cruise will land at Genovesa Island, and your first visit will be to El Barranco, also called Prince Phillip´s Steps. You will begin with a dinghy ride to the shoreline, where you will see fur seals, and then you will hike to the top of a rocky stairway, and once on top you will have a nice view of the island, and also see Nazca boobies, red footed boobies and mockingbirds. After this activity, you will head to Darwin Bay, and once there you will take a short trail past stands of mangroves which are nesting sites for red footed boobies and frigate birds. End of the day and dinner onboard.
After breakfast, the cruise will take you to South Plaza. & During the afternoon you will visit Santa Fe Island, a white sand beach, where a sea lion colony resides, waits for you. You can take a walk through a trail, to an endemic opuntia cacti forest to see the endemic Santa Fe Island. You can also kayak or snorkel at the beach of this island.
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In the central highlands of Santa Cruz Island, we have our best opportunity to interact at close quarters with totally wild, Galapagos giant tortoises. A short walk among these huge, 600lb, reptiles will also offer the chance for more highland species, especially several species of the famed finches.
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