Grace Beyond Darwin´s Footsteps 8 Days - Itinerary A

First activity of the cruise will be on Santa Cruz Island. On this island, you will visit Charles Darwin Station, the center of the great restorative efforts taking place in the park. You will also head to the Giant Tortoise Breeding & Rearing Program run by the research station, which began by rescuing the endangered tortoise species of the Archipelago. Then, you will take a bus ride to Santa Cruz Highlands, specifically to the Wild Tortoise Reserve where you will have chances to track and view giant tortoises in their natural setting.

Full itinerary map here: http://bit.ly/grace-8-days-beyond-darwins-footsteps

First activity of the day will be landing at Floreana Island, where you will walk to the Asilo de la Paz (Peace Asylum) where one of the islands’ few springs is located. This artesian spring attracted pirates, whalers, and later settlers to Floreana as it was one of the very few year-round sources of fresh water in the Galapagos. 

After this activity, you will land at Cormorant Point, where you will have the opportunity to visit two beaches, one with a green sand beach, composed of olivine crystals, and the other one white like flour, composed of coral. Then, you can snorkel either at Cormorant Point or Devil´s Crown, a famous snorkling site in Galapgos.

Early in the morning, the first stop will be at Suarez Point at Hood Island, where a great variety of wildlife can be seen, like sea lions with their pups, masked boobies, blue-footed boobies, Galapagos doves and swallow tailed gulls. You can also spot the Albatross Airport, where waved albatross line up to launch their great winged bodies from the cliffs, soaring out over the dramatic shoreline of crashing waves and driven spray. In the right season, you might spot some. During the afternoon, head to Gardner Bay, where a magnificent white sand beach waits for you, and where you will encounter sea lions and sea turtles on the shore. 

In the morning, you will visit Punta Pitt, located at the east end of San Cristóbal Island. The trail includes an olivine beach approximately 90 meters and a trail that ascends to the top of a volcanic tuff hill passing through several natural viewpoints. Punta Pitt is composed of a volcanic tuff substrate. This is the only site in the Galapagos Islands, where you can watch the three species of boobies and two species of frigates nesting in the same area. This is due to its geographic location, an abundance of food so there is hardly any competition between them. 

In the afternoon, you will visit Lobos Island. Once you arrive to Lobos Island, you will be welcomed by a noisy sea lion colony, and this place is also a nesting place for blue footed boobies and an excellent snorkeling spot.  Then, you will head to Kicker Rock, also called “Leon Dormido” in Spanish, a spectacular rock formation in the form of an asleep sea lion. After these activities head back to the yacht for dinner and rest.

Early in the morning, you will visit Santa Fe Island. There is a white sand beach, where sea lions usually rest. This island is also home to yellow land iguanas, the largest of the archipelago. After this activity, the yacht will take you to South Plaza Island, home to an incredible amount of diverse flora and fauna, like frigate birds, sea lions, and swallow-tailed gulls, and coppery orange land iguanas. You can take a hike to the highest spot of this place to observe the amazing landscape and the adults and pup sea lions swimming along the shore. After this activity, head back to the yacht for dinner.

Early in the morning, the ship will land at North Seymour an uplifted island, where you will be able to see Galapagos sea lions, blue footed boobies and magnificent frigate birds which are abundant on the Island. 

During the afternoon you will head to Bartholomew Island, famous for its pinnacle rock, a towering spearheaded obelisk that rises from the ocean ́s edge and is the best known landmark in the Galapagos. A perfectly crescent sandy beach lies just to the east of the pinnacle and across a narrow isthmus another beach mirrors this one to the south. Sea turtles use both beaches and another to the west of the Pinnacle as nesting sites, you can also spot penguins at this place. This site is perfect for snorkeling too.

Early in the morning, you will visit Chinese Hat Island. This name came from the peculiar formation of this place. This is a great location to view many geological formations such as lava tubes and lava flows and you can also spot colonies of sea lions and marine iguanas here. In the afternoon, you will head to Dragon Hill, where you will visit a Salt Water Lagoon, home to Greater Flamingos, black-necked stilts, and white-cheek pintails. This is also a land iguana nesting site. End of the day and dinner onboard.

The last morning of the trip will begin with a visit to Black Turtle Cove. You will take a zodiac tide to this place, where you will spot four species of mangrove and between this marine flora you can spot eagle rays, golden rays and white tipped sharks. After this activity, you will be transferred to Baltra Airport and take your flight back to the continent.