H – Tuesday

Santa Cruz Island

AM – After Breakfast

SANTA CRUZ ISLAND (CHARLES DARWIN SCIENTIFIC STATION): Visit the 1959-established Charles Darwin Station to learn about the Giant Tortoises and their reproduction, as well as the origin and formation of the archipelago.

PM After lunch

PRIMICIAS RANCH: On the very first stop, you’ll be able to see the staple and namesake of the Islands: The Giant Tortoise, these gentle creatures are easily spotted gracing through the foliage or resting. Harder to spot but equally fascinating, the many birds that reside in the Galapagos Islands that are literal descendants of the Andean Plateau species; endemic sub-species of Mockingbirds, Flycatchers, Cattle Egrets and Finches can be seen throughout the Ranch.

H – Wednesday

AM After Breakfast

TINTORERAS: Located South of Port Villamil, Tintoreras has a tranquil turquoise-water bay where a variety of marine life can be seen: sea turtles, iguanas, and sea lions are almost a guaranteed spot. The bay is connected to a shallow fissure, when the tide is low the entrance is cut off and sharks and stingrays can be found swimming within. Lunch onboard.

PM

ARNALDO TUPIZA BREEDING CENTER: The population of giant tortoises of the island is maintained through their bred-in-captivity program.

WETLANDS: This area is known for its sandy beaches, rocky coastline and its mangroves. A series of trails allow tourists to closely observe the four species of mangrove that can be found in the Galapagos, as well as Great Blue Herons, Galapagos Hawks, Lava Herons, Striated Herons, Lava Gulls and many other bird species. 30-minute hike.

WALL OF TEARS: A solemn reminder. The wall was built between 1946 and 1959, while the island was a penal colony. Inmates were forced to erect the wall with large blocks of volcanic rocks. The wall is called so because of the many inmates that died building it.

H – Thursday

Santa Cruz Island

AM After Breakfast:

RABIDA ISLAND: One of the more colorful and volcanically active islands of the archipelago, as well as an amazing diving site. We begin at the prominent Brown-Sanded Beach of Rabida, then a light ½ a mile hike to reach a lookout of breath-taking view. A paradise for birdwatchers, Flycatchers, Brown Pelicans, Galapagos Hawks, varieties of Finches and many other of the rarer species flock to Rabida. Wet landing, lunch onboard.

PM After lunch

DRAGON HILL: After docking, we’ll go behind the beach to reach a hyper-saline lagoon frequented by Flamingos, Wilson’s plovers, Black-bellied Ducks among others. The hike to Dragon Hill overviews the bay and takes you right into the Galapagos Land Iguana nesting grounds after which the site takes its name. Many of the iguanas nesting at Dragon Hill have been relocated here by the Charles Darwin Scientific Station.

H – Friday

Santa Cruz Island

AM After Breakfast

BLACK TURTLE COVE:

No landing, dinghy (panga) tour of the site; near Baltra. An extraordinary beautiful experience.

You’ll get a chance to see Black Sea Turtles in the clear water below, as the dinghy cuts the engine and the operators row you along the mangrove-laden shoreline, discover hidden lagoons while keeping an eye out for the diverse bird and sea life variety.

After the cove, you’ll do your final transfer to Baltra Airport by bus.