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Sea lion by the kayaks

Western and Eastern Islands

Example 8 Day Cruise aboard Natural Paradise
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On this 8-day Western and Eastern Islands cruise, explore the rocky beach of Dragon Hill, an excellent snorkeling place at high tide. Land at Fernandina Island, and walk through a colony of marine iguanas and a group of sea lions. Sail to Moreno Point, a location where lava has left craters in its wake which formed crystal tide pools full with marine life. Discover Champion Islet, a small island located just offshore Floreana, considered as one of the most beautiful places in the Galapagos for all snorkeling and diving fans. Visit Española Island for a close encounter with blue-footed boobies, albatrosses, and Nazca boobies, and finish your journey cruising to Sea Lion Island in San Cristobal.
Galapagos beachSierra Negra, Isabela Island, GalapagosBlue-footed booby mating danceFlamingo wading in the waterSea lion by the kayaks
Highlights
  • Observe seven species of finches at Sierra Negra Volcano, Isabela Island
  • Sail to Mosquera Islet, the island with the largest population of sea lions
  • Hike to Cormorant Point's saltwater lagoon, home to flamingos
  • Snorkel at Devil's Crown, the best snorkeling site in the Galapagos
Places Visited
Activity Level: Relaxed
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
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Full Itinerary

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Day 1: Santa Cruz Island | Embark

Morning flight from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra, Galapagos Islands. You will arrive at Baltra Island in the morning. After passing through immigration and baggage claim, you will be met by a Natural Paradise staff member and transferred to the yacht. You will be shown to your cabin where you will have some time to settle in before lunch and a welcome briefing.

Off the western coast of Santa Cruz Island, Eden Islet offers visitors a great chance to see a variety of Galapagos wildlife from the dinghy ride both on shore and under the water.
Possible Activities: Dinghy ride and snorkeling
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: No Landing
Highlights & Animals: Endemic salemas, reef sharks, Nazca and blue footed boobies

Day 2: Vicente Roca Point | Espinosa Point

Comprised of two separate coves, Vicente Roca Point is a large bay with spectacular sea life. Keep an eye out for seahorses, sea turtles, and the strange yet fascinating Mola mola (or sun fish) while you snorkel. 
Possible Activities: Snorkeling & dinghy ride
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Type of Landing: No Landing
Highlights & Animals: Penguins, blue-footed boobies, terns, Nazca boobies, two types of sea lions. Sea turtles, rays and puffer fish.

Crossing the Bolivar Channel that divides Isabela and Fernandina Islands, you will land at Espinoza Point, and after walking past a colony of marine iguanas and a group of sea lions, you will reach the island’s highlight: the flightless cormorant nesting site. This area also provides a great opportunity to see the Galapagos hawk.
Possible Activities: Hike (approximately 1.2 miles / 2 km)
Difficulty: Moderate
Type of Landing: Dry Landing
Highlights & Animals: Flightless cormorant, marine iguanas, ‘a‘ā lava, sea lions, penguins, active volcano “La Cumbre”.

Day 3: Urbina Bay | Moreno Point

Urbina Bay is located at the base of Alcedo Volcano on the west coast between Tagus Cove and Elizabeth Bay. This area experienced a major uplift in 1954 causing the land to rise over 16 feet. The coast expanded half a mile out leaving marine life stranded on the new shore. This area is also a great place for snorkeling. 
Possible Activities: Snorkeling, dinghy ride & hike, 2 trails: short (0.6mi/1 km), long (1.9mi/3km)
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Type of Landing: Wet Landing
Highlights & Animals: Land iguanas (the biggest in the Galapagos), hawks, coral reef, giant tortoises; snorkeling: turtles, rays, tropical fish

Moreno Point is located southwest of Elizabeth Bay. Here a dry landing onto what was once flowing lava is possible. The lava has left craters in its wake which formed crystal tide pools. By looking into the pools, you can peer into another world as the marine life drifts by your window. In the brackish pools of this area, you may see pink flamingos, white-cheeked pintails, and common gallinules. If you look carefully into the pools, you may see white-tip reef sharks and some sea turtles.
Possible Activities: Snorkeling, panga ride & hike (1.2 miles / 2km)
Difficulty: Moderate/Difficult
Type of Landing: Dry Landing
Highlights & Animals: Flamingos, gallinules, pintail ducks, turtles, white-tip reef sharks.

Day 4: Sierra Negra Volcano | Wetlands | Arnaldo Tupiza Breeding Center

Visit to the Sierra Negra Volcano, which is the largest basaltic caldera in the Galapagos with a diameter of 6.2 miles (10 km). The site offers impressive views and the opportunity to observe up to seven species of finches and a rich display of vegetation. The north side of the caldera provides evidence of its most recent volcanic activity in 2005.
Possible Activities: Hiking, walking
Difficulty: Difficult
Type of Landing: Dry Landing
Highlights & Animals: Basaltic caldera, stunning views, finches

The Wetlands of Isabela Island are located just outside of Puerto Villamil. They consist of lagoons, swamps, and mangroves and are home to a variety of unique bird species such as common stilts, whimbrels, white-cheeked pintails, and gallinules. The Wetlands can be visited on foot via a path through the swamps.
Possible Activities: Hiking
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: Dry Landing
Highlights & Animals: Giant mangroves, shore birds, flamingos

Arnaldo Tupiza Breeding Center is located about one mile (1.5 km) from Puerto Villamil. Here, tortoise populations from South Isabela, Sierra Negra Volcano, Cerro Azul, Cazuela, Cinco Cerros, Roca Union, San Pedro, Tables and Cerro Paloma have been bred in captivity. In total there are 330 juvenile and adult tortoises.
Possible Activities: Walking
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: Dry Landing
Highlights & Animals: Two of the five species of the giant tortoise

Day 5: Chinese Hat | Mosquera Islets

This small islet is located near the southeast coast of Santiago Island. Its name comes from the distinct shape of the islet’s summit. Chinese Islet is a great location to view many geological formations such as lava tunnels and lava flows. Some of the lava flows were formed underwater and subsequently raised above sea level. The presence of coral heads on the lava flow indicates this phenomenon.
Possible Activities: Hike (1,9 miles / 3 km)
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: Wet Landing
Highlights & Animals: Lava formations, great site for snorkeling with an abundance of marine species such as sea lions, sharks, rays and penguins.

Mosquera Islet is located between the islands of Baltra and North Seymour. This reef of rocks and coral (the result of an uprising) is only 160 meters across at its narrowest width. This island has one of the largest populations of sea lions and is home to many shorebirds. There have been occasional reports at this site of orcas feeding on sea lions.
Possible Activities: Dinghy ride, snorkeling
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: No Landing
Highlights & Animals: Orcas, sea lions, shore birds

Day 6: Post Office Bay | Cormorant Point | Champion Islet

Baroness Viewing Point is a fantastic place to absorb the environment of the Galapagos. Once inhabited by an indulgent baroness and her three lovers, the history of this island is intriguing. The legends about this baroness are associated with a fascinating murder mystery. There are easy trails in this area for exploring the flora and fauna of Floreana.
Possible Activities: Short hike (0.6 miles/1 km), snorkeling, kayak, panga ride
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: Dry Landing
Highlights & Animals: Great view, sea turtles, mysterious story about the first inhabitants of the islands

You will land on a beach and head to a spot where 18th century whalers placed a wooden barrel used as an unofficial mail box. The custom continues to this day with Galapagos visitors. So, don’t forget your postcards, and don’t be surprised if the post card arrives to its destination before you even get home!
Possible Activities: Short hike (less than 0.6 miles / 1km) & snorkeling
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: Wet Landing
Highlights & Animals: Post office barrel, nice sandy beach

Cormorant Point hosts a large flamingo lagoon where other birds such as common stilts and white-cheeked pintails can also be seen. The beaches on this island are distinct: The Green Beach is named so due to its green color, which comes from a high percentage of olivine crystals in the sand, and the Flour Sand Beach is composed of white coral.
Possible Activities: Dinghy ride & hike (1.25 mi /2 km)
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: Wet Landing
Highlights & Animals: Flamingoes, green-colored beach

Champion Islet, named after the whaler Andrew Champion, is a small island located just offshore Floreana Island in the southern part of the Archipelago. Considered as one of the most beautiful places on Galapagos for all snorkeling and diving fans and an excellent opportunity for dolphin watching.
Possible Activities: Snorkeling and dinghy ride
Difficulty: Moderate/Difficult
Type of Landing: Wet Landing
Highlights & Animals: See lions, reef fish and Nazca boobies

Day 7: Suarez Point | Gardner Bay

On the trail to Suarez Point you will have the chance to spot blue-footed boobies, albatrosses, and Nazca boobies. This island is the breeding site of nearly all of the world’s 12,000 pairs of waved albatrosses. You will also visit a beautiful site on the ocean front where there is a cliff that the large albatrosses use as a launching pad! You will have the chance to see the famous blowhole that spurts sea water into the air. The landscape is great for photography.
Possible Activities: Hike (1.9 miles / 3 km)
Difficulty: Difficult
Type of Landing: Dry Landing
Highlights & Animals: Hood mockingbirds, Nazca boobies, waved albatrosses (approximately from the last week of April until the last week of January), red-billed tropicbirds, lava lizards, Galapagos hawks, blowhole, amazing landscape and maybe blue-footed boobies.

This excursion takes you to the spectacular Gardner Bay. After landing, you can walk across a lovely white-sand beach amongst a busy sea lion colony or dive into the water to swim with sea lion pups. You may also see curious mockingbirds on the beach.
Possible Activities: Snorkeling, panga ride, short hike (0.6 miles / 1km) and Kayaking
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: Wet Landing
Highlights & Animals: White sandy beach, sea lions, mockingbirds; snorkeling: colorful fish, sea lion nursery

Day 8: San Cristobal | Disembark

  • 1 Breakfast
You will take an excursion to Lobos Island which means “Sea Lion Island.” This appropriately named island is ripe with noisy, playful, jolly sea lions who will welcome you to their home with open, well, fins. This island also offers great snorkeling opportunities as well as the chance to see blue-footed and Nazca boobies.
Possible Activities: Short hike (less that 0.6 miles / 1 km), dinghy ride
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Type of Landing: Dry Landing
Highlights & Animals: Sea lions, frigate birds, blue-footed boobies

After this final visit, you will be transferred to the San Cristobal airport in time for your flight back to the mainland.

Ship/Hotel

Natural Paradise

Natural Paradise yacht
Dining room
Al fresco dining

Dates & Prices

My Preferred Start Date

Per person starting at
$7,145 2-3 travelers
Standard cabin
Standard
4 standard cabins (172ft²/16m² - 215ft²/20m²) featuring convertible double twin beds or one matrimonial bed, all with safety box, hair dryer, bathrobes, and private facilities. Porthole windows or panoramic windows.
Suite cabin
Suite
3 suites (355ft²/33m²) available featuring one king-size matrimonial bed, panoramic windows, or private balcony with binoculars, coffee maker, safety box, hair dryer, bathrobes, and private facilities.
Junior Suite cabin
Junior Suite
2 junior suites (226ft²/21m²) featuring two convertible double twin beds, both with private balconies, safety boxes, hair dryers, and bathrobes. Main deck Jr. Suite includes a TV.

Notes

Please provide your wetsuite size in advance prior to trip

Child Discount

10% discount for children under 12 years of age. Child discounts are conditional and may not apply on certain departures. Please contact us for more information.

Children under 12 may receive discounts on Galapagos flight fares and entrance fees. Contact us for details.
Included
  • 7 Breakfasts, 7 Lunches, 7 Dinners
  • 7 Nights Accommodations
  • Accommodations as listed
  • Ground transportation as listed
  • Activities as listed
  • Meals as listed
  • Access to a 24-7 Emergency line while traveling
  • Snorkeling equipment, wetsuits, kayaks, and paddleboards are all included in the cruise cost and are available for your use onboard.
  • Bilingual Naturalist Guide 
  • Adventure Life Pre-departure Services and In-Country Assistance (Quito Representative)
  • Shore Excursions, Swimming and Snorkeling 
  • Transfers and Baggage Handling in the Galapagos
  • Walking Sticks
  • Underwater cameras
Excluded
  • Gratuities
  • Travel Insurance
  • Personal Expenses
  • Flight costs (please request a quote)
  • Additional excursions during free time
  • Fuel and transportation surcharges (when applicable)
  • Galapagos Park Entrance Fee: $200 per adult, $100 per child under 12. Payable upon arrival to the Galapagos, only in cash dollars. Subject to increase by Galapagos Park Service.
  • Alcoholic Drinks
  • Internal Flights: Mainland Ecuador - Galapagos - Mainland Ecuador: $475-675

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Kate was great to work with in the planning stage. She was prompt, helpful, and efficient. Our tour guide, Edwin, was knowledgeable and passionate. We were very happy to have traveled with Adventure Life, it made the trip easy and a true pleasure. We could concentrate on enjoying the experience rather than the details of travel.
Lisa Bridge

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