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Sea lions on Fernandina Island

Southern Islands

Example 5 Day Cruise aboard Bonita
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Board the Bonita for an unforgettable 5-day cruise through the Galapagos. Encounter distinctive biodiversity including giant tortoises and abundant marine life. Enjoy opportunities to kayak, stand up paddleboard, and snorkel over coral reefs, taking in the unique landscapes and beauty of the islands.
Devil's Crown GalapagosGalapagos beachWildlife in the GalapagosUnique landscape and cactus found on the Galapagos IslandsSea lions on Fernandina Island
Highlights
  • Hike across islands covered in cacti
  • Kayak and stand up paddle board along island coastlines
  • Admire the distinctive biodiversity of the Galapagos
Places Visited
Activity Level: Variable
Activity options vary depending on destination and operator. Activity level is determined by the range and intensity of activities you choose to participate in. Discuss with your Trip Planner which options are best for you.
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Full Itinerary

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Day 1: Santa Cruz Highlands | Embark

Departure to the Galapagos Islands, arrival at Baltra airport, where your naturalist guide of the National Park will be waiting for you.

Either if you do this visit starting from Baltra or from Puerto Ayora, a bus will take you to the highlands stopping along the way at one of the reserves to visit the lush highland forests where you will look for Galapagos Giant tortoises in their natural environment. This is the best place in the Galapagos to see these gentle giants (reaching over 300 kg / 600 pounds!) casually grazing and resting in freshwater ponds. This is also home for a great diversity of birds rarely found at the lowlands, including finches (tree, woodpecker and vegetarian finches), flycatchers and several species of water birds. You will visit a lava tunnel (depending on the itinerary) and learn how these extraordinary formations were created by ancient volcanic eruptions.
Highlights: Giant tortoises, Darwin finches, barn owls, white-cheeked pintails, Galapagos flycatchers, Lava tunnels. 
Trail: 1-1.5 km / 0.6-0.9 mi
Level: Easy
Dry landing and hiking

Day 2: Cormorant Point | Devil's Crown | Post Office Bay

Punta Cormorant is located in the north of Floreana and it is known for its large coastal lagoon with American flamingos, white-cheeked pintails, black-necked stilts and other shorebirds. There is a beautiful white sand beach which is an important nesting ground for green sea turtles where you can also see rays and reef sharks. In recent years, a small group of blue footed boobies have started to breed right by the trail. This is also a great trail to look at endemic plants.
Snorkel: It will be done at Devil’s Crown, a heavily eroded little volcano right by Floreana island. This is considered by many as one of the best snorkeling sites in the entire archipelago as the current funnels plankton through the Crown, attracting huge schools of snapper, Creole fish parrot fish, angelfish, reef sharks, sea turtles, rays and a phenomenal amount of marine life.       
Highlights: American flamingo, blue-footed booby, frigatebirds, tropicbirds, Galapagos shearwaters, sea lions, sea turtle nesting site, finches, shorebirds, coral-sand beach. 
Trail: 1.6 km / 1 mi
Level: Easy
Wet landing, Hiking, Snorkeling, and Panga ride

Floreana is famous for the tales of German settlers and the baroness during the late 1920’s and 30 ‘s. Assassinations, disappearances and other unsolved mysteries are the ingredients of this fascinating story. Post office bay was often used by whalers to anchor their ships and go up to the highlands to get freshwater and tortoises. Most boats visiting the Galapagos had to come to this place sooner or later, so a system of mail was established more than 200 years ago: a barrel near the beach became the way to leave messages to other ships and also to the outside world. This mail system is still in use and will allow you to send postcards from the Galapagos to the outside world.  Aside from a small beautiful beach and a lava tunnel, the area is great for dinghy tours to look for sea lions, green sea turtles, shorebirds, small sharks and, with some luck, Galapagos penguins.
Snorkel: There is great snorkel from the beach, as you can see lots of sea turtles, rays, great diversity of fish and, if you are really lucky, Galapagos penguin.
Highlights: Sea Lions, sea turtles, finches, shorebirds, marine iguanas, penguins.
Trail: 0.7 m / 0.4 mi
Level: Easy
Wet landing, Hiking, and Snorkeling

Day 3: Suarez Point | Gardner Bay

This rocky trail is one the most amazing nature walks you can do in the Galapagos islands. From the moment you set foot on the island and all the way along the trail the amount and diversity of fauna is truly amazing. Sea lions and marine iguanas will be the first ones welcoming you, followed by large colonies of sea birds, including Nazca and Blue-footed boobies, gulls and tropicbirds. At the end of the trail you will visit a colony of waved albatross (April to January), the largest bird in the islands and one of the most interesting because of its powerful flight and elaborate courtship. Waved albatross only nest at Española, so this is the only place where you will see them at close range.
Highlights: Sea lions, Waved Albatross, Galapagos hawks, Española mockingbirds, Darwin finches, marine iguanas, Nazca & Blue-footed Boobies, Red-billed Tropicbirds, Swallow-tailed gulls, herons, lava lizards, herons.
Trail: 1.7 km / 1.1 mi
Level: Hard
Dry landing and hiking

Gardner beach is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and interesting beaches to visit in the Galapagos. It's fine coral sand and turquoise water give it a totally tropical appearance, which contrasts with the presence of sea lions basking in the beach. You will have the opportunity to walk along the beach and learn about the biology of sea lions and other endemic species, such as the Española mockingbird, marine iguanas and Galapagos hawks.
Snorkel: There are several great snorkeling places at Gardner bay. It is a fantastic site to swim with sea lions, reef sharks, rays and many species of fish, including; Angelfish, Parrotfish, Damselfish, Surgeonfish and many others.   
Highlights: Coral sand beach, sea lions, Galapagos hawks, Española mockingbirds, Darwin finches, marine iguanas. 
Trail: 0.8 km / 0.5 mi
Level: Easy
Wet landing, Hiking, Snorkeling, Panga ride, Paddle boarding, and Kayaking

Day 4: Interpretation Center | Lobos Island

Located in the outskirts of Puerto Baquerizo, this center is dedicated to the history of human presence in the Galapagos. Since the times of the early Spanish explorers to the present times, including illustrious visitors such as Charles Darwin, this permanent exhibition will take you through the dangers and struggles of the first settlers trying to survive the harsh Galapagos environment.
Highlights: Endemic plants, exhibition on human history.
Trail: 0.2 km / 650 ft
Hiking, and Snorkeling

Rising up vertically to more than 460 ft. high, Kicker Rock is an imposing volcanic formation a couple of miles off the coast of San Cristobal. Its vertical cliffs are a breeding ground to boobies and tropicbirds, while the slopes in the northern side host breeding colonies of frigatebirds. No landing allowed but a circumnavigation will give spectacular views of the rock while you look for birds from the sundeck.
Snorkel: Depending on the itinerary, snorkel is allowed around Kicker Rick. Very good place to see sharks, sea turtles, rays and a lot of different species of fish. Great diversity of invertebrates growing in the vertical walls. 
Highlights: Scenery, Boobies, frigatebirds, pelicans, tropicbirds. 
Level: Easy
Ship Ride

Lobos island is a small islet separated from San Cristobal by a narrow channel, forming a sheltered bay where sea lion pups play in tidal pools. Despite its small size, the island is surprisingly packed with wildlife, especially with “lobos marinos”, the Spanish name for sea lions. Groups of sea lions will welcome you at the landing spot, but as you walk a few steps inland, male frigatebirds displaying their inflated red balloons will be perched on the bushes and trees. A small colony of blue footed boobies, which often nest right on the trail, will give you the opportunity to observe their famous courtship dance.
Snorkel: This is a great snorkeling location as the water are usually calm and the sea lions often play with divers to show off their swimming skills. Sea turtles and rays are often seen resting in the sandy bottoms. 
Highlights: Galapagos sea lions, marine Iguanas, magnificent & great frigatebirds, blue-footed Boobies, San Cristobal Lava Lizards.
Trail: 0.6 km / 0.4 mi. 
Level: Hard
Dry landing, Hiking, Snorkeling, and Panga ride

Day 5: Bachas | Disembark

  • 1 Breakfast
Bachas gets its name from the remains of two large barges (mispronounced by locals as “bachas”) left by the Americans during WWII. At low tide you can still see the iron skeletons of the barges buried in the white sand. From November till May, this place is also one of the most important sea turtle nesting grounds in the entire Galapagos islands. There are also several small saltwater lagoons where you often see flamingoes, herons, and other aquatic birds.
Highlights: American flamingoes, white-cheeked pintails, sandpipers, lava gulls, blue-footed boobies.
Trail: 1.6 km / 1 mi
Level: Easy
Wet landing, Hiking

Then, transfer to the airport to take your flight back to continental Ecuador

Ship/Hotel

Bonita

Side View Bonita Cruise
Living Room
Bonita Cruise Boarding

Dates & Prices

My Preferred Start Date

Per person starting at
$2,700 2-3 travelers
Twin Cabin
Lower Deck
Cabins # 1, 2 & 4 have two twins lower beds and porthole windows. These two cabins can be sold as triples. (Cabins average 110 square feet.)
Double Cabin
Upper/Main Deck
In the upper deck, we have 4 cabins. Cabins # 7, 8, 9 & 10 could be matrimonial or twin, while in the main deck, we have 2 matrimonial cabins. . (Cabins average 95 square feet.)

Notes

Stand-up paddleboarding equipment is included on this voyage.

Child Discount

10% discount for children under age 12 at time of Galapagos cruise. 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
  • 4 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 4 Dinners
  • 4 Nights Accommodations
  • Accommodations as listed
  • Ground transportation as listed
  • Activities as listed
  • Meals as listed
  • Access to a 24-7 Emergency line while traveling
  • 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
  • Snorkeling and kayaking equipment is included in the cruise cost and available for your use on board.
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.
  • Internal Flights: Mainland Ecuador - Galapagos - Mainland Ecuador: $475-675

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Everything was amazing! The planning with Adventure Life went smoothly. The actual trip was fantastic! One of the best trips I have experienced. The cruise staff members were knowledgeable and attentive. I will be writing more about this on the blog!
Justin Chappelle

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