Eastern & Central Islands

Arrive early on San Cristobal Island. After clearing immigration and customs, meet your guide and board the M/Y Monserrat. In the afternoon, travel by panga to Lobos Island, where sea lions swim and rest along the rocky shore.

Walk along the island’s short trail and ride a panga along the coast. Watch for nesting sea birds and a small colony of blue-footed boobies. Spot both Galapagos sea lions and fur seals resting or moving through the shallows. Snorkel in clear waters with sea lions and sea turtles. Observe marine life up close in this shallow, protected channel.
Activities: Hiking, Panga Ride, Snorkeling

Arrive in the morning and spend time exploring Gardner Bay. Walk the beach and snorkel in turquoise waters filled with marine life. After lunch, continue to Punta Suarez, a top site for observing nesting seabirds, including the seasonal waved albatross.

Start at a long white-sand beach where sea lions rest and seabirds circle overhead. Watch for young sea lions playing in the surf. Scan the shallows for tropical fish such as yellow-tailed surgeonfish, king angelfish, and bump-head parrotfish. Snorkel at Tortuga Rock to see large schools of colorful fish. Search for white-tipped reef sharks along the sandy bottom, and swim with curious sea lions in clear, calm water.
Activities: Hike, Panga Ride, Snorkeling, Standup Paddleboard, Kayak

Step onto a rocky landing filled with sea lions. Hike inland to observe a variety of nesting seabirds. During nesting season, spot the waved albatross. Follow the path to ocean cliffs where birds ride the wind and marine iguanas warm on black lava rocks.
Activities: Hike

Land at Punta Cormorant on Floreana. Guided walks to observe the bird and wildlife and learn about the natural history. Snorkeling excursion at Champion Islet. Visit Post Office Bay.

Visit Punta Cormorant, the only landing site on Floreana Island, and discover two amazingly different beaches: one with green sand, colored by olivine crystals, and another with white sand particles known as 'Flour Beach'. Spend the afternoon observing flamingos and other shorebirds feeding in the lagoon. Spot penguins and marine iguanas at the water’s edge, and explore the lava tubes with the Galápagos CEO.
Champion Islet: Jump on in and get up close and personal with the playful sea lion colony that resides in the waters off this tiny island. Keep an eye out for sea turtles, rays, and colorful fish swimming by. There can be currents in this area, this activity should be done by strong swimmers only.
Activities: Hike, Panga Ride, Snorkeling

Visit Post Office Bay and learn about its unique history. In the late 18th century, English whaling vessels placed a barrel here to be used as a post office. Today, the box is used mainly by tourists, who may drop off and pick up unstamped letters to be carried to far destinations. Continue the tradition – leave a letter and take one to deliver (be sure it makes it to the correct location)
Activities: Hike, Panga Ride, Standup Paddleboard, Snorkeling

Visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to see the giant Galapagos tortoises.

Visit Fausto Llerena Breeding Center a great place to observe many species of tortoises and land iguanas in captivity. Brought back from the brink of extinction, see the famous Galápagos tortoise up close – a corral houses adult tortoises, and a nursery cares for the young until around age three when their shells have hardened. This area also houses the Charles Darwin Research Station, a scientific organization initiated in 1964, which works to preserve the Galápagos' ecosystem through the conservation efforts of scientists, researchers, and volunteers. While the offices themselves are not open to visitors, the research station provides a study location for international scientists and environmental education for the local community.
Activities: Hike

Visit the highlands of Santa Cruz and see the Galápagos giant tortoise in its natural surroundings. Explore the area and its incredible underground lava tunnels some are more than 1km (.6 mi) long! Wander along the volcanic tubes and keep an eye out for the (mainly) nocturnal barn owls that sometimes roost here.
Activities: Hike

Today you will be visiting the beautiful and remote Genovesa Island. This northern island, famous for its red-footed colony, is a paradise for bird lovers. It is estimated that about 200,00 Red-footed boobies live on this island. 

Darwin Bay was formed by the collapse of the flooded caldera of Tower Island, another name used for Genovesa. After landing at a small sand and coral beach, it is easy to realize why this island is a bird-lover paradise. Among the bird species found here, the most common are swallow-tailed and lava gulls, mockingbirds, yellow-crowned night herons, lava herons, Galapagos doves, and yellow warblers. You will continue on a short and flat trail to encounter red-footed booby and great frigatebird nests. You will visit a tidal lagoon where sea lions swim playfully ending our path on a cliff with magnificent views of this remote part of the Galapagos. Time permitting, you can snorkel off the beach with playful sea lions and look for sea turtles on this surface snorkel. 
Activities: Hiking, Panga Ride, Snorkeling, Stand Up Paddleboard, Kayak

El Barranco or Prince Phillips’s Steps as otherwise known, was named after a visit by the British Monarch in 1964. El Barranco's steep 81-foot stairway leads up to a high cliff face that opens out onto the plateau surrounding Darwin Bay. Here, an amazing view can be appreciated. Once at the top of the stairway, you will meet Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies, mockingbirds, and finches along the way to a palo santo trail. It will also be possible to see wedge-rumped storm petrels swarm and short-eared owls. This deep-water snorkeling offers you one of the best opportunities to observe unique marine wildlife including hammerhead sharks. 
Activities: Hiking, Panga Ride, Snorkeling, Stand Up Paddleboard, Kayak

Hike to Bartolome's summit for a stronger perspective of the islands' not-too-distant volcanic origins, and enjoy a panoramic view – it’s one of the best among the islands! See other Galapagos Islands in the distance as well as Pinnacle Rock, the island’s famous towering landmark.

Take the opportunity to swim and snorkel around Pinnacle Rock, one of the most iconic volcanic rock formations on the islands. Home to Galapagos penguins, friendly sea lions, sea turtles, and a huge variety of fish, Bartolome and its surrounding waters are a fantastic place to explore the natural wonders of the Galapagos.
Activities: Hiking, Panga Ride, Snorkeling

In the afternoon, you will visit one of the last off-the-beaten-path sites in the Galapagos Islands. Only a couple of cruises visit Bowditch Point. This pristine site offers you a great snorkeling session with giant schools of black-striped salema, parrotfish, and Mexican hogfish, or you can enjoy kayaking or SUP if you prefer. Afterward, you can spend time on the beach relaxing or walking around it.
Activities: Hiking, Panga Ride, Snorkeling, Stand Up Paddleboard, Kayak
 

Head to Bachas Beach where the sand is made of decomposed coral, making it soft and white, and a favorite site for nesting sea turtles.
Spot abundant Sally Lightfoot crabs on the lava rocks along the water's edge -- these crabs will eat anything they can get their claws on! Trek to see a wide range of wildlife, including flamingos, hermit crabs, black-necked stilts, and sea lions.
Activities: Hike

Disembark at Baltra for a flight back to Ecuador's mainland