TIP TOP II

Friday, Day 1

Flight from mainland Ecuador (Quito or Guayaquil) to Baltra, with LATAM Airlines; arriving at 11:40 a.m. approximately. Your guide will meet you at arrivals gate, our crew will take care of your luggage. Your guide will conduct you to a bus and after a short 5-kilometer ride to the pier; you board the Yacht immediately. As the crew weighs anchor, we greet you with our first orientation and we offer a light snack. After lunch, you make an early wet landing on Mosquera Islet, a reef of rocks and coral (the result of an uprising) and a great white sand beach and tide pools. You observe colonies of sea lions, brown pelicans, blue-footed boobies and sally light-foot crabs, the contrast between these bright red crabs on top and blue on the bottom and the black lava is stunning.

Optional: time for those who would like to swim and snorkel. In the evening, we have an orientation about the Galapagos Islands in general: their origin and evolution. Welcome cocktail with the entire crew, and dinner.

Saturday, Day 2

After breakfast, we make a wet landing on Sullivan Bay, a perfect place to get a feel of the volcanic origin of the islands.

Optional: time for those who would like to swim and snorkel. We return to the boat for a delicious lunch. After this, you make a wet landing on Rabida, to walk and observe marine iguanas and sea lions, pelicans, blue-footed boobies, masked boobies and brown pelicans. You make a little walk and you arrive to a small saltwater lagoon where you can see pink flamingos.

Optional: time for those who would like to swim, snorkel or kayak. Return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation.

Sunday, Day 3

After breakfast, we make a dry landing on Espinoza Point to observe and see a large colony of sea lions, marine iguanas and the flightless cormorants and clumps of lava cactus.

Optional: time for those who would like to swim and snorkel. You come aboard for lunch. In the afternoon, you make a panga ride around the islets of Elizabeth Bay to see marine iguanas, penguins, marine turtles, seabirds and shorebirds, herons and blue-footed boobies. Return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation.

Monday, Day 4

After breakfast, you make a wet landing on Urbina Bay to take a walk and observe a coral area, land iguanas, flightless cormorants and giant tortoises.

Optional: time for those who would like to swim or snorkel. Return to the Yacht for lunch. In the afternoon, we make a panga ride on Tagus Cove, a cove between the shoulders of two volcanic craters, which protect it from the open sea; we observe penguins, marine iguanas, sea lions and a variety of birds including flightless cormorant and blue-footed boobies.

Optional: time for those who would like to swim, snorkel or kayak. Return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation.

Tuesday, Day 5

After breakfast, you make a wet landing on James Bay (Puerto Egas), to walk and observe sponges, snails, hermit crabs, a variety of shore birds, barnacles and the endemic four-eyed blenny, marine iguanas and sea lions.

Optional: time for those who would like to swim or snorkel.

You return to the boat for a delicious lunch. In the afternoon, you make a dry landing on Bartolome Island, to hike to the summit; during the hike, you observe colonies of marine iguanas and lava lizards. On the summit you see an impressive view of the surrounding islands, including the eroded tuff cone of Pinnacle Rock.

Optional: time for those who would like to swim or snorkel.

You return to the yacht for a delicious dinner and our nightly orientation.

Wednesday, Day 6

After breakfast, you make a wet landing on Chinese Hat (Sombrero Chino), a small island off the Coast of Santiago Island, you can observe on the rocky shoreline: Galapagos penguins, eagle rays, sea lions and marine iguanas. This is an excellent snorkeling site.

Optional: time for those who would like to swim, snorkel or kayak. You return to the boat for lunch. Later in the afternoon, you make a dry landing on Dragon Hill, where you can see land iguanas; you walk to a hypersalinic lagoon (saltier than the ocean), where you can observe flamingos, common stilts, pintail ducks and other species of birds.

Optional: time for those who would like to swim or snorkel. You return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation.

Thursday, Day 7

After breakfast, you will disembark to take the bus to the highlands of Santa Cruz Island for a visit to the native forests, El Chato Reserve, then, you will go to enjoy the giant tortoises in the wildlife in a farm. You will be delighted with the lunch in the farm. After lunch, you will return to Puerto Ayora to start the visit to the Interpretation Center Fausto Llerena inside the Charles Darwin Research Station. You return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation.

Friday, Day 8

After breakfast, you make an early dry landing for a walk along the coast and the interior of North Seymour Island, a low, flat island that was uplifted from the sea by underground seismic activity.

You observe blue footed boobies (they nest from May to November), marine iguanas, pelicans, frigate birds, shore birds, sea lions and endemic Palo Santo. You return to the Yacht for disembarking on the pier at 09:00. Your guide accompanies you on the bus ride directly to the airport.

THESE ITINERARIES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT A PREVIOUS NOTICE, DUE OPERATIONALL REASONS, WEATHER CONDITIONS OR BY THE AUTHORITIES OF THE GALAPAGOS NATIONAL PARK.

Friday, Day 1

Flight from mainland Ecuador (Quito or Guayaquil) to Baltra, with LATAM Airlines; arriving at 09:20 a.m. approximately. Your guide will meet you at arrivals gate, our crew will take care of your luggage. Your guide will conduct you to a bus and after a short 5-kilometer ride to the pier; you board the Yacht immediately. As the crew weighs anchor, we greet you with our first orientation and we offer a light snack. After navigating, we disembark on Playa Las Bachas, a place where you can appreciate a Flamingos lagoon. During all walks, your guide will be explaining details about the lives of the birds and animals.

Optional: time for those who would like to swim and snorkel, in the evening you have an orientation about the Galapagos Islands in general: their origin and evolution. Welcome cocktail with the entire crew, and dinner.

Saturday, Day 2

After breakfast, you take a panga ride and you make a dry landing on Prince Phillips’s Steps (Barranco), you walk and observe the interesting lives of the birds here.

Optional: time for those who would like to swim and snorkel or kayak. You come on board for a delicious lunch. Later in the afternoon, you make a wet landing on Darwin Bay to walk and observe frigate birds, herons, mockingbirds, boobies, shorebirds, turtles, marine iguanas, etc.

Optional: time for those who would like to swim, snorkel or kayak. Dinner on the Yacht, and then your orientation about conservation efforts made to protect the Islands.

Sunday, Day 3

After breakfast, you make a dry landing on the pier of the South Plaza, there you can enjoy the antics of the sea lions. A walk through a cactus forest allows us to observe land iguanas and many species of tropical birds. Return to the Yacht for lunch. Then, you make a wet landing on Santa Fe Island to visit the cactus forest and a colony of land iguanas native from Santa Fe.

Optional: time for those who would like to swim, snorkel or kayak. At the end of the afternoon, we return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation.

Monday, Day 4

After breakfast, disembark to take the bus to the highlands of Santa Cruz Island for a visit to the native forests, twin craters, and the ranch to see the tortoises in the wildlife. You will be delighted with the lunch in the ranch. After lunch, you will return to Puerto Ayora to start the visit to the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center. Return to the Port for a walk through the little town to appreciate various handicrafts. We have a welcome cocktail with the entire crew, and dinner.

Tuesday, Day 5

After breakfast, you make a wet landing, you will continue to the Baroness Point view, named due to the presence of a particular character who lived on Floreana Island, it is the Baroness Eloisa von Wagner, you will enjoy of the beautiful landscape and the ruins of her house; then, we will stop at Post Office Bay, a historic site that recalls the days of the whalers, who presumably placed a wooden barrel in the 18th century to use it as a post office.

Optional: time for those who would like to swim and snorkel. Then, we take a bus for a short ride from the small town Puerto Velasco Ibarra to the Asilo de la Paz. It’s is a human historic site, this area was inhabitant by the early settlers who found a freshwater spring and refuge in the “cave of pirates”, this was the home of the first settlers of the island, Patrick Watkins lived there first, then Dr. Ritter and his companion Dora Strauch and then the Wittmer family. We walk through a path and we visit the cave of pirates and a corral built by the National Park Service where we can see Galapagos tortoises (from various islands) in captivity. Return to the Yacht for lunch. In the afternoon, you make a wet landing on Cormorant Point for a short walk to the Flamingo Lagoon of this island. You then continue the walk until we reach the beach called "La Picona" to see marine turtles and their spawning grounds. Then, we make a panga ride on Champion Islet, a small island off the Coast of Floreana Island. The principal attraction of Champion Islet is the nearly-extinct Charles (Floreana) Mockingbird. Visitors can also observe bird species such as Swallow-tailed Gulls, Nazca Boobies or Brown Noddies. It is a great place for snorkelling; we will see sea turtles, reef fishes, Galapagos Penguins and white-tipped reef sharks.

Optional: time for those who would like to swim and/or snorkel. You return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation.

Wednesday, Day 6

After breakfast, we make an early dry landing on Punta Suarez to walk along lava beds where you will observe unique colonies of marine birds, including Albatross (May - December). Return to the Yacht for lunch. In the afternoon, we make a panga ride around the islet of Gardner. Then, we make a wet landing in Gardner Bay for a walk on the beach and observe a colony of sea lions, which inhabit the beach in great quantity during the breeding season; this is also an important nesting area for sea turtles.

Optional: time for those who would like to swim, snorkel or kayak.

After this, we will make a panga ride around Osborn Islet. Return to the Yacht for dinner and our nightly orientation.

Thursday, Day 7

After breakfast, we make a wet landing on Cerro Brujo to walk on a white sand beach and observe sea lions, brown pelicans, marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies.

Optional: time for those who would like to swim, snorkel or Kayak. Then, your experienced Captain sails easily around Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido), a massive tuff-rock that juts abruptly almost 500 feet straight from the ocean. Kicker Rock serves as nesting place for many sea birds. You come aboard for a delicious lunch. In the afternoon, you make a dry landing on San Cristobal port, visit to the Interpretation Center Gianni Arismendy at Port, where you learn about the origin and evolution of the Galapagos Islands, regarding the human, natural and conservation aspects. Time in town to do your last shopping or to go to the ATM. You return to the Yacht for dinner, and our nightly orientation.

Friday, Day 8

After breakfast, you make a panga ride on Black Turtle Cove, series of mangrove-surrounded coves and islets; here you can observe white-tipped sharks, marine turtles, spotted eagle rays, and yellow cow-nosed rays. You return to the Yacht for disembarking on the pier at 09:00. Your guide accompanies you on the bus ride directly to the airport.

THESE ITINERARIES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT A PREVIOUS NOTICE, DUE OPERATIONAL REASONS, WEATHER CONDITIONS OR BY THE AUTHORITIES OF THE GALAPAGOS NATIONAL PARK.