Galapagos Nemo
ITINERARY DAY BY DAY
8 days / 7 nights
Sunday to Sunday
Day 1
Baltra Island arrival / Bachas Beach (Santa Cruz Island)
Arrival to the airport in Baltra Island. A visit to Las Bachas Beach, on the north shore of Santa Cruz, to take a dip or simply lay back and relax on the beach with the marine iguanas, watching the Sally Lightfoot crabs. The nearby salt water lagoon is home to a variety of wading birds, including black-necked stilts and flamingos.
Day 2
North Seymour Island / South Plazas Island
North Seymour is an uplifted island and so is generally flat and strewn with boulders. Here you can see magnificent frigate birds as well as the Blue-footed boobie and swallow-tailed gulls perch on the cliff edges. South Plaza, a geological uplift with tall cliffs offering spectacular views. Here, you find the Galapagos land iguana feeding on the cactus leaves and a colony of bachelor sea lions.
Day 3
Gardner Bay / Punta Suarez (Espanola Island)
Punta Suarez is one of the most outstanding wildlife areas of the archipelago, with a long list of species found along its cliffs and sand or pebble beaches. Gardner Bay has a magnificent beach. This beach is frequented by a transient colony of sea lions, and is a major nesting site for marine turtles. Around the small islets nearby, snorkelers will find lots of fish and sometimes turtles and sharks.
Day 4
Post Office Bay / Punta Cormorant (Floreana Island)
At Punta Cormorant, see flaming-pink flamingos, a sea turtle nesting area and a superb spot for watching sea birds and sea rays. Post Office Bay, where the island's original post office was established in 1793.
Day 5
Santa Fe Island / Puerto Ayora, Charles Darwin Station (Santa Cruz)
Your first outing is at Santa Fe Island. Not only is it a fantastic spot for swimming with sea lions, but you may also see the Galapagos White-tipped Shark or sea turtles. Later today, you stop in Puerto Ayora to visit the Charles Darwin Research Center.
Day 6
Bartolome Island / Puerto Egas (Santiago Island)
Bartolome has beautiful white sand beaches, luxuriant green mangroves and a colony of penguins. Activities will include swimming and snorkelling. From the summit you will have the best view of the often-photographed Pinnacle Rock. At Puerto Egas, Santiago Island looking for octopus, starfish and other sea life caught in the tide pools. At low tide, catch a glimpse of marine iguanas as they feed on exposed green algae. Watch for herons and oystercatchers.
Day 7
Rabida Island / Sombrero Chino
Rabida is known for its unusual red colored beaches. The vegetation consists mainly of Opuntia Cactus, Palo Santo tress and scrubby bushes. Upon your wet landing you will probably see various sea lions and after a short hike you will reach the lagoon to see Flamingos and Pelicans. Sombrero Chino gets its name from its peculiar shape reminding people of a Chinese Hat.
Day 8
Caleta Tortuga / Baltra Island departure
Caleta Tortuga is on the north side of Santa Cruz. You have to go by panga (motorized canoe) to reach it and see its mangrove swamp where there are nesting marine turtles during certain seasons of the year, and also sharks and rays.
Return to Baltra Island for your flight back to the mainland to Quito or Guayaquil.