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ITINERARIES (SUBJECT TO VARIATIONS): 4-DAY ITINERARY (only 2009) (Sunday through Wednesday): Sunday: AM: Baltra Airport PM: Santa Cruz Island: Charles Darwin Research Station Monday: AM: Española: Gardner’s Bay PM: Española: Punta Suárez Tuesday: AM: Santa Fe Island PM: South Plazas Island Wednesday: AM: North Seymour Island PM: Baltra Airport
5-DAY ITINERARY (only 2008) (Saturday through Wednesday): Saturday: AM: Baltra Airport PM: Tortuga Bay (Overnight in Santa Cruz) Sunday: AM: Baltra Airport PM: Santa Cruz Island: Charles Darwin Research Station Monday: AM: Española: Gardner’s Bay PM: Española: Punta Suárez Tuesday: AM: Santa Fe Island PM: South Plazas Island Wednesday: AM: North Seymour Island PM: Baltra Airport
5-DAY ITINERARY (Wednesday through Sunday): Wednesday: AM: Baltra Airport PM: Bartolome Thursday: AM: Isabela Island: Tagus Cove PM: Isabela: Elizabeth Bay Friday: AM: Isabela Island: Urbina Bay PM: Fernandina Island: Punta Espinoza Saturday: AM: Floreana: Post Office Bay PM: Floreana Island: Punta Cormorant & Devil’s Crown Sunday: AM: Santa Cruz: The Highlands PM: Baltra Airport
8-DAY ITINERARY (Sunday through Sunday): Sunday: AM: Baltra Airport PM: Santa Cruz: Charles Darwin Station Monday: AM: Española: Gardner’s Bay PM: Española: Punta Suárez Tuesday: AM: Santa Fe Island PM: South Plazas Island Wednesday: AM: North Seymour Island PM: Bartolome Thursday: AM: Isabela Island: Tagus Cove PM: Isabela: Elizabeth Bay Friday: AM: Isabela Island: Urbina Bay PM: Fernandina: Punta Espinoza Saturday: AM: Floreana: Post Office Bay PM: Floreana Island: Punta Cormorant & Devil’s Crown Sunday: AM: Santa Cruz: The Highlands
8-DAY ITINERARY (Wednesday through Wednesday): Wednesday: AM: Baltra Airport PM: Bartolome Thursday: AM: Isabela Island: Tagus Cove PM: Isabela: Elizabeth Bay Friday: AM: Isabela Island: Urbina Bay PM: Fernandina: Punta Espinoza Saturday: AM: Floreana: Post Office Bay PM: Floreana Island: Punta Cormorant & Devil’s Crown Sunday: AM: Santa Cruz: The Highlands PM: Santa Cruz Island: Charles Darwin Station Monday: AM: Española: Gardner’s Bay PM: Española: Punta Suárez Tuesday: AM: Santa Fe Island PM: South Plazas Island Wednesday: AM: North Seymour Island PM: Baltra Airport
WHAT TO SEE ON THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS? A trip to the Archipelago offers an unparalleled opportunity to experience nature as it was meant to be. Bird lovers will delight as they observe red-footed, blue-footed and masked boobies right in front of their eyes – no binoculars needed!! Finches of all types share the islands with pelicans and frigate birds. A bright pink lake turns out to be a flock of thousands of flamingos. Penguins, originally from the South Pole, have adapted to their Equatorial environment and waddle in and out of the water. And the waved albatross poses majestically for the best photograph of your life. Each island has its own group of endemic fauna. On some, wander around the rocks in search of land iguanas, warming themselves in the Equatorial sun. In others, find their cousins, the sea iguanas, which exist only in Galapagos. Still others provide the perfect place for giant Galapagos tortoises, some of which live to be over two hundred and fifty years old, to lay their eggs on the white sandy beaches. And Lonesome George, the last surviving member of one of the tortoise species, waits out his days at the Charles Darwin Foundation in hope of finally finding his mate. Bartolome Island: A small barren island, located in Sullivan Bay off James Island, Bartholomew has two visitors’ sites. At one of them it is possible to climb to the summit of the island, from where visitors can observe a variety of volcanic formations, spatter and tuff cones, lava flows and lava tubes. The moon like landscape provides the most scenic panorama in the archipelago. At the other site, the visitor may swim and snorkel from a beautiful beach or walk across the isthmus to another beach that faces south, where swimming is prohibited. Multi –colored fish and occasionally penguins may be seen at the base of the tall pinnacle rock, which dominates Bartholomew’s landscape. ISABELA ISLAND: Isabela Island is by far the biggest island of the Galapagos - bigger than all the other islands combined. It is about 75 miles long and 50 mile at its widest. The total land area is 1771 square miles - bigger than Rhode Island. It is comprised five major volcanoes, of which two are still active. These mountains were probably separate at one time and then fused in to a single mass. The most recent eruption was Cerro Azul in 1999. So the island is still rising with the Wolf Volcano being the highest point in the islands - an elevation of 5,600 feet. Its name comes from Queen Isabela of Spain (1451-1504) who helped Columbus get money for his voyages in the 1490s. On older maps you will see it called Albelmarle, named by the English after a duke. Tagus Cove Named after a British warship which anchored here in 1814, this cove is located to the west of the island and it is usual to take a panga trip below the high cliffs. Here there is an opportunity to see penguins as well as marine iguanas, Sally Lightfoot crabs and sea lions. As with many sites blue footed boobies are in abundance. After a dry landing one, can climb up the trail to oversee Darwin’s Lake. This is below the slopes of Darwin Volcano and is, surprisingly, a salt water lake above sea level. It is said that the salt water is drawn up from below by adsorption through the porous volcanic rock of which this part of the island is formed. The trail also has a monument to a sailor who was lost at sea and there is a large amount of graffiti carved into the rock sides of the cove. Originally the names of ships that called at the island it has, in later years, degenerated into painted graffiti which, despite attempts to stop it, is still occasionally inflicted upon the rocks. Elizabeth Bay Located on Isabela Island’s west shore, this is extremely interesting for observing marine life. You can motor or kayak past a few islands where you usually see Galapagos penguins. A colony of these magnificent birds inhabits a rocky islet at the entrance to Elizabeth Bay - one of the best areas to do photography. Let your boat or kayak drift through a small passage lined with mangroves you emerge into an enclosed cove. Turn your motor off and look in the sheltered waters for marine turtles, rays, flightless cormorants, sea lions, and, circling overhead, Galapagos hawks. Urvina Bay South from Tagus Cove and still on the West coast is Urvina Bay . It is an easy wet landing on a gentle sloping beach. This area is very interesting in that it is a perfect example of the geological activity of the islands. The waters of the bay are a good place to see turtles and rays and ashore is a short trail leading to a coral reef, which is evidence of an uplift from the sea which occurred in 1954. From here it is easy to reach the Alcedo and Darwin volcanoes. You can see large colored land iguanas here and the possibility of seeing giant Galapagos turtles, flightless cormorants, blue-footed boobies, Galapagos penguins, pelicans and marine iguanas is excellent. FERNANDINA: Fernandina, also known as Narborough Island, consists of a single large volcano, which rises to an elevation of 4500 feet (1400 m). It is probably the youngest volcano in the archipelago and is certainly the most active, erupting every few years, most recently in 1988, 1991, and 1995 (which produced a large lava flow from a vent on the west flank. Like the volcanoes of Isabela, it has a distinctive "inverted soup-bowl' shape with steep upper slopes and a large central caldera. Fernandina's caldera is over 1100 feet deep. At times, a small lake has formed in the north part of the caldera. The lake was last present in 1988; it disappeared after a section of the caldera wall collapsed. Fernandina has not suffered as much from the presence of man (particularly, the animals he has left) as other islands, so the indigenous wildlife is still abundant. Among the animals to be seen there are marine and land iguanas, tortoises, hawks, sea lions and a great variety of sea birds, such as flightless cormorants. FLOREANA ISLAND: Post office bay: Historically, this site is the location of a wooden barrel that was placed in the 18th century by the crew of a whaling ship. It has been used since this time by mariners and tourists as a post office. The idea is to carry letters or postcards to their destination by hand. Apart from being the Post Office Barrel, this site was the landing area for some of the first colonists. Punta Cormorant (Charles Island). This site probably, offers one of the largest and the best flamingo lagoon in the Galapagos. It is situated between two tuff cones that give the area a special atmosphere. There are various species of shorebirds to be seen besides flamingoes, the most frequent are common stilts, white-checked pintail ducks and other migratory birds. This is a unique zone due to the high percentage of endemism in the plant life. Is also very interesting the two distinct beaches: the "green beach (due to high percentage of olivine crystals in the sand) and the "Flour sand beach" made up of coral. SANTA CRUZ ISLAND: Charles Darwin Interpretation Center: Although the great majority of Galapagos visitors come here to observe and appreciate natural wonders, it is also interesting to learn how the protection and conservation of the islands are carried out. One of the principal attractions are National Park information center, Van Straelen Exhibition Hall, Breeding and Rearing Center for young tortoises, Lonesome George (tortoise from Pinta), adult Galapagos tortoises in captivity. The Bachas Beaches: These two small beaches are found to the West of Turtle Cove. Their sand is made of decomposed coral, which makes it white and soft, making it a favorite nesting site for sea turtles. Behind one of the beaches there is a small brackish water lagoon, where occasionally is possible to observe flamingos and other coastal birds, such as black-necked stilts and whimbrels. The other beach is longer, but it has two old barges that were abandoned during the Second World War, when the USA used Baltra Island as a strategically point to protect the Panama Channel. (The metal is rusty and sharp, so it is not a good place for swimming). Highlands of Santa Cruz Island: The trail to the highlands leaves from Bellavista and passes through the agricultural zone, near the National Park boundary, the Miconia Zone and then goes to the Fern and Sedge zone. With clear weather (unpredictable) this area affords beautiful scenes of rolling hills and extinct volcanic cones covered with grass and lush greenery all year round. Tortuga Bay: The path is good for bird watching, it is easy to spot several species of finches as you walk along the path. The sunsets here are excellent. The west cove offers a nice snorkeling and swimming area and a nice spot for relaxing. The white sand beach is considered by many the nicest of the archipelago. It name comes from the sea turtles that go there to lay their eggs. Other species can be found, including pelicans, flamingos and marine iguanas. ESPAÑOLA ISLAND: Gardner Bay: Located on the northeastern coast of Hood, Gardner Bay provides an excellent beach for relaxing, swimming and an opportunity to observe sea lions. Here we can also observe sharks on the crystalline waters of the ocean Punta Suarez: This rocky point of land sustains one of the most impressive and varied colonies of sea birds in the Galapagos. Along its southern shore, high cliffs rise up from the sea affording the visitor spectacular views of soaring birds and of the blow whole, where water spouts up to 50-75 feet into the air according to the intensity of the surf. SANTA FE ISLAND Santa Fe, also called Barrington Island; it is located in the central part of the Galapagos archipelago. It is one of the oldest Galapagos Islands, ages of its lavas range from 750,000 to nearly 3 million years. The lavas are similar in some respects’ to the Platform Series lavas of neighboring Santa Cruz. Santa Fe is also one of the few islands that is not volcanically active. Its maximum elevation is only about 200 m. There have, however, been unconfirmed reports of fumaroles on the island. The present island represents only a part of a larger volcanic edifice, the west coast is defined by a fault along which the western have of the volcano has been down-thrown. After volcanic activity ended (and probably only recently in a geologic sense), Santa Fe has been cut by a series of east-west faults that have produced a series of horst and grabens. There is no fresh water on the island so it has been relatively undisturbed by human activity and feral animals. Among the unique species that can be seen there are the Santa Fe land iguana and Galapagos snake (whose bite is mildly poisonous). PLAZAS ISLAND: These are two small islets that were uplifted a short distance from the East Coast of Santa Cruz. The unusual vegetation and location of the island create an interesting landscape in which the fauna and flora of Galapagos are enhanced. Moreover despite its small size, some of the most interesting and outstanding species of the archipelago occur here. It is possible to guarantee the observation of land iguanas that often are in the shade of a cactus. Nesting on the rugged southern cliffs, are usually swallow –tailed gulls, which seen along with various other sea birds. The protected rocky seashore is a prime habitat for a large colony of noisy sea lions. The principal attraction of Plazas is the land iguanas, the sea lions and the swallow – tailed gulls. Also we can see yellow – tailed mullets, Audubon’s shearwaters, red-billed tropicbirds, frigate birds, and brown pelicans gliding past the cliff. NORTH SEYMOUR North Seymour is an uplifted (as opposed to volcanic) island and so is generally flat and strewn with boulders. There are good nesting sites here for a large population of magnificent frigate birds. Blue-footed boobies perform their courtship dance in the more open areas and swallow-tailed gulls perch on the cliff edges. Despite the tremendous surf that can pound the outer shore, sea lions haul out onto the beach and can be found bodysurfing.
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