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Sea Lion resting on Red Sesuvium

Galapagos Western Islands

Example 8 Day Cruise aboard Corals
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Prepare for a unique 8-day cruise uncovering the natural wonders of the western islands of the Galapagos and experience a unique blend of activities that makes this the most memorable vacation of your life. Understand the island's incredible history, encounter an abundance of unique wildlife, and enjoy daily land and sea opportunities to explore this marvelous environment. 
Beach on Isabela islandBlue-footed booby mating danceKicker rockSwimming sea turtleSea Lion resting on Red Sesuvium
Highlights
  • Discover Vicente Roca Point, one of the richest marine ecosystems on Earth
  • Take a dinghy ride along the coast of Isabela & admire the beautiful scenery
  • Explore the volcanic, black sand beach of Urbina Bay
  • Enjoy Santa Fe´s white beach and find yourself surrounded by sea lions
Activity Level: Relaxed
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Full Itinerary

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Day 1: Baltra | Embark | Black Turtle Cove, Santa Cruz

  • Ship
  • 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Departing from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra Island (2½-hour flight). Arriving in the Galapagos, passengers are picked up at the airport by naturist guides and taken in a ten-minute bus drive to the pier to board the M/Y Coral I or M/Y Coral II.

Dry landing. In the central highlands of Santa Cruz Island you have your best opportunity to interact at close quarters with totally wild, Galapagos giant tortoises. A short walk among these huge, 600lb, reptiles will also offer the chance for more highland species, especially several species of the famed finches.
Difficulty level: easy
Type of terrain: flat & muddy (depending on season)
Activities: 45-minute drive / 1:30-hour walk

Day 2: Vicente Roca Point, Isabela | Espinosa Point, Fernandina

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
This is a spectacular visitor site, surrounded by immense cliffs of the eroded volcano. Studded with resting sea birds such as brown noddies and Nazca boobies, you will enjoy them in close proximity from your dinghies. Snorkeling here is superb, with certain species of fish only found in the west of the archipelago. You also have a very real chance of swimming with penguins and potentially a plethora of green turtles.
Difficulty level: moderate
Type of terrain: water
Activities: 1-hour snorkeling / 1-hour dinghy ride

Dry landing. The youngest island of Galapagos and one of the most pristine in the world. Fernandina is simply the ‘marine iguana capital of the world´, This desolate volcanic backdrop is home to a huge concentration of these enigmatic reptiles. Incongruously, sharing the same shoreline, you can find the diminutive Galapagos penguins. Here you also have the exciting opportunity to snorkel with marine iguanas feeding underwater, penguins, turtles and the bizarre, endemic, flightless cormorants.
Difficulty level: moderate
Type of terrain: rocky
Activities: 2-hour walk / 1-hour snorkeling

Day 3: Urbina Bay | Tagus Cove, Isabela

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Wet landing. At the far end of a long, level hike you arrive at a strange phenomenon where large blocks of coral lie completely exposed after a dramatic geological uplift in 1954. Located at the western base of Alcedo Volcano you hope to run into a few very impressive land iguanas as well as some of the volcano´s endemic Galapagos giant tortoises during the wet season.
Difficulty level: moderate
Type of terrain: flat & rocky
Activities: 1:30-hour walk / 1-hour snorkeling

Dry landing. A well-known hideout and deep-water anchorage in the days of pirates, Tagus Cove was also one of the few sites visited by Charles Darwin and the HMS Beagle in 1835. A beautiful hike leads us past an overview of Darwin Lake and on to a stunning volcanic landscape revealing Isabela island´s dramatic northern volcanoes. Once back at sea level the perfect activity is to snorkel along a submerged wall with turtles, lots of fish, penguins and potentially flightless cormorants. You might even be tempted by a dinghy ride or kayak!
Difficulty level: moderate/difficult
Type of terrain: steep
Activities: 2-hour walk / 40-minutes dinghy ride / 1-hour deep water snorkeling

Day 4: Egas Port | Sullivan Bay, Santiago

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Wet landing. The black volcanic sand sets this landing apart from most. It is best known for the dramatic shoreline where you meet a host of species that chose to live between land and sea. Particular among these are the endemic Galapagos fur seals which maintain a small colony at the end of your walk. Other species of note include American oystercatchers, sea lions, waders, herons, lava lizards and even Galapagos hawks. An optional visit takes you to an abandoned salt mine famous in its day for supplying salt to mainland Ecuador.
Difficulty level: moderate
Type of terrain: flat & semi-rocky
Activities: 1:30-hour walk / 1-hour snorkeling

Wet landing. Although, when viewed from the sea, the site does not look especially interesting visitors are always totally enthralled by the amazing beds of pahoehoe lava from the recent flow on the island. It is a landscape and macro photographer´s dream. The importance of pioneer plants such as the tiny Mollugo will be discussed as you hike over the lava. After your land visit you can enjoy a refreshing snorkel in the company of sea lions, turtles and rays.
Difficulty level: demanding
Type of terrain: flat volcanic lava
Activities: 1:30-hour walk / 1-hour snorkeling / beach time

Day 5: Bachas Beach | Pit Craters | North Seymour

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Named for some wrecked World War II barges whose ribs are still visible in the sand this visitor site offers great swimming, a lovely walk along the shore and a visit to a lagoon behind the high tide line with wading birds, marine iguanas and sometimes even flamingoes. The two beaches are also favourite nesting sites for green turtles which often leave tractor-like tracks in the sand.
Difficulty level: easy
Type of terrain: sandy
Duration: 1-hour walk / 1-hour snorkeling/ beach time

The Pit Craters, geologically speaking, were not directly formed by volcanic action. They were created as a result of the collapse or sinking of surface materials into cracks or manholes. It’s a great place to spot vermilion fly catchers as we walk inside an endemic Scalesia forest. Great opportunity to observe giant tortoises.
Type of Terrain: Flat, sometimes the trails can be muddy.
Difficulty level: Easy
Duration: 45-minutes drive / 1 1⁄2-hour hike

This flat, uplifted, island is an important spot to see both magnificent and great frigatebird males courting the females by clicking, bill-clapping, shuddering and flapping their wings, all while showing off their grossly inflated, bright red, gular pouch. You will also likely see courting blue-footed boobies displaying their unique feet while ëdancingí to a prospective mate. Sea lions, swallow-tailed gulls, crashing surf and distant views of the Daphne Islands top off a great visit.
Difficulty level: intermediate
Type of terrain: rocky ground
Duration: 2-hour walk / 30-minute snorkeling

Day 6: Charles Darwin Research Station & Fausto Llerena Breeding Center | El Chato | Mosquera

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Dry Landing. You visit the Charles Darwin Station and Fausto Llerena Breeding Center where the Galapagos giant tortoise breeding program takes place as part of your efforts to preserve the fragile Galapagos environment and where the famous Lonesome George (the last surviving specimen of his species) lived for decades. Here you will be able to see tortoises through all their stages including hatchings, juveniles, and full-grown individuals. The breeding project began in the 1970’s and has been an incredible success in helping  repopulate the Galapagos Giant Tortoise population. Out of the eleven species that were once considered to be endangered species 10 subspecies of Galapagos Tortoise have been brought up to guarded levels. The most successful story is the one of the Espanola Tortoises. When the program began, it consisted of a total population of 3 males and 11 females. As of 2008, these 13 tortoises are the parents of over 1000 young tortoises that now roam free on Espanola. The Darwin Station also works providing environmental education to communities and  schools within the islands and to tourists visiting the Galapagos Islands.
Difficulty level: easy
Type of terrain: flat 
Activities: 1:30-hour walk

Wet Landing, Mosquera Islet is a tectonic uplift of sands, coral reefs and rocks, located between North Seymour and Baltra Islands. This flat 0.022 mi (0.06 km) white sand island has one of the largest colonies of sea lions. Because of this, there are occasional reports of killer whales seen around this islet. It is also an excellent site for observing shorebirds such as herons and Lava Gulls. You can also spot marine iguanas, blue footed boobies and sally light food crabs. There is no trail on Mosquera Island, so any visitor can enjoy an open area. Most of the islet is covered with sand and barren lava rock. Very little Sesuvium Portulacastrum (Sea purslane) grows on the sand. It is a fun snorkeling site, just swimming off of the beach. There’s a good chance snorkelers will be joined by one or several of the numerous sea lions who live at this Island, specially the playful young ones. An easily accessed scuba diving site, Mosquera’s maximum depth for this dive site is 30m and currents are generally mild. This site is famous for the sea lions that come and play during the dive. Sharks, turtles, rays, barracudas and tropical fish are common in this area.
Difficulty level: easy 
Type of terrain: sandy 
Activities: 1:30-hour walk & snorkeling

Day 7: Santa Fe | South Plaza

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Dry landing. There are two Plaza Islets (north and south) located east of Santa Cruz Island. On the northern part of the Islet, visitors begin the journey along an impressive cactus forest were colorful yellow and red land iguanas live, the population number is around 300 animals; during the dry season they survive on fruits and flowers of the opuntia cacti. A peculiar thing to see in South Plaza is the hybrid iguana (sea and land). When reaching the highest point, tropicbirds can be seen. During the dry season (June – January) the usually greenish and yellowish vegetation change of color creating a bright red landscape (Sesuvium edmonstonei plant).
Difficulty level: intermediate
Type of terrain: rocky 
Activities: 2-hour walk

Wet landing. Santa Fe shows white sand beaches surrounded by sea lion colonies; through the island path, an endemic cactus forest is passed, home the Santa Fe land iguanas (the largest in the islands). This island is the habitat for a number of species, including the Galapagos hawk, Galapagos snakes, rice rats (one of the few endemic Galapagos rodents), a variety of finches and one of the four mockingbird species of the archipelago.
Difficulty level: intermediate
Type of terrain: rocky 
Activities: 1:30-hour walk / 1-hour deep-water snorkeling

Day 8: Lobos Island | Disembark | San Cristobal Airport

Dry Landing: Isla Lobos is approximately 20 minutes by boat from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Once on the island, the trail is about 850 meters and there will be rocky trail and a nice & easy sand trail too. There is a small population of blue-footed boobies and great frigatebirds nests at this site. You can also find a colony of sea lions. During the boat ride, you can see brown pelicans and several species of shorebirds.
Difficulty level: moderate 
Type of Terrain: rocky terrain - sandy 
Activities: 1:30-hour walk
  
After your visit, transfer to San Cristobal Airport for your return flight to Guayaquil or Quito.

Ship/Hotel

Corals

Corals during the sunset
Restaurant
Sun Deck

Dates & Prices

My Preferred Start Date

Per person starting at
$3,797
Standard Cabin
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Standard Cabin
Two on Coral I and one on Coral II. Portholes, located on the Sea Deck. Average area of 75 sq ft.
Standard Plus Cabin
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Standard Plus Cabin
Eight on Coral I and four on Coral II. Portholes, located on the Sea Deck. Average size 128 sq ft.
Junior Cabin
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Junior Cabin
Eight on Coral I and seven on Coral II. Picture windows, located on Earth & Sky Decks. Average size 129 sq ft.

Child Discount

Children under 12 years old receive a 50% discount (25% for holiday season) when sharing a cabin with two full-fare paying guests. 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
  • 7 Breakfasts, 7 Lunches, 7 Dinners
  • 7 Nights Accommodations
  • Accommodations as listed
  • Ground transportation as listed
  • Activities as listed
  • Meals as listed
  • Gear Rental: Snorkeling Gear
  • Bilingual Naturalist Guide 
  • Adventure Life Pre-departure Services and In-Country Assistance (Quito Representative)
  • Transfers and Baggage Handling in the Galapagos
  • Shore Excursions, Swimming, Snorkeling and Glass Bottom Boat
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: $100 per adult, $50 per child under 12
  • Internal Flights: Mainland Ecuador - Galapagos - Mainland Ecuador: $475-675
  • Wetsuits are not included but are available to rent on board - $25 for 4-day and 5-day tours, $50 for 8-day, 11-day, and 12 day tours, and $75 for 15-day tours. 
  • Kayak available for $30/use

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Our guide and driver were very good with their knowledge and were very helpful with our questions. It was a very pleasant visit that would have been impossible to do on our own. Hotels and restaurants were fantastic. The special places we got to go to, like the kitchens, were great. Enjoyed the entire trip!
Meyer Smolen
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