Islands Circumnavigation - East

After landing at San Cristobal Airport, meet the crew for assistance and transfer directly to the M/C Grand Ocean Spray.

Head to Lobos Island, named for the large population of sea lions along its rocky coast. Watch them resting or swimming while you also spot pelicans, nesting frigatebirds, and yellow warblers. In the channel’s clear waters, look for sea turtles, stingrays, white-tipped reef sharks, and schools of tropical fish during your excursion.
Activities: Short walking, snorkeling, dinghy ride
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Landing: Dry landing
Possible Wildlife: Sea lions, various shorebirds, sally lightfoot crabs, frigate birds, Galapagos sharks, schools of tropical fish, and stingrays.

Kicker Rock stands as one of the most striking landmarks in the Galapagos. Two eroded volcanic cones rise about 104 meters above the sea in open water. The cliffs serve as nesting areas for seabirds, and the formation is a prime location for photography as your vessel navigates around the rock.
Activities: Circumnavigation
Type of landing: No landing

At Pitt Point, step onto a landscape shaped by volcanic activity that looks almost otherworldly. Follow the trail uphill to reach viewpoints overlooking the coastline and open sea. Along the path, watch for blue-footed boobies nesting on the ground and red-footed boobies perched in the trees near the top.
Activities: Waking, snorkeling, kayaking, dinghy ride
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
Landing: Wet landing
Possible Wildlife: Sea lions, various shorebirds, sally lightfoot crabs, Nazca boobies, blue-footed boobies, red-footed boobies.

Witch Hill features eroded cliffs and rocky formations along its shoreline, best seen during a panga ride. Afterward, step onto a wide stretch of white sand beach bordered by clear turquoise water, an ideal place to walk or relax.
Activities: Walking, snorkeling, kayaking, dinghy ride
Difficulty: Easy
Landing: Wet landing
Possible Wildlife: sea lions, various shore birds, finches, mockingbirds, tropical fish, and different crabs from the Sally lightfoot.

Ask the Cruise Manager for one of your complimentary postcards to write a message and address it at home. Leave it in the barrel used before by pirates and sailors. While you are there, see if there are any other postcards you can take home with you to send to fellow travelers who have already left their messages!
Activities: Walking, snorkeling
Difficulty: Easy
Landing: Wet landing
Possible Wildlife: frigatebirds, sea lions, sea turtles, various shorebirds and seabirds, and marine life.

Cormorant is an interesting visitor site. Two beaches can be visited here; just beyond the first beach is a saltwater lagoon with flamingos. One of the beaches looks green because of the olivine crystals, and the other is appropriately called Flour Beach because of the powdery white sand, made from fine, pulverized coral. Watch your feet if wading in the water; stingrays love to hang out here as well.

Devil’s Crown boasts one of the finest snorkeling opportunities. Below the surface are amazing volcanic structures that have submerged over time. Hundreds of colorful fish species can be seen along the reef, along with sharks, rays, sea turtles, and sea lions. It’s a beautiful underwater spectacle that cannot be missed.
Activities: Walking, snorkeling, dinghy ride
Difficulty: Snorkeling - Moderate to difficult / Walking – easy
Landing: Wet landing
Possible Wildlife: frigatebirds, sea lions, sea turtles, Galapagos sharks, white-tipped sharks, tropical fish, various shorebirds and seabirds, and varied marine life.

Black Turtle Cove is located on the north side of Santa Cruz Island. This shallow inlet is surrounded by mangroves and provides natural protection for a variety of marine life, attracting the vulnerable juveniles of many species. Below the surface of the water, you can see both black-tip and white-tip reef sharks, sea turtles, golden cow-nose rays, and spotted eagle rays. Pelicans and blue-footed boobies hunt here, diving gracefully into the water.
Activities: Dinghy ride
Difficulty: Easy
Landing: No Landing
Possible Wildlife: White-tipped sharks, rays, sea turtles, sea lions, and various shorebirds.

Pinnacle Rock is a volcanic cone formed by magma expelled by an underwater volcano. The sea cooled the hot lava, and as it exploded from contact, the pieces formed together this huge rock of many, many layers of basalt. The huge rock also has a beach where a small population of green sea turtles will nest during the breeding season. Galapagos penguins gather here, and swimming can offer beautiful sights of colorful schools of fish and curious sea lions.
Activities: Walking, snorkeling, dinghy ride
Difficulty: Moderate
Landing: Wet Landing
Possible Wildlife: Galapagos penguins, sally lightfoot crabs, sea lions, rays, sea turtles, sharks, various tropical fish, and various shore birds.

Darwin Bay used to be a shield volcano; now you can see where one of the sides of its caldera collapsed after hundreds of years of erosion. It is known for the wide variety of birds that can be seen. Over 20,000 red-footed boobies are estimated to call this island home, within the trees and bushes of Genovesa Island.
Activities: Walking, snorkeling, kayaking, dinghy ride
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Landing: Wet Landing
Possible Wildlife: Red-footed boobies, blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, finches, various shorebirds, rays, tropical fish species, marine iguanas, and sea lions.

In English, this visitor site is also known as Prince Phillip’s Steps. It leads to a rocky path up a cliff that rewards guests with a remarkable view. It is also home to a Palo Santo forest that is home to the nesting red-footed boobies and other shorebirds.
Activities: Walking, snorkeling, kayaking, dinghy ride
Difficulty: Moderate
Landing: Dry Landing
Possible Wildlife: Red-footed boobies, storm petrels, Galapagos doves, short-eared owls, sea turtles, rays, sharks, sea lions, marine iguanas.

As the second Island, Charles Darwin discovered, it was originally named after King James of England. Buccaneer Cove is an excellent opportunity for snorkeling and was once a refuge for passing sailors and pirates. The underwater formations provide an amazing home for the many different tropical species of fish that can be found here.
Activities: Walking, snorkeling, kayaking, dinghy ride
Difficulty: Easy
Landing: Wet Landing
Possible Wildlife: Marine iguanas, sea lions, various shorebirds, tropical fish species, rays, sea turtles, sally lightfoot crabs.

Egas port is also known as James Bay, home to quick-footed Galapagos lava lizards. There are grottos and tide pools housing all kinds of different marine species. This is also one of the best snorkeling sites in the Galapagos.
Activities: Walking, snorkeling
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Landing: Wet Landing
Possible Wildlife: Fur sea lions, Galapagos hawks, oyster-catchers, marine iguanas, finches, sharks, sea turtles, tropical fish.

The island was named after the English nobleman Lord Hugh Seymour. Formed by uplifted submarine lava, the island is home to a huge colony of about 2,500 land iguanas and large populations of sea lions, blue-footed boobies, common noddies, and frigatebirds. Along the coast, it is possible to see land and marine iguanas and the biggest colony of Magnificent Frigatebirds.
Activities: Walking, snorkeling, dinghy ride
Difficulty: Moderate/Difficult
Landing: Dry Landing
Possible Wildlife: Land and marine iguanas, frigate birds, blue-footed boobies, common noddies, sea lions.

On the highlands of Santa Cruz, you’ll have the opportunity to see the famous giant tortoises in the wild. So renowned are these endemic animals that they gave the archipelago its name. Birdwatching is also one of the activities done in the Santa Cruz highlands, since this area is home of finches and other Galapagos birds.
 
After the visit to the highlands, continue to the famous Charles Darwin Research Station that provides guests with a unique opportunity to find out about the vital work that is being carried out to preserve the archipelago’s ecosystems.  The Research Center is also home to a significant breeding program for Galapagos tortoises, whose numbers have been in decline since the 1970s.  These captivating reptiles are very accustomed to humans, so be sure to bring your camera for some close-ups. 
Activities: Walking
Difficulty: Moderate
Landing: Dry Landing
Possible Wildlife: Wild Galapagos Tortoises, various shorebirds, and lava lizards.

This visitor site is located between the islands of Baltra and North Seymour. It is a reef of rocks and coral (the result of an uprising) and a great white sand beach. Its narrowest width reaches about 160 meters and has an estimated length of 600 meters. In most of the perimeter, there is a base of lava rocks, as evidence of the lava uprising, except on the southwest side where the landing occurs. This island has one of the largest populations of sea lions. You can also observe several species of shorebirds. There have been occasional reports at this site of Orcas (Orcinus orca) feeding on sea lions.
Activities: Short walk, snorkeling
Difficulty: Easy
Landing: Wet Landing
Possible Wildlife: Sea lions, various shorebirds, frigate birds, sally lightfoot crabs.

After this last visit, transfer to Baltra airport for your return flight to mainland Ecuador. Assistance and farewell at the airport.