North & Central Islands

Departing from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra Island in a 2:30 hour flight.  Upon arrival in the Galapagos, passengers are picked up at the airport by our Natural Guides and taken to a 10-minute bus drive to the pier to board the M/V Galapagos Legend.

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.
Highlights: Giant tortoises, tree & ground Darwin finches.
Disembarking: dry landing    
Physical Condition: low
Type of terrain: flat & muddy
Activities: 1 hour 30 min bus ride / 1 hour 30 min visit
 

Riding your dinghy to the far side of the caldera, red-billed tropicbirds display vociferously overhead while Galapagos fur seals can be seen on the shoreline. Once at the top of the rocky stairway you are immediately met by Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies, mockingbirds and finches that line your way through a Palo Santo forest until you arrive at an expansive open lava field. Wedge-rumped storm petrels swarm above the lava where you keep your eyes peeled for short-eared owls.
Highlights: Dried lava field, red-footed bobbies, short-eared ow, Nazca boobies’ nesting site.
Disembarking: dry landing
Physical Condition: medium
Type of terrain: rocky
Activities: 2-hour hike / 45-min dinghy ride

From within the flooded caldera of Tower Island you set foot onto a sandy beach to be greeted by swallow-tailed gulls often said to be the most beautiful gull in the world. Your short, flat, trail leads you past stands of mangroves and saltbush on which you have your best possible looks at nesting red-footed boobies and great frigatebirds. At the tidal lagoon you may also see the rarest gull in the world, our very own, endemic lava gull.
Highlights: Sandy coral beach, swallow-tailed and lava gulls, mockingbirds, yellow-crowned night herons.
Disembarking: wet landing
Physical Condition: low
Type of terrain: sandy
Activities:  45 min kayaking / 45 min glass-bottom boat or 1-hour deep or beach snorkeling / 
1 hour 15 min hike

Sea lions, swallow-tailed gulls and land iguanas are all present at the landing site. The small island is covered with a carpet of a red succulent studded with Opuntia cacti. At the cliff edge, you spend time watching birds fly past at eye level in the up draught. These include, frigatebirds, flocks of Galapagos shearwaters and of particular note, flights of displaying red-billed tropicbirds. Back at sea level, you once again encounter land iguanas, some of which have hybridized with their resident marine cousins.
Highlights: Large colony of sea lions, endemic cactus forest, land & marine iguanas, Nazca & blue-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls.
Disembarking: dry landing
Physical Condition: medium
Type of terrain: rocky
Activities: 2 hour 15 min hike

After a fabulous snorkel in the turquoise waters of the protected bay you may have enjoyed time with sea lions, turtles, reef sharks and spotted eagle rays. Landing onto a sandy beach you are immediately distracted by the abundant sea lions there with you. You begin a walk past a forest of island-endemic giant Opuntia cacti. Here you search for another island-endemic the Santa Fe land iguana, paler than its cousins on other islands. Galapagos hawks and even endemic rice rats are also things to look out for.
Highlights: Endemic Santa Fe land iguana, Galapagos hawk, mockingbirds, sea lions.
Disembarking: wet landing
Physical Condition: medium
Type of terrain: rocky
Activities:  30 min glass-bottom boat ride / 45 min kayaking / 1-hour hike / 1-hour deep snorkeling

Named for some wrecked World War II barges whose ribs are still visible in the sand this visitor site offers 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 favorite nesting sites for green turtles which often leave tractor-like tracks in the sand.
Highlights: One of the main nesting sites of sea turtles, flamingoes, snorkeling to see sharks, rays.
Disembarking: wet landing
Physical condition: low
Type of terrain: sandy
Activities: 1-hour hike / beach time    

After the visit, passengers will be transferred to Baltra airport for their return flight to Guayaquil or Quito.