Galapagos Circumnavigation

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 the knowledgeable guides and taken on a 10-minute bus ride to the pier to board the M/V Galapagos Legend.

Reach the north coast of Santa Cruz Island by boat to explore a mangrove-lined lagoon with four distinct species. Watch turtles surface for air as fish and rays swim below. Spot white-tipped reef sharks under the vessel and look for seabirds such as pelicans, herons, and egrets. This protected area serves as a designated turtle sanctuary.
Difficulty Level: Low
Type of terrain: None
Duration: 1 hour dinghy ride
Landing: None

See the diverse marine life sheltering in the cracks of the lava cliffs. Watch Red-billed Tropicbirds overhead and look for a small group of fur seals near the landing area. Step onto a steep rock stairway leading to a trail through a nesting colony of Nazca and Red-footed Boobies.
Difficulty Level: Medium
Type of terrain: Rocky - lava
Duration: 1 hour dinghy ride
Landing: Dry

Land on a sandy beach inside the flooded caldera of Tower Island. Spot swallow-tailed gulls along the shore and follow the trail to see nesting red-footed boobies and great frigatebirds.
Difficulty Level: Medium
Type of terrain: Sandy
Duration: 45 min kayaking, 1 hour 15 min hike, 45 min glass bottom boat or, 1 hour deep or beach snorkeling.
Landing: Wet

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, spend time watching birds like frigatebirds, flocks of Galapagos shearwaters, and of particular note, flights of displaying red-billed tropicbirds.
Difficulty Level: Medium
Type of terrain: Rocky
Duration: 2 hours hike
Landing: Dry

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 on a sandy beach, spend time watching the abundant sea lions there with you. Begin a walk past a forest of island-endemic giant Opuntia cacti, and you can watch the Santa Fe land Iguana.
Difficulty Level: Medium
Type of terrain: Rocky
Duration: 30 min kayaking, 1 hour 45 min hike, 1 hour deep snorkeling, 45 min glass-bottom boat.
Landing: Wet

In the central highlands of Santa Cruz Island, you have our 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.

Charles Darwin Research Station
Visit the Station where the Galapagos giant tortoise breeding program takes place as part of our efforts to preserve the fragile Galapagos environment.
Difficulty level: Low
Type of terrain: flat & muddy (depending on the season)
Duration: 1 ½ hour walk, 1 hour visit 
Landing:  Dry

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 favorite nesting sites for green turtles, which often leave tractor-like tracks in the sand.
Landing: Wet

Walk along Egas Port’s black volcanic sand, shaped by the island’s rugged shoreline. Look for wildlife that lives between land and sea, including a small colony of Galapagos fur seals near the end of the trail.
Difficulty Level: Medium
Type of terrain: Flat / Semi-rocky
Duration: 1 ½ hour walk or 1 hour snorkeling
Landing: Wet

On Rabida Island, step onto a distinctive red-sand beach at the center of the archipelago. See sea lions along the shore and search for mockingbirds, finches, Galapagos doves, and vermilion flycatchers. Follow a path through palo santo trees and cactus stands to reach a viewpoint overlooking the bay.
Difficulty Level: Medium
Type of terrain: Flat / Semi-rocky
Duration: 1 ½ hour walk, 1 hour snorkeling, 30 min kayaking, or 30 min glass-bottom boat
Landing: Wet

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: Medium
Type of terrain: Flat / Semi-rocky
Duration: 1 ½ hour walk, 1 hour snorkeling
Landing: Wet

Tagus Cove, a historic pirate hideout and anchorage. Visited by Charles Darwin and the HMS Beagle in 1835. Hike past Darwin Lake and the stunning volcanic landscape, revealing Isabela Island's dramatic northern volcanoes. Snorkel along a submerged wall with turtles, fish, penguins, and flightless cormorants. Enjoy a panga ride or kayak for added excitement!
Difficulty Level: Medium, High
Type of terrain: Steep
Duration: 2-hour hike, 1 hour snorkeling, 30 min kayaking, or 30 min glass-bottom boat
Landing: Dry

Pristine Fernandina, the marine iguana capital. Its desolate volcanic backdrop hosts a massive concentration of these enigmatic reptiles. Surprisingly, Galapagos penguins share the same shoreline. Snorkeling offers an exciting opportunity to witness marine iguanas feeding underwater, alongside penguins, turtles, and unique flightless cormorants.
Difficulty Level: Medium
Type of terrain: Flat / Semi-rocky
Duration: 1 ½ hour hike, 1 hour snorkeling, 30 min glass-bottom boat
Landing: Dry

Spectacular site, surrounded by immense cliffs of an eroded volcano. Studded with resting seabirds like brown noddies and Nazca boobies. Superb snorkeling with unique fish species. Swim with penguins and green turtles.
Difficulty Level: Medium
Type of terrain: Flat / Semi-rocky
Duration: 1 hour snorkeling, 30 min Dinghy Ride
Landing: None

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: Low
Type of terrain: Flat & muddy (depending on the season)
Duration: 1 ½ hour walk
Landing: Dry

This flat, uplifting island is an important spot to see both magnificent and great frigatebird males courting the females, and you will also likely see courting blue-footed boobies, too. Sea lions, swallow-tailed gulls, crashing surf, and distant views of the Daphne Islands top off a great visit.
Difficulty level: Medium
Type of terrain: Rocky & Sandy
Duration: 1 hour 45 min hike, 1 hour glass-bottom, or  1 hour deep snorkeling  
Landing: Dry

Considered the most iconic landscape of the entire archipelago, the view from the top of Bartolome Island, overlooking the famous Pinnacle Rock and the austere Santiago Island, the subsequent snorkel here might put us face to face with Galapagos penguins, whitetipped reef sharks, and playful sea lions.
Difficulty level: Medium
Type of terrain: Wooden path of 372 stairs
Duration: 45 min hike, 45 min beach snorkeling, or 45 min glass-bottom boat  
Landing: Dry

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 pioneering plants such as the tiny Mollugo will be discussed as we hike over the lava.
Difficulty level: Medium
Type of terrain: Flat volcanic lava
Duration: 1 ½ hour walk, 1 hour snorkeling, 1 hour beach time or  glass-bottom boat  
Landing: Dry

This is the only place on the islands where you will enjoy the chance to see all three of the booby species in the same place. The red-foots will be perched on the Cordia lutea and small trees, the Nazcas on the ground near the cliff edge, while the blue-foots will be a little further inland. Frigatebirds will be all around, and the views are breathtaking.
Difficulty level: Medium
Type of terrain: Rocky
Duration: 2-hour hike,  45-minute kayaking, 45-minute glass-bottom boat or 1 hour beach snorkeling    
Landing:  Wet

From your dinghy ride, as you head to shore, you are first humbled by the immensity of the stunning cliffs of the Sorcerer's Hill. You can enjoy simply sharing the beach with sea lions, snorkeling from shore, or taking a walk to a hidden lagoon where you might spot black-necked stilts, ruddy turnstones, whimbrels, and white-cheeked pintails.
Difficulty level: Low
Type of terrain: Sandy
Duration: 1 hour walk, 45 min glass-bottom boat, 45 min kayaking, 1 ½ hour beach snorkeling

In the moist highlands of San Cristobal, we will visit the giant tortoise breeding center “La Galapaguera” to witness the most iconic creature of the archipelago in its various life stages. The aim of the reserve is to help restore populations of the threatened San Cristobal tortoise back into the wild. In town, there are shops to purchase local handicrafts and souvenirs.
Difficulty level: Medium
Type of terrain: Sandy
Duration: 1 hour 15 min visit, 1 ½ hour bus ride round-trip  
Landing: Dry

The interpretation center is full of interesting information and offers the perfect overview of the formation of the Galapagos. Following a hike to Frigatebird Hill (Cerro Tijeretas) you will have a great look at both species of frigatebirds, with the bonus of a beautiful view of the bay below.
Difficulty level: Low / High
Type of terrain: Flat path / Rocky 
Duration: 1 hour hike, 1 hour walk   
Landing: Dry

One of the most stunning beaches in all of the Galapagos. The long, white, sandy beach, lapped by turquoise waters, is home to a colony of Galapagos sea lions. Hood mockingbirds, endemic to this particular island. You can also snorkel here from the beach, in the shallows of the bay.
Difficulty level: Low
Type of terrain: Sandy
Duration: 1 hour hike, 30 min kayaking, 30 min Glass-bottom boat, 1 hour 45 min beach or deep snorkeling   
Landing: Wet

Punta Suarez is a naturalist´s paradise. The oldest extant island in the archipelago is your only opportunity to commune with the endemic wave albatross during their breeding season between April and December. With luck, you can watch their complex courtship display.
Difficulty level: High
Type of terrain: Rocky 
Duration: 2 hours 15min hike   
Landing: Dry

The famous Post Office Barrel. Claimed to have been first set up in 1793 by Captain James Colnett. The system involved whalers and fur sealers who would leave addressed letters in the barrel to be picked up by homeward-bound colleagues. Actually, visitors often take letters and hand-deliver them to their home countries.
Difficulty level: Medium
Type of terrain: Rocky
Duration: 1 hour 15 min hike, 1 hour beach snorkeling   
Landing: Wet

Your walk takes you to a large, shallow lagoon, often inhabited by a variable number of shockingly pink greater flamingos. Arrive at a powdery white beach, a nesting area for green turtles. Devil’s Crown is one of the favorite snorkeling sites on the islands..
Difficulty level: Low
Type of terrain: Sandy & flat 
Duration: 1 hour 45 min hike, 45 min glass-bottom or  45 min deep or beach snorkeling   
Landing: Dry

Arriving at a small lava dock, our first encounter is with marine iguanas that blend in perfectly with the dark rock. As you walk past a large prickly pear cactus, you arrive at one end of a long, sickle-shaped beach with Dragon Hill standing in the distance. Your walk takes you on a circular path, past a shallow lake where flamingoes frequently come to feed.
Difficulty level: Medium
Type of terrain: Rocky
Duration: 45 min walk, 1 hour 15 min snorkeling  
Landing: Dry

This tiny, low-lying islet, converted into coral sand, is set between the north and south Seymour Islands. It's home to a group of sea lions that come to laze on the soft white sand, it's an excellent spot to observe shorebirds, herons, lava gulls, and boobies. Snorkeling or diving here, one can often see sharks, rays, and barracudas.
Difficulty level: Low
Type of terrain: Sandy
Duration: 1 ½ hour walk 1 hour snorkeling or, 1 hour beach time
Landing: Wet

In the Galapagos mountains, admire diverse bird species like finches, flycatchers, crakes, warblers, and egrets (often perched on tortoises' shells). The journey to the reserve showcases the island's contrasting ecosystems, from coastal areas to dense humid forests. Look out for Galapagos Giant tortoises wandering through pastures. This spot is a haven for birdwatchers, as it hosts a wide range of land birds that reside or migrate
Difficulty level: Low
Type of terrain: flat & muddy, depending on the season
Duration: 1 ½ hour walk, 45 min drive  
Landing: Dry

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