Arrive in either Quito or Guayaquil, Ecuador, where you will be met and transferred to your local hotel*. Quito is located in a huge valley of the Andes Mountains at an altitude of 9,455 feet; it’s a great place to extend your stay to explore the city or the surrounding volcanic mountain range. Guayaquil is Ecuador’s largest city, and with its low elevation and more coastal location, it is an ideal point from which to fly to Galapagos. Stay at a local inn in Quito or Guayaquil for two nights. (*Hotel/city tour package is not included in cruise rate.)

Quito city tour: Stroll down cobblestone streets and through flowering plazas; visit the old colonial center of Independence Square, the elegant cathedrals of San Francisco, La Compañía and San Agustín, Quito’s oldest monastery; drive through the residential section and past the Legislative Palace (Congress); Panecillo Hill overlooks the city and snow-capped mountains. The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure to explore or relax.
Guayaquil city tour: Your first stop is Malecon 2000, an 80-million-dollar riverside complex built along a two-mile stretch of the Guayas River. The waterfront boardwalk features a myriad of restaurants, cafes and shops, and museums with art exhibitions as well as free weekend jazz and classical music concerts. Drive through the colorful streets of Guayaquil, one of Ecuador’s most important port cities. Visit the Public Market, the waterfront and the docks, and Simon Bolivar Park, which is famous for its tree iguanas; admire the watchtower, La Rotonda, Old Santa Ana Fort, and Las Penas, a charming colonial section of town that is occupied by artists. The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure to explore or relax.

Today you will fly from Quito via Guayaquil to San Baltra Island (2.5 hours from Quito, or about 1.5 hours from Guayaquil). Upon arrival at Baltra airport, you will pass through an inspection point to ensure that no foreign plants or animals are introduced to the islands, then your guide will meet you and escort you on the short bus ride to the harbor. Motorized rafts called pangas will transport you to the yacht, where your crew will welcome you aboard. After a briefing and a light lunch, you will head to the north end of Santa Cruz Island, Las Bachas, which is comprised of two sandy white-coral beaches that are major egg-laying sites for sea turtles. Go ashore on the white sandy beach and be greeted by patrolling blue-footed boobies. A brief walk inland takes you to a lagoon where pink flamingos are often found along with great blue herons, common stilts, brown noddys, white-cheek pintail ducks, and migratory birds. Snorkeling today is from the beach and you can also enjoy a swim in these waters, which are typically warmer than in other places in the Galapagos.

Genovesa could serve as a film set for a secret submarine base with its ocean-filled caldera ringed by the outer edges of a sizeable and mostly submerged volcano. The island sits to the northeast, somewhat removed from the Galapagos archipelago. It is also known as “Bird Island,” a name it lives up to in a spectacular way. Our first landing is Prince Phillip’s Steps, named for a visit by the British Monarch in 1964. The 25- meter (81-foot) stairway leads to a narrow stretch of land that opens out onto the plateau surrounding Darwin Bay and extends to form the north side of the island. Red-footed boobies wrap their webbed feet around branches to perch in the bushes, and, in contrast, their Nazca booby cousins dot the surface of the scrublands beyond. Crossing through the sparse vegetation, you will come to a broad lava field that extends towards the sea, forming the north shore. Storm petrels flutter out over the ocean in swarms, then return to nest in the cracks and tunnels of the lava field, where their predator, the short-eared owl, is a frequent visitor. After completing the two-hour hike you’ll return to the vessel to change into wetsuits for some snorkeling at one of the best sites on the islands.

By Phillip’s Steps, along the cliffs that form the protected southern bay of the Tower’s caldera, we enter the water into another world. The first thing you will notice when snorkeling here is very large tropical fish. These are warm-water fish feeding off cold-water nutrients. You’ll find the full assortment here including oversize parrot, unicorn, angel, and hogfish along with schools of perch, surgeon fish, and various types of butterfly fish.

Landing on the white coral sands of Darwin Bay and walking up the beach, you will be surrounded by the bustling activity of great frigatebirds. Puffball chicks with their proud papas, who sport their bulging scarlet throat-sacks, crowd the surrounding branches, while both yellow-crowned and lava herons feed by the shore. Farther along, you will discover a stunning series of sheltered pools set into a rocky outcrop. A trail beside the pools leads up to a cliff overlooking the caldera, where pairs of swallow-tailed gulls, the only nocturnal gulls in the world, can be seen nesting at the cliff’s edge. Lava gulls and pintail ducks ride the sea breezes nearby.

A brief panga ride brings us to the base of those same cliffs to reveal the full variety of bird species sheltering in the ledges and crevices created by the weathered basalt. Among them, red-billed tropic birds enter and leave their nests trailing exotic kite-like tails. This is also an intriguing place to go deep-water snorkeling. The center of the caldera is very deep and attracts hammerheads and large manta rays which sometimes patrol the western edge of the caldera which is more open to the sea. You can snorkel here gazing down into the depths where you just may spot these large animals if you are fortunate. But don’t worry, if you don’t really want to see them there is the equally amazing and far more sheltered snorkeling experience across the bay.

Right around sunset leave Tower to set out across the archipelago to the far western islands. Remember to watch the inner bay at sunset as you might spot a giant manta ray.

On the northwestern side of Santiago Island is  James Bay, which offers access to three unique sites, Puerto Egas, Salt Mine, and Espumilla Beach. The first landing, Puerto Egas, is the most visited area and begins with a wet landing on a black beach. With intriguing eroded rock formations inland, the trail crosses the dry interior eastward and continues along the shoreline where two different types of lavas merge into unreal scenery. There we find the so-called fur seal grottos, the only place during your visit that allows you to see these beautiful marine mammals (actually a type of sea lion) during a land excursion. Darwin described his visit to James Bay in his journal in “Voyage of the Beagle.”  From the black beach, it’s possible to experience one of the most exuberant snorkeling sessions during your visit.

Located in the south of the northwesternmost point of Isabela Island is Punta Vicente Roca. On the map, this place looks like the head of a seahorse. Here the remnants of an ancient volcano form a cove with a bay well protected from the ocean swells. The spot is a popular anchorage from which to take dinghy rides along the cliff where a partially sunken cave beckons explorers. Nazca and blue-footed boobies as well as brown noddy terns perched along the point and the sheer cliffs, while flightless cormorants inhabit the shoreline. The upwelling of cold water currents in this part of the Galapagos produces an abundance of marine life which, in combination with the protection of the coves, makes Punta Vicente Roca one of the archipelago’s most interesting dive spots. This place is good to practice some kayaking. The entire area of Punta Vicente Roca lies on the towering flank of the 2,600-foot Volcano Ecuador. This is the island’s sixth-largest volcano. Half of Volcano Ecuador slid into the ocean, leaving a spectacular cutaway view of its caldera.

Next, head to Tagus Cove, named for a British naval vessel that moored here in 1814. It was used historically as an anchorage for pirates and whalers. One can still find the names of their ships carved into the rock above our landing, a practice now prohibited. The cove’s quiet waters make for an ideal dinghy ride beneath its sheltered cliffs, where blue-footed boobies, brown noddies, and pelicans nest. Flightless cormorants and penguins inhabit the lava ledges near the ocean.

From our landing, a wooden stairway rises to the trail entrance for a view of Darwin Lake, a perfectly round saltwater crater, barely separated from the ocean but above sea level. The trail continues around the lake through a dry vegetation zone and then climbs inland to a promontory formed by spatter cones. The site provides spectacular views back toward our anchorage in the bay, as well as Darwin Volcano and Wolf Volcano farther to the north.

While one does not normally think of greener pastures when planning to go snorkeling, that is exactly what you will find at Tagus Cove. The carpet of green algae that covers the floor of the cove gives the impression of a submerged pasture, and really that is just what it is. You can find marine iguanas grazing the algae along with numerous sea turtles gliding and munching their way along. Because the cove opens to the rich waters of the Bolivar Channel this is one of the best snorkeling sites on the island. You also have a good chance of snorkeling with underwater feathered friends including Galapagos penguins and rare flightless cormorants.

Fernandina is the youngest and westernmost island in the Galapagos. It sits across the Bolivar Channel opposite to Isabela Island. Our destination is Punta Espinosa, a narrow spit of land in the northeast corner of the island, where a number of unique Galapagos species can be seen in close proximity. As our panga driver skillfully navigates the reef, it’s not unusual to see penguins swimming nearby the dinghy. Red and turquoise-blue Sally lightfoot crabs forage across the lava shoreline, while herons and egrets fish among the mangrove roots. The landing is a dry one, set in a quiet inlet beneath the branches of a small mangrove forest. A short walk through the vegetation leads to a large colony of marine iguanas, a schoolyard of Godzilla’s children, resting atop one another in friendly heaps along the rocky shoreline, sneezing out saline water to clear their bodies of salt. Nearby, sea lions frolic on the sheltered coast. This is one of the few places you can glimpse iguanas grazing on seaweed underwater and above.

The snorkeling off Punta Espinoza offers some real treats, as many of the creatures you just saw on land, including the Godzilla-like marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, Galapagos penguins, and sea lions await you in the waters off the point (which incidentally was used as a set during the making of Master & Commander). A key feature of the ocean bottom here are the troughs formed by volcanic rock and ocean currents. Because these waters reach out into the Bolivar Channel they can be quite cold.

Dominating this landscape high overhead looms Las Cumbres volcano, 1495 meters (4,858 feet), one of the most active volcanoes in the world, reporting seven eruptions from its six-kilometer-wide caldera (mouth) since 1968. Along the coastline, the world’s only species of flightless cormorants have established a colony near an inviting inlet also frequented by sea turtles. Because these birds evolved without land predators — it was easier to feed on the octopuses, eels, and fish found in the ocean — the cormorants progressively took to the sea. They developed heavier, more powerful legs and feet for kicking, serpent-like necks, and wet, fur-like plumage. Their wings are now mere vestiges. Back toward the landing and farther inland, the island’s black lava flows become more evident, forming a quiet, inner lagoon. Galapagos hawks survey the seascape from overhead.

Urbina Bay is directly west of Isabela’s Alcedo Volcano, where we will make a reasonably easy wet landing (a hop into a few inches of water except when the shoreline is rough) onto a gently sloping inorganic beach. In 1954, a Disney film crew caught sight of this gleaming white strip, and found, to their astonishment, three miles (5 km) of the marine reef that had been uplifted by as much as 13 feet (4 meters) in places. Now visitors can walk among the dried coral heads, mollusks, and other organisms that used to form the ocean floor. A highlight of this excursion is tracking down the very large land iguanas that live in the area, whose vivid and gaudy yellow skin suggests that dinosaurs may have been very colorful indeed. Giant tortoises inhabit this coastal plain during the wet season before migrating to the highlands when the lowlands turn dry. Our landing beach also provides opportunities to snorkel among marine creatures or just relax on the beach. Here we must take care not to step on the sea turtle nests, which are dug carefully into the sand.

Continuing our voyage south along the west coast of Isabela we enter the outer part of Elizabeth Bay where we come upon a tall rocky islet that is home to a colony of Galapagos Penguins. Looming to the south is Sierra Negra volcano which forms the southern part of Isabela Island. In 2018 glowing rivers of lava lit up the night as they flowed down the flank of Sierra Negra toward Elizabeth Bay, where some of our lucky passengers had a front-row seat on one of the archipelago’s most spectacular performances. In contrast to the rugged lava fields of Sierra Negra, Elizabeth Bay is one of the most sensitive habitats in the Galapagos. This outing is entirely aboard our pangas. The tangle of mangrove roots that line the Bay, as it narrows to a channel before widening out to the back bay, tend to still the waters making it seem like a giant aquarium while giving the area a green forested look. Spotted eagle rays, golden rays, and sea turtle glide just below the surface with the latter coming up occasionally to breathe. You may see a Galapagos hawk circling high overhead as we drift through the calm waters. Approaching the back of the Bay, we bring our panga closer into a cluster of mangroves for a surprise. Sealions use the horizontal trunks of the mangroves as resting areas earning them the nickname tree lions.

Return to the Grace for lunch as she makes her way a bit farther along the coast of Isabela to our next visitors’ site, Punta Moreno. Along the shore, you’ll have chances to see Galapagos penguins, flightless cormorants, and a colony of marine iguanas with a reddish tinge that sport the usual mohawk from head to tail. Sally light-footed crabs dot the coast reminding us of the color of molten lava.

This is one of those landing sites where you are best off with sneakers or hiking shoes due to time spent hiking over fields of broken lava (not because of hot lava) and there’s more here than lava lizards and cactus. As we cross the broken fields that sometimes sound like clinking glass, you’ll come upon a little oasis formed by natural pools surrounded by green grasses. These have become home and resting place for a variety of birds including gallinules, pink flamingos, pintail ducks, and more.

The snorkeling off Punta Moreno above a rocky bottom offers a similar assortment including sea turtles, sting ray and sea lions mixed in with bumped-head parrot fish, king angel fish and schools of yellow-tailed and surgeon Pacific creole fish, and much more.

Puerto Villamil has a feeling of standing on the edge of the earth. The tiny fishing village, founded in 1897 by Don Antonio Gíl, is something of a forgotten gem in the islands. It has a population of roughly 2,000 people and is set amidst miles of white sandy beaches that rest at the outer edge of Sierra Negra Volcano. Buried pirate treasures have been unearthed here some years ago in the shadow of a tall coconut palm, thereby giving credence to all the legends of hidden treasure buried beneath palm trees. We visit Las Tintoreras which showcases colonies of sea lions, Galapagos turtles, and iguanas; skates, sharks, penguins, sea cucumbers, urchins, and a myriad members of the native flora and fauna whose peaceful interactions make you question exactly who’s really watching who. We continue to Cuevas del Sucre which are fascinating lava formations, caves, and tunnels located in an endemic forest. Before finishing up the morning and navigating in the afternoon, we visit a breeding station for the endemic giant tortoise led by the National Park Service as well as a hyper-saline lagoon frequented by flamingos and other waders and shore birds.

In the afternoon you’ll navigate to Santa Cruz Island.

Say goodbye to the Grace and take a 40 min. bus ride early in the morning to visit Los Gemelos. The terrestrial world of the tortoise and the underworld of the lava tubes meet at Los Gemelos (the twins). These two large sinkhole craters were formed by collapsed lava tubes. The contrast between the marine desert coast and the verdant Lost World look of the highlands is most striking here and you can easily encounter rain even when the sun is shining half an hour away at the coast. Los Gemelos is surrounded by a Scalesia forest. Scalesia is endemic to Galapagos and many endemic and native species call the forest home. This is an excellent place to view some of Darwin’s famous finches along with the elusive and dazzling vermillion flycatcher. After visiting Los Gemelos, continue our bus ride for another 20 mins to the Itabaca channel. We will cross the channel and take a short bus ride to Baltra’s airport for your flight back to the Ecuadorian mainland. Transfer to your hotel in Quito or Guayaquil for your overnight.

Transfer to the international airport for your flight home.