AM: Arrival to Baltra
Assistance will be provided upon your arrival by a Petrel representative after passing through immigration and baggage claim. When ready, you will be transferred to the yacht. You will then be shown to your cabin where you will have some time to settle in before the welcome briefing and lunch.

PM: Highlands
The Highlands of Santa Cruz is a very interesting site due to the rich wildlife, hills, ferns, volcanoes and lava tubes present. Exploring the lava tubes is a surreal and unique experience. Here you can see all the different agricultural zones that are present in the Galapagos in one place. The variety of birds makes this a bird watchers delight.

Possible Activities: Hike

Difficulty: Moderate

Type of Landing: Dry

Highlights & Animals: All Galapagos life zones, vermilion flycatcher, Darwin finch, yellow warblers, Galapagos rails, paint-billed crakes, short-eared owls, wild Giant Tortoises.

AM: Santiago Island – Sullivan Bay
Santiago Island: The second Island visited by Charles Darwin was originally named after England’s King James the second. The island was a good source of salt, water, and food for whalers and buccaneers passing. There was a salt mine inland that was used to salt fish and tortoise meat. Land iguanas used to populate the island but are now extinct. From Darwin’s own notes he wrote that land iguanas were thriving quite well since there was no place to even pitch a tent. Santiago Island today is now one of the most visited islands.

Sullivan Bay: Sullivan Bay is a satellite island of Santiago. This is one of the best places to see the Galapagos fur seal. There is not much wildlife to see here, but the old lava formations are quite a sight to see with tuff cones, pyroclastic cones, and other volcanic landscapes.

Possible Activities: Hike and snorkel

Difficulty: Moderate

Type of Landing: Dry Landing

Highlights & Animals: Various volcanic landscapes and formations.

PM: Bartholomew Island – Pinnacle Rock
Bartholomew is another satellite island that derives from Santiago Island. It is a home of the famous Pinnacle Rock and is named after James Sullivan, a friend of Charles Darwin who was also aboard the HMS Beagle. Of all the islands, this is the most photographed and is also featured in the 2003 movie “Master and Commander”.

Pinnacle Rock: 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. Galapagos penguins gather here and swimming can offer beautiful sights of colorful schools of fish and curious sea lions.

Possible Activities: Hike, snorkel, panga ride

Difficulty: Easy

Type of Landing: Wet

Landing Highlights: Galapagos penguins, Pinnacle rock, swimming, awesome photography opportunities.

Snorkel – Sea lions, rays, sea turtles, sharks, much different fish.

AM: Genovesa Island – Darwin Bay
Genovesa Island: This horse-shoe shaped island was formed by the eruption of a shield volcano with large slopes formed by gradual lava flows. It is known as “Bird Island” due to the wide variety of birds that can be seen. The only reptile on the entire island is the marine iguana and it is one of the very few places red-footed boobies gather in one large mass.

Darwin Bay: Darwin Bay is the result of the shield volcano where one of the sides of the caldera collapsed after years of erosion. It is one of the places in the Galapagos where red-footed boobies can be guaranteed to be seen. Over 200,000 red-footed boobies are estimated to be living in the trees and bushes of Genovesa.

Possible Activities: Hike, kayak, panga ride, and snorkel

Difficulty: Easy / Moderate

Type of Landing: Wet Landing

Highlights & Animals: Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, mangroves.

Snorkeling – various sharks, colorful fish, sea turtles, sea lions, occasional rays.

PM: El Barranco
Better known as Prince Phillip’s Steps, a steep and rocky path leads up to a cliff with a marvelous view. There is also a Palo Santa forest that is home to nesting red-footed boobies and other birds.

Possible Activities: Hike, kayak, panga ride, and snorkel

Difficulty: Moderate

Type of Landing: Dry Landing

Highlights & Animals: Spectacular view, red-footed boobies, wedge-rumped storm petrels, Galapagos doves, short-eared owls, Palo Santo forest.

Snorkel – fish, sea turtles, rays, sharks, and sea lions.

AM: South Plaza Island
South Plaza: South Plaza is one of the smallest islands with a visitor site, but is home to an incredible amount of diverse flora and fauna. It has a large population of Sesuvium plants like the prickly pear cactus tree that is an important source of food for the land iguana. Just a few years ago mice were finally eradicated from the island, helping the population of land iguanas grow healthily once more.

Possible Activities: Short hike, Panga ride, Kayaking

Difficulty: Easy

Type of Landing: Dry Landing

Highlights: Cacti native only to South Plaza, land iguana, finches, sea lions, swallow-tailed gulls, red-billed tropicbirds.

PM: Santa Fe Island
Santa Fe: Santa Fe Island is home to the unique Santa Fe land iguana and is the only place to find Opuntia cactus. Giant tortoises were once native to this island but after the many years of pirates and buccaneers visiting the island and taking the tortoises aboard as food, they became extinct. The Island is also called Barrington Island, named after British Admiral Samuel Barrington. Large numbers of sea lions can be found on the landing beach and Galapagos hawks can also sometimes be seen.

Possible Activities: Short Hike, Panga Ride, Kayaking

Difficulty: Easy

Type of Landing: Wet Landing

Highlights: Galapagos hawk, Santa Fe land iguana, Opuntia Cactus, sea lions, lava lizards.

AM: Santa Cruz island – Carrion Point
Carrion Point: There is no place to land here so either a panga ride or snorkeling will take place. It is a sheltered lagoon with beautiful turquoise water on the Northern coast of Santa Cruz at the entrance of the Itabaca Channel.

Possible Activities: Panga ride and snorkel

Difficulty: Easy / Moderate

Type of Landing: No Landing

Highlights & Animals: Various species of fish, white-tipped reef sharks, rays, and sea turtles.

PM: Transfer to Baltra Airport
Your cruise has officially come to an end. We hope you enjoyed your Galapagos Cruise! We will now transfer you to your scheduled departure from Baltra Airport to mainland Ecuador. Safe travels!