Ocean Spray – Southern Galapagos Islands

• Baltra arrival - Santa Fe

  AM: Arrive Galapagos Islands
  Assistance will be provided upon your arrival by An Ocean Spray 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: 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.

• Suarez Point - Gardner Bay - Osborn Islet

  AM: Espanola Island – Suarez Point
  Espanola Island: Here lies the southernmost island in the Galapagos, as well as the oldest. It is estimated to be about four million years old. Because it is so far away from the other islands it has the most endemic species. It is a wonderful opportunity for some great photography of endemic bird species that are found only on Espanola and awesome landscapes created by millions of years of erosion.

  Suarez Point: This is a phenomenal site where you will get to see many of Espanola Island’s endemic species. The trail will pass by the only Waved Albatross breeding site. If you are lucky you might see a young albatross take off for its first flight for up to five years at sea. Older birds stay at sea for months at a time, only coming back to breed. They have the same mate for life and will meet each other each year, only here to reproduce. Other species that can be seen are marine iguanas that stay brightly colored year round, Galapagos doves, Nazca boobies, blue-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, red-billed tropic birds, and Darwin finches.

  Possible Activities: Hike

  Difficulty: Moderate

  Type of Landing: Dry Landing

  Highlights & Animals: Only Waved albatross breeding site, blow hole on the point, Nazca boobies, swallow tailed gulls, red-billed tropic birds, three different species of finches, Galapagos doves, marine iguanas, sea lions.

  PM: Gardner Bay / Osborn Islet / Gardner Islet
  Gardner Bay / Osborn Islet / Gardner Islet: Visit one of the best beaches in the Galapagos. The white sandy beach is home to a large colony of friendly and playful sea lions. Three different types of finches can be seen. The Espanola Mockingbird is very friendly, but probably looking for food. At one point in time, tourists must have given it water or food, which taught them bad habits. The site is also where green sea turtles will come to nest their eggs between January and March.

  Possible Activities: Walk, Snorkel, Panga Ride

  Difficulty: Easy/Moderate

  Type of Landing: Wet Landing

  Highlights & Animals: Espanola mockingbird, longest beach in Galapagos, three species of Darwin’s finches, large colony of sea lions, occasional green sea turtles. Snorkel – coral fish, sea lions, and other marine life.

• San Cristobal Interpretation Center - La Galapaguera- Lobos Island - Kicker Rock

  AM: San Cristobal Island – Jacinto Gordillo Interpretation Center
  San Cristobal Island: This is the fifth largest island in the Galapagos and lies farthest East. It is where Darwin first landed back in 1835 and where the first permanent settlements were founded. Today the main port Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the capital of the Galapagos province and houses many government offices, the Ecuadorian Navy, and an airport with daily flights to the mainland of Ecuador. Conservation challenges the island faces include invasive plants like blackberry and guayaba and insects like the blackfly.

  Giant Tortoise Breeding Ctr. / Interpretation Ctr.: The Interpretation Center has been open to the public since 1998 and offers extensive information about the history of Galapagos, all ecosystems, geology, and flora and fauna. Giant tortoises are also bred here and roam about in a semi-natural habitat created by the centers employees. Inside the center there are meeting rooms, interpretational panels, auditoriums, exhibits, and much more.

  Possible Activities: Walk

  Difficulty: Easy

  Type of Landing: Dry Landing

  Highlights: Giant tortoises up close and roaming freely, exhibits of various stages of tortoise breeding, learn more about origin, evolution, natural habitat, and threats of introduced animals and plants.

  PM: Lobos Island/Kicker Rock
  Lobos Island: Lobos Island is an islet about an hour away from San Cristobal. Blue-footed boobies will nest here seasonally. In recent years frigate birds have begun to nest here. Sea lions are abundant, as well as marine iguanas. It is a very calm and tranquil site with beautiful views, including Kicker Rock off in the distance.

  Activities: Short walk, Panga Ride, Snorkel

  Difficulty: Easy / Moderate

  Type of Landing: Dry Landing

  Highlights: Frigate birds, sea lions, blue-footed boobies and nesting sites, views of Kicker Rock, marine iguanas. Snorkel – sea lions, sea turtles, rays.

  Kicker Rock: Kicker rock or León Dormido as it is called in Spanish is a huge structure formed of two eroded volcanic cones that tower over the sea at about 104 meters and sits in the middle of the open water. It is one of the most well-known landmarks in Galapagos with many popular sea birds that surround the area. This is also perhaps one of the best sites in the Galapagos see incredible underwater life.

  Possible Activities: Snorkeling, Dingy Ride

  Difficulty: Easy

  Type of Landing: No Landing

  Highlights:
  Deep water snorkeling: Sharks, tropical fish, turtles, manta rays (occ.), hammerhead sharks, and spectacular rock formations.
  Sea Birds: Blue-footed Boobies, Nazca Boobies & frigate birds. Second best place to snorkel in the Galapagos.

• Pitt Point - Witch Hill

  AM: San Cristobal Island – Pitt Point/Pitt Point Islet
  Pitt Point: Pitt point on San Cristobal is on the easternmost side of the Galapagos Islands. It’s also one of the only places that red-footed boobies, blue-footed boobies, and Nazca’s can be found all on the same place. The visitor site is very interesting as the formations of old volcanic rock are profoundly unique and the hike to the top of the site provides incredible views of the surrounding area.

  Possible Activities: Hike, Kayaking, Panga Ride, Snorkel

  Difficulty: Moderate / Difficult

  Type of Landing: Wet Landing

  Highlights: Volcanic landscape, sea lions, three species of Boobies.

  PM: Witch Hill
  Witch Hill: This is home to a popular beach in the Galapagos with powdery white sand and turquiose waters that are a joy to swim in and snorkel spotting the tropical fish benauth the surface. The occasional sea lion may stop by to swim with you or you’ll find them snoozing on the shore. On a panga ride you can explore the many crevices in the eroding rocks, leaving you in awe of the sheer power of erosion.

  Possible Activities: Hike, Panga Ride, Snorkel & Kayaking

  Difficulty: Easy

  Type of Landing: Wet Landing

  Highlights: Beautiful rock formations, sea lions, shore birds, and land birds such as finches and mockingbirds. Snorkel – sea lions, tropical fish, anemones, and sponge coral.

• Post Office Bay- Cormorant Point - Devil's Crown

  AM: Floreana Island – Post Office Bay
  Floreana Island: This Island is one of the most interesting when it comes to human history. The first Galapagos resident was an Irishman who lived on Floreana from 1807 to 1809. It is the site of the first post office within the islands created by whalers in the 1700’s. Later it became the first island to be colonized by Ecuadorians, but to this day is still very isolated. Surrounded by mystery, in the 1930’s various disappearances occurred and is thought to be because of tension between a baroness and her three servants who arrived after an already settled husband and wife, who gave birth to the first to be born in Galapagos and another couple of a doctor and female companion who lived of the land from their garden. The small population of today lives off the land with home grown farms and gets their water from rain filled ponds during the rainy season. There is one hotel with the only phone in the port of Velasco Ibarra where most residents live, the rest live up in the highlands. Transportation is limited and is only available every two weeks

  Post Office Bay: A completely human influential site, Post Office Bay is the first official post office created by passing whalers in the 1700’s. To this day visitors continue the tradition as many leave addressed messages on post cards in the barrel to be sent by future visitors while picking up post cards left behind by previous visitors to send when they return home. It is a fun exchangeable activity many visitors enjoy.

  Possible Activities: Short hike (less than 0.6 mi / 1km) & snorkeling

  Difficulty: Easy

  Type of Landing: Wet Landing

  Highlights: Barrel Post Office and beautiful sandy beach.

  PM: Cormorant Point / Devil’s Crown
  Cormorant Point: Another fun and interesting visitor site. Two beaches can be visited and flamingoes can be seen wading through brackish lagoons looking for shrimp, which gives them their bright and vibrant colors. One of the beaches look green because of olivine crystals and the other is appropriately called Flour Beach a powdery white, made from fine pulverized coral.

  Devil’s Crown: Devil’s Crown is a visitor site that boasts the best snorkeling opportunities. Below the surface are amazing volcanic structures that have submerged over time. Hundreds of different colorful fish species can be found here among the coral reefs. Sharks, rays, sea turtles, hammer head sharks and sea lions are also common visitors. It is an underwater spectacle that cannot be missed.

  Possible Activities: Snorkeling & dinghy ride & hike (1.2 mi / 2km)

  Difficulty: Easy

  Type of Landing: Wet Landing

  Highlights & Animals: Flamingoes, green olivine crystal beach, and Devil's Crown: The best snorkeling site in Galapagos Islands with sharks, rays, rock formations, and lots of tropical fish.

• Black Turtle Cove - Baltra

  AM: Santa Cruz - Black Turtle Cove
  Black Turtle Cove is located on the north side of Santa Cruz Island and is only accessible by boat and with a guide. 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, spotted eagle rays, and an occasional hammerhead shark. Pelicans and Boobies hunt here, diving gracefully into the water.

  Possible Activities: Panga Ride

  Difficulty: Easy

  Type of Landing: No Landing

  Highlights: White-tipped sharks, rays, sea turtles, and shore and sea birds.

  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!

Upper Deck Cabin

23m², 2 single beds or 1 king bed, private balcony, en-suite bathroom, air conditioning, hairdryer, safety deposit box, electrical outlets. vanity table and sitting area.

Upper Deck Single Cabin

18m², single bed, private balcony, en suite bathroom, air conditioning, hairdryer, safety deposit box, electrical outlets. vanity table and sitting area.

Layout: 2 Decks / 9 Cabins
Main deck: Cabin 1,4 = Double staterooms
Main deck: Cabin 2,3 = Twin or double staterooms
Upper deck: Cabin 5,6,7,8 = Double staterooms
Upper deck: Cabin 10 = Single stateroom
Beds layout: Single, twin & double staterooms
Rooming: Private cabins only
Sharing: Not available

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• All visitor site excursions
• All meals and accommodatio during cruise
• Regular soft drinks and juices
• Champagne reception
• Welcome courtesy
• Galapagos National Park bilingual Guide
• Use of snorkeling gear and wetsuits Kayaks

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED

• International and National (Ecuador-Galapagos-Ecuador) flights
• Galapagos National Park Entrance, US $ 100 (To be paid upon arrival, in cash)
• Transit Control Card, US $ 20 (To be paid upon departure from the mainland to Galapagos, in cash)
• Galapagos Airport Transport, if the flight has not been booked together
• Alcoholic drinks
• Personal expenses, extras & gratuities
• Travel insurance

NOTE: Long itineraries are the combination of short ones; please let us know if you would like to book a long cruise.