The ultimate Galapagos cruise and a must for true wildlife aficionados! This 15-day circumnavigation combines the golden beaches, settler history and unique flora and fauna of the eastern islands with the younger, more remote western Galapagos where flightless cormorants, Galapagos penguins and marine iguana cling to jagged volcanic rock. This itinerary is a combination of two 7-night cruises as offered by the Aqua Mare. Similar circumnavigations are available on other vessels and please contact us for further information and detailed cruise itineraries.
Itinerary Highlights
What’s included
flexibility
This is an example itinerary. It is fully flexible; you can add or detract days and include hotels at your chosen budget. It departs daily.
14
Nights
Price Guide
$POA
Our quotes are bespoke for your customised trip. The prices displayed are indicative only, read more
Fly to ecuador
The cruise begins – Baltra & Bahia Borrero
Fly to the Galapagos from mainland Ecuador. Once you arrive at Baltra airport, you will be met by your cruise team and escorted on a short cross island transfer to the jetty to board your vessel – welcome to the Galapagos! After lunch, you head out for your first excursion to the beautiful white beach of Bahia Borrero on the northern part of Santa Cruz. You might be able to spot Darwin’s finches, Cactus finches, and Small Ground finches nestled in the coastal vegetation. For those who prefer to snorkel, you will encounter sea turtles at the beach — one of their primary nesting sites. Afterwards, head back to the yacht and share stories of your excursion with other guests, marking the perfect start to your Galapagos Islands adventure.
El Barranco & Bahía Darwin, Genovesa
This morning, you’ll wake up on the other side of the equator and head over to Bahia Darwin’s coralline beach for hiking and snorkeling. Following lunch, explore Genovesa Island with a tender ride along the volcanic rocks of El Barranco. You’ll be able to view fur seals resting inside rock crevices. A 1.5 km hike inland will then take us to the lava fields to view red-footed boobies as well as great frigatebirds and Galapagos storm petrels.
Bahía Sullivan, Santiago & Sombrero Chino
The first excursion of the day will take you to Santiago Island with a dry landing at Bahía Sullivan to discover recent Pahoehoe lava flows. After lunch and a lecture from one of our expert naturalist guides, we leave for Sombrero Chino Island, so named after the small crater that forms the islet. In the surrounding crystal-clear waters, you might have the opportunity to observe sea lions and penguins from above. There will be time for snorkeling, stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking. After working up an appetite, return to the yacht for a sundowner and an evening under a blazing starscape.
Bartolomé, Cerro Dragón & Santa Cruz
With an early morning anchor at Bartolomé Island, you will embark upon a mild climb up to the summit of a spatter cone for a spectacular view of the island’s iconic Pinnacle Rock. Cool down afterwards with a snorkel where you may encounter sea turtles and Galapagos penguins, before heading back to the yacht for lunch as we sail towards Santa Cruz Island. Our afternoon excursion takes us to Cerro Dragón or Dragon Hill, so named because in 1975 it was one of the only places in the Santa Cruz Island where scientists could still find a healthy population of land iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus). Back onboard, swap tales of your magnificent excursion while enjoying the best of the region’s flavors through seafood specialties like pan seared scallops and grilled squid.
El Chato & Fausto Llerena Breeding Centre
This morning you will explore a Giant Tortoise Reserve to see these wild Galapagos Islands creatures up close in their natural habitat. The area is also a great place to observe Darwin’s finches, yellow warblers, flycatchers, cattle egrets, and if lucky Galapagos Rails. After lunch, you will visit Darwin Station and National Park headquarters to observe tortoises in captivity at the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center, as well as the different age hatchlings categorized by islands. There will be free time to enjoy the town of Puerto Ayora before returning to the ship. For divers, there is the option of a full day of diving instead of joining the day excursions.
Punta Suárez, Gardner Bay & Española
Rise and shine for a visit to Punta Suárez. This visitor site is one of the most interesting landing sites in Galapagos Islands, due to the high percentage of endemic species such as Española mockingbirds, lava lizards, marine iguanas, and the unique waved albatross. In the afternoon, we will take a tender ride to the beautiful array of islets where you will be able to snorkel alongside playful sea lions and many different species of reef fishes. The last visit of the day will be Bahía Gardner, an outstanding coralline sand beach that boasts one of the biggest colonies of sea lions in the Galapagos Islands. Back at the yacht, head over to our bar to socialize over Happy Hour as the crew prepares for departure to our next anchorage.
Santa Fe & Plaza Sur
After a night of sailing, you will visit Santa Fé Island, one of the oldest in the Galapagos Islands (around 3.6 million years old). Santa Fe is characterized to some degree by its vegetation of palo santo trees, a pear cactus that is called Opuntia echios barringtonensis, and many other native bushes. Here we will spot land iguanas, lava lizards, mockingbirds, and Darwin’s finches. After the visit, we will be able to enjoy snorkeling, kayaking, or stand-up paddle boarding. After lunch onboard, the boat will sail to Plaza Sur Island, located off the eastern shore of Santa Cruz. In the afternoon you disembark at a small but diverse little islet to head out on a two-hour hiking excursion led by your guide to discover its unique landforms. Swap notes on everything you’ve seen today and end the day gazing at the archipelago’s amazing starlit skies while sipping on a glass wine.
Puerto Ayora & Santa Cruz
Build your own adventure today from a selection of activities, whether you’re interested in snorkeling, hiking, cycling, or even scuba diving. We recommend strolling along the main waterfront where you can stop by the many boutiques and jewellery shops before heading back to the ship for a fascinating lecture from our guides. Finally, end the day with a fresh seafood dining in the Galapagos Islands.
Punta Cormorant & Post Office Bay, Floreana
Today, we will be anchored in the southern part of the Archipelago at Floreana Island. After breakfast, the morning wet landing excursion will take you to a big brackish water lagoon to observe greater flamingos, ducks, black-necked stilts and other shore birds at Punta Cormorant. You will be able to observe where sea turtles nest at night, and possibly spot stingrays and sharks swimming very close to the shore. Enjoy a splendid lunch before heading back out to Floreana to pay tribute to an old island tradition at Bahía Post Office. The visit will follow another quick tour of what once was a fishing enterprise in the 1920s before continuing onboard the tenders to visit Mirador de la Baronesa. Upon returning to the vessel, enjoy a delicious dinner and head out the upper deck with a cocktail if you would like to admire the northern and southern hemispheres’ starlit skies.
Punta Moreno & Urbina Bay, Isabela
After a night of sailing, the morning sees our beautiful vessel anchored on the western side of Isabela Island. As the biggest and youngest island in the Archipelago, Isabela was formed by five relatively young volcanoes and is characterized by giant tortoises and marine iguanas. For the morning excursion, a hike at Punta Moreno takes us to the mangroves and gas-rich basaltic lava rocks resulting from a large basaltic lava flow which came from the Cerro Azul volcano on Isabela hundreds of years ago. There are mangrove lagoons along the shore, where you will embark on a dinghy ride to observe marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, and penguins among other species. In the afternoon, the Aqua Mare will sail north to Bahía Urbina, a 6km² point, once underwater and uplifted in 1954 up to 3m above sea level. Here you can see land iguanas, some of the biggest marine iguanas roaming free in the Archipelago, and on occasion, tortoises as well. We’ll end the day with dinner and an unforgettable view of Isabela’s five volcanoes beneath the stars.
Punta Espinoza, Tagus Cove & Isabela
Wakew up at the next anchorage point of Punta Espinoza, part of a huge lava flow formed from one of the many eruptions of the La Cumbre volcano, known to be one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The region is famous for its large colonies of marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, and lizards. You might come across Galapagos penguins, Galapagos hawks, and snakes as well as you
spend the morning on shore or perhaps the water if you prefer to snorkel. After lunch, the vessel crosses the Bolivar Channel back towards Isabela Island and prepare to channel your inner pirate for the afternoon excursion visiting Caleta Tagus, once a favorite anchorage spot for pirates and whalers. Here we will hike to see Darwin Lake, a saltwater lake trapped inside a tuff cone. If you would rather not hike, you can take your pick from our four double kayaks, snorkeling, stand-up paddle boarding, or a ride on our elegant black tenders to explore the cove and its surroundings. Return to the yacht for evening sundowners and head to the bridge after dinner for a chat with our captain as we cross
the equatorial line twice.
Pto. Egas, Playa Espumilla & Buccaneer cove
This morning, we’ll take a tender ride to Caleta Bucanero, a 17th century pirate rest stop where pirates used to stock up on fresh tortoise meat and fresh water. In case ocean conditions are unfavorable, we’ll visit Playa Espumilla instead, a golden sandy beach which is a well-known breeding ground for sea turtles. We head back to the yacht for lunch and then disembark on the black sand beaches of Puerto Egas, northwest of Santiago Island. You will be able to walk the intertidal zone to the fur seal grottos or snorkel to watch sea turtles, sea lions, and white-tipped sharks. Wind down back onboard with Happy Hour as the crew prepares for departure to our next adventure.
Rábida Island & Santa Cruz
Awake to the sounds of nature and a fresh breakfast before departing by tender to
Rábida Island, also known as the red island. The color is the result of oxidation of very old porous lava. You will be able to hike, take out one of our double kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, or snorkel, as well as observe sea lions which have made their home on the beach. After a delicious lunch, you can listen to an afternoon lecture presented by our expert guides in the panoramic lounge. Next, you will sail towards the north of Santa Cruz Island, to Caleta Tortuga Negra, a mangrove estuary that is home to sea turtles. This is a tender ride excursion as there is no landing site, but you will be able to spot green sea turtles as well as blacktip and Galapagos sharks.
Seymour Norte & Mosquera
Your penultimate day in the Archipelago begins with refreshing breakfast before heading out to Seymour Norte Island, formed by uprisings of underwater volcanic lavas some 3.1 million years ago. The island is mostly known for its healthy population of land iguanas, blue-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, and great frigate birds. After a morning full of fun activities, you will head back to the yacht for a delicious lunch. For the afternoon excursion, hop on to one of our tenders for a wet landing onto Mosquera Island. Although it’s one of the smallest in the archipelago, Mosquera Island is one of the hotspots for spotting sea lions. Around sunset you will return to the sleek comfort of your vessel for your last evening aboard. Swap notes on everything you’ve experienced during this most incredible adventure with your friends onboard and toast farewell with something special from our curated wine list.
Farewell to the Galapagos islands!
The last day begins with a luxurious breakfast set against the morning sunrise. Enjoy the views before we make our way to Baltra Island for disembarkation. Bid farewell to the crew and your beautiful home for the past 2 weeks and take a flight back to the mainland for your onward journey home with wonderful memories that will last a lifetime.
Depart South America
A note on price
The prices outlined above are a rough guide to give you an idea of costs and enable you to budget for your trip.
Guide prices are generally for private arrangements based on twin share, in well located, good quality accommodation (excluding international flights).
Please note costs are indicative and may vary due to a number of factors such as; travel date, hotel choice, room category, number of people travelling and prevailing exchange rates.
Price Guide From $POA
When to travel
Straddling the equator, the Galapagos enjoy 12 hours of light (preferably sunshine!) each day and are a year round destination whose climate is determined by the prevailing ocean currents. From December to May, temperatures reach the 30’s with short, sharp showers although the warmer waters of the Panama Current lend themselves to excellent snorkelling. This period coincides with the breeding and nesting season for a number of seabirds as well as giant tortoises, sea turtles and marine and land iguanas. April sees the mass arrival of the waved albatross which begin their eye-catching courtship displays. From June to December, the Humboldt Current dominates bringing milder temperatures (early 20’s) and cooler nutrient-rich water. The mornings are shrouded with the “garua” sea-mist that rapidly burns off in the sun. Whales, dolphins and penguins thrive in the colder water while sea-lions pup alongside migrant shorebirds. For a month-by-month wildlife calendar, please contact an Oasis Travel consultant.
Add on’s
For the ultimate wildlife experience, why not combine the Galapagos with the Amazon rainforest (either a lodge or a river-cruise) or Mindo Cloud-forest, a short distance outside of Quito? Better still, head to the Pantanal in Brazil or the Ibera Wetlands in northern Argentina for dedicated safari experiences. In fact, if youi are desperate to observe South America’s big cats, Caiman Lodge is the place for jaguar while the Cascada EcoCamp offers wonderful puma spotting programs in the Torres del Paine.
Alternatively, for the perfect blend of nature and adventure, Costa Rica is THE place and only a short flight from Ecuador. Here, you can hike on the flanks of the Arenal Volcano, zipline through Monteverde‘s famous cloud-forest and enjoy boat trips through the channels of Tortuguero. Throw in palm-fringed beaches and stunning national parks that teem with wildlife such as Cahuita and Manuel Antonio and you have the perfect end to any trip!
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