Itinerary B
Visitor Sites
Click on each site for more information
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Day 1 AM Baltra Island Airport account_balance28%
Baltra Island Airport
The first airport here was built by Americans during the 2nd World War - remnants of that military base can be easily observed. The latest airport here touts itself as the world’s first “green” airport. It opened in December 2012. The terminal consists of recycled steel tubes taken from oil drilling operations in the Amazon. It spreads over 6,000 square meters and required an investment of just over $24 million. The new complex uses clean, renewable technologies such as solar energy, wind farms, and seawater desalination, among other environmental innovations. It is kept cool(ish) simply by design - no air conditioning is required.
Wildlife Sightings
- check Land Iguana
Site Rating 28%
public Iconic Species -
Day 1 PM Santa Cruz Island, Los Gemelos - Highlands62%
Santa Cruz Island, Los Gemelos - Highlands
Los Gemelos (The Twins) are a pair of large pit craters on the road from Puerto Ayora to Baltra. They were created when the surface material covering empty magma chambers collapsed. You can walk along the rim of the craters and enjoy breathtaking views. The trail around the larger crater passes through a Scalesia forest and is good place to see a variety of bird species. Landing: None. Difficulty: Moderate.
Wildlife Sightings
- check Scalesia forest
- check Vermillion flycatcher
Site Rating 62%
public Iconic Species -
Day 2 AM San Cristóbal Island, Cerro Brujo63%
San Cristóbal Island, Cerro Brujo
The beautiful white sand beach, clear waters, abundant wildlife and Kicker Rock on the horizon make this a pleasant landing spot. Frolicking sea lions may greet you as you come ashore and you may see turtles, rays, anemones, and sponge coral if you opt to snorkel or swim. Keep an eye out for shore birds, gulls, pelicans, boobies, finches and mockingbirds. Landing: Wet. Difficulty: Easy.
Wildlife Sightings
- check Sea turtles
- check Rays
- check Sea lions
Site Rating 63%
public Iconic Species -
Day 2 PM San Cristóbal Island, Punta Pitt65%
San Cristóbal Island, Punta Pitt
Disembarking on Punta Pitt, the easternmost point in the Galápagos, you’ll arrive on a mangrove-lined beach. After being greeted by a sea lion colony, you’ll discover the only place in Galápagos where all three types of boobies nest, alongside both types of frigatebirds. A steep, 2.5-mile trail takes visitors up a cliff and through a ravine where abundant birdlife can be found. Landing: Wet. Difficulty: Moderate/Difficult.
Wildlife Sightings
- check Nazca booby
- check Sea lions
- check Red-footed booby
Site Rating 65%
public Iconic Species -
Day 3 AM South Plaza Island78%
South Plaza Island
Various sea birds can be spotted from the top of the sea cliffs. Land iguanas sit patiently, waiting for cactus flowers to drop. Marine iguanas and sea lions are also abundant. South Plaza is also home to the beautiful succulent Sesuvium plant, which changes from bright green in the rainy season to red, orange, and purple during the dry season. Landing: Dry. Difficulty: Moderate.
Wildlife Sightings
- check Hybrid land/marine iguana
- check Red-billed tropicbirds
- check Sea lions
- check Land Iguana
Site Rating 78%
public Iconic Species -
Day 3 PM Mosquera Island56%
Mosquera Island
Located between the islands of Baltra and North Seymour, this sand covered reef of rocks and coral (the result of an uprising) has one of the largest populations of sea lions. You can also observe several species of shorebirds and the curious sally lightfoot crabs. There have been occasional reports at this site of Orcas (Orcinus orca) feeding on sea lions. Landing: Wet. Difficulty: Easy
Wildlife Sightings
- check Sea lions
Site Rating 56%
public Iconic Species -
Day 4 AM Daphne Major circumnavigation account_balance61%
Daphne Major circumnavigation
Daphne Major is a volcanic island just north of Santa Cruz island and just west of the Baltra Airport. Very difficuilt to access, this is where Peter and Rosemary Grant, over several decades of reasearch, observed natural selection in action. See the book "Beak of the Finch" for the fascinating story. The island consists of a tuff, devoid of trees, whose rim rises 120 m (394 ft) above the sea.
Site Rating 61%
public Iconic Species -
Day 4 PM Santa Cruz Island, Bachas Beach57%
Santa Cruz Island, Bachas Beach
Wildlife Sightings
- check Flamingo
- check Sea turtles
Site Rating 57%
public Iconic Species -
Day 5 AM Santiago Island, Sullivan Bay58%
Santiago Island, Sullivan Bay
While it doesn’t boast much wildlife, Sullivan Bay provides visitors with an opportunity to walk across a recent lava flow and examine its otherworldly beauty. Don’t worry; the lava isn’t hot, as it was formed in the late 19th century. The trail here crosses pahoehoe lava, dotted with pyroclastic cones. Inland, striking red and yellow tuft cones rise above the flow. Landing: Dry. Difficulty: Easy.
Wildlife Sightings
- check Galapagos penguin
Site Rating 58%
public Iconic Species -
Day 5 PM Bartolomé Island68%
Bartolomé Island
Bartolomé Island has two visitor sites that are usually combined into one visit. The first is a swim and snorkel off a nice beach, around the iconic Pinnacle Rock; the underwater world there is really impressive. Snorkelers are in the water with the penguins, marine turtles white-tipped reef sharks, rays and other tropical fish. The second site is accessible via a long staircase leading up to a spectacular view point from which you can see the manifestations of recent volcanic activity. Landing: Dry. Difficulty: Moderate
Wildlife Sightings
- check Galapagos penguin
- check Sharks
- check Rays
- check Sea turtles
Site Rating 68%
public Iconic Species -
Day 6 AM Santiago Island, Espumilla Beach49%
Santiago Island, Espumilla Beach
This beach is fringed by beautiful palo santo forest and is a sea turtle nesting site. It is a good place to see marine iguanas and colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs and it is an excellent place to snorkel and see octopi, moray eels, and sharks. Take a loop trail inland to a seasonal lagoon where flamingos are sometimes spotted. Landing: Wet. Difficulty: Easy.
Site Rating 49%
public Iconic Species -
Day 6 PM Santiago Island, Puerto Egas71%
Santiago Island, Puerto Egas
This is the jumping off point for two trails. The first leads to fur seal grottos – a stretch of rocky coastline that offers them shade and protection. The second trail leads to the Salt Mine Volcano, a small crater that features a seasonally flooded lagoon, where flamingos and Galapagos hawks can sometimes be spotted. Landing: Wet. Difficulty: Easy/Moderate.
Wildlife Sightings
- check Fur seals
- check Galapagos hawk
- check Flamingo
Site Rating 71%
public Iconic Species -
Day 7 AM Rábida Island67%
Rábida Island
On its red sands, spot marine iguanas and a noisy colony of sea lions. Brown pelicans make homes by the beach in saltbushes. Behind the beach is a lagoon where wading birds and white-cheeked pintail ducks feed, while blue-footed and nazca boobies linger in the cliffs. Landing: Wet. Difficulty: Easy/Moderate.
Wildlife Sightings
- check Sea lions
- check Nazca booby
Site Rating 67%
public Iconic Species -
Day 7 PM Sombero Chino Island67%
Sombero Chino Island
The landing site is at a small crescent-shaped white-sand beach. A trail runs from the landing site — where you may see penguins, sea lions and Sally Lightfoot crabs — to the rocky shore of the western part of the island. Here, you’ll enter a primeval world of volcanic rubble, sharp outcroppings, and lava formations. A visit usually includes a snorkel/swim. Landing: Wet. Difficulty: Moderate.
Wildlife Sightings
- check Galapagos hawk
- check Galapagos penguin
- check Sea lions
Site Rating 67%
public Iconic Species -
Day 8 AM Santa Cruz Island, Darwin Station - Tortoise Centre account_balance53%
Santa Cruz Island, Darwin Station - Tortoise Centre
The Station is about a ten-minute walk from the center of Puerto Ayora. It has its own staff scientists but also hosts visiting scientists from around the world. The archipelago's first tortoise breeding centre is next door, along with land iguana pens. An open air rest area serves cold drinks and snacks. Visit the station's new "mini-museum" and buy a t-shirt to support the station's work. Landing: No Landing. Difficulty: Easy.
Wildlife Sightings
- check Mockingbirds
Site Rating 53%
public Iconic Species -
Day 8 AM Baltra Island Airport account_balance28%
Baltra Island Airport
The first airport here was built by Americans during the 2nd World War - remnants of that military base can be easily observed. The latest airport here touts itself as the world’s first “green” airport. It opened in December 2012. The terminal consists of recycled steel tubes taken from oil drilling operations in the Amazon. It spreads over 6,000 square meters and required an investment of just over $24 million. The new complex uses clean, renewable technologies such as solar energy, wind farms, and seawater desalination, among other environmental innovations. It is kept cool(ish) simply by design - no air conditioning is required.
Wildlife Sightings
- check Land Iguana
Site Rating 28%
public Iconic Species
account_balance Is of cultural or historical significance
Itinerary Rating
Combined score of all sites visited
Rating: 62%
public Iconic speciesWildlife Sightings
- check Flamingo
- check Fur seals
- check Galapagos hawk
- check Galapagos penguin
- check Hybrid land/marine iguana
- check Land Iguana
- check Mockingbirds
- check Nazca booby
- check Rays
- check Red-billed tropicbirds
- check Red-footed booby
- check Scalesia forest
- check Sea lions
- check Sea turtles
- check Sharks
- check Vermillion flycatcher