Itinerary B
Length 8 days
Departs on Saturday
from San Cristóbal Island Airport
Ends on Saturday
at Baltra Island Airport
Visitor Sites
Click on each site for more information
-
Day 1 AM
San Cristóbal Island Airport
10%
San Cristóbal Island Airport
The only commercial jet airliner airport we know that is located walking distance from town.
Site Rating 10%
public Iconic Speciespets Biodiversityphoto Striking vistasbeach_access Beach quailtypool Snorkeling quality -
Day 1 PM
San Cristóbal Island, Leon Dormido
69%
San Cristóbal Island, Leon Dormido
Rising several hundred feet above the water, this majestic volcanic monolith is one of the most photographed sites in the islands. Keep an eye on the cliffs for blue-footed and Nazca boobies and frigatebirds. While there are no landing sites, Kicker Rock provides excellent snorkeling opportunities. You may see Galápagos and hammerhead sharks, spotted eagle rays, turtles and tropical fish. Landing: None. Difficulty: Easy.
Wildlife Sightings
- check Rays
- check Sea lions
- check Sea turtles
- check Sharks
Site Rating 69%
public Iconic Speciespets Biodiversityphoto Striking vistasbeach_access Beach quailtypool Snorkeling quality -
Day 2 AM
San Cristóbal Island, Punta Pitt
65%
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 Speciespets Biodiversityphoto Striking vistasbeach_access Beach quailtypool Snorkeling quality -
Day 2 PM
San Cristóbal Island, Cerro Brujo
63%
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 Speciespets Biodiversityphoto Striking vistasbeach_access Beach quailtypool Snorkeling quality -
Day 3 AM
Floreana Island, Post Office Bay account_balance
37%
Floreana Island, Post Office Bay
In the eighteenth century, a group of whalers set up a wooden barrel to collect mail at this site, now known as Post Office Bay. A trail behind the barrel leads through palo santo and palo verde trees to a cave, which is actually a lava tube running down to the sea. Landing: Wet. Difficulty: Easy.
Site Rating 37%
public Iconic Speciespets Biodiversityphoto Striking vistasbeach_access Beach quailtypool Snorkeling quality -
Day 3 PM
Floreana Island, Punta Cormorant - Devil`s Crown
60%
Floreana Island, Punta Cormorant - Devil`s Crown
Between two tuff cones, the Punta Cormorant landing is on a beach with green, olivine sand. Trails allow you to explore a brackish lagoon where greater flamingoes wade through the water, sifting shrimp with their curved bills. Stingrays can be seen in the shallows. You may also see pintail ducks, stilts, large-billed flycatchers, and several species of finches. Landing: Wet. Difficulty: Easy.
Wildlife Sightings
- check Flamingo
- check Rays
Site Rating 60%
public Iconic Speciespets Biodiversityphoto Striking vistasbeach_access Beach quailtypool Snorkeling quality -
Day 4 AM
Santa Cruz Island, Black Turtle Cove
63%
Santa Cruz Island, Black Turtle Cove
The cove is located on the north coast of the island and is only accessible by boat. A quiet boat ride through the mangroves may reveal lava herons, sea turtles, spotted rays, and a variety of shark species, including black and white tipped reef sharks and Galapagos sharks. Landing: None. Difficulty: Easy.
Wildlife Sightings
- check Sharks
- check Rays
Site Rating 63%
public Iconic Speciespets Biodiversityphoto Striking vistasbeach_access Beach quailtypool Snorkeling quality -
Day 4 PM
Bartolomé Island
68%
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 Speciespets Biodiversityphoto Striking vistasbeach_access Beach quailtypool Snorkeling quality -
Day 5 AM
Genovesa Island, Darwin Bay
76%
Genovesa Island, Darwin Bay
After landing on a white-sand, coral beach, you follow a short trail (800m) that meanders through mangroves to the tidal pools where sea lions are often found frolicking, and up a rocky hill that leads to a point overlooking the cliffs and Darwin Bay. This is one of the few places in the islands where you are pretty much guaranteed to see red-footed boobies, along with other tidal lagoon birds. Landing: Wet. Difficulty: Easy/Moderate.
Wildlife Sightings
- check Nazca booby
- check Red-footed booby
- check Sea lions
- check Sea turtles
Site Rating 76%
public Iconic Speciespets Biodiversityphoto Striking vistasbeach_access Beach quailtypool Snorkeling quality -
Day 5 PM
Genovesa Island, Prince Phillip's Steps
84%
Genovesa Island, Prince Phillip's Steps
This site is notable for its variety and abundance of birdlife including red-footed and Nazca boobies, short-eared owls, red-billed tropicbirds, Galápagos swallows and Galápagos doves. Upon landing on a steep rocky stairway, visitors are treated to the site of small fur seal colony and a variety of marine life clinging to the rocks. There are great views of lava plains near the end of the trail. Landing: Dry (with slippery rocks). Difficulty: Moderate.
Wildlife Sightings
- check Red-footed booby
- check Fur seals
- check Nazca booby
Site Rating 84%
public Iconic Speciespets Biodiversityphoto Striking vistasbeach_access Beach quailtypool Snorkeling quality -
Day 6 AM
Santiago Island, Espumilla Beach
49%
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 Speciespets Biodiversityphoto Striking vistasbeach_access Beach quailtypool Snorkeling quality -
Day 6 PM
Santiago Island, Puerto Egas
71%
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 Speciespets Biodiversityphoto Striking vistasbeach_access Beach quailtypool Snorkeling quality -
Day 7 AM
North Seymour Island
83%
North Seymour Island
From the small dock, the trail leads along the coast — past an area where marine iguanas nest — and then loops into the palo santo forest by the nests of frigatebirds and boobies. The frigatebirds rely on the fishing success of the blue-footed boobies for their survival, stealing their catches. Landing: Dry. Difficulty: Easy
Wildlife Sightings
- check Nazca booby
- check Land Iguana
Site Rating 83%
public Iconic Speciespets Biodiversityphoto Striking vistasbeach_access Beach quailtypool Snorkeling quality -
Day 7 PM
Santa Cruz Island, Los Gemelos - Highlands
62%
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 Speciespets Biodiversityphoto Striking vistasbeach_access Beach quailtypool Snorkeling quality -
Day 8 AM
Mosquera Island
56%
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 Speciespets Biodiversityphoto Striking vistasbeach_access Beach quailtypool Snorkeling quality -
Day 8 AM
Baltra Island Airport account_balance
28%
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 Speciespets Biodiversityphoto Striking vistasbeach_access Beach quailtypool Snorkeling quality
account_balance Is of cultural or historical significance
Itinerary Rating
Combined score of all sites visited
Rating: 64%
public Iconic speciesWildlife Sightings
- check Flamingo
- check Fur seals
- check Galapagos hawk
- check Galapagos penguin
- check Land Iguana
- check Nazca booby
- check Rays
- check Red-footed booby
- check Scalesia forest
- check Sea lions
- check Sea turtles
- check Sharks
- check Vermillion flycatcher