YOUR GALAPAGOS ISLANDS ITINERARY

In reading through the itinerary, you'll see that each day has been carefully planned to give you a new and different experience. In the Galapagos you'll explore both the islands and the under sea world surrounding them. You'll also make human contact in the Galapagos during your visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station and during our free time in Puerto Ayora. After each day's exploration, you'll return to the comfortable Hotel Casa Natura to relax, share favorite memories of the day, and learn more about adventures yet to come.

In Guayaquil, you'll tour the historic distract called Santa Anna Hill as well as the Malecon 2000 River District.

DAY 1

Following your late evening arrival, we'll transfer to the Hampton Inn, situated in the heart of Guayaquil's tourist, commercial and financial district just blocks from the Malecon 2000; a wonderful river walk distract that we will have time to explore upon our return. Get a good nights rest as your Galapagos adventure officially begins in the morning! Dinner aloft.

DAY 2

After breakfast, we'll board our plane taking us to the Galapagos Islands. The adventure begins the moment we step off the plane. From the plane, we'll head into the highlands of Santa Cruz for lunch at a wonderful farm and restaurant called "Narwhal", home of the best grilled chicken in the Galapagos. After lunch we'll head to the town of Puerto Ayora were we'll check into our family run Hotel Natura for the next six nights. After settling in, we'll get our snorkel gear and have an opportunity to become comfortable with it in the hotel swimming pool, so that we can all enjoy the underwater world of the Galapagos to the fullest.

Santa Cruz Island is a large, high island in the center of the archipelago on which volcanic activity has long since ceased, although there are still some interesting ecological remnants. The wetter southeast side faces the prevailing trade winds and holds the archipelago's largest human population of about 20,000 people. (B.L.D)

DAY 3

This morning we will visit the famous Charles Darwin Research Station to learn about the conservation programs carried out by the National Park with the scientific support of this center. We will also see and learn about the tortoise captive breeding program and hopefully will get to see the Station's most famous resident, "Lonesome George." You can purchase souvenirs at the Darwin Station shop, proceeds of which go to support the Station's work and provide scholarships for local students. To get to our next destination you can choose between walking or taking a boat. If you're up for a hike, it is about a onehour easy walk through beautiful landscapes. Or, you can go by boat and get there in a relaxed and comfortable way.

Our next site is considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, "Tortuga Bay", named after the turtles that used to nest here many years ago. We will enjoy the clear water, swimming, kayaking, sunbathing and relaxing. Much Galapagos wildlife can be found here, such as pelicans, frigate birds, ghost crabs and marine iguanas. Following our afternoon at the beach, we'll return to our hotel to refresh and then enjoy a wonderful dinner in town. (B.L.D)

DAY 4

This morning after breakfast, we take our bus to the Itabaca Channel in the northern part of Santa Cruz, where we board the boat that will take us to South Plaza Island for a day of exploration. South Plaza is a small uplifted island that holds a large colony of Galapagos sea lions. This is a great place to understand their social structure. You will see females, lots of babies and a very exclusive place for the old males, the bachelor's colony.

Our walk will take you along the magnificent cliff formation, where you can see sea birds including pelicans, Nazca boobies, tropicbirds, gulls, noddy terns and more. The landscape is also very colorful, consisting of prickly pear cactus and small sessuvium vegetation. After a delicious Galapagos lunch, we'll put on our snorkel gear and explore the unique underwater life.different types of fish like parrot fish, damselfish, Moorish idols, surgeons, and more. Your evening is free to explore the town, choose a local restaurant for dinner, and experience the nightlife. (B,L)

DAY 5

Today we are going to explore the highlands of Santa Cruz. We travel by bus through private farmland to a place where giant tortoises are found in their natural habitat. Santa Cruz has a population of about 2,000 giant tortoises. We'll also see one of the natural wonders, a lava tube, and we'll walk underground for about 30 minutes to enjoy this geological formation. Our busy morning will end with a delicious lunch in the highlands. After lunch, we'll stop at a farm run by Adriano Cabrera, who is a true Galapagos farmer. Mr. Cabrera will show us his family farm and share his vast knowledge as a long time farmer. We'll see a small coffee, banana and sugarcane plantation and many other interesting plants in the area. (B.L.D)

DAY 6

Today we're off on another terrific adventure! We will take our bus to the other side of the island where a charter boat will take us to Bartolome Island. Bartolome is one of the most beautiful islands in the Galapagos, a true paradise for geologists. First we'll enjoy a wonderful volcanic view of one of the most photographed places in the Galapagos, Pinnacle Rock, along with many volcanic spatter cones. Next, we'll take a short ride by boat to look for the endemic Galapagos penguins that are found here.

We'll also swim and snorkel at Bartolome. The marine life here is diverse. We'll see different fish species, small sharks, and if we're lucky get to swim with a Galapagos penguin. We'll return to Puerto Ayora in plenty of time to relax and enjoy another free night in town. (B.L)

DAY 7

This morning, we're taking a bus across the island to the Itabaca channel where we'll be met by our day tour boat, which will take us to North Seymour Island. This is a small, flat, uplifted island. Here we'll see magnificent frigate-birds, blue footed boobies, gulls, land iguanas and playful sea lions. After a 90-minute walk, we'll return to the boat to get ready for today's snorkel adventure amongst the tropical fish. Get ready for some fun, for the sea lions love to play!

This afternoon after a typical Galapagos boat lunch, we'll go to "Bachas Beach" located on the northern part of Santa Cruz. This is one of the most beautiful beaches in the islands with nice clear blue water. Here we'll see a flamingo lagoon, sally light foot crabs, marine iguanas, pelicans and boobies flying by. After our beach walk, we'll go back to our boat and return to the hotel to refresh before enjoying another great dinner. (B,L,D)

DAY 8

This morning after breakfast we will say good-bye to our new friends in the Galapagos Islands and return to the airport of Baltra for our flight to mainland Ecuador. Lunch is served aboard the flight.

After we pick up our luggage, and check into the Hampton Inn, we'll have a chance to see a little bit of downtown Guayaquil. We'll visit the famous "Crystal Palace," go shopping at a small, local market and have the chance to purchase the wonderful handcrafts made of vegetable ivory called "Tagua". We'll also go to Santa Ana Hill and "Las Penias," one of the most traditional neighborhoods in Guayaquil. Then we'll walk along the beautiful waterfront and finish the day with our farewell dinner.

DAY 9

This morning, after breakfast, we'll head back to the Guayaquil airport, say goodbye to our newly found friends, and board our plane back home.

Please Note: Due to Galapagos National Park regulations and local conditions, both the order of your daily itinerary and the islands visited are subject to change.