Galápagos Photography Tour by Private Luxury Yacht II

Itinerary

Saturday, March 30

Arrive at GYE in Guayaquil, Ecuador any time of day. Transfer to our luxury boutique hotel, the Relais & Chateaux Hotel del Parque, will be provided for those arriving today.

Sunday, March 31 (B, D)

We’ll use this day as a buffer as we prepare for our Galápagos Islands photo excursion by private yacht. Enjoy our hotel’s many amenities, hit the gym, get a massage, take a stroll around the hotel’s lush outdoor gardens, or relax in your comfortable, spacious room.

For those interested, we’ll meet up for an optional tour of Guayaquil today. Tonight we’ll gather for our group welcome dinner. Overnight Relais & Chateaux Hotel del Parque

Monday, April 1 – Monday, April 8 (B, L, D)

Today we’ll fly to the islands, board our private luxury 118-foot yacht, and get settled into our rooms. Let the Galápagos adventure begin!

Islands Schedule
Below are the islands and locations (subject to change) we plan to visit during our journey. Activities at each location are noted, along with a list of animals we hope to see along the way.

Santa Cruz (Highlands and Black Turtle Cove)
Santa Cruz is located in the center of the Galápagos Islands. It is the most developed island, with a population of about 18,000 people. It is home to the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center. The lush Highlands of Santa Cruz provide some respite from the sun, an ideal habitat for Galápagos giant tortoises. Extensive conservation efforts are in place here to protect the remaining population of this once-nearly-extinct animal. Almost every bird in the Galápagos has been spotted on Santa Cruz, so it’s also a great spot for bird watchers. Black Turtle Cove is a “Turtle Sanctuary” and also boasts home to many seabirds.

Activities: Hiking (Highlands), dingy ride (Black Turtle Cove)

Animals: Galápagos giant tortoise, Galápagos finches, white-tipped reef sharks, seabirds, pelicans, herons, egrets

North Seymour
Seymour is an uplifted (as opposed to volcanic) island and is generally flat and strewn with boulders. There are good nesting sites here for a large population of magnificent frigatebirds. Blue-footed boobies perform their courtship mating dance in the more open areas and swallow-tailed gulls perch on the cliff edges. Despite the tremendous surf that can pound the outer shore, sea lions haul out onto the beach and can be found bodysurfing. Watch your step, as the boobies don’t worry much about where they nest. The trees are dotted with male frigatebirds trying to attract the attention of the ladies by inflating their bright red skin flaps.

Activities: Hiking, snorkeling, dingy ride

Animals: Frigatebirds, blue-footed boobies, sea lions, marine iguanas, swallow-tailed gulls, snakes, great blue herons, lava herons, hawks, sharks, manta rays, Sally Lightfoot crabs

Mosquera
Mosquero is one of the smallest islands yet boasts one of the largest sea lion colonies in the archipelago. The island’s soft white coral sandy beach is a perfect location for them to laze about. Mosquera is also surrounded by many coral reefs, which makes it a great place to snorkel and observe marine life.

Activities: Hiking, snorkeling

Animals: Galápagos sea lions, tropical fish

Genovesa (Darwin Bay and Prince Phillip)
Genovesa is known as “bird island” or “bird paradise” due to the numerous and varied bird species that reside here. It’s an especially popular area for red-footed boobies. They’re found en masse here – an estimated 200,000 live on the island!

Activities: Hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, dingy ride

Animals: Puffballs, yellow-crowned herons, lava herons, red-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, lava gulls, mockingbirds, frigatebirds, large-beaked cactus finches, Galápagos doves, yellow warblers, storm petrels, red-billed tropicbirds, marine iguanas, hammerhead sharks, tropical fish, Galápagos sea lions, sea turtles

South Plaza
South Plaza has a large, unique ecosystem formed of prickly pear cactus. The fruits and flowers of the prickly pear are the main food source for a very large population of land iguanas during the dry season. These land iguanas are the smallest in all the Galápagos Islands. Additionally, South Plaza is the only place on Earth where you may be able to spot a Galápagos hybrid iguana since some marine iguanas live near the land iguanas. A large colony of Galápagos sea lions, mainly retired bachelors and young adolescent wannabes, can also be found on South Plaza.

Activities: Hiking

Animals: Galápagos sea lions, hybrid iguanas, land iguanas, marine iguanas, Nazca boobies, blue-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, red-billed tropicbirds, Darwin’s cactus finches

Santa Fe (Barrington Bay)
Many animals on Santa Fe are endemic only to this location. Its vegetation is a highlight, populated with many large Optunia Echios, a very large prickly pear variety.

Activities: Hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, dingy ride

Animals: Galápagos hawks, Galápagos snakes, mockingbirds, finches, Santa Fe land iguanas, Santa Fe lava lizards, Santa Fe rice rats, frigatebirds, blue-footed boobies, sea lions, marine iguanas, swallow-tailed gulls, sharks, manta rays, tropical fish

San Cristobal (Kicker Rock – Witch Hill – Colorado Hill)
San Cristobal is the capital of the Galápagos Islands. Kicker Rock, with its characteristic shape, is one of the most photographed landscapes of the islands and also a great place to snorkel. Witch Hill features a stunning beach and was one of the first sites where Charles Darwin made landfall on his famous journey on HMS Beagle. Colorado Hill has a giant tortoise breeding station, and here you can see the baby hatchlings and young tortoises before they are released into the wild.

Activities: Hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, dingy ride

Animals: Sea turtles, manta rays, marine iguanas, Galápagos sharks, hammerhead sharks, tropical fish, blue-footed boobies, masked boobies, frigatebirds, Galápagos sea lions, pelicans, Galápagos giant tortoises

Española (Gardner Bay – Suarez Point)
Española is probably home to the ancestors of flora and fauna species that now populate the other islands. If we’re lucky, the Galápagos waved albatross will begin to arrive to begin their breeding season; about 30,000 individuals nest here each year. Gardner Bay is an excellent place to snorkel.

Activities: Hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, dingy ride

Animals: Española mockingbirds, marine iguanas, Galápagos sea lions, Galápagos waved albatross, blue-footed boobies, Galápagos giant tortoises, Nazca boobies, doves, herons, gulls, hawks, reptiles, Galápagos lava lizards, red-billed tropicbirds, tropical fish, Sally Lightfoot crabs, white-tipped reef sharks

Floreana (Cormorant Point – Champion Islet – Post Office Bay & Baroness Lookout)
Floreana offers a variety of opportunities. Cormorant Point is an ideal location for bright pink Galápagos flamingos and is also home to nesting green Pacific sea turtles. Champion Islet is considered one of the most beautiful places to snorkel in the Galápagos. Finally, at Post Office Bay, we can leave our postcards and letters in the hopes they will be delivered in a timely manner 🙂

Activities: Hiking, snorkeling, dingy ride

Animals: Galápagos flamingos, green Pacific Sea Turtles, tropical fish, Galápagos sea lions, white-tipped reef sharks, Galápagos penguins, blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, herons, frigate birds, pelicans, red-billed tropicbirds, Darwin’s finches, manta rays, Floreana mockingbirds, yellow warblers, lava lizards

Santiago (Sullivan Bay)
Sullivan Bay is a perfect location to see and feel the volcanic origins of the Galápagos, as it features the most beautiful Pahoehoe (“easy to walk”) lava flows. These lava flows are rare to most of the world, only found in the Galápagos and Hawaii. Sullivan Bay is a premium place for snorkeling.

Activities: Hiking, snorkeling

Animals: Santiago lava lizards, Galápagos penguins, Galápagos sea lions, whitetip sharks, stingrays, spotted eagle rays, green sea turtles, tropical fish

Bartolomé (AKA Bartholomew)
Bartolomé is in the center of the Galápagos Islands. Near the iconic Pinnacle Rock, there are great snorkeling opportunities with Galápagos penguins and sea lions. Enjoy breathtaking views here – on a clear day, you can see panoramic views of up to 10 other islands!

Activities: Hiking, snorkeling, dingy ride

Animals: Galápagos penguins, Galápagos sea lions, tropical fish, sharks, manta rays, green sea turtles, whitetip sharks, Galápagos hawks

Tuesday, April 9 (B, D)

Now filled with inspiring memories and photographs of the flora and fauna of the Galápagos Islands, we’ll make our way to the airport and return to Guayaquil. Rest, repack, and get ready for your flight home tomorrow. We’ll gather tonight to reminisce and enjoy one last dinner as a group. Overnight Hotel Wyndham Guayaquil

Wednesday, April 10 (B)

Depart at GYE in Guayaquil, Ecuador, for your flight home today.