After arriving at Baltra airport, we will be greeted by our naturalist guide tothen board the S/S Mary Anne and have lunch. After lunch, we will navigatea short distance to Black Turtle Cove, a large mangrove lagoon on the northcoast of Santa Cruz Island. Pelicans and herons roost on the branches, whilemarine dwellers such as green sea turtles or golden rays may cruise rightnext to the panga as it makesits way through the mangroves.

AMWe travel to Genovesa Island and reach Darwin Bay (wet landing), a uniquesite with a beautiful beach, lined with red mangroves and soft‐haired pricklypear cacti where red‐footed boobies and great frigatebirds perch tamely.PMAt El Barranco (dry landing), we climb the edge of a cliff where frigatebirds,masked boobies, and red-footed boobies nest. The trail will take us to theinner part of the island, populated by holy stick trees and cacti. We will beseeking out the impressive red‐billed tropicbird amidst Galapagos stormpetrels and the endemic short-ear owl.

AMDry landing at Bartolome to climb up the woodensteps and reach the summit of this spatter cone fora most breath‐taking panorama of the island’s wellphotographed Pinnacle Rock and views ofneighboring Santiago and many other central islandsin the distance. Afterward, we will visit the whitesand beach used as a nest site by sea turtles.Bartolome is also a good place to spot theGalapagos penguin.PMLess than a quarter of one square kilometer in size,this island gets its name from being shaped like aChinese hat. The hat shape is best appreciated fromthe north side. Lava formations can be seen on thewestern side of the island, formed under the seaand later raised upward, making it possible toobserve coral heads on the lava. Be amazed by thelandscapes covered by sea lions’ colonies, marineiguanas, and Galapagos penguins.

AMWet landing onto Rabida’s deep‐red beaches to explorethe red island’s fascinating interior and saltwaterlagoon, where flamingos are usually present. Darwin’sfinches, Galapagos mockingbirds, and yellow warblersfeed off the vegetation. Given the right time of the year,we may see brown pelicans nesting on salt bushes thatfringe the beach.PMWe head across to Cerro Dragon on Santa Cruz’snorthwest shore (dry landing) to visit a saltwaterlagoon, home to Greater Flamingos, black‐necked stilts,and white‐cheeked pintails. Further inland we find afantastic land iguana nesting site.

AMWe will spend this day visiting Santa Cruz Island´s mostfamous highlights. We will have a dry landing at the dockof Puerto Ayora to then board our transportation andhead to the island’s highlands. This area, in contrast tothe coastal region, has lush vegetation and forest due tothe humidity in the higher regions.We will visit one of the ranches of the area where it ispossible to see giant tortoises in their natural habitat. Asthese animals migrate from the coastal area to thehighlands and back, the chosen ranch will depend on thepresence of the tortoises since they roam free andchange locations.This is also a good place to see the ground finch of theIsland, which populates these forests where is alsopossible to see the vermilion flycatcher or the yellowwarbler.PMWe will return to the ship for lunch and to freshen up tothen head back to Puerto Ayora for our second visit ofthe day, the Fausto Llerena Tortoise Breeding Center.Here, we will see tortoises from different islands. Theanimals are found in large semi natural pens for theirprotection, but also to ensure an easy view for thevisitors. The pens are divided according to four differentstages: eggs, neonates, juveniles (held here until theyare mature enough to be "repatriated"), and adults.After this visit, we will have some time to browse theshops in the town of Puerto Ayora before boarding theship, as this is the only opportunity we will have forsouvenirshopping during the itinerary.

AMDry landing on one of the oldest docks of thearchipelago on colorful South Plaza, home to vibrantgreenprickly pears, deep red Sesuvium, andcoppery‐orange land iguanas. Impressive seawardcliffs make the perfect perching spot for a variety ofcoastal birds. This is also a great place to observe theadult and pup sea lions swimming along the shores.PMAfter a wet landing on Santa Fe, we will beencountered by a white beach where sea lions areusually resting. We will be looking for the endemicspecies of land iguana, larger and yellower than landiguanas on other islands. The largest prickly pear cactiin the Galapagos are also found here.

AMIn the morning we will head to Suarez Point, one of themost popular landing sites in Galapagos.The highlights include: sea lions near the landing place,sometimes to be seen body‐surfing in the large breakers,large marine iguanas, with red‐colored males in thebreeding season, oystercatchers, blue-footed and Nazcaboobies, Galapagos hawks, Galapagos doves, swallow‐tailedgulls, red-billed tropicbirds, and three species endemic toEspañola: the waved albatross (present only from April toDecember), the Española mockingbird, and the Españolalava lizard. The trail ends in “El Soplador” a blowhole thatsprays water some 25 m (75 feet) into the air.PMWe will spend the afternoon in the fantastic Gardner Bay(wet landing) of Española Island; an outstanding beach withsea lions, marine iguanas, and the intrepid Españolamockingbird. Close to Española, there is a good spot forsnorkeling called Gardner Islet. While snorkeling, there is agood chance playful sea lions will join you. Get ready formore snorkeling at Osborn islet, a great place to observegreat quantities of marine life.

AMThis is our last day in the islands. After breakfastwe will disembark in Puerto Ayora to take ourtransport to the Baltra airport, making a shortstop to visit the Twin Craters. The Gemelos (twins)are in fact not craters, but magma domes thathave collapsed, leaving two deep and wide holeslocated to the side of the road that leads toPuerto Ayora from the other side of the island.After this visit, we will make our way to the Baltraairport for the flight to mainland Ecuador.

Itineraries are subject to change.