Darwin's Discoveries—The Galapagos Islands

Description

Darwin’s discoveries in the Galapagos had a profound impact on the way we understand the world. From Ecuador’s northern highlands to a yacht cruise among these notable islands—adventure, culture, wildlife, and discovery awaits you.

Ecuador welcomes with Spanish colonial architecture, though chances are you’re here for the wildlife. Get in a snorkel with green sea turtles or a guided amble past blue-footed boobies, flamingos, penguins, and iguanas. Darwin’s famed giant tortoises watch over their natural habitat reminding you that this is an ancient world—for you to explore.

Trip Name

Darwin's Discoveries—The Galapagos Islands

Days

Overview

Vessel Type: Small Ship Length: 63 metres Passenger Capacity: 48 (in 24 cabins) Built / refurbished: 1983 / 2007 / 2020 A sophisticated, upscale experience La Pinta is a luxury vessel, featuring some of the largest cabins in the Galapagos, complete with floor-to-ceiling windows, spacious interiors and an overall design that minimizes the possibility of seasickness. Above all, this Yacht offers you the true definition of luxury in the Archipelago: full, unmitigated access. Small groups – average just 12 guests or fewer per guide- are guaranteed and all the required equipment is ready and set for your convenience: a Glass-bottom boat, kayaks, snorkeling equipment, and our large and comfortable pangas. The ideal vessel for exploring the Galapagos in the most comfortable, stylish way. Complete with a Cordon-Bleu gastronomy director, La Pinta will open up the islands for you like no other ship sailing these amazing waters. Space for Learning and Relaxing Join our guides in the lounge for nightly briefings about the next day’s activities. On the following day, visit the National Park on carefully planned excursions. In between outings, it will feel as if your connection with the islands never ends, as panoramic windows in our numerous social areas offer almost permanent visual contact with the island landscapes while you are inside the ship. Or step outside with your camera and make the most of the numerous outdoor social areas, including an outdoor terrace for dining when weather permits and an observation deck that is perfect for equatorial stargazing. Relax in the hot tub, work out in the cardio-gym, or lounge on the sun deck.

Itinerary

Day 1 - DAY 1 Guayaquil / Arrival

Welcome to Ecuador! Begin your journey in this port city known as the gateway to the Pacific. Your first stop is Wyndham Guayaquil, voted the #1 Hotel in Guayaquil on TripAdvisor and where you’ll stay the night. This dazzling riverside hotel is a short walk to the vibrant Malecon 2000 boardwalk as well as historic Santa Ana Hill and its famous lighthouse. Explore the city sights on your own, relax at the rooftop pool, and get a good night’s rest before your adventure.

Day 2 - DAY 2 Guayaquil / Isla Baltra – Embarkation / Isla Seymour Norte

Up and at ‘em. Get an early start and travel to the legendary Galapagos Islands—UNESCO World Heritage Site. From Guayaquil, fly to Isla Baltra where your captain and crew welcome you aboard Yacht La Pinta. As Charles Darwin certainly was in 1835, you’ll be awed by the unique beauty of the islands as you take your first exploratory steps on Isla Seymour Norte—home to Blue-footed boobies and Magnificent Frigatebirds. Formed by volcanic uplift, the small island of scruffy vegetation is ideal nesting terrain. Get an up-close view of these birds’ quirky characteristics by hike and panga ride.

Day 3 - DAY 3 Isla Isabela / Isla Fernandina

Explore Punta Vicente Roca, a marine site of impressive geological formations, by panga—your guide helps with decoding the visible clues of the islands’ fiery beginnings. Beyond the geology, spy winged residents including Blue-footed boobies and flightless cormorants. The wildly rocky coast with a partially sunken cave provides phenomenal conditions for a menagerie of fish and green sea turtles. If conditions allow, don your mask, fins, and snorkel and dive in for a close-up view! Later, stretch your legs on a guided walk experiencing one of the most pristine islands in the Galapagos, Isla Fernandina. The island’s active volcano erupted as recently as 2009. Thousands of bright land iguanas reside here, and it’s also a favorite haunt of Galapagos penguins.

Day 4 - DAY 4 Isla Isabela

Large in landmass and young at 1 million years old, Isla Isabela supports abundant wildlife and sea life. An Urbina Bay shore walk reveals large, colorful land iguanas and perhaps giant tortoises. Crossing from Urbina Bay to Tagus Cove, scan the water for whales and dolphins that frequent Bolivar Channel from one of La Pinta’s spacious decks. At Tagus Cove—an otherworldly landscape of eroded tuff cones—there’s a chance to snorkel, kayak, or ride a panga before hiking the backside of Darwin Crater to a saltwater lake. There’ll be excellent opportunities for viewing penguins, Galapagos Hawks, cormorants, petrified rain (bits of lava that cooled quickly after contacting water), and old signatures from pirates and whalers etched into the rock.

Day 5 - DAY 5 Isla Rabida / Isla Santa Cruz

Isla Rabida’s unusual red beach is a favorite sunbathing spot for sea lions and marine iguanas. Go eye-to-eye with Blue-footed and Nazca Boobies, Yellow Warblers, several species of Darwin’s Finches, and pelicans. The warm maroon-colored beach also makes a great jumping in spot for from-the-beach snorkeling. Or keep your eyes above the waterline, inspecting marine life from the glass-bottom boat. You’ll have a birds-eye view from Isla Santa Cruz hiking Cerro Dragon—or, Dragon Hill—and enjoy a well-earned panorama of the western islands, the bay below you, and possibly even lounging land iguanas.

Day 6 - DAY 6 Isla Santa Cruz

Today, it’s all about the magnificent giant tortoise. Touring the Charles Darwin Research Station, you’ll witness the exceptionalconservation program where baby tortoises, “galápaguitos,” are reared in protective captivity until they are old enough tosafely repatriate back to their native areas. Embrace Galápagos conservation by learning about threats that still endanger thisfragile ecosystem. Bring your passport along if you’d like a special Galápagos stamp. Time permitting, stroll through town asyou please. After lunch at the Finch Bay Eco Hotel, explore the misty, forested highlands and see the lumbering tortoises intheir natural habitat.

Day 7 - DAY 7 Isla Floreana

Your day is chock-full of adventure, with opportunities to snorkel, hike, kayak, skiff, ride the glass-bottom boat, or simplyrelax on the beach. Send a note home from Post Office Bay, dropping your postcard in Isla Floreana’s famous, historic barrelmailbox. A hike at Baroness Viewpoint provides the perfect vantage for a photo-op. Then take in the island’s geologic historywith a panga ride or kayak investigation of its maze of volcanic channels. A tale of two beaches, walk along the green olivinebeach of Punta Cormorant to a brackish lagoon known to be a flamingo hideout, then on to a white-sand beach where greensea turtles come ashore to nest.

Day 8 - DAY 8 Isla Baltra / Guayaquil – Disembarkation

Your adventure of a lifetime aboard La Pinta concludes back on Isla Baltra.From here, transfer to the airport for your flight to Guayaquil—where you’ll await your connecting flight home, or if you’ve opted for our Machu Picchuextension, continue on to Quito, Ecuador for your flight to Lima, Peru.

Day 9 - Please Note:

Itineraries are guidelines; variations in itinerary and the order days may occur to maximize your experience.

Trip Dates

Start	End	Price From	Room Type

Inclusions

UNESCO World Heritage Site, Galapagos Islands
One night pre-cruise hotel stay at the riverfront Wyndham Guayaquil
Six-night Galapagos cruise aboard La Pinta
Set foot on seven islands and islets
Charles Darwin Research Center
Nesting birds and wildlife in their natural habitat
View marine life by snorkel, panga, and glass-bottom boat
Certified guides escort small groups of 12
Roundtrip air between Guayaquil and Galapagos
Alcoholic beverages on La Pinta