Cruise Overview
The Alya’s catamaran design guarantees you smooth sailing in the seas surrounding the Galapagos Islands.
This luxury-class, 16-passenger boat offers the travelers a choice of eight-, five-and four-day cruises through the archipelago. The itineraries include snorkeling, kayaking and hiking. After the day’s excursions, relax in the library viewing a movie from the DVD collection, or on the sundeck while enjoying a drink from one of the catamaran’s two bars. You’ll rest well in one of the nine pleasant cabins, eight of which have private balconies. All are equipped with private bathrooms, cold/hot water, air conditioning, safe box and other amenities. Throughout, the Alya is elegantly and tastefully decorated.
The Alya’s eight crew members and bilingual, certified naturalist guide will assure you a safe and informative journey through the Galapagos Islands.
Highlights
4 Days / 3 Nights
Departs Monday
AM San Cristobal Island Airport
Arrival and Transfer to the boat
PM
The Interpretation Center was opened in 1998 as a phase of the project “Interpretation and Environment Education Project.” Visitors enjoy expositions on natural history, human history, and conservation. The conservation efforts represent the movement to protect the wildlife and natural environment through means of population and tourist control. The Interpretation Center has an outdoor stadium, audio-visual equipment, and meeting rooms.
Activities: Short walk
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: Dry
Highlights: Information and history about the Galapagos Islands.
AM Witch Hill
Located on the northern coast, this eroded hill and its surroundings present one of the most picturesque beaches in the Galapagos with its white powdery sand and the abundance of animals. Wildlife includes sea turtles, rays, and various types of booby birds. The clear water provides an excellent opportunity for enjoying swimming and snorkeling.
Highlights: Beautiful rock formations, sea lions, shore birds, finches and mockingbirds; snorkeling: nice tropical fish, anemones, sponge coral
Activities: Hike, dinghy ride, snorkeling & kayaking
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Difficulty: Easy walk along the beach
PM Pitt Point
Pitt Point, situated on the northeastern tip of the island, hosts frigatebirds, storm petrels, and all three types of booby birds: the Nazca, blue-footed and red-footed boobies. A steep trail goes up a cliff and through a ravine leading visitors to an area with an abundance of birds. This site is also great for snorkeling and scuba diving.
Highlights: Wonderful landscape, sea lion colony, three possible species of boobies.
Activities: Dinghy ride, snorkeling, kayaking & hike (1.5 miles / 2.5 km)
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Difficulty: Moderate / difficult
AM Suarez Point
This area is great for spotting blue-footed boobies, albatrosses and Nazca boobies. A beautiful site on the ocean front, the large waved albatrosses use the cliff as a launching pad. The famous attraction is the magnificent blowhole, spurting water high into the air. This site presents wonderful photograph opportunities.
Highlights: Hood mockingbirds, Nazca boobies, waved albatrosses, red-billed tropicbirds, lava lizards, Galapagos hawks, blue-footed boobies, blowhole, amazing landscape
Activities: Hike (1.9 miles/3 km)
Type of Landing: Dry landing
Difficulty: Difficult
PM Gardner Bay
Gardner Bay, on the eastern side of the island, is the breeding site of nearly all of the world´s 12,000 pairs of waved albatrosses. It has an ample white sandy beach with a myriad of sea lions, perfect for relaxing. Its rocky shores make this site a great place for diving and snorkeling.
Highlights: White sandy beach, sea lions, mockingbirds; snorkeling: colorful fish, sea lion nursery
Activities: Snorkeling, dinghy ride, kayaking, short hike of (0.6 miles/1 km)
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Difficulty: Easy
AM Carrion Point
Carrion Point creates a sheltered lagoon with beautiful, turquoise water. During this visit you can snorkel and see a variety of fish, rays and perhaps the harmless white-tip reef sharks. The point is on the north coast of Santa Cruz Island at the entrance of Channel of Itabaca.
Highlights: Fish, rays, white-tip reef sharks
Activities: Snorkeling
Type of Landing: None
Difficulty: Easy
Transfer to the Baltra Airport
5 Days / 4 Nights
Departs Thursdays
AM
Baltra Island Airport: Arrival and Transfer to the boat
PM
North Seymour Island
Galapagos sea lions, blue-footed boobies and magnificent frigatebirds are abundant on North Seymour Island. The island was formed by a series of submarine lava containing layers of sediment that were uplifted by tectonic activity. The island is characterized by its arid vegetation zone.
| Highlights: | Land & marine iguanas, frigatebirds, blue-footed boobies, sea lions; snorkeling: rays, reef shark, fish, garden eels. |
| Activities: | Dinghy ride & hiking (1.5 miles / 2.5 km) |
| Type of Landing: | Dry landing |
| Difficulty: | Moderate / difficult |
AM
Darwin Bay
This white sand coral beach heads a half mile trail (0.75km) that winds through mangroves filled with land birds. Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies, and swallow-tailed gulls can be spotted here. Further down the path are tidal pools where sea lions swim playfully. At the end is a spectacular view off a cliff.
| Highlights: | Nazca boobies, red- footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, mangroves, coral pebbles beach, snorkeling: rays, colorful reef fish and hammerhead sharks |
| Activities: | Hiking (0.9 miles/1.5 km), snorkeling, kayaking & dinghy ride |
| Type of Landing: | Wet landing. |
| Difficulty: | Easy / moderate |
PM
El Barranco
Also known as Prince Phillip’s Steps, El Barranco’s steep, rocky paths leads up to a high cliff-face. A marvelous view can be appreciated from here. This site is also home to palo santo vegetation as well as red-footed boobies, short-eared lava owls, Galapagos swallows, and Galapagos doves.
| Highlights: | Red-footed boobies, short-eared lava owls, storm-petrels, Galapagos doves |
| Activities: | Hiking (0.9 miles/2 km) |
| Type of Landing: | Dry, difficult landing |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
AM
Sullivan Bay
A coral beach landing leads you towards a lava field as far as the eye can see. Hunt and peck over the two distinguished types of lava, pahoehoe and ‘a’a, for signs of plant life that have managed to emerge over the past 100 years since the most recent volcanic explosion. A truly amazing volcanic experience…up close and personal!
| Highlights: | Variety of lava formations and landscapes, pahoehoe lava which is found primarily in Hawai’i and the Galapagos islands, ‘a’a lava, and pristine coral sand beach |
| Activities: | Walk, snorkel, swim |
| Type of Landing: | Wet landing |
| Difficulty: | Easy to moderate. Be sure to wear good solid walking shoes or boots as the ‘a’a lava is very sharp and pointy |
PM
Bartholomew Island
Home of the famous Pinnacle Rock, Bartholomew consists of an extinct volcano with a variety of red, orange, black and even green volcanic formations. A trail of stairs leads to the summit of the volcano, boasting one of the best views of the islands. The beach is perfect for snorkeling and possible sightings of the Galapagos penguin.
| Highlights: | Pinnacle rock, panoramic view, moonlike landscape, penguins, pioneer plants, lava cactus; snorkeling: penguins, reef sharks, rays, and great colorful fish. |
| Activities: | Dinghy ride, snorkeling & hiking (1.2 miles/ 2 km) |
| Type of Landing: | Dry and wet landings |
| Difficulty: | Moderate/difficult. Walk up to the top of volcano 114 meters, 375 wooden steps |
AM
Dragon Hill (Cerro Dragón)
Situated on Santa Cruz Island, Dragon Hill is one of the newest visitor sites accessible to tourists in the Galapagos Islands. One of the lengthier Galapagos walking trails will lead visitors along a beach and up a trail to the lagoon lookout where bright flamingos, pintail ducks, and land iguanas can be spotted.
| Highlights: | Land iguana nesting spot, Galapagos flamingos, common stilts, palo santo trees and cacti forest |
| Activities: | Walking and hiking |
| Type of Landing: | Dry landing |
| Difficulty: | Easy to moderate: the trail may get muddy at times, and there is uneven rocky terrain. |
PM
Black Turtle Cove
Black Turtle Cove is situated in the northern part of Santa Cruz. This inlet is surrounded by mangroves and is only accessible by dinghy. The shallow cove is a safe haven for young marine life. Black-tip and white-tip reef sharks, sea turtles, and a variety of rays are often spotted here.
| Highlights: | Baby hammerhead shark, rays, sea turtles, sea birds |
| Activities: | Dinghy ride |
| Type of Landing: | No landing |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
M
Santa Cruz Highlands
Reached by bus from Puerto Ayora, the highlands of Santa Cruz are a deep green contrasting beautifully with much of the dry, lower islands. The dominant vegetation in the highlands is the forest of Scalesia trees creating the lush green color. The lava tubes, over half a mile long, are underground and walking through them is a unique, surreal experience.
| Highlights: | Lava tunnels, wild turtles, tortoises breeding center. |
| Activities: | Hike (1.5 miles/ 2 ½ km) |
| Type of Landing: | Dry landing |
| Difficulty: | Moderate (long) |
Transfer to Baltra Airport
8 Days / 7 Nights
Departs Mondays
AM
San Cristobal Island Airport:
Arrival and Transfer to the boat
PM
The Interpretation Center was opened in 1998 as a phase of the project “Interpretation and Environment Education Project.” Visitors enjoy expositions on natural history, human history, and conservation. The conservation efforts represent the movement to protect the wildlife and natural environment through means of population and tourist control. The Interpretation Center has an outdoor stadium, audio-visual equipment, and meeting rooms.
| Activities: | Short walk |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
| Type of Landing: | Dry |
| Highlights: | Information and history about the Galapagos Islands |
AM
Witch Hill
Located on the northern coast, this eroded hill and its surroundings present one of the most picturesque beaches in the Galapagos with its white powdery sand and the abundance of animals. Wildlife includes sea turtles, rays, and various types of booby birds. The clear water provides an excellent opportunity for enjoying swimming and snorkeling.
| Highlights: | Beautiful rock formations, sea lions, shore birds, finches and mockingbirds; snorkeling: nice tropical fish, anemones, sponge coral |
| Activities: | Hike, dinghy ride, snorkeling & kayaking |
| Type of Landing: | Wet landing |
| Difficulty: | Easy walk along the beach |
PM
Pitt Point
Pitt Point, situated on the northeastern tip of the island, hosts frigatebirds, storm petrels, and all three types of booby birds: the Nazca, blue-footed and red-footed boobies. A steep trail goes up a cliff and through a ravine leading visitors to an area with an abundance of birds. This site is also great for snorkeling and scuba diving.
| Highlights: | Wonderful landscape, sea lion colony, three possible species of boobies. |
| Activities: | Dinghy ride, snorkeling, kayaking & hike (1.5 miles / 2.5 km) |
| Type of Landing: | Wet landing |
| Difficulty: | Moderate / difficult |
AM
Suarez Point
This area is great for spotting blue-footed boobies, albatrosses and Nazca boobies. A beautiful site on the ocean front, the large waved albatrosses use the cliff as a launching pad. The famous attraction is the magnificent blowhole, spurting water high into the air. This site presents wonderful photograph opportunities.
| Highlights: | Hood mockingbirds, Nazca boobies, waved albatrosses, red-billed tropicbirds, lava lizards, Galapagos hawks, blue-footed boobies, blowhole, amazing landscape |
| Activities: | Hike (1.9 miles/3 km) |
| Type of Landing: | Dry landing |
| Difficulty: | Difficult |
PM
Gardner Bay
Gardner Bay, on the eastern side of the island, is the breeding site of nearly all of the world´s 12,000 pairs of waved albatrosses. It has an ample white sandy beach with a myriad of sea lions, perfect for relaxing. Its rocky shores make this site a great place for diving and snorkeling.
| Highlights: | White sandy beach, sea lions, mockingbirds; snorkeling: colorful fish, sea lion nursery |
| Activities: | Snorkeling, dinghy ride, kayaking, short hike of (0.6 miles/1 km) |
| Type of Landing: | Wet landing |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
AM
Carrion Point
Carrion Point creates a sheltered lagoon with beautiful, turquoise water. During this visit you can snorkel and see a variety of fish, rays and perhaps the harmless white-tip reef sharks. The point is on the north coast of Santa Cruz Island at the entrance of Channel of Itabaca.
| Highlights: | Fish, rays, white-tip reef sharks |
| Activities: | Snorkeling |
| Type of Landing: | None |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
PM
North Seymour Island
Galapagos sea lions, blue-footed boobies and magnificent frigatebirds are abundant on North Seymour Island. The island was formed by a series of submarine lava containing layers of sediment that were uplifted by tectonic activity. The island is characterized by its arid vegetation zone.
| Highlights: | Land & marine iguanas, frigatebirds, blue-footed boobies, sea lions; snorkeling: rays, reef shark, fish, garden eels. |
| Activities: | Dinghy ride & hiking (1.5 miles / 2.5 km) |
| Type of Landing: | Dry landing |
| Difficulty: | Moderate / difficult |
AM
Darwin Bay
This white sand coral beach heads a half mile trail (0.75km) that winds through mangroves filled with land birds. Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies, and swallow-tailed gulls can be spotted here. Further down the path are tidal pools where sea lions swim playfully. At the end is a spectacular view off a cliff.
| Highlights: | Nazca boobies, red- footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, mangroves, coral pebbles beach, snorkeling: rays, colorful reef fish and hammerhead sharks |
| Activities: | Hiking (0.9 miles/1.5 km), snorkeling, kayaking & dinghy ride |
| Type of Landing: | Wet landing. |
| Difficulty: | Easy / moderate |
PM
El Barranco
Also known as Prince Phillip’s Steps, El Barranco’s steep, rocky paths leads up to a high cliff-face. A marvelous view can be appreciated from here. This site is also home to palo santo vegetation as well as red-footed boobies, short-eared lava owls, Galapagos swallows, and Galapagos doves.
| Highlights: | Red-footed boobies, short-eared lava owls, storm-petrels, Galapagos doves |
| Activities: | Hiking (0.9 miles/2 km) |
| Type of Landing: | Dry, difficult landing |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
AM
Sullivan Bay
A coral beach landing leads you towards a lava field as far as the eye can see. Hunt and peck over the two distinguished types of lava, pahoehoe and ‘a’a, for signs of plant life that have managed to emerge over the past 100 years since the most recent volcanic explosion. A truly amazing volcanic experience…up close and personal!
| Highlights: | Variety of lava formations and landscapes, pahoehoe lava which is found primarily in Hawai’i and the Galapagos islands, ‘a’a lava, and pristine coral sand beach |
| Activities: | Walk, snorkel, swim |
| Type of Landing: | Wet landing |
| Difficulty: | Easy to moderate. Be sure to wear good solid walking shoes or boots as the ‘a’a lava is very sharp and pointy |
PM
Home of the famous Pinnacle Rock, Bartholomew consists of an extinct volcano with a variety of red, orange, black and even green volcanic formations. A trail of stairs leads to the summit of the volcano, boasting one of the best views of the islands. The beach is perfect for snorkeling and possible sightings of the Galapagos penguin.
| Highlights: | Pinnacle rock, panoramic view, moonlike landscape, penguins, pioneer plants, lava cactus; snorkeling: penguins, reef sharks, rays, and great colorful fish. |
| Activities: | Dinghy ride, snorkeling & hiking (1.2 miles/ 2 km) |
| Type of Landing: | Dry and wet landings |
| Difficulty: | Moderate/difficult. Walk up to the top of volcano 114 meters, 375 wooden steps |
AM
Dragon Hill (Cerro Dragón)
Situated on Santa Cruz Island, Dragon Hill is one of the newest visitor sites accessible to tourists in the Galapagos Islands. One of the lengthier Galapagos walking trails will lead visitors along a beach and up a trail to the lagoon lookout where bright flamingos, pintail ducks, and land iguanas can be spotted.
| Highlights: | Land iguana nesting spot, Galapagos flamingos, common stilts, palo santo trees and cacti forest |
| Activities: | Walking and hiking |
| Type of Landing: | Dry landing |
| Difficulty: | Easy to moderate: the trail may get muddy at times, and there is uneven rocky terrain. |
PM
Black Turtle Cove
Black Turtle Cove is situated in the northern part of Santa Cruz. This inlet is surrounded by mangroves and is only accessible by dinghy. The shallow cove is a safe haven for young marine life. Black-tip and white-tip reef sharks, sea turtles, and a variety of rays are often spotted here.
| Highlights: | Baby hammerhead shark, rays, sea turtles, sea birds |
| Activities: | Dinghy ride |
| Type of Landing: | No landing |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
AM
Santa Cruz Highlands
Reached by bus from Puerto Ayora, the highlands of Santa Cruz are a deep green contrasting beautifully with much of the dry, lower islands. The dominant vegetation in the highlands is the forest of Scalesia trees creating the lush green color. The lava tubes, over half a mile long, are underground and walking through them is a unique, surreal experience.
| Highlights: | Lava tunnels, wild turtles, tortoises breeding center. |
| Activities: | Hike (1.5 miles/ 2 ½ km) |
| Type of Landing: | Dry landing |
| Difficulty: | Moderate (long) |
Transfer to Baltra Airport
Tour Inclusions
- All meals throughout cruise
- Transfers in the islands
- All excursions
- Bilingual national park guide
- Use of snorkeling equipment
- Use of Kayak
- Coffee, tea and soft drinks
- Free airport assistance*
- 1 hotel night in Quito or Guayaquil*
- (the day before the cruise)*
- Free airport transfers*
