Tribute Yacht

Morning visit to the beautiful white coral sand beaches of Mosquera Islet. Here you can see the lounging and playing Galapagos Sea lions. During a beach walk, you can observe numerous species of waders and sanderlings. If you are lucky, you may even encounter yellow-crowned night-herons or even a red-footed booby.

Morning visit to Cormorant Point and Champions Islet off the coast of Floreana island. At the landing beach, you will be welcomed by a small Galapagos sea lion colony. The green sands of the beach contains a high percentage of glassy olivine crystals that have been blown out of the surrounding tuff cones. The “flour sand” beach on the southern side of the peninsula is made up of an extremely fine white coral sand that feels very smooth on the feet.

Afternoon excursion to Post Office Bay and Baroness Lookout on Floreana Island. Historically, this site is the location of a wooden barrel that was placed in the 18th century by the crew of a whaling ship. The letters found inside the barrel would be picked up and delivered by sailors returning home. There was no postage fee, and, surprisingly, this mailbox and its honor system are still in use today. It is said that Baroness Eloisa von Wagner loved this place and spent several hours watching the horizon. Within walking distance (30 m) are the ruins of what is known as her house. You can also relax on the beach, where you might spot not only Galapagos sea lions, green turtles, and golden rays, but also Galapagos penguins. This is the only place in the southeastern archipelago where penguins reside.

In the morning, continue to Suarez Point, also on Espanola, is home to some of the most impressive and diverse seabirds in the archipelago. Blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, Galapagos gulls, and red-billed tropicbirds are also native to this island. Along the southern coast, huge ocean waves crash against basalt cliffs, forming a spectacular blowhole where water sprays meters high into the air with spectacular views of soaring birds.

Enjoy a morning visit to the Galapagos National Park Visitor Centre on San Cristobal Island. This Interpretation Centre, lying close to the port town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, explains the natural phenomena that formed the islands, as well as the diverse species shaped by the special climate, and remoteness of the archipelago.

Afterwards, transfer to the San Cristobal Airport for departure.

End of Services.

Inside the submerged caldera of Genovesa lies Darwin Bay. This stunning bay, with its shores painted by coral sand beach and lava formations grants you an amazing opportunity to spot a diverse range of fauna, such as whimbrels, tattlers, Galapagos sea lions, frigatebirds and red-footed boobies among the mangroves. You can also spot the yellow warbler, Darwin’s finches, and the Galapagos Mockingbird.

Afternoon excursion to Prince Phillip’s Steps, landing at the feet of the steps after a dinghy ride along the eastern arm of the Genovesa caldera. A hike up the steps that climb up the sheer 25m/80ft high cliffs follows, up to the top. From the top, you can enjoy panoramic views, a strong sea breeze and the ability to observe the amazing flying skills of the seabirds.

The dinghies will take you to the tourist pier of Puerto Ayora for your transfer to the Charles Darwin Research Station and headquarters of the Galapagos National Park Service. Here, you will be taken on an education stroll learning about the success of the breeding centre and the enclosure of the Galapagos Giant Tortoises.

Arrive on the Galapagos Islands at Baltra Airport and be met by a guide, who will collect your luggage and escort you on a short bus ride to the harbour to board the yacht Solaris.

Continue onwards in the afternoon to the Santa Cruz highlands, namely the native scalesia forest of El Chato Tortoise Reserve. Here you can observe Galapagos Giant Tortoises in their most authentic setting. The Twin Craters are found on either side of the road leading to Puerto Ayora. The craters lie within a lush scalesia cloud forest, a high-altitude plant species that are endemic to the Galapagos. This area is also home to the carpenter finch, which uses tools to search for food. There may also be opportunities to see the vermillion flycatcher, a small red-breasted bird.

In the afternoon, continue to the Villamil beach wall hides the Las Diablas lagoon; the largest lagoon in the Galapagos and also the breeding place of the largest concentration of red flamingos. Afterwards, we will follow a trail to the “The Wall of Tears”, due to the harsh conditions prisoners worked in the building of a wall made of lava blocks when the site was used as an Ecuadorian penal colony. You will certainly be able to see quite a bit of wildlife, including many marine iguanas, a wide variety of birds and, as a highlight, perhaps some giant Galapagos tortoises in the wild.

Enter the Bolivar Channel, navigating towards Tagus Cove. A tour along the volcanic cliffs in a dinghy will give you a good chance to see the Galapagos penguin, the flightless cormorant and other sea birds. From the landing dock, it is about a 30-minute hike along the trail up to the top of the cliffs to give you the opportunity to view Darwin Lake; an uplifted ultra saline lake saltier than the ocean. You can also spot a number of volcanoes from this location.

Morning visit to Bartholomew Island. Here, you can climb the Bartolome peak trail to see the stunning panoramic views over volcanic peaks, lunar craters, and lava fields. Afterwards, you can enjoy a snorkelling adventure of the famous “Pinnacle Rock”. At Bartholomew, you might spot a nearby colony of Galapagos penguins, as well as sea turtles living in the two stunning white-sand beaches.

In the morning, continue to Dragon Hill located in northwestern Santa Cruz Island and consists of a trail that lead to a hyper-saline lagoon behind the beach, frequented by flamingos, pintail ducks and other species of birds. This site has been repopulated with land iguanas from Seymour, Isabela and Santa Cruz islands. There is a short walk to the Hill, which offers a beautiful view of the bay.

This morning takes you to Las Bachas beaches on Santa Cruz Island, two small beaches are located to the west of Black Turtle Cove, in Santa Cruz. Its sand consists of decomposed corals, which makes it white and soft. This makes it a favorite nesting site for sea turtles. Behind one of the beaches there are small lagoons, where flamingos and other shore birds, such as Galapagos gulls and lapwings, can be seen from time to time.

Afternoon transfer to Baltra airport for your flight back to Guayaquil or Quito.