Archipel I & II Catamarans

Baltra Airport

Your Galapagos cruise begins on Baltra, a small island that is home to the archipelago’s main airport. Baltra was used as a U.S. military base in WWII and is now a base for Ecuador’s armed forces.

Visitors may take comfort when arriving at the airport, seemingly out of place in so precious and fragile an environment, that it is the first ecological airport in the world designed to reduce impact through energy saving programs, rain water recovery systems and extensive recycling.

There is no real chance to see the island as upon arrival you will normally be met by an English-speaking guide who will whisk you to the nearby port where the boat will be waiting to start your Galapagos cruise. Some cruises start from San Cristóbal and there a variety of options available for land based tours.

Separated from Baltra by a short, narrow channel, North Seymour is an uplifted lava flow that has formed a plateau of only 1.9 square kilometres. Though small, the island offers a good introduction to the unique plants and animals that can be found on the archipelago. It is here on your Galapagos cruise that you might first witness the piratical behaviour of the frigate birds: dive-bombing and harassing other birds into dropping food or nest building materials before swooping and snatching up the booty in their own beaks.

An interesting circular trail takes you through the low, bushy vegetation so suited to the island's desert-like climate. Endemic plants such as the dwarf Palo Santo and the strikingly shaped opuntias form the backdrop to the constant cycle of mating, nesting and chick rearing. Endearingly comic blue-footed boobies are never more than an arms length away.

• Galapagos sea lions
• Red-billed tropic birds
• Nazca & blue-footed boobies
• Lava gulls
• Galapagos pinnipeds
• Audubon’s shearwaters
• Galapagos land iguanas

Most Galapagos cruise boats anchor in Bahía Darwin, a 2.5km-wide natural harbour formed by the collapse of a volcanic caldera. Famous for its many species of birds, including the world’s largest colony of red-footed boobies, the island is a paradise for birdwatchers. Even from the vantage point of the boats' decks, you will see an impressive array of activity: from thermal riding great frigatebirds to red-billed tropicbirds returning to their cliff-based nests.

Walks take visitors alongside a white sand coral beach, through winding mangroves to turquoise tidal pools. Another option is to climb the steep, rough-hewn cliff steps known as El Barranco(and also Prince Phillip’s Steps) to follow a path through busy seabird colonies to a forest of Palo Santo. This fragrant tree, found along the coast of South America, is used to produce incense and sweet essential oil and is a member of the same family as frankincense and myrrh. At the end of the path is revealed the highly impressive sight of over 200,000 pairs of Galapagos storm-petrels seemingly all flying at the same time.

The clear waters around the island make for some excellent snorkelling opportunities where, amongst shoals of exotic tropical fish, you might also spot stingrays and white-tipped reef sharks. In deeper waters, hammerheads and Galapagos sharks are also often seen.

• Nazca, blue-footed and red-footed boobies
• Red-billed tropic birds
• Great and magnificent frigatebirds
• Storm-petrels
• Swallow-tailed gulls
• Short-eared owls
• Darwin’s finch
• Smallest subspecies of marine iguana
• Galapagos sea lions and fur seals

Bartolomé, a favourite stop on any Galapagos cruise passing through this part of the archipelago, is formed by two cinder cones joined by an idyllic, lush green isthmus fringed by storybook-like golden beaches. It is around here that most of the wildlife is to be found, the rest of the island being too harsh an environment for all but the most pioneering and hardy of species.

The impressive panoramic vista of the surrounding bays and islands is probably one of the best in the Galapagos and makes the 114m climb to the summit of the island well worth the effort. The top is reached via a wooden boardwalk designed to protect the fragile lava from the feet of enthusiastic visitors. The surreal, Mars-like landscape of lava tunnels and spatter cones is broken only by early colonisers such as matplants, lava cacti and the lava lizards that dart over the red-brown surface of the volcano.

Back down at sea level, good visibility means that excellent snorkelling is to be found in the two bays while a gentle panga ride around the foot of the rocks often affords great opportunities to watch the endearing behaviour of the world’s only tropical penguin – the Galapagos penguin.

• Galapagos penguin
• Galapagos lava lizard
• Galapagos sea lions
• Nesting green sea turtles

Santiago

San Salvador has suffered from the introduction of non-endemic species such as pigs, goats, donkeys and black rats and these now feral populations have had a serious impact on the natural, endemic flora and fauna. Eradication programs that began in the 1970’s have had some success – particularly with goats and pigs, but this was too late for land iguanas, which are no longer found on the island.

Arriving by Galapagos cruise or by land tour, you will want to see the most popular visitor destinations on San Salvador which are the old pirate bases of Buccaneer Cove and Puerto Egas: interesting for its black sand beach and the picturesque lava tubes that Galapagos sea lions and fur seals squabble over in the search for the perfect basking spot.

Bahía Sullivan sits on the edge of a large, rather desolate yet fascinating lava flow. Intricate patterns have formed in the pahoehoe lava, and the moulds of trees vaporised by the heat can be seen in the flow, some of which was formed as recently as 1900.

Playa Espumilla, by contrast, is a stretch of golden sand that is frequented by nesting green sea turtles, waders and many Galapagos sea lions. Snorkelling is good in the clear water, particularly around the collapsed lava tubes at Puerto Egas, with a wide variety of tropical fish to be seen together with moray eels, shark and octopus.

• Galapagos fur seals and sea lions
• Large marine iguanas
• American oystercatchers
• Lava herons
• Galapagos penguins
• Darwin’s finches
• Galapagos hawks
• Galapagos lava lizards
• Nesting green sea turtles
• Sally lightfoot crabs

For many, Santa Cruz is simply a hopping off point on the way to other parts of the archipelago and a way to be connected to the modern world. A little time on the island reveals, however, that it is a destination in its own right with many interesting visitor sites and much to commend it. This island is a must by either Galapagos cruise or by land tour.

One of the most notable of these is the Charles Darwin Research Station, where much of the specialized conservation work and scientific research for the Galapagos are conducted. The best known of these is the captive breeding program for giant tortoises, but the station's broad brief also includes monitoring and control of invasive species, restoring populations of land iguanas and the distinctive opuntia cacti as well as publication education. The station's Van Straalen Hall Visitors Centre is part of that education programme and provides a useful introduction to the Galapagos and its physical and living environments and the issues that the archipelago faces.

Though it houses the largest human population in the Galapagos, the small port town of Puerto Ayora is a tranquil spot in which to while away some time after enjoying time at sea on a Galapagos cruise. The large choice of hotels, bars and restaurants often comes as a surprise to visitors, as does the number of animals and birds that have made the town their home, going about their business seemingly oblivious to the human activity around them.

The island is good for exploring the different types of vegetation that can be found in the archipelago: from the coastal arid zone populated by Palo Santo, mesquite trees, opuntia and candelabra cacti to the lush highlands where forests of scalesia are often shrouded in mist and rain. Here, trees drip atmospherically with water and beard moss while orchids, ferns and bromeliads proliferate. These varied environments give rise to the highest bird tally of any of the islands, with many rare and distinct species to be found. Birders and botanists alike will delight in the opportunities that Santa Cruz affords.

• All Galapagos vegetation zones
• Highest bird tally of any island in the archipelago at over 85 species many of which are rarities
• Most easily accessible population of giant tortoises in the Galapagos
• Wide array of marine life

The curious group that settled on Floreana, including a nudist vegetarian with metal teeth and a self-styled baroness who named herself the Empress of Floreana, may have left an intriguing tale – their environmental impact, however, was something of a disaster. Introduced animals such as pigs, goats and donkeys, resulted in the loss of giant tortoises, land iguanas and ground finches while Galapagos hawks were hunted to extinction.

In 1793, at what became known as Post Office Bay, homesick British sailors placed a large wooden barrel in which they left letters in the hope that other passing seafarers would take them and deliver them once home. The system clearly worked as it remained in use for over a century. Visitors maintain the tradition today by leaving cards and letters for family and friends while also sifting, through the pile, to take a letter or two back home. Tradition also has it that the letter must be hand delivered.

Aside from human social history, Floreana is a very popular Galapagos cruise stop and offers one of the best opportunities in the archipelago to see the striking greater flamingo. Just off Punta Cormorant lies the Devil’s Crown, a sunken volcanic cinder cone around which is to be found some of the best snorkelling in the islands.

• Endemic medium tree-finch
• Endemic Charles mockingbird
• Greater flamingos
• Dark-rumped petrel
• Excellent snorkelling at Devils Crown with over 50 recorded fish species including large marbled rays, moray ells & white-tipped reef sharks

There is a history on Española of highly successful programmes to restore the population of the Hood giant tortoise rescued from the brink of extinction and the opuntia cactus on which the tortoises feed, but which were at one time lost to grazing goats.

Española is special for a number of reasons, but it is a particularly important Galapagos cruise stop from March to December, as it plays host to nearly all of the world’s giant waved albatross population that come here to breed.

Visitors’ arrival at Punta Suárez is greeted by dozens of sea lions relaxing on the beach and the spectacularly coloured marine iguanas that bask in the sun to regain their optimum body temperature. Their reds, greens, pinks and turquoise, are perhaps only matched by the equally colourful scarlet and blue of the plentiful sally lightfoot crabs that scuttle about the rocks and pools. The trail continues amidst superb scenery to a dramatic blowhole that, depending on the tide, shoots spray some 25 metres up into the air.

The second landing point on Española is Gardner Bay, which has one of the longest beaches in the Galapagos. The 2 kilometres of white coral sand meeting with turquoise coloured sea is an enticing place on which to relax and simply watch the local inhabitants pass by. Those drawn to the water will be rewarded by an opportunity to swim with the ever-playful juvenile sea lions.

• World’s main breeding colony of waved albatross
• Galapagos hawks, doves and warblers
• Hood mockingbird
• Nazca & blue-footed boobies
• Rare large cactus finch
• Galapagos sea lions
• Sally lightfoot crabs
• Uniquely coloured Hood marine iguanas

San Cristóbal is the most easterly island and the only island with a permanent freshwater lake, Laguna El Junco. The sleepy port town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the capital of the Galapagos province while the island's population is the second largest in the archipelago. Geologically, San Cristóbal is also one of the oldest of the islands in the group.

Less flattering to the island's reputation is the impact that human activity has had on San Cristóbal’s fragile environment over the centuries since it was first colonised. Introduced plants such as guava and blackberry have encroached on the once extensive scalesia forest, and the miconia zone is a fragment of its former glory. Domesticated animals such as goats, pigs, dogs and cats have also had a dramatic impact, leading to the significant decline and even extinction in a number of native species. A number of conservation and habitat rehabilitation programs are underway, and the Galapagos National Park Service Interpretation Centre at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is a good source of information about these.

The island rises to a height of around 900m above sea level, and it is in the misty damp of the highlands remaining miconia stands that the lake, El Junco, is to be found. Sitting in an almost perfectly round crater within a hard to distinguish volcanic caldera, the lagoon's area of 60,000 square metres is popular with many bird species including frigatebirds that turn up to have a quick rinse in the freshwater to wash the salt from their feathers. The surrounding highlands are also home to around 1,000 Chatham giant tortoises, with the best opportunities of seeing them being found at Galapaguera in the southeastern part of the island.

At the north of the island, good opportunities for snorkelling are to be found at Cerro Brujo, a picturesque fine white sand beach that is quite possibly one of the best in the Galapagos. At Punta Pitt, a spectacular eroded volcanic cone further round the northeastern tip of the island, is the one and only opportunity to see all three of the Galapagos boobies species nesting side-by-side. This island is a great destination by either Galapagos cruise or by land tour.

• Galapagos pintails
• Black-necked stilts
• Pied-billed grebes
• All three boobies breeding at Punta Pitt
• Swallow-tailed gulls
• Galapagos storm-petrels
• Chatham giant tortoises
• Galapagos sea lions

San Cristóbal

San Cristóbal is the most easterly island and the only island with a permanent freshwater lake, Laguna El Junco. The sleepy port town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the capital of the Galapagos province while the island's population is the second largest in the archipelago. Geologically, San Cristóbal is also one of the oldest of the islands in the group.

Less flattering to the island's reputation is the impact that human activity has had on San Cristóbal’s fragile environment over the centuries since it was first colonised. Introduced plants such as guava and blackberry have encroached on the once extensive scalesia forest, and the miconia zone is a fragment of its former glory. Domesticated animals such as goats, pigs, dogs and cats have also had a dramatic impact, leading to the significant decline and even extinction in a number of native species. A number of conservation and habitat rehabilitation programs are underway, and the Galapagos National Park Service Interpretation Centre at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is a good source of information about these.

The island rises to a height of around 900m above sea level, and it is in the misty damp of the highlands remaining miconia stands that the lake, El Junco, is to be found. Sitting in an almost perfectly round crater within a hard to distinguish volcanic caldera, the lagoon's area of 60,000 square metres is popular with many bird species including frigatebirds that turn up to have a quick rinse in the freshwater to wash the salt from their feathers. The surrounding highlands are also home to around 1,000 Chatham giant tortoises, with the best opportunities of seeing them being found at Galapaguera in the southeastern part of the island.

At the north of the island, good opportunities for snorkelling are to be found at Cerro Brujo, a picturesque fine white sand beach that is quite possibly one of the best in the Galapagos. At Punta Pitt, a spectacular eroded volcanic cone further round the northeastern tip of the island, is the one and only opportunity to see all three of the Galapagos boobies species nesting side-by-side. This island is a great destination by either Galapagos cruise or by land tour.

• Galapagos pintails
• Black-necked stilts
• Pied-billed grebes
• All three boobies breeding at Punta Pitt
• Swallow-tailed gulls
• Galapagos storm-petrels
• Chatham giant tortoises
• Galapagos sea lions

San Cristóbal Airport

The tour concludes on San Cristóbal Island. The aiport is located in the capital of the Galapagos province, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.

ID: ACX-87MM-B

San Cristóbal Airport

Your tour begins on San Cristóbal Island, the fifth largest island in the archipelago. Upon arrival you will be met by your English-speaking guide who will whisk you off to the port where your boat will be waiting.

San Cristóbal

San Cristóbal is the most easterly island and the only island with a permanent freshwater lake, Laguna El Junco. The sleepy port town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the capital of the Galapagos province while the island's population is the second largest in the archipelago. Geologically, San Cristóbal is also one of the oldest of the islands in the group.

Less flattering to the island's reputation is the impact that human activity has had on San Cristóbal’s fragile environment over the centuries since it was first colonised. Introduced plants such as guava and blackberry have encroached on the once extensive scalesia forest, and the miconia zone is a fragment of its former glory. Domesticated animals such as goats, pigs, dogs and cats have also had a dramatic impact, leading to the significant decline and even extinction in a number of native species. A number of conservation and habitat rehabilitation programs are underway, and the Galapagos National Park Service Interpretation Centre at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is a good source of information about these.

The island rises to a height of around 900m above sea level, and it is in the misty damp of the highlands remaining miconia stands that the lake, El Junco, is to be found. Sitting in an almost perfectly round crater within a hard to distinguish volcanic caldera, the lagoon's area of 60,000 square metres is popular with many bird species including frigatebirds that turn up to have a quick rinse in the freshwater to wash the salt from their feathers. The surrounding highlands are also home to around 1,000 Chatham giant tortoises, with the best opportunities of seeing them being found at Galapaguera in the southeastern part of the island.

At the north of the island, good opportunities for snorkelling are to be found at Cerro Brujo, a picturesque fine white sand beach that is quite possibly one of the best in the Galapagos. At Punta Pitt, a spectacular eroded volcanic cone further round the northeastern tip of the island, is the one and only opportunity to see all three of the Galapagos boobies species nesting side-by-side. This island is a great destination by either Galapagos cruise or by land tour.

• Galapagos pintails
• Black-necked stilts
• Pied-billed grebes
• All three boobies breeding at Punta Pitt
• Swallow-tailed gulls
• Galapagos storm-petrels
• Chatham giant tortoises
• Galapagos sea lions

South Plaza

Many of the Galapagos cruises drop anchor in the narrow channel that runs between North and South Plaza, usually close enough to the cliffs of North Plaza to allow for views of the busy seabird activity there. South Plaza is reached by a short panga ride to the island's flat northern edge where sea lions take command of the landing jetty. A large population of land iguanas roam over the confined space feeding on the carpets of succulent sesuvium and the distinctive opuntias that are abundant on the island.

The 25m-high cliffs that rise on the southern edge of the island offer an excellent vantage point from which to watch the great variety of seabirds that take full advantage of the abundant nesting sites afforded by the lava’s many crevices and ledges. Eye level aerobatic displays by piratical magnificent frigate birds, Audubon’s shearwaters and red-billed tropicbirds at times seem too close for comfort. This island is a special treat available on various Galapagos cruises.

• Large colonies of both Galapagos land iguanas and Galapagos sea lions
• Marine iguanas and land-marine iguana hybrids
• Magnificent frigate birds
• Red-billed tropicbirds
• Nazca and blue-footed boobies
• Swallow-tailed gulls

Santa Fé

The age and isolation of Santa Fé has allowed a number of endemic animals to evolve including the Santa Fé rice rat, gecko and Barrington land iguana.

Many of the Galapagos cruises anchor in the tranquil and idyllic turquoise waters of Barrington Bay, which is the island's only visitor site. The fine white sand beaches are home to many dozing sea lions, particularly juveniles that like nothing better than to frolic with the snorkelers exploring the bay’s varied and extensive marine life.

There are some lovely trails up through the giant Optunia forest with many good wildlife viewing opportunities.

• Galapagos sea lions – particularly playful juveniles
• Endemic Santa Fé rice rat and land iguana
• Galapagos hawks, doves and mockingbirds
• Darwin’s finch
• Cactus finch
• Galapagos lava lizards
• Green sea turtles
• Spotted eagle rays

The curious group that settled on Floreana, including a nudist vegetarian with metal teeth and a self-styled baroness who named herself the Empress of Floreana, may have left an intriguing tale – their environmental impact, however, was something of a disaster. Introduced animals such as pigs, goats and donkeys, resulted in the loss of giant tortoises, land iguanas and ground finches while Galapagos hawks were hunted to extinction.

In 1793, at what became known as Post Office Bay, homesick British sailors placed a large wooden barrel in which they left letters in the hope that other passing seafarers would take them and deliver them once home. The system clearly worked as it remained in use for over a century. Visitors maintain the tradition today by leaving cards and letters for family and friends while also sifting, through the pile, to take a letter or two back home. Tradition also has it that the letter must be hand delivered.

Aside from human social history, Floreana is a very popular Galapagos cruise stop and offers one of the best opportunities in the archipelago to see the striking greater flamingo. Just off Punta Cormorant lies the Devil’s Crown, a sunken volcanic cinder cone around which is to be found some of the best snorkelling in the islands.

• Endemic medium tree-finch
• Endemic Charles mockingbird
• Greater flamingos
• Dark-rumped petrel
• Excellent snorkelling at Devils Crown with over 50 recorded fish species including large marbled rays, moray ells & white-tipped reef sharks

This evening lodging will be in a hotel in the town of Puerto Ayora providing a great opportunity to explore the town with its varios restaurants and other attractions.

For many, Santa Cruz is simply a hopping off point on the way to other parts of the archipelago and a way to be connected to the modern world. A little time on the island reveals, however, that it is a destination in its own right with many interesting visitor sites and much to commend it. This island is a must by either Galapagos cruise or by land tour.

One of the most notable of these is the Charles Darwin Research Station, where much of the specialized conservation work and scientific research for the Galapagos are conducted. The best known of these is the captive breeding program for giant tortoises, but the station's broad brief also includes monitoring and control of invasive species, restoring populations of land iguanas and the distinctive opuntia cacti as well as publication education. The station's Van Straalen Hall Visitors Centre is part of that education programme and provides a useful introduction to the Galapagos and its physical and living environments and the issues that the archipelago faces.

Though it houses the largest human population in the Galapagos, the small port town of Puerto Ayora is a tranquil spot in which to while away some time after enjoying time at sea on a Galapagos cruise. The large choice of hotels, bars and restaurants often comes as a surprise to visitors, as does the number of animals and birds that have made the town their home, going about their business seemingly oblivious to the human activity around them.

The island is good for exploring the different types of vegetation that can be found in the archipelago: from the coastal arid zone populated by Palo Santo, mesquite trees, opuntia and candelabra cacti to the lush highlands where forests of scalesia are often shrouded in mist and rain. Here, trees drip atmospherically with water and beard moss while orchids, ferns and bromeliads proliferate. These varied environments give rise to the highest bird tally of any of the islands, with many rare and distinct species to be found. Birders and botanists alike will delight in the opportunities that Santa Cruz affords.

• All Galapagos vegetation zones
• Highest bird tally of any island in the archipelago at over 85 species many of which are rarities
• Most easily accessible population of giant tortoises in the Galapagos
• Wide array of marine life

Baltra Airport

Your tour ends on Baltra at the first ecological airport in the world designed to reduce impact through energy saving programs, rain water recovery systems and extensive recycling.

ID: ACX-54MF-A1

Baltra Airport

Your Galapagos cruise begins on Baltra, a small island that is home to the archipelago’s main airport. Baltra was used as a U.S. military base in WWII and is now a base for Ecuador’s armed forces.

Visitors may take comfort when arriving at the airport, seemingly out of place in so precious and fragile an environment, that it is the first ecological airport in the world designed to reduce impact through energy saving programs, rain water recovery systems and extensive recycling.

There is no real chance to see the island as upon arrival you will normally be met by an English-speaking guide who will whisk you to the nearby port where the boat will be waiting to start your Galapagos cruise. Some cruises start from San Cristóbal and there a variety of options available for land based tours.

Santa Cruz

For many, Santa Cruz is simply a hopping off point on the way to other parts of the archipelago and a way to be connected to the modern world. A little time on the island reveals, however, that it is a destination in its own right with many interesting visitor sites and much to commend it. This island is a must by either Galapagos cruise or by land tour.

One of the most notable of these is the Charles Darwin Research Station, where much of the specialized conservation work and scientific research for the Galapagos are conducted. The best known of these is the captive breeding program for giant tortoises, but the station's broad brief also includes monitoring and control of invasive species, restoring populations of land iguanas and the distinctive opuntia cacti as well as publication education. The station's Van Straalen Hall Visitors Centre is part of that education programme and provides a useful introduction to the Galapagos and its physical and living environments and the issues that the archipelago faces.

Though it houses the largest human population in the Galapagos, the small port town of Puerto Ayora is a tranquil spot in which to while away some time after enjoying time at sea on a Galapagos cruise. The large choice of hotels, bars and restaurants often comes as a surprise to visitors, as does the number of animals and birds that have made the town their home, going about their business seemingly oblivious to the human activity around them.

The island is good for exploring the different types of vegetation that can be found in the archipelago: from the coastal arid zone populated by Palo Santo, mesquite trees, opuntia and candelabra cacti to the lush highlands where forests of scalesia are often shrouded in mist and rain. Here, trees drip atmospherically with water and beard moss while orchids, ferns and bromeliads proliferate. These varied environments give rise to the highest bird tally of any of the islands, with many rare and distinct species to be found. Birders and botanists alike will delight in the opportunities that Santa Cruz affords.

• All Galapagos vegetation zones
• Highest bird tally of any island in the archipelago at over 85 species many of which are rarities
• Most easily accessible population of giant tortoises in the Galapagos
• Wide array of marine life

The curious group that settled on Floreana, including a nudist vegetarian with metal teeth and a self-styled baroness who named herself the Empress of Floreana, may have left an intriguing tale – their environmental impact, however, was something of a disaster. Introduced animals such as pigs, goats and donkeys, resulted in the loss of giant tortoises, land iguanas and ground finches while Galapagos hawks were hunted to extinction.

In 1793, at what became known as Post Office Bay, homesick British sailors placed a large wooden barrel in which they left letters in the hope that other passing seafarers would take them and deliver them once home. The system clearly worked as it remained in use for over a century. Visitors maintain the tradition today by leaving cards and letters for family and friends while also sifting, through the pile, to take a letter or two back home. Tradition also has it that the letter must be hand delivered.

Aside from human social history, Floreana is a very popular Galapagos cruise stop and offers one of the best opportunities in the archipelago to see the striking greater flamingo. Just off Punta Cormorant lies the Devil’s Crown, a sunken volcanic cinder cone around which is to be found some of the best snorkelling in the islands.

• Endemic medium tree-finch
• Endemic Charles mockingbird
• Greater flamingos
• Dark-rumped petrel
• Excellent snorkelling at Devils Crown with over 50 recorded fish species including large marbled rays, moray ells & white-tipped reef sharks

There is a history on Española of highly successful programmes to restore the population of the Hood giant tortoise rescued from the brink of extinction and the opuntia cactus on which the tortoises feed, but which were at one time lost to grazing goats.

Española is special for a number of reasons, but it is a particularly important Galapagos cruise stop from March to December, as it plays host to nearly all of the world’s giant waved albatross population that come here to breed.

Visitors’ arrival at Punta Suárez is greeted by dozens of sea lions relaxing on the beach and the spectacularly coloured marine iguanas that bask in the sun to regain their optimum body temperature. Their reds, greens, pinks and turquoise, are perhaps only matched by the equally colourful scarlet and blue of the plentiful sally lightfoot crabs that scuttle about the rocks and pools. The trail continues amidst superb scenery to a dramatic blowhole that, depending on the tide, shoots spray some 25 metres up into the air.

The second landing point on Española is Gardner Bay, which has one of the longest beaches in the Galapagos. The 2 kilometres of white coral sand meeting with turquoise coloured sea is an enticing place on which to relax and simply watch the local inhabitants pass by. Those drawn to the water will be rewarded by an opportunity to swim with the ever-playful juvenile sea lions.

• World’s main breeding colony of waved albatross
• Galapagos hawks, doves and warblers
• Hood mockingbird
• Nazca & blue-footed boobies
• Rare large cactus finch
• Galapagos sea lions
• Sally lightfoot crabs
• Uniquely coloured Hood marine iguanas

San Cristóbal

San Cristóbal is the most easterly island and the only island with a permanent freshwater lake, Laguna El Junco. The sleepy port town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the capital of the Galapagos province while the island's population is the second largest in the archipelago. Geologically, San Cristóbal is also one of the oldest of the islands in the group.

Less flattering to the island's reputation is the impact that human activity has had on San Cristóbal’s fragile environment over the centuries since it was first colonised. Introduced plants such as guava and blackberry have encroached on the once extensive scalesia forest, and the miconia zone is a fragment of its former glory. Domesticated animals such as goats, pigs, dogs and cats have also had a dramatic impact, leading to the significant decline and even extinction in a number of native species. A number of conservation and habitat rehabilitation programs are underway, and the Galapagos National Park Service Interpretation Centre at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is a good source of information about these.

The island rises to a height of around 900m above sea level, and it is in the misty damp of the highlands remaining miconia stands that the lake, El Junco, is to be found. Sitting in an almost perfectly round crater within a hard to distinguish volcanic caldera, the lagoon's area of 60,000 square metres is popular with many bird species including frigatebirds that turn up to have a quick rinse in the freshwater to wash the salt from their feathers. The surrounding highlands are also home to around 1,000 Chatham giant tortoises, with the best opportunities of seeing them being found at Galapaguera in the southeastern part of the island.

At the north of the island, good opportunities for snorkelling are to be found at Cerro Brujo, a picturesque fine white sand beach that is quite possibly one of the best in the Galapagos. At Punta Pitt, a spectacular eroded volcanic cone further round the northeastern tip of the island, is the one and only opportunity to see all three of the Galapagos boobies species nesting side-by-side. This island is a great destination by either Galapagos cruise or by land tour.

• Galapagos pintails
• Black-necked stilts
• Pied-billed grebes
• All three boobies breeding at Punta Pitt
• Swallow-tailed gulls
• Galapagos storm-petrels
• Chatham giant tortoises
• Galapagos sea lions

San Cristóbal

San Cristóbal is the most easterly island and the only island with a permanent freshwater lake, Laguna El Junco. The sleepy port town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the capital of the Galapagos province while the island's population is the second largest in the archipelago. Geologically, San Cristóbal is also one of the oldest of the islands in the group.

Less flattering to the island's reputation is the impact that human activity has had on San Cristóbal’s fragile environment over the centuries since it was first colonised. Introduced plants such as guava and blackberry have encroached on the once extensive scalesia forest, and the miconia zone is a fragment of its former glory. Domesticated animals such as goats, pigs, dogs and cats have also had a dramatic impact, leading to the significant decline and even extinction in a number of native species. A number of conservation and habitat rehabilitation programs are underway, and the Galapagos National Park Service Interpretation Centre at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is a good source of information about these.

The island rises to a height of around 900m above sea level, and it is in the misty damp of the highlands remaining miconia stands that the lake, El Junco, is to be found. Sitting in an almost perfectly round crater within a hard to distinguish volcanic caldera, the lagoon's area of 60,000 square metres is popular with many bird species including frigatebirds that turn up to have a quick rinse in the freshwater to wash the salt from their feathers. The surrounding highlands are also home to around 1,000 Chatham giant tortoises, with the best opportunities of seeing them being found at Galapaguera in the southeastern part of the island.

At the north of the island, good opportunities for snorkelling are to be found at Cerro Brujo, a picturesque fine white sand beach that is quite possibly one of the best in the Galapagos. At Punta Pitt, a spectacular eroded volcanic cone further round the northeastern tip of the island, is the one and only opportunity to see all three of the Galapagos boobies species nesting side-by-side. This island is a great destination by either Galapagos cruise or by land tour.

• Galapagos pintails
• Black-necked stilts
• Pied-billed grebes
• All three boobies breeding at Punta Pitt
• Swallow-tailed gulls
• Galapagos storm-petrels
• Chatham giant tortoises
• Galapagos sea lions

San Cristóbal Airport

The tour concludes on San Cristóbal Island. The aiport is located in the capital of the Galapagos province, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.

ID: ACX-54ThM-B2