Galapagos Islands Cruises, Galapagos Odyssey, Eight Day Cruise

Eight Day Galapagos Islands Cruise Aboard the Galapagos Odyssey

Day 1	Baltra/Bachas (Santa Cruz)
Day 2	Bartholomew/Sullivan Bay (Santiago)
Day 3	Sierra Negra Volcano (Isabela)/Tintoreras Canal
Day 4	Highlands/Charles Darwin Research Station (Santa Cruz)
Day 5	Kicker Rock/Interpretation Center/Loberia (San Cristobal)
Day 6	Gardner Bay/Punta Suarez (Espanola)
Day 7	Punta Cormorant/Post Office Bay (Floreana)
Day 8	North Seymour/Baltra

Free Quito-Galapagos Airfare on All August Departures. Call for Availability.

Note: The route and program may vary according to National Park policies and regulations, weather conditions, seasonal changes, safety reasons and wildlife encounters.

IGTOA's Traveler Funding Program

South American Vacations is an active member of IGTOA (International Galapagos Tour Operators Association). In support of IGTOA's Traveler Funding Program, we contribute $50 for each passenger that we send to the Galapagos Islands. You'll travel knowing that you support the lasting protection of Galapagos Islands.

Sixty percent of the funding of this program goes directly to the Charles Darwin Foundation for science, conservation, and education. Their work, carried out through the Charles Darwin Research Station and Galapagos National Park, is vital to the preservation of the islands. You can visit their web site to learn more http://www.darwinfoundation.org . The remainder goes toward IGTOA's mission of creating a model of responsible and sustainable tourism.

Eight Day Galapagos Islands Cruise Aboard the Galapagos Odyssey

Galapagos Odyssey is a brand new 135 ft. luxury yacht that accommodates 16 passengers on four decks. All of her ten cabins are air conditioned and have either queen or twin lower beds, a small desk, sofa, mini-bar and closet, and private bathroom. Amenities on board include a Jacuzzi, al fresco dining area, spa service, and spacious sun and shade decks.

Activities: Wildlife viewing, hiking, snorkeling and diving (purchased separately).

Day 1: Baltra/Bachas (Santa Cruz)

Upon arrival at Baltra, you will pass through an airport inspection point to insure that no foreign plants or animals are introduced to the islands. Guides will meet you, collect your luggage and escort you on the short bus ride to the harbor. You will be transported by motorized rafts, called 'Pangas' across Itabaca Channel, then by bus to Puerto Ayora to the M/V Galapagos Odyssey, where the crew will welcome you onboard. After departure and lunch, the first island visit is made.

Bachas. These two small beaches are found to the West of Turtle Cove. Their sand is made of decomposed coral, which makes it white and soft, making it a favourite nesting site for sea turtles. Behind one of the beaches there is a small brackish water lagoon, where you can occasionally observe flamingos and other coastal birds, such as black-necked stilts and whimbrels. The other beach is longer, but it has two old barges that were abandoned during the Second World War, when the USA used Baltra Island as a strategic point to protect the Panama Canal. (L,D)

Day 2: Bartholomew/Sullivan Bay (Santiago)

Bartholomew Island is situated across Sullivan Bay. It has an altitude of 374 ft. and you can observe some of the most beautiful scenes of the Galapagos Islands, such as: volcanic cones, lunar-like craters, lava fields and the famous pinnacle formed of Toba eroded by the sea. There is very little vegetation on this island. It has two breathtaking beaches where marine turtles exist and at the base of the pinnacle, is a very small colony of Galapagos penguins.

Sullivan Bay (Santiago). Santiago, also called James, or San Salvador Island, is located in the west central part of the Galapagos archipelago. It is the fourth largest island in the archipelago (following Isabela, Fernandina and Santa Cruz). With the exception of some of the large western volcanoes of Isabela and Fernandina, it is the also most volcanically active, with many young flows and cones to be seen, particularly along the south, west, and east coasts. These may even be seen from the summit of Darwin Volcano and from space. A number of historic eruptions have been reported over the last 2 centuries. Santiago actually consists of two coalesced volcanoes: a typical shield volcano on the northwest end and a low, linear fissure volcano on the southeast end. (B,L,D)

Day 3: Sierra Negra Volcano (Isabela)/Tintoreras Canal

Sierra Negra Volcano (Isabela). Isabela is the largest and one of the youngest islands in the Galapagos. You will land in Puerto Villamil, which has the second smallest population in Galapagos with around 3,000 inhabitants. From there, you will head up to the highlands by either horseback or car to Sierra Negra slope for a hike on uneven terrain until you arrive at the Sierra Negra Volcano rim. Sierra Negra is the second widest crater in the world. From this viewpoint you will have fantastic sights of the 6 x 5 mile-wide crater, the rest of the volcanoes, and the Perry Isthmus. You can also hike to Chico Volcano to watch the striking lava formations, which are examples of the geological occurrences that have created the Galapagos Islands.

White Tipped Reef Shark Canal (Tintoreras Canal). You will take a zodiac ride to this site, which is located off the coast of Puerto Villamil coast. Its name is derived from the white-tipped reef sharks, or tintoreras in Spanish, which are found here resting in the shallow waters. You may also see Heron on lookout on mangrove branches and Galapagos Penguins and sea lion pups on shore. (B,L,D)

Day 4: Highlands/Charles Darwin Research Station (Santa Cruz)

The trail to the Highlands leaves from Bellavista and passes through the agricultural zone, near the National Park boundary, the Miconia Zone, and then goes to the Fern and Sedge zones. With clear weather (unpredictable) this area affords beautiful scenes of rolling hills and extinct volcanic cones covered with grass and lush greenery all year round.

Charles Darwin Research Station. Although the great majority of Galapagos visitors come here to observe and appreciate natural wonders, it is also interesting to learn how the protection and conservation of the islands are carried out. One of the principal attractions are the National Park Information Center, Van Staelen Exhibition Hall, the Breeding and Rearing Center for young tortoises, Lonesome George (tortoise from Pinta), and adult Galapagos tortoises in captivity. (B,L,D).

Day 5: Kicker Rock/Interpretation Center/Loberia (San Cristobal)

In the morning you will visit Kicker Rock, also known as Leon Dormido because of its resemblance to a sleeping lion, located off the coast of San Cristobal. It consists of a lava cone eroded by the sea into two vertical rocks, which rise 500 feet from the ocean and form a small channel that is navigable by small boats. This Galapagos Islands natural monument has become a favorite sight for cruises due to the many Tropicbirds, Frigates, and boobies that fill the surrounding air. Beneath the sea, the nearly crystal waters offer a show of colorful tropical fish and invertebrates.

Later, you will visit the Galapagos Interpretation Center, which was built with the cooperation of the Spanish Science Centre and offers an excellent introduction to the Galapagos islands, their marine life, and flora and fauna. It is located in the outskirts of the small city of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the capital of the Galapagos Province.

In the afternoon you will visit Loberia, which is located ten minutes by bus or 30 minutes by foot south of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Travelers frequently note the unusual color of the plants as they near the beach. La Loberia is home to a large sea lion colony and nursery. There are frequently dozens of sea lions visible at any time. Low tide is one of the best times to visit however, since it is when the mothers bring the pups into the tide pools for swimming lessons. Here you'll enjoy the sea lions, marine iguanas, bird watching, and even Galapagos giant tortoises. You have to always stay on the path and try not to disturb the wildlife. (B,L,D)

Day 6: Gardner Bay/Punta Suarez (Espanola)

Located on the north-eastern coast of Espanola, Gardner Bay provides an excellent beach for relaxing, swimming, and observing sea lions. You can also observe sharks in the crystalline waters of the ocean.

Punta Suarez is a rocky point of land that sustains one of the most impressive and varied colonies of sea birds in the Galapagos. Along its southern shore, high cliffs rise up from the sea affording the visitor spectacular views of soaring birds and of the blow whole, where water spouts up to 50-75 feet into the air according to the intensity of the surf. (B,L,D)

Day 7: Punta Cormorant/Post Office Bay (Floreana)

Punta Cormorant offers one of the largest and the best flamingo lagoons in the Galapagos. It is situated between two tuff cones that give the area a special atmosphere. There are various species of shorebirds to be seen besides flamingos, the most frequent are common stilts, white-checked pintail ducks and other migratories. This is a unique zone due to the high percentage of endemism in the plant life. Also of interest are the two distinct beaches: the "green beach" (due to a high percentage of olivine crystals in the sand) and the "flour sand beach" made up of coral.

Post Office Bay is the location of a wooden barrel that was placed in the 18th century by the crew of a whaling ship. It has been used since this time by mariners and tourists as a post office. The idea is to carry letters or postcards to their destination by hand. Apart from being the Post Office Barrel, this site was the landing area for some of the first colonists. (B,L,D)

Day 8: North Seymour/Baltra

North Seymour is an uplifted (as opposed to volcanic) island and so is generally flat and strewn with boulders. There are good nesting sites here for a large population of magnificent frigate birds. Blue-footed boobies perform their courtship dance in the more open areas and swallow-tailed gulls perch on the cliff edges. Despite the tremendous surf that can pound the outer shore, sea lions haul out onto the beach and can be found bodysurfing. Watch your step, as the boobies don't worry much about where they nest, and you might just step on one. The trees are dotted with male frigate birds trying to attract the attention of the ladies by inflating their bright red skin flaps. They sometimes fly in the air to call more attention to themselves, which is a funny display, as the puffy flap throws off their sense of balance. There's a circular path that takes you through the island to a beautiful, rocky shore where the waves crash a silvery-blue.

Transfer to the airport in Baltra for your flight back to Quito or Guayaquil. (B)

B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner