Quito and 4 Day Galapagos Seaman Journey Cruise – Northern Islands

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Note: The route and program may vary according to National Park policies and regulations, weather conditions, seasonal changes, safety reasons and wildlife encounters.
Dry Landing: Guests step from the dinghy directly onto rocks or a dock.
Wet Landing: As the dinghy edges onto a sandy beach, guests step into knee-deep water and wade ashore.

Day 1 (Wed): Quito.

Depart to Quito. After passing through immigration and customs, proceed to the reception area, where our representative will be holding a sign with your name on it. You will be greeted and then transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Quito.

Day 2 (Thu): City Tour of Quito-Middle of the World.

In the morning, you will have a city tour of Quito. You will explore the bustling streets and squares of the largest historical center in the Americas and visit some of its most important churches such as the majestic La Compania and iconic San Francisco, guardians of a stunning multi-ethnic artistic and cultural heritage. You will drive through the traditional neighborhood of San Juan and finish the morning at the Panecillo hillside, with its breathtaking views of the old and modern parts of the city.

Following the city tour, you will be driven to the “Middle of the World City” complex, which is located 11 miles north of Quito. Here, you will see the monument of the equatorial line, a 98-foot-high stone trapezoidal monument with a brass globe on top. The monument forms the focal point of a park and leisure area with gift shops and restaurants. Overnight in Quito. (B)

Day 3 (Fri): Quito-Baltra Airport-North Seymour.

Morning transfer to the airport in Quito for the flight to Galapagos. Upon arrival at Baltra Airport, visitors must go through an inspection to verify that no foreign plants or animals are being introduced to the islands. An entrance fee of $100 adults/$50 children must be paid to the Galapagos National Park to conserve the islands. A representative of the M/C Galapagos Seaman Journey will meet you outside, help collect your luggage, and take you to the ship.

North Seymour is an uplifted (as opposed to volcanic) island. Therefore, it 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. Overnight aboard the ship. (B,L,D)

Day 4 (Sat): El Barranco-Darwin Bay (Genovesa).

The visitor site of El Barranco is located in the southern part of Darwin Bay on Genovesa Island. The trail is on volcanic rock, is 1.5 km long, and can be done in about two hours. This area, from a geological standpoint, is the youngest on the island. The natural erosion in these lava flows has become the ideal place for nesting Storm Petrels. You can see two species of petrels that nest in cavities and holes in the lava.

One of the petrel’s main predators is the short-eared owl. The red-footed booby nests only in the outer islands of the archipelago, Punta Pitt, Gardner (Floreana), Wolf, Darwin and Genovesa. Also, present on this island is the Nazca, or masked booby. During the “panga rides” along the cliffs, fur sea lions and several species of seabirds can be seen.

Darwin Bay. This bay has its origin when the crater of this island collapsed below sea level. The wet landing is on a beautiful white coral sandy beach. This is a favorite island for birdwatchers and one can see the following species: red footed-booby, masked booby, wandering tattlers, lava gulls, whimbrels, yellow-crowned, and black-crowned lava herons, and yellow warblers.

Continuing on the trail, visitors climb gradually to the edge of the cliff seeing Red-Foots nesting in the Mangrove trees below. Bird watching includes sightings of sharp-beaked finches, large cactus and ground finches, Galapagos doves, and swallow-tailed gulls. Reaching the end of the trail, at the cliff’s edge an incredible view of the island and the many birds living there can be observed. Overnight aboard the ship. (B,L,D)

Day 5 (Sun): South Plaza-Santa Fe.

South Plaza Island is located to the east of Santa Cruz Island, and forms part of two islands known as Islas Plazas. Despite its small size, some of the most interesting and outstanding species of the Galapagos are found here. The Plazas land iguanas are smaller than their relatives found on other islands.

Throughout the island are several hybrid iguanas, a result of crossing a male marine iguana and a female land iguana, they are unique, recognizable at first glance by their black/gray color, with a land iguana’s crest, but face and tail of the marine iguana. The big population of iguanas is due to the presence of tunas, their favorite food. Swallow tailed gulls nesting in the rugged cliffs are seen along with other seabirds as: Audubon shearwaters, red-billed tropicbirds, frigate birds, and brown pelicans.

Santa Fe Island. Located in the southeastern part of the Galapagos, this island was formed from an uplift instead of a volcano, which is why it is mostly flat. There are some theories that indicate that this could be the oldest island in the Archipelago. Santa Fe is home to a number of endemic species like the Galapagos hawk, Galapagos snake, Galapagos mockingbird, rice rat, and one of the two species of land Iguanas of the islands.

After disembarking in the beautiful and clear waters you will observe one of the many sea lion colonies. Along the trail many salt bushes can be seen as well giant Pickly pear cactus: gigantism is a characteristic of oceanic islands. There are great possibilities of snorkeling with playful sea lions and tropical fish. Overnight aboard the ship. (B,L,D)

Day 6 (Mon): Jacinto Gordillo Breeding Center (San Cristobal)-San Cristobal Airport-Quito.

In 2004 the Jacinto Gordillo Breeding Center for young tortoises, named after a famous settler, was situated in Cerro Colorado, San Cristobal Island. In 2008 an assisted reproduction program started on the island with the birth of a little turtle in captivity. Here, you can learn about the breeding process and discover what else the breeding center does.

After the morning excursion you will be taken to San Cristobal Airport for your return flight to Quito. Overnight in Quito. (B)

Day 7 (Tue): Quito.

Transfer to the airport for your return flight to your final destination. (B)

B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner