6-Day Galapagos Cruise: Itinerary B - Galaxy Sirius Catamaran

You fly to the Galápagos and land at Baltra, where your National Park-certified naturalist guide will meet you.

Highlands

Whether you start from Baltra or Puerto Ayora, you’ll take a bus into the highlands and stop at one of the reserves. Here, you’ll walk through the green highland forests looking for giant tortoises in the wild. This is the best place in the Galápagos to see these gentle giants, grazing or resting near freshwater ponds. They can weigh more than 300 kg (600 pounds).

The highlands are also home to birds you’re less likely to see in the lowlands, including tree, woodpecker, and vegetarian finches, as well as flycatchers and several waterbird species. Depending on the itinerary, you may also visit a lava tunnel and learn how these formations were created by ancient volcanic eruptions.

Meals included: Lunch / Dinner

Moreno Point

Moreno Point has wide lava fields that look almost lifeless at first. Further inland, brackish lagoons provide quiet pockets of life where you may see flamingos, gallinules, ducks, and herons. Along the coast, you will look for penguins, marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, blue-footed boobies, sea lions, oystercatchers, and other shorebirds.

Elizabeth Bay

Elizabeth Bay is a sheltered bay surrounded by mangroves and dark lava fields. There’s no trail, so you’ll explore by dinghy, passing through channels, pools, and coves full of wildlife. It’s one of the best places in the islands to see Galápagos penguins, although sightings are usually of small groups rather than thousands. Flightless cormorants nest here, while blue-footed boobies and pelicans often fish in the shallow waters. Rays and sea turtles are also common.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Urbina Bay

Urbina Bay is known for a dramatic uplift in the 1950s, when a large section of the coast rose above sea level and exposed land that had been underwater. Along the trail, you can still find small shells and pieces of coral left behind. The trail is also a good place to look for land iguanas and, at certain times of year, giant tortoises. Galápagos hawks nest here and are often seen flying overhead or perched in the trees.

Tagus Cove

Tagus Cove was one of the places Charles Darwin visited during his Galápagos voyage. A trail leads through dry Palo Santo forest, where you can look for Darwin’s finches and mockingbirds. At the top, you’ll get views of Darwin Lake and the large volcanoes of northern Isabela. A boat ride along the coast gives you another chance to see penguins, cormorants, and marine iguanas. Keep an eye out for the Galápagos martin, a small endemic bird that is among the most endangered species in the islands.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Fernandina Island: Espinoza Point

Espinoza Point sits at the base of Fernandina’s volcano (the archipelago’s most active) and is one of the standout sites in the Galápagos. Step ashore and you’ll quickly see why. Hundreds of marine iguanas gather here, making it one of the largest colonies of the species. Sea lions rest on the beaches, while their pups play in the tide pools. Along the shore, you’ll see flightless cormorants, which are found only in the western part of the archipelago. The cold, plankton-rich waters around Espinoza Point also support herons, pelicans, oystercatchers, sea turtles, shorebirds, and many other species. Look up into the mangroves, where Galápagos hawks often perch while watching for prey. 

Isabela Island: Albemarle Point

Albemarle Point is both a wildlife site and a historical site. During World War II, the Americans built a radar base here to watch for Japanese ships approaching the islands. A few remains of the radar station can still be seen. The landscape is mostly barren lava, but the coast is full of life. You may see some of the largest marine iguanas in the Galápagos, along with Galápagos penguins, flightless cormorants, and shorebirds.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Egas Port

Despite its name, there is no actual port at Egas Port. You may see a few remains from the island’s last attempts at colonization in the 1960s. The trail follows the coast, where marine iguanas bask in the sun, and you can spot Galápagos sea lions, herons, oystercatchers, and other shorebirds. At the end of the trail, an area known as the Grottos is home to a small colony of endemic Galápagos fur seals. They are harder to see up close than Galápagos sea lions. Land iguanas were reintroduced to the area in 2019 after being absent from Santiago for more than a century, so keep an eye out for these impressive reptiles.

Espumilla Beach & Buccaneer Cove

Espumilla is a beautiful 1-km (0.6-mile) beach on the northern coast of Santiago, with distinctive rusty-brown sand. Large mangroves and native dry forest surround the beach, providing habitat for Galápagos hawks, finches, mockingbirds, and doves.

Don’t miss the salt pan, where flamingos and ducks may appear during the rainy season.

Meals included: Breakfast

At Black Turtle Cove, navigate by dinghy through a peaceful network of mangroves and shallow waters. This protected environment serves as an important refuge for marine species, and sightings may include sea turtles, different species of rays, and reef sharks.

Alternatively, visit Daphne Mayor, a small volcanic island rising dramatically from the sea. Its rocky cliffs and surrounding marine environment create an excellent setting for observing seabirds and experiencing the volcanic character of the Galapagos archipelago.