11-Day Ultimate Wildlife & Island Expedition - Hermes Catamaran - Galapagos Cruise

Upon arrival at San Cristóbal Island Airport (SCY), meet your naturalist guide and transfer to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno pier to board the yacht. Your exploration begins in the afternoon at the San Cristobal Interpretation Center, where exhibits introduce the volcanic and natural history of the archipelago while providing insight into its ecosystem and conservation efforts. Later, hike to Tijeretas Hill and enjoy panoramic views of the coastline, Kicker Rock, and the ship anchorage below. Wildlife becomes part of the experience as frigatebirds soar overhead and nest around the area. Beneath the hill, a quiet cove provides an opportunity for a refreshing swim alongside playful sea lions and colorful fish, completing your introduction to the Galapagos.

Begin with a dry landing at Gardner Bay, where an extensive white beach of pulverized coral is shared with large colonies of sea lions. Walk along the shoreline, observe the animals and their social behavior, or enter the calm water for swimming and snorkeling. The shallow bay supports colorful marine life, and groups of sharks may be seen resting on the sandy bottom. In the afternoon, explore Suarez Point on a two-mile (3.2 km) circular trail running alongside spectacular lava cliffs. Look for the distinctive red-and-green “Christmas Iguanas,” Nazca Boobies, Blue-footed Boobies, and Waved Albatrosses performing courtship behavior. Your excursion concludes at the island’s blowhole, where high tides can send seawater dramatically into the air.

Make a wet landing at Cormorant Point and discover two remarkably different coastal landscapes. First, encounter a green-sand beach colored by microscopic olivine crystals before walking to “Flour Sand Beach,” whose finely ground white coral provides a nesting area for Pacific Green Sea Turtles. Continue inland to a brackish lagoon while searching for Greater Flamingos, White-cheeked Pintails, and Black-necked Stilts. Snorkeling offshore offers opportunities to encounter sea lions and possibly sea turtles. In the afternoon, visit Post Office Bay and its historic wooden barrel, used as an unofficial postal service since the 18th century. Participate in the tradition by searching for postcards addressed near your home that you can deliver personally. A panga excursion along the coast completes the visit with views of the historic anchoring area, sea lions, and marine birds.

Dedicate the morning to conservation and science at the Charles Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora. Walk through breeding and rearing facilities and learn about work focused on endangered species, particularly Galapagos Giant Tortoises. Observe different sizes and ages, from hatchlings to adults, while discovering the conservation challenges and successes associated with the archipelago’s wildlife. In the afternoon, travel from the coast into the lush, misty Santa Cruz Highlands and its wet zone. Visit a private reserve where Giant Tortoises roam freely in their natural habitat and may be observed grazing, resting, and bathing in the mud. The afternoon also reveals the island’s volcanic history as you enter lava tunnels formed by ancient molten rock and observe large craters created by collapsed volcanic chambers.

Start at Dragon Hill on Santa Cruz Island with a dry landing and a hike through different coastal environments. Pass a brackish lagoon while looking for Greater Flamingos and other wading birds, then continue toward the dry forest to search for reintroduced Galapagos Land Iguanas. Higher sections of the trail offer views of the anchorage and surrounding islands. In the afternoon, make a wet landing at Chinese Hat, a distinctive cone-shaped islet. Follow a short circular trail through its volcanic landscape while observing marine iguanas on dark lava and searching for Galapagos Penguins around the shoreline. The day culminates with snorkeling in the turquoise channel between Chinese Hat and Santiago Island, where the source describes opportunities to swim with sea lions, tropical fish, and white-tipped reef sharks amid a submerged volcanic landscape.

Explore Prince Philip’s Steps, beginning with a steep rocky ascent carved into the cliffs of Genovesa Island. At the plateau, follow a circular trail through a major nesting area populated by Red-footed Boobies, Nazca Boobies, and Storm Petrels. After hiking, travel by dinghy along the caldera cliffs before entering the deep water for snorkeling, where Eagle Rays, sharks, large schools of pelagic fish, and diving boobies may be encountered. Your afternoon continues at crescent-shaped Darwin Bay. Following a wet landing on the coral sand beach, walk through extensive seabird colonies with Red-footed and Nazca Boobies nesting nearby. Swallow-tailed Gulls and Darwin’s Finches are also mentioned among the birdlife. Finish with swimming or snorkeling in the sheltered waters while looking for sea lions and colorful reef fish.

Travel by panga into the secluded mangroves of Black Turtle Cove, where the absence of a landing creates a quiet wildlife-observation experience. Glide through calm, shallow water while looking for juvenile Whitetip Reef Sharks, rays, and young sea turtles using the mangroves as refuge. In the afternoon, explore Bachas Beach on Santa Cruz Island. Its soft white sand consists of decomposed coral and provides a nesting site for sea turtles. Along the lava rocks at the water’s edge, look for colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs. The area also offers opportunities to observe frigatebirds, Blue-footed Boobies, and sea lions. Together, the mangrove ecosystem of Black Turtle Cove and the wildlife-rich shoreline of Bachas Beach provide two contrasting perspectives on Santa Cruz’s coastal environments.

Begin at Tagus Cove, a historic Isabela anchorage used by whalers and pirates dating back to the 1800s. After a dry landing, hike along the slopes of Darwin Volcano to panoramic viewpoints and Darwin’s Lake, a saltwater crater lake located above sea level. Continue by dinghy along the cliffs while observing seabirds such as Blue-footed Boobies, Brown Noddies, and the endemic Flightless Cormorant. Snorkeling offers opportunities to encounter Galapagos Penguins, schools of fish, and possibly sea turtles. In the afternoon, make a wet landing at Urbina Bay, where a dramatic geological uplift in 1954 exposed a coral reef above sea level. Walk among coral fossils, search for Galapagos Land Iguanas, and enjoy views of Alcedo Volcano before snorkeling near Galapagos Penguins and looking for marine iguanas feeding underwater.

Explore Espinoza Point on Fernandina Island, beginning with a dry landing and a hike across black basaltic lava. The area supports a large concentration of marine iguanas, which may be seen basking together after their dives. Also look for endemic Flightless Cormorants, tide pools filled with marine life, and Sally Lightfoot crabs against the dark volcanic terrain. Views extend across the Bolivar Channel toward Isabela and Fernandina’s La Cumbre Volcano. In the afternoon, continue to Vicente Roca Point on Isabela’s northwestern coast. There is no landing; instead, explore beneath the towering cliffs by panga before snorkeling in nutrient-rich waters. Wildlife mentioned for the experience includes Green Sea Turtles, Galapagos Penguins, Red-lipped Batfish, Mola Mola, Blue-footed Boobies, Nazca Boobies, and Flightless Cormorants.

Discover Egas Port, where black lava sand and volcanic rock formations frame remnants of a salt mine that operated during the 1960s. Follow a coastal hiking route past grottos and natural lava pools while observing Galapagos Fur Seals, marine iguanas, and Sally Lightfoot crabs. Later, snorkel directly from the beach with opportunities to encounter sea lions, sea turtles, and schools of tropical fish. In the afternoon, explore historic Buccaneer Cove, once used by pirates, whalers, and buccaneers as a place to obtain food and water. The visit takes place entirely on the water, with a panga excursion beneath high cliffs and distinctive rock formations. Look for sea lions and fur seals resting on small beaches and seabirds such as Brown Pelicans nesting within the cove’s rocky crevices.

Conclude the expedition at North Seymour Island, an uplifted ocean floor that now supports an active wildlife nesting area. After a dry landing, follow a circular trail where sea lions and marine iguanas may be encountered along the route. One of the morning’s central attractions is the Blue-footed Boobies, which can be observed performing their distinctive high-stepping courtship dance and nesting close to the trail. Continue to the nesting area of Magnificent Frigatebirds, where males may display their large, inflated scarlet throat sacks to attract mates. This final excursion provides a close encounter with several characteristic Galapagos species before the itinerary continues to Baltra Airport, concluding the 11-day/10-night journey aboard Hermes.