LA-141 – GALAPAGOS

M/Y SOLARIS FIRST CLASS YATCHT 

ITINERARY “B”

Five Days / Four Nights

Monday – Friday

DAY 1 – Monday: Arrival Balra Airport & Highlands

AM – Baltra Airport to Highlands (Santa Cruz) 

Upon arrival at Baltra Airport, you will pass through an inspection point to ensure no foreign plants or animals are introduced to the islands. You will also pay the park entrance fee of USD 200 (unless prepaid). A guide will meet you, assist with your luggage, and escort you to your bus.

Begin your Galapagos adventure with a visit to the Santa Cruz Highlands. Explore the native scalesia forest of El Chato Tortoise Reserve, the best place to observe Galapagos giant tortoises in their natural habitat. While breeding centers guarantee sightings, nothing compares to seeing tortoises in the wild. The terrain can be moist and muddy, and your visit may turn into an adventurous quest if the tortoises have left their favorite pond silently.

Enjoy lunch at El Chato Reserve with stunning views before continuing your Highlands visit.

PM – Highlands (Santa Cruz) to Boarding Solaris Yacht 

Visit the Twin Craters, impressive formations created by collapsed magma chambers rather than volcanic craters. These craters lie within a lush Scalesia cloud forest, home to endemic plants and birds like the carpenter finch and vermillion flycatcher. Afterward, take a short bus ride to the harbor and board the Solaris yacht. Meet the crew and captain, receive your cabin assignments, and enjoy the rest of the day aboard.

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Day 2 – Tuesday: North Seymour & Mosquera

AM – North Seymour 

Explore Seymour Island, an uplifted, flat island strewn with boulders. It hosts large nesting sites for magnificent frigatebirds. Watch blue-footed boobies perform their courtship dance and spot swallow-tailed gulls on cliff edges. Despite strong surfing, sea lions often haul out on the beach and bodysurf.

PM – Mosquera 

Relax on Mosquera’s beautiful white coral sand beaches, a favorite spot for Galapagos sea lions. Observe waders and sanderlings during a beach walk. Look for red clip crabs among the rocks and, if lucky, spot yellow-crowned night-herons or red-footed boobies.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 – Wednesday: Genovesa Island

AM – Darwin Bay (Genovesa) 

Discover Darwin Bay inside Genovesa’s submerged caldera. Walk along coral sand beaches, barren lava formations, tidal pools, and cliffs. Observe diverse wildlife including whimbrels, wandering tattlers, sea lions, frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, yellow warblers, Darwin’s finches, and Galapagos mockingbirds. Note the unique singing differences between two subpopulations of large cactus finches.

PM – Prince Phillip’s Steps (Genovesa) 

Take a dinghy ride along the caldera’s eastern arm to tower 25 m cliffs. Hike steep stairs to palo santo shrubs where red-footed booby’s nest. Enjoy panoramic views, seabird flights, and spot Nazca boobies and storm petrels. With luck, see the camouflaged short-eared owl hunting.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4 – Thursday: South Plaza & Santa Fe Islands 

AM – South Plaza 

Enjoy a guided walk on South Plaza, the best place to see endemic Galapagos land iguanas and unique hybrids between marine and land iguanas. Watch waves crash against cliffs where petrels, shearwater, and brown noddies fly spectacularly. Use binoculars to spot red-billed tropicbirds and endemic swallow-tailed gulls.

PM – Santa Fe 

Visit Santa Fe Island, mostly flat due to uplift origin and possibly the oldest in the archipelago. Encounter endemic species like Galapagos hawks, snakes, mockingbirds, rice rats, and land iguanas. Swim in clear waters among sea lion colonies. See salt bushes, giant prickly pear cactus, and two breathtaking beaches home to sea turtles and a small colony of Galapagos penguins.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5 – Friday: Witch Hill and Departure from San Cristobal Island

AM – Witch Hill (San Cristobal) 

After mooring at San Cristobal pier, explore Witch Hill, known for its coral sand beach ideal for swimming and snorkeling. This tuff Cone site was one of Charles Darwin’s first visited locations. Spot coastal and migratory birds like pelicans, blue-footed boobies, and swallow-tailed gulls, as well as sea lions and marine iguanas. The lagoon may be dry with salt deposits, historically used as a salt mine by locals.

Meals: Breakfast

Transfer to San Cristobal Airport

Conclude your Galapagos adventure with assistance from your naturalist guide and crew as you transfer by dinghy to San Cristobal Airport. If your trip extends beyond this, new passengers may join the Solaris yacht to continue the journey.