Santa Cruz II Galapagos Vessel

WELCOME TO QUITO, ECUADOR

Arrive in Quito where you will be met by your guide after passing the customs area and then transfer to your boutique hotel Le Parc. Two nights in double accommodation, buffet breakfast and local taxes included.

QUITO GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE

- Your guide will meet you today at 09:30 am and will take you to visit the « Mercado Central » where you stop at various affiliated stations, the Chef explains about the products and culinary traditions. You buy together the ingredients for the cooking class. You can take pictures, taste some endemic fruits and make your own purchases if desired. You return to Altamira (walking or by transport).

- The cooking class begins: we offer you a chef's hat and an apron for preparing the 3 dishes you will cook; which they are typical Ecuadorian recipes: a « Locro Quiteño », a « Encocado » and a Chocolate Soup. These foods have been chosen specifically because the ingredients used can be found worldwide, so you will have the chance to cook these recipes in your own country. You are invited to participate and to become a Chef: you have the possibility to manipulate food, peel, cut, season, mix, beat... During the class, the Chef is accompanying and guiding you, he gives explanations and details about the history of each dish and its origin.

- After elaborating the 3 courses, you have the pleasure to taste what you own prepared with the Chef in and unique place: in the “patio” of a Colonial House. The class ends with a round of applause for all participants.

- After your nice lunch made by your own the tour continues exploring the city and you go in direction to the chocolate museum, in this place you can learn about the cacao bean and the all process to make the famous Ecuadorian chocolate. Of course, here you have access to the historical information and how important it is for our national economy.

- Once we finish this visit we will continue visiting the different plazas and seeing people and traditional works.
- Once you finish the visit we will continue to the traditional neighborhood of La Ronda, here we can have a clear idea of how the village looked back to the XVIII century.

- At the end of the afternoon, we will go to visit the monastery of Santo Domingo and admire the art of the famous school of art of Quito from the Spanish colony period. In the afternoon we will return to the hotel.

BALTRA ISLAND

We arrive by plane at Baltra Island and transfer to the dock to board the Santa Cruz II where we receive our welcome introductory briefing and lunch.

MOSQUERA

After lunch and your introductory briefing on board, Santa Cruz II will relocate only four nautical miles from Baltra, next to Mosquera Islet, a small volcanic uplift between Baltra and North Seymour. The island is a long and narrow sand bank surrounded by lava reefs. Our groups will approach the island from its western shore, a long shallow reef, the perfect rookery for young sea lions. After a wet landing, our guides will lead you past the sea lion colonies, where you will learn more about the fragile marine and terrestrial ecosystems of Galapagos. The walk is easy as it is restricted to a few hundred metres of flat sandy dunes. This will also be a great opportunity for an introduction to snorkelling.

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (San Cristobal Island)

After breakfast, we disembark (dry landing) at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the island’s capital, and drive 40 minutes to the island’s southern shore. At Cerro Colorado, we visit the breeding centre for highly endangered giant tortoises in the midst of a fantastic deciduous forest, home to dozens of bird species, including the San Cristobal mockingbird, and the San Cristobal lava lizard, both island endemics.

Punta Pitt (San Cristobal Island)

In the afternoon, we disembark (wet landing) on the eastern tip of the island at Punta Pitt, an eroded tuff cone, whose trail provides spectacular views of the shoreline. This is the only site in the Galapagos where the three species of boobies can be found together. We can walk or enjoy a panga ride along the coast. Opportunity for snorkelling, swimming and kayaking.

Santa Fe Island

After breakfast, we take the dinghy over to this idyllic sandy-white beach populated by many sea lions (wet landing). The endemic land iguana, unique to this island, may be spotted during the morning walk amid the giant prickly pear cactus. Snorkelling and swimming from the panga rounds off our rewarding experience, or if guests prefer, the glass bottom boat is available for non-snorkelers. Opportunity for kayaking.

South Plaza Island

Following lunch and a rest, we disembark (dry landing) in this channel, whose turquoise waters contrast brilliantly with the white sand and black lava of the shoreline. Beyond, a carpet of scarlet sesuvium succulents serves as groundcover for a grove of luminescent green prickly-pear cactus. Yellow-grey land iguanas sit beneath these, waiting patiently for pears to drop. Along the coastline one finds sea lion colonies, while frigates, swallow-tailed gulls and shearwaters glide, playing with the thermals.

Puerto Ayora and the Charles Darwin Research Station (Santa Cruz Island)

In the morning, we disembark (dry landing) for our visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station’s giant tortoise Breeding Centre within an impressive giant prickly-pear cactus forest home to many land birds. These are the headquarters of scientific investigation, conservation and the National Park administration. Following our visit, we board our transport to enjoy lunch in the cooler highlands of Santa Cruz Island, a completely different ecosystem.

Santa Cruz Island

We have several options available for the afternoon, which can be discussed in advance with your Expedition Leader. At the end of the afternoon’s activities, we return to Puerto Ayora and embark on the Santa Cruz II.

Punta Suarez (Española Island)

(Dry landing) – An exciting walk awaits at this site, where we enjoy its unique sea bird colonies, including Galapagos albatross (April-December), Nazca boobies, blue-footed boobies, and swallow-tailed gulls as well as a view of the Galapagos’ famous “blow-hole”. Also, look out for red-green-black marine iguanas. Back on board for lunch.

Gardner Bay – Osborn Islet (Española Island)

(Wet landing) In the afternoon, the picture-postcard white coral beach of Gardner Bay and the nearby islet of Osborn provides a beautiful setting for observing sea lions, mockingbirds, and finches as we relax. We can expect great snorkelling in this area. Opportunity for swimming and kayaking as well.

Eden Islet (Santa Cruz Island)

After breakfast, a panga ride takes us to Eden Islet, a small islet located off the coast of Santa Cruz, where we can observe blue-footed boobies diving into the water, reef sharks and frigates. There’s a chance to snorkel and, if weather condition permits, ride in the glass-bottom boat and kayak.

North Seymour Island

North Seymour was lifted from the ocean floor by a volcanic event, and its origins as a seabed give the island its low, flat profile. A tiny forest of silver-grey Palo Santo trees stands just above the landing (dry landing), usually without leaves, waiting for the rains to burst into bloom. This is a great introductory site to the islands and their wildlife, full of bird colonies of blue footed boobies, two species of frigate birds, swallow-tailed gulls, as well as sea lions and marine iguanas.

Baltra Island

On our last day, we disembark at Baltra Island and transfer to the airport to take the flight back to the continent.