Galapagos Island Tour

Day 1: San Cristóbal Islands

An included morning flight takes you from mainland South America out to San Cristóbal, the easternmost of the Galápagos Islands. With our naturalist guide, we’ll get an immediate immersion in what makes these islands so special at the Interpretation Center. Walking on lava rock trails, you may catch your first glimpse of frigate birds, iguanas and the finches that helped inspire Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. But there’s plenty of time all week to think science. This afternoon, we’re more in the mood for snorkeling or swimming in the sapphire waters at Carola Beach. This evening, when the cruise crowd chugs back out to their ships, we settle into our ocean side inn at laid back Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. After sunset and dinner, we recommend the short stroll to the boardwalk to see the town’s huge colony of sea lions. Overnight: Puerto Baquerizo Moreno Meals: L, D

Day 2: Isla Lobos / San Cristóbal Islands

After breakfast, we’ll hop aboard a speedboat, headed for the island’s northern coast. Slip into a sea kayak, if you like, for some excellent paddling on crystal clear waters where baby sea lions splash and sunbathe. In fact, those sea lions – known in Spanish as “sea wolves” – gave their name to Isla Lobos, and it’s the best place in the Galápagos to encounter these playful mammals. The snorkeling is also fantastic in these shallow waters with vivid reef fish and the fear some-looking but utterly harmless marine iguanas. 

Day 3: Isabela Island / Los Tintoreras

This morning, we transfer to Isabela Island. We’ve scouted a trail that’s the most scenically varied in the Galápagos. In the dry highlands, we’re dwarfed by a man made landmark – the Wall of Tears, erected by convicts who were imprisoned in this remote place decades ago. Lagoons, mangrove swamps, white sand beaches and lava tubes come next. Then we board a small fishing boat to explore Los Tintoreras, a cluster of small islets that are one of the few spots where Galápagos penguins live. The birds are unafraid and even curious– and they’re nearly fool proof photo subjects! 

Day 4: Isabela Island

The islands are some of the most volcanically active spots on earth. Today, we’ll experience that terrain and get a firsthand look at how millennia of eruptions and lava flows have formed the unique Galápagos habitat. 

Day 5: Sta Cruz Island

This morning, we transfer to Santa Cruz and the remarkable experience of walking among some of the oldest animals in the world. The island is home to giant tortoises that can grow up to 500 pounds and live for 175 years or more.Venturing out into the highlands, we’ll encounter them in the wild. It’s a great spot for birding as well, with chances to spot pin tail ducks, frigate birds, egrets and maybe even a rare vermilion fly catcher. After lunch in a country hacienda, there’s time to explore some the incredible lava tunnels where pirates are reputed to have hidden plundered Inca gold. Then we’ll continue on to Los Gemelos for one of the most interesting forest walks we’ve ever taken. It’s so unusual because the forests are in the micro climate of two volcanic sinkholes. The scalesia trees – actually related to daisies – thrive only in this humid zone and are covered with thick wisps of moss and lichens. 

Day 6: Santa Cruz / Tortuga Bay

The turquoise water that laps at our front door leads us right to Punta Estrada and Divine Bay. If you like, you can hop into a sea kayak and paddle through towering lava channels. The water is so clear that you can see the manta ray sand white-tipped reef sharks gliding below. If you prefer dry land, we’ll take the trail from our hotel to the cliffs of Las Grietas. 

Day 7: Santa Cruz / Charles Darwin Research Station

The explorations and observations of Charles Darwin have been the back drop to our time together. Today, we visit the Research Station that bears his name. It’s great way to sum up the sights, sounds and experiences of the week with information about the islands’ plant and animal life. And of course, we’ll see Lonesome George, the last remaining Pinta Island Tortoise.