Fitzroy Cruise

Day 1: Quito

Arrive in Quito (9,200’), the highland capital of Ecuador, where you are met by our Quito staff for a private transfer to our group hotel, the Hotel Hilton Colon, superbly located at the juncture of old and new Quito and near many fine restaurants. Our rooms are on the exclusive Club Floor, with private breakfast buffet, complimentary cocktail hour in the club lounge, and other amenities...Meals on your own

Day 2: Quito

Enjoy a half-day tour of colonial Old Quito, a World Heritage Site, at its most magnificent in the sprawling Iglesia San Francisco church and monastery, built over an Inca holy site, and the ornate La Compañia church, said to have seven tons of gold on its ceilings, walls, and altars. Charming La Ronda, Quito’s oldest street, is here, with its whitewashed colonial buildings, blue-trimmed windows brimming with geraniums, and cafes and artisan shops. The afternoon is at leisure to explore on your own. Lunch and dinner are on your own. Overnight at Hotel Hilton Colon...B

Day 3 Galápagos Cruise / Baltra / DARWIN STATION / Puerto Ayora

In the morning, transfer to the airport for the one-hour flight to the Galápagos, 600 miles west over the Pacific Ocean to Baltra Island. On arrival at around 11 am, we clear Galápagos formalities at Baltra airport, then drive up into the highlands of Santa Cruz to search for giant land tortoise before arriving in Puerto Ayora. Here we visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, with its museum and tortoise-breeding facility. The Charles Darwin Research Station is the Galápagos-based branch of the international, non-profit Charles Darwin Foundation. Established in 1959, the Darwin Station works closely with the Galápagos National Park Service to protect the islands and surrounding marine reserve. The Darwin Station conducts research, assists other researchers within the park, and provides environmental education to communities and schools within the islands. The station is home to Lonesome George, the most famous tortoise in the Galápagos, and last survivor of the Pinta Island tortoise population. We can enjoy a stroll along the main street of Puerto Ayora before boarding our yacht this evening for our welcome dinner. Overnight aboard yacht...BLD

Day 4: Isabela Island / Punta Moreno / Elizabeth Bay

Isabela was originally six islands, each with an active volcano. Extensive lava flows joined together to form what is today the largest island in the Galápagos. Five of these volcanoes are still active and contribute to Isabela’s dramatic scenery and spectacular coastline of basaltic bluffs. At Punta Moreno, we land on a superb pahoehoe lava flow surrounded by giant shield volcanoes, some still active. There are flamingos, gallinules, and ducks in ponds and lagoons here, and we may spot our first cormorants and Galápagos penguins. This afternoon, we take a panga ride through a salt-water mangrove lagoon at Elizabeth Bay, where the largest red mangrove trees in the Galápagos grow. Green sea turtle heads will pop up here and there, and Galápagos penguins will “fly” right next to us as they chase fish. Overnight aboard yacht...BLD

Day 5: Isabela Island / Urbina Bay / Fernandina Island / Punta Espinosa

Isabela’s Urbina Bay was a site of remarkable tectonic activity in 1954 when miles of coastal seabed was dramatically uplifted 15 feet. On this island, we land on a dark, sandy beach often used by green sea turtles as a nesting site and scramble along the rocky coast to see the large coral heads and other marine forms stranded after the uplift. Our hike brings us over varied terrain as we observe large land iguanas, a variety of endemic plants, and sometimes giant tortoises in their natural habitat. The afternoon finds us walking along Punta Espinosa on Fernandina Island, a true delight with its shoreline full of marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, Galápagos sea lions, and colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs. Punta Espinosa extends out from the base of the Fernandina Volcano, the most active volcano in the Galápagos. Overnight aboard yacht...BLD

Day 6: Isabela Island / Tagus Cove / Punta Albemarle

On Isabela, we enjoy a long walk through a beautiful Galápagos landscape that brings us to Darwin Lake, a salt-water crater lake surrounded by tufa stone. At the end of the trail, we can see the vast lava flows that connect the volcanoes of northern Isabela. This afternoon we land at Punta Albemarle, one of the most pristine visitor sites in Galápagos National Park, where marine iguanas and flightless cormorants will greet us. Overnight aboard yacht...BLD

Day 7: Santiago Island / Espumilla / Puerto Egas

Cruising to Santiago Island, we hike a trail through palo santo forest and keep an eye out for yellow warblers, Darwin’s finches, and Galápagos flycatchers. At Puerto Egas, a magnificent stretch of coastline, erosion in the lava has formed pools, caves, and inlets where we see a great variety of wildlife from marine iguanas to Galápagos fur seals, herons, and shorebirds. Overnight aboard yacht...BLD

Day 8: North Seymour Island / Baltra / Quito

Before heading for Baltra, we cruise to North Seymour for a hike among prehistoric-looking marine iguanas. North Seymour is a small, uplifted island just north of Baltra with abundant sea lions and blue-footed boobies. Marine iguanas and swallow tailed gulls are also found here, as well as a large colony of magnificent frigatebirds. From Baltra, we fly back to Quito, with lunch on board the aircraft, and transfer to the hotel upon arrival. Overnight at the Hotel Hilton Colon...BL

Day 9: Depart

Transfer to the airport for departure on homeward flights or extend your stay with one of our optional extensions...B