Cruising the Galapagos: M/Y Reina Silva

Assistance at the airport by our representatives for your Galapagos flight.

You will arrive at the airport on Baltra Island in the morning and after going through immigration and baggage claim, you will be met by a guide from the Reina Silvia.

Accessible by bus from Puerto Ayora, the Highlands of Santa Cruz are a deep green, which contrasts beautifully with much of the dry, lower islands. The dominant vegetation in the highlands are the Scalesia trees, creating the lush green color. The lava tunnels, over half a mile long, are underground and walking through them is a unique, surreal experience.

The afternoon visit is to the "Fausto Llerena" breeding center where giant tortoises are bred in captivity and reared until the age of 5 years, when they can survive the effects of introduced predators. This is home to tortoises ranging from 3-inches (new hatchlings) to 4-foot long adults. Subspecies of the giant tortoises interact with one another, and many of the older tortoises are accustomed to humans stretching out their heads for a photo opportunity.

In the morning, you will visit the spectacular Gardner Bay. After landing, you can walk across a lovely white sand beach amongst a busy sea lion colony or dive into the water to swim with sea lion pups. You can also see curious mockingbirds on the beach.

Possible Activities: Short hike (0.6 miles /1 km), snorkeling, dinghy ride and kayaking
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Highlights: Hood mockingbirds, Nazca boobies, waved albatross, red-billed tropic birds, lava lizards, Galapagos hawk, blue-footed boobies, blow hole and amazing landscape

The next visit is to the small island in front of Gardner Bay, Gardner Islet. There you will find steep cliffs, large boulders and sandy ledges. For an adventure you will find curvy tunnels on one end of the island and the other end you will find caves that make for a fascinating exploration.

Possible Activities: Cave/tunnel exploration, snorkeling and dinghy ride
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Highlights & Animals: Abundance of fish, eels, bat fish, eagle rays, hammerheads and peacock flounders

Next up is Osborn Islet, a marine visitor site on Espanola Island. Osborn Islet is close to Espanola and is a great place to observe sea lions, parrot fish, butterfly fish, coral and possible red-lipped bat fish.

Possible Activities: Snorkeling
Difficulty: Easy entry level
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Highlights & Animals: Sea lions, parrot fish and butterfly fish

You will end the day visiting Suarez Point, located on the western end of Espanola Island, you will find a large population of albatross, or wild sea birds as well as carnivorous mockingbirds.

Possible Activities: Hiking (1.9 miles / 3 km) and bird watching
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Highlights & Animals: Albatross, mockingbirds and iguanas

Your morning visit will involve an excursion to Lobos Island which means "Sea Lion Island". This appropriately named island is ripe with boasting, playful sea lions who will welcome you to their home upon landing on San Cristobal Island. This island offers great snorkeling opportunities as well as the chance to see blue-footed and Nazca boobies.

Possible Activities: Short hike (less than 0.6 miles / 1 km), dinghy ride and snorkeling
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Type of Landing: Dry landing
Highlights & Animals: Snorkeling with sea lions, frigate birds and blue-footed boobies

Next, you will visit Kicker Rock. This striking rock formation is located a couple hours off the western shore of San Cristobal. Jutting out of the water, the rocks stand vertically at hundreds of feet above the ocean divided by a small channel. Although there are no landing areas, kayaking and snorkeling allow visitors to spot a variety of marine life.

Possible Activities: Snorkeling and dinghy ride
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: No Landing
Highlights & Animals: Sharks, fish, turtles, manta rays (occasionally), hammerhead sharks, spectacular rock formations, blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies and frigate birds

In the afternoon, you will visit Pitt Point, situated on the north-eastern tip of the island, hosts frigate birds, storm petrels, and all three types of booby birds: the Nazca, blue-footed and red- footed boobies. A steep trail goes up a cliff and through a ravine leading visitors to an area with an abundance of birds.

Possible Activities: Hiking (1.5 miles / 2 km)
Difficulty: Moderate/Difficult
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Highlights & Animals: Frigate birds, storm petrels, Nazca boobies, blue- and red-footed
boobies

In the morning, you will visit Santa Fe Island (Barrington) which is home to a small, picturesque bay also named Santa Fe. The bay has two visitor trails, one leading to a scenic viewpoint atop a cliff, and the other spanning from a small beach to a tall prickly pear cactus forest.

Possible Activities: Hiking ( 1.5 miles / 2 km), snorkeling, dinghy ride and kayaking
Difficulty: Moderate
Type of Landing: Dry landing
Highlights & Animals: Land iguanas and giant Opuntia cacti

In the afternoon, you will head to South Plaza Island. This small island with steep cliffs was formed by rising lava and is now covered by Opuntia cacti. It is also home to one of the largest sea lion colonies as well as colorful yellow and red land iguanas. The most characteristic plant is the Sesuvium. During the rainy season its color is a greenish to yellowish tone and in the dry season (end of June through January) a bright red.

Possible Activities: Hiking (1.5 miles / 2 km)
Difficulty: Moderate
Type of Landing: Dry landing
Highlights & Animals: Land iguanas, sea lion colony, Audubon's shearwaters, swallow-tailed gulls, Nazca boobies and amazing landscape with cliffs

In the morning, you will visit the white-sand coral beach of Darwin Bay which winds through mangroves filled with land birds. Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies and swallow-tailed gulls can be spotted here. Further down the path we find tidal pools where sea lions swim playfully. At the end is a spectacular view of a cliff.

Possible Activities: Hiking (0.6 miles / 1 km), snorkeling, kayaking and dinghy ride
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Highlights & Animals: Nazca and red-footed boobies, swallow-tail gulls, mangroves, coral pebble beach, rays, colourful reef fish and hammerhead sharks (occasionally)

In the afternoon, you will visit El Barranco which is also known as Prince Phillip's Steps. It is a steep, rocky path that leads up to a high cliff-face. A marvelous view can be appreciated from here. This site is also home to Palo Santo vegetation as well as red-footed boobies, short-eared lava owls, Galapagos swallows, and Galapagos doves.

Possible Activities: Short hike (less than 0.6 miles / 1 km), snorkeling, dinghy ride and kayaking
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Highlights & Animals: Red-footed boobies, short-eared lava owls, storm-petrels and Galapagos doves

The morning visit heads to Sullivan Bay on Santiago Island, located on the southeast part of the island. This place is interesting for its geology because the area has elevations in form of small volcanoes, formed by the lava flows.

Possible Activities: Hiking (0.6 miles / 1 km), snorkeling and dinghy ride
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Type of Landing: Dry Landing
Highlights & Animals: Lava flows and small volcanoes

In the afternoon, you will head to Bartholomew Island, home of the famous Pinnacle Rock. Bartholomew consists of an extinct volcano with a variety of red, orange, black and even green volcanic formations. We will take a trail of stairs to the summit of the volcano (about 30 or 40 minutes) where you will enjoy one of the best views of the islands! You will also visit a small, beautiful beach surrounded by the only vegetation found on this barren island. The beach is perfect for snorkeling where you may even see Galapagos penguins.

Possible Activities: Hiking (1.2 miles / 2 km), dinghy ride and snorkeling
Difficulty: Moderate/Difficult. Walk up to the top of volcano 114 meters and 375 wooden steps
Type of Landing: Dry and wet landing
Highlights & Animals: Pinnacle Rock, panoramic view, moon-like landscape, penguins, pioneer plants, lava cactus, penguins, reef sharks, rays and great colorful fish

In the morning you will visit Rabida Island (or Jervis), one of the most colorful and volcanically varied islands in the archipelago as well as a great snorkeling site. You will start on Rabida's famous maroon/ red sand beach and after an easy hike you will arrive to a stunning lookout to enjoy the amazing landscapes. The island is a birdwatcher's delight. Some of the rarest species are in abundance such as nine varieties of finches, large-billed flycatchers, Galapagos hawks and brown pelicans.

Possible Activities: Short hike (0.6 miles / 1 km), snorkeling, dinghy ride and kayaking
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Highlights & Animals: White-cheeked pintail ducks, colorful fish, sea lions, brackish water lagoon, penguins and Galapagos hawk

In the afternoon, you will visit the Chinese Hat Islet. This small islet is located near the southeast coast of Santiago Island. Its name comes from the distinct shape of the islet's summit. This small islet is a great location to view many geological formations such as lava tubes and lava flows. Some of the lava flows were formed underwater and subsequently raised above sea level. The presence of coral heads on the lava flow indicates this phenomenon.

Possible Activities: Hiking (1.9 miles / 3 km), snorkeling and dinghy ride
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Highlights & Animals: Lava formations, great site for snorkeling with an abundance of marine species, marine iguanas and sea lions

After breakfast, you will be transferred from the boat to the Baltra airport for your flight to Guayaquil or Quito.