AM: Arrival, Isla Baltra
Upon arrival Baltra, travellers pass through an airport inspection point to make sure that no foreign plants or animals are introduced to the islands, and to pay the park entrance fee of $200 (unless it has been prepaid). A guide will meet you, help you collect your luggage and escort you on a short bus ride to the harbour.

PM: Highlands, Isla Santa Cruz
The road to the highlands leaves from Bellavista, a small village located a 15-minute drive from Santa Cruz’ main town of Puerto Ayora. The road passes through the Galapagos’ most productive agricultural zone, up to the National Park boundary. We find Miconia vegetation at this altitude, changing to the Fern and Sedge zone as we ascend further. With clear weather, we can enjoy beautiful scenes of rolling hills and extinct volcanic cones covered with grass and lush greenery all year round. In the Highlands is El Chato Reserve, where Giant Galapagos Tortoises can be observed in the wild – the iconic species which gave the Galapagos Islands their name. Other species to see at this reserve include Short-Eared Owls, Yellow Warblers & Finches. More elusive species which can be difficult to spot here are Galapagos Rails & Paint-Billed Crakes.

AM: Isla Mosquera
Mosquera is a low white sand island which lies in the Itabaca Channel between Baltra Island (South Seymour) and North Seymour. It is surrounded by coral reefs, providing protected conditions for snorkelling and scuba diving. Above water, it has a large sealion colony and is good for spotting birds like America oyster catchers, blue-footed boobies and lava gulls.

PM: Isla Plaza Sur
South Plaza is a beautiful island formed out of lava which bubbled up to the sea surface. It is relatively small but very diverse in its botany and very good for spotting Land Iguanas. hybrid Iguanas exist here, created through the mating of male marine iguanas and female land iguanas.

There are approximately 1,000 Galapagos Sealions on the island and birdlife is plentiful. Cliffs on the western side are nesting sites for Blue-footed and Nazca Boobies, whilst we can find Darwin's Finches amongst the rocks of the eastern side, Lava Gulls and lovely Swallow-tail Gulls. Red-billed Tropicbirds often swoop low overhead, whilst in the sea beneath the western cliffs we can often see schools of fish close to the surface.

This island can be one of the best for photography.

AM: Punta Cormoran, Isla Floreana
The peninsula of Punta Cormorant (Cormorant Point) marks the extreme northern cape of Floreana – an island formed from smaller volcanic cones, covered now by tropical dry forest (palo santo). At the landing beach, you are likely to be welcomed by a small colony of Galapagos sealions. The green sand on this beach contains a high percentage of glassy olivine crystals which have been blown out by the surrounding tuff cones.

AM: Islote Champion, Isla Floreana
Bottlenose dolphins frequently escort our passage to Champion Islet and you can see them from nearby jumping the bow wave. Underwater, Galapagos sea lions are playful acrobats that become the number one attraction. There are also lots of reef fish, and perhaps a green Pacific turtle. An inflatable dinghy ride along the shoreline of this islet offers sightings of lots of seabirds that are endemic to the archipelago, including Galapagos penguins, blue-footed boobies, magnificent frigate birds and red-billed tropicbirds, swallow-tailed gulls and lava herons. A birdwatcher’s dream is to get a glimpse of the Charles mockingbird on top of Opuntia cacti. This mockingbird is a scientific and historic key species, because it put Darwin on track of his theory of 'adaptive radiation'.

PM: Mirador de la Baronesa, Isla Floreana
Baroness Lookout is a tuff in Floreana close to Post Office Bay. There are great Mangrove Forests here and a beautiful coastline where you can hope to have great marine life encounters with Sea Lions, Turtles & possibly Galapagos Penguins.

PM: Bahia Post Office, Isla Floreana
Post Office Bay is primarily of cultural significance. In times before there was a reliable postal service, a barrel onshore was a point where British 16th century whalers and poachers could post a letter. You are encouraged to write and address one or two post cards; whilst at the same time picking out any which are addressed close to your home, which you are happy to hand deliver when you return.

Shallow waters offshore are lovely to swim in. If you doon a mask and snorkel, you might see Pacific green turtles which often graze here.

AM: Punta Suarez, Isla Española
Huge ocean waves crash onto the southern basaltic cliffs of Suarez Point, forming a spectacular blowhole. Where the water sprays metres high into the air (depending on the season, the tide and how strongly the sea breeze pushes the waves). This location is home to the only breeding colony of Waved Albatross in the Galapagos. You can also see wildlife such as marine iguanas, Nazca and Blue-Footed Boobies. Take your time for a meditative break in silence at this emblematic viewpoint and convert this unforgettable moment in a lifetime experience.

PM: Bahía Gardner, Isla Española
The striking white beach at Gardner Bay is an important breeding site for Pacific green turtles. However, without doubt its main attraction is the Galapagos sea lion colony. Females stay year-round in this nursery, suckling their pups up to an age of 3 years, although they start to fish after 5 months of their birth. During the breeding and mating season, the colony becomes even bigger.

AM: Interpretation Centre, Isla San Cristobal
The San Cristóbal Interpretation Centre just outside the provincial capital of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, is a perfect complement to the field explanations and briefings of your naturalist guide and host. Information panels are in English and Spanish, with many photographs, models and true to life dioramas which tell the background story of the islands in different ways. They really capture what makes the Galapagos Islands so unique. The well-maintained botanical garden with native species from the arid zone (including the giant prickly pear and candelabra cacti) is worth your visit as well; and you will probably spot the Chatham Mockingbird which is endemic to this island - a bird which put Darwin on track to his theory of evolution. The attractive exhibition is quite complete and explains a series of natural circumstances that create the Galapagos’ unique environment: such as the volcanic genesis of the islands, their remoteness from the continent, its ocean currents, its special climate, the arrival of different species, and their establishment, among others. It also recounts historic discovery and attempts of colonisation; and shows a diorama with ancient mail barrels from Post Office Bay.

PM: Departure, Isla San Cristobal
Your guide and some crew members will accompany you back to San Cristobal where you will take the airport shuttle. Your guide will remain with you through check-in counters & the departure hall.

AM: Arrival, Isla San Cristobal
Land at San Cristobal airport where you will be directed towards the airport terminal building. You will need to queue here to pay your Galapagos National Park fee and have your luggage inspected for potential contaminants to the island, such as plant matter or seeds.

Please wait for you baggage to be unloaded. Collect it and then look for someone holding a card with your name or the name of your Galapagos yacht: Tribute.

PM: Isla Lobos
The beach on Lobos Island harbours a colony of Galapagos sea lions. As in other colonies in the archipelago, you can approach nurturing females within a few metres. In the breeding season this colony is also visited by territorial males, defending and mating the harem on their section of beach. This low islet is home to more than just Galapagos sea lions. Two other emblematic species breed here: male blue-footed boobies and great frigate birds. In season, booby males try to impress females with clumsy dances, showing off how blue (and healthy) their feet are. Male frigatebirds inflate and wobble huge red throat poaches called gulas. Young fluffy offspring cry for food, whilst juveniles try out their wings ready to fly.

AM: Isla Santa Fé
Located in the southeastern part of the Galapagos, this island was formed from an uplift rather than being from a volcanic origin, which is why it is mostly flat. There are some theories claiming that this could be the oldest island in the archipelago. Santa Fé is home to a number of endemic species like the Galapagos Hawk, Galapagos snake, Galapagos mockingbird, rice rats and one of the two species of land iguanas on the islands. After disembarking into the beautiful and clear waters, you will be in contact with one of the many sea lion colonies. Along the trail, many saltbushes can be seen, as well some particularly impressive giant Opuntia cacti ‘trees’.

The island is some 24 km² in area and a maximum 60 metres above sea level. The waters which surround it can be a lovely turquoise blue, with a protective barrier of rocks creating a semi-lagoon which is ideal for humans and sealions alike for swimming and snorkelling.

PM: Caleta Tortuga Negra, Isla Santa Cruz
Black Turtle Cove offers engineless activities, so you will explore it by dinghy, paddling across the mangrove forested coastline of this stretch of Santa Cruz. There is great wildlife here due to the high levels of protection of this environment such as Sea Turtles, Pelicans & Sharks.

AM: Bahia Darwin, Isla Genovesa
Inside the submerged caldera of Genovesa lies Darwin Bay, whose diameter is more than 1.5 km (1 mile) and it is almost 200 m (650 ft) deep. The small area will surprise you repeatedly, walking along a coral sand beach, crossing barren lava formations and creeks, passing tidal pools, shrubs and further ahead following the top of some cliffs. With this peaceful surrounding, every species has occupied its own ecological niche (or habitat) without disturbing others. There is great birdlife here with starring species including Red-Footed Boobies, Great Frigatebirds & Laval Gulls. These often share the beach with Galapagos Sea Lions.

PM: El Barranco, Isla Genovesa
Before landing, you will take an inflatable dinghy-ride along the eastern arm of the caldera. As we approach, the soaring 25 m / 80 ft high walls become overwhelming. Sometimes, a Galapagos fur seal is resting or a seabird is nesting on one of the ledges at the base. You will then have to hike and overcome the steep stairs from the landing dock to a bush of palo santo shrubs on top. Red-footed boobies gratefully use these scarce nesting places so that they don’t have to nest on the rocky ground. Upon arriving at the edge of the rim, the bushes open up and you can enjoy panoramic views, a sea breeze and the amazing flying skills of countless seabirds. Following the exposed rim, you will first pass a place where we usually encounter a colony of Nazca boobies; and finally reach the extensive storm petrel nesting places. If you are lucky, you can spot the well camouflaged short-eared owl hunting for them on foot!

AM: Sombrero Chino
Sombrero Chino, or Chinese Hat, aptly named due to its slowly sloping sides giving the island an appearance resembling that of a Chinese hat, is one of the smallest in the peninsula. The recent formation of the island gives it a unique environment where there are different stages of colonisation by pioneer species at this location compared to others you will have visited. Walking on the island is a great way to experience the island’s wildlife, including Sally Lightfoot Crabs, Marine Iguanas, Galapagos Sea Lions & Lava Lizards. Out of the cracks in dried-up lava, lava cacti are a common sight. The waters of the island are calm & home to White-Tip Reef Sharks, so there is ample opportunity for snorkelling & kayaking here too.

PM: Isla Rábida
Rábida Island is unique because of the red colour of the rocks and sand. The volcanic material on this island is very porous and external factors such as rain, saltwater and sea breeze have acted as an oxidising agent. A short walk along a trail leads us to a coastal lagoon behind the beach where we can see land birds including finches, doves, yellow warblers and mockingbirds; seabirds such as pelicans, masked and blue-footed boobies; and of non-feathered species you can hope to see marine iguanas and sealions. Our team will take you to a small brackish lagoon where you can anticipate a colony of flamingos.

AM: Charles Darwin Research Station, Isla Santa Cruz
Although the great majority of Galapagos visitors come to the Charles Darwin Research Station to observe and appreciate natural wonders, it is also interesting to learn how the protection and conservation of the islands are carried out. The main attractions are the National Park information centre, the Van Staelen Exhibition Hall, the Breeding and Rearing Centre for young tortoises, and adult Galapagos tortoises in captivity.

PM: Departure, Isla Baltra
Your guide & some crew members will go with you to Baltra where you will board the airport shuttle. Your guide will remain with you through the check-in counters & departure hall.

AM: Arrival, Isla Baltra
Upon arrival Baltra, travellers pass through an airport inspection point to make sure that no foreign plants or animals are introduced to the islands, and to pay the park entrance fee of $200 (unless it has been prepaid). A guide will meet you, help you collect your luggage and escort you on a short bus ride to the harbour.

PM: Highlands, Isla Santa Cruz
The road to the highlands leaves from Bellavista, a small village located a 15-minute drive from Santa Cruz’ main town of Puerto Ayora. The road passes through the Galapagos’ most productive agricultural zone, up to the National Park boundary. We find Miconia vegetation at this altitude, changing to the Fern and Sedge zone as we ascend further. With clear weather, we can enjoy beautiful scenes of rolling hills and extinct volcanic cones covered with grass and lush greenery all year round. In the Highlands is El Chato Reserve, where Giant Galapagos Tortoises can be observed in the wild – the iconic species which gave the Galapagos Islands their name. Other species to see at this reserve include Short-Eared Owls, Yellow Warblers & Finches. More elusive species which can be difficult to spot here are Galapagos Rails & Paint-Billed Crakes.

AM: Islote las Tintoreras, Isla Isabela
Las Tintoreras are small islands which lie just offshore from Puerto Villamil – the small, but main town on Isabela. A visit here can be very rewarding. If Galapagos Penguins are around then they might well be the first life you see as you approach by small boat – standing or lying on bare lava rocks, close to the spreading roots of mangroves. Blue-footed boobies are often seen on the same rocks and amongst bright green mangrove foliage.

As you step ashore, take care as there may be hundreds of small young marine iguanas. As you proceed past impossibly sharp and contorted lava, you will come to lava tunnels where white-tip reef sharks (tintoreras in Spanish) rest in shallow water. Sally Lightfoot crabs can be observed on the cliffs leading down to the water.

Further along, you will come to a lagoon and a beach occupied by bull sealion and his harem. In the lagoon you might see marine life such as a Spotted Eagle Ray in the shallows.

AM: Sierra Negra Volcano, Isla Isabela
Of volcanic scenery, southern Isabela is home to a volcanic crater second only in scale to Tanzania's Ngorongoro Crater. Volcan Sierra Negra is 6 miles (10 km) across! To reach the closest point of the crater edge involves an overland drive and then a between 45 mins to 1 ½ hour hill walk. On a dry sunny day this can be relatively easy. When cloud comes in and there is rain, we have to pick our way more carefully. The summit can often be seen from the southern coast, but on days when cloud obscures a view, we can trek above this layer for clear views across the crater – if not at first then certainly as we trek east along the crater edge where the climate is drier. When you reach the crater edge, the scale of the landscape is difficult to absorb.

The ultimate aim is to trek along the crater edge to Cerro Chico. This parasitic cone erupted spectacularly in 2005, just when the BBC were filming a series called Islands that Changed the World. Just beneath the surface, the rocks can be very hot, with lava tunnels running in all directions. It is essential to stick to marked trails here, because apparently solid rock can be very thin, with large voids beneath. The stark scenery here is a beautiful mix of shades and contrast between vegetation and bare dried contorted lava. Views from Cerro Chico extend far north to the enormous Elizabeth Bay and Fernandina Island.

PM: Wetlands, Isla Isabela
Leading from the Centre to the western beaches of Puerto Villamil is a woodland trail and boardwalk through a series of saline lagoons. This can be a good place to see graceful American flamingos, filtering the saline water for shrimp and algae. They are joined by a handful of species of aquatic and shore birds; as well as marine iguanas as you approach the trail where it meets the sea.

PM: Arnaldo Tupiza Breeding Centre, Isla Isabela
In the Arnaldo Tupiza Tortoise Breeding Centre you can see hundreds of giant Galapagos tortoises of all sizes. Vulnerable hatchlings are not gigantic at all, even smaller than the size of your hand! This project just outside Puerto Villamil was created to rescue the endangered populations of Isabela’s two southern volcanoes. From the almost incredible estimations of 250,000 giant tortoises in the 16th Century, by the 1970s there were only about 3,000 individuals remaining. One thing becomes clear on your visit: it’s hard work to save these creatures from extinction by reproduction in captivity and repopulation. The good news is that these programmes are successful and have already saved several species from extinction. By 2015 tortoise numbers across the Galapagos increased to about 32,000.

Don’t forget to visit the native botanical garden of this breeding centre. It also attracts colourful songbirds such as yellow warblers, Darwin’s finches, Galapagos and vermillion flycatchers.

Leading from the Centre to the western beaches of Puerto Villamil is a woodland trail and boardwalk through a series of saline lagoons. This can be a good place to see graceful American flamingos, filtering the saline water for shrimp and algae. They are joined by a handful of species of aquatic and shore birds; as well as marine iguanas as you approach the trail where it meets the sea.

AM: Punta Moreno, Isla Isabela
Punta Moreno is the site of a large dry lava field created by Cero Azul Volcano. This is a strange landscape, with vegetation-less lava, tidal lagoons and mangroves all in the same space. In some of the large tidal lagoons and pools, you may be able to see Green Turtles and Sharks. The mangrove forests provide habitat for other animals like Galapagos Flamingos, Brown Pelicans and some Galapagos Penguins.

PM: Punta Espinosa, Isla Fernandina
Fernandina is the third largest island in the archipelago and has a single visitor site: Punta Espinoza, located at the northeastern tip of the island. Here, marine iguanas conglomerate in larger groups than on any other island. They bask around in the sand, swim near the shore and sometimes block the way at the landing dock. Among the unique species found here, we can find the flightless cormorant.

AM: Cala Tagus, Isla Isabela
A tour along the cliffs will give visitors a good chance to see the Galapagos penguin, the flightless cormorant and other seabirds. From the landing dock, it is about a 30-minute hike along the trail up to the top of the cliff from where you can view Darwin Lake, an uplifted lake saltier than the sea. You can also see several volcanoes from this location. Look carefully at the graffiti on the surrounding cliffs of the cove, done by pirates, whalers and buccaneers in past centuries!

PM: Punta Vicente Roca, Isla Isabela
There are great snorkelling opportunities at Vicente Roca Point thanks to upwelling cold-water currents here. Marine life in the area includes various Shark species, Galapagos Penguins, Seahorses & Mola-Mola. Other animals which you can hope to see here are Nazca & Blue-Footed Boobies, Brown Pelicans & Flightless Cormorants.

AM: Isla Bartolomé
One of the Galapagos’ most iconic locations, the beautiful volcanic islet of Bartolomé is among the youngest islands in the archipelago. On a geological scale Bartolomé was only recently born out of volcanic activity. Although at first sight lifeless, Bartolomé offers some of the wildest landscapes and best panoramas of the entire archipelago. To enjoy the postcard view of the idyllic Pinnacle Bay, you have to climb steps to a viewpoint on top of the island (114 m / 375 ft). Enter a dramatic world of threatening (though extinguished) nearby spatter cones, craters, and lightweight lava droplets that have been spewed out by fiery fountains. The Summit Trail is also ideal for witnessing how scanty pioneer vegetation such as lava cacti manage to take root on the bare virgin lava fields.

PM: Bahía Sullivan, Isla Santiago
Setting foot at the lava stream covering Sullivan Bay is like landing on the moon. The desolate, stretched out lava fields seem mostly lifeless, but there is plenty to see on this highly popular site, with lots to photograph. Pacific green turtles seasonally bury eggs in the tiny white sand beach, where you might also encounter crabs, a stray blue heron or an American oystercatcher. On the lava flows sparse pioneer vegetation such as lava cacti and carpetweed are able to grow. You might also encounter a lava lizard, locusts or a small species of snake called the Galapagos racer.

AM: Cerro Dragón, Isla Santa Cruz
Dragon Hill is home to the largest wild population of Galapagos Land Iguanas on Santa Cruz thanks to efforts by the Charles Darwin Foundation & the Galapagos Park Service. Supporting this species are Bursera forests which in turn support an array of birdlife. On this island is one of the peninsula’s longest walking trails which will take you to the top of Dragon Hill.

PM: Isla Seymour Norté
This islet is one of most visited sites in the Galapagos and it is teeming with birdlife. An easy circular path takes you through the archipelago’s most extensive colonies of blue-footed boobies and frigate birds. At the beginning of the breeding season, adult frigatebird-males blow up their vivid red pouches (gulas) to impressive football-sized balloons. This is one of the few spots where you can compare the magnificent and the great frigatebird breeding next to each other.

You are likely to come across several land iguanas on North Seymour and the coast can be a good place to spot Galapagos sealions.

AM: Playa las Bachas, Isla Santa Cruz
These two small beaches are found to the west of Turtle Cove. Their sand is made of decomposed coral, which makes it white and soft, and a favourite nesting site for sea turtles. Behind one of the beaches there is a small brackish water lagoon, where it is occasionally possible to observe flamingos and other coastal birds, such as black-necked stilts and whimbrels.

The other beach is longer, but it has two old barges that were abandoned during World War II, when USA used Baltra Island as a strategic point from which to protect the Panama Channel. The rocky shoreline can be a great place to photography Sally Lightfoot Crabs.

PM: Departure, Isla Baltra
Your guide & some crew members will go with you to Baltra where you will board the airport shuttle. Your guide will remain with you through the check-in counters & departure hall.