Our Galapagos Cruise Itinerary

There are so many different cruises available in the Galapagos islands that It can be really difficult to choose just one: See my post here on How to: Plan your Itinerary to the Galapagos to narrow down what you would like to do.

Here is our itinerary for our cruise so you can see what the places we went were like – Bear in mind that the underwater visibility, wildlife and weather will vary from day to day so areas that may have been perfect on my trip may be a little less so on another. Everywhere we went was AMAZING and out of this world though so I’m sure you cant go too wrong!

We took the Golondrina which is one of very few very budget backpacker boats in the Galapagos but is the one with the best itinerary (in our opinion).

DAY 1

On the first day, we met the cruise at Baltra Airport to embark on the yacht and got settled. After having lunch on the boat we headed to Mosquera Island. This Island has a long stretch of soft white sand and many rock and tide pools. It has a flat look rather than the cone shape of the volcanically formed islands of the Galapagos.

Mosquera Island is a great place to stroll on the beach, snorkelling and enjoy the animal life. You are most likely to see sea lions and many shorebirds here. It is a quieter island with less tourists than some of the nearby locations.

DAY 2

On the morning of the second day, we visited Vicente Roca Point on Isabela Island via a small motorized boat. You are not permitted to land on the coast here. Vincente Roca Point is a large bay consisting of two seperate coves with amazing sea life. You may spot seahorses, sea turtles, rays, puffer fish, sunfish, sea lions, sharks, penguins, blue-footed boobies and nazca boobies.

Note: Although Isabela Island is technically inhabited (it has a very small rural settlement) the island itself is HUGE and there are many very isolated locations with lots of wildlife on the other side of the island that are inaccessible by land and too far for a day trip by boat as they are reached from the other side of the island (such as Vicente Roca Point) so this is a good location for a cruise to visit.

In the afternoon, the cruise visits Espinoza Point on Fernandina Island where you have a short hike along the coast to see lava flows and lava cactus, marine iguanas (during nesting time January to June), penguins, pelicans, and cormorants. After hiking there will be time to do some snorkelling from the beach.

DAY 3

On Day 3 your cruise will disembark at Urbina Bay on Isabela Island (again an area inaccessible by land). This bay lies at the foot of the Alcedo volcano. At Urbina Bay you will take a 2 hour walk passing shells and coral visible above the water along with a lot of wildlife: land iguanas, darwin’s finches, giant tortoises and flightless cormorants. After the hike you will snorkel surrounded by penguins and flightless cormorants.

  

In the afternoon, the cruise visits Tagus Cove on Isabela Island. We again take a walk here that begins from the shore and takes you high up a hill to provide incredible views over Darwin’s Lake (a round salt water crater) through a small forest. After the walk, you will take a boat around the cliffs and then snorkel in the cove. Around the water you are likely to see wildlife such as penguins, flightless cormorants, boobies, pelicans and Sally Lightfoot Crabs.

DAY 4

On the 4th day the cruise will visit Puerto Egas on Santiago Island. We will take a motorboat to land on the beach here. The beach here has gorgeous black rock formations and lots of wildlife. You are likely to see the Darwin finches, Galapagos hawks, marine iguanas, Sally Lightfoot crabs, fur seals and sea lions. You will be able to swim and snorkel from the beach here.

After lunch you will visit Sombrero Chino which for me was the highlight of this cruise. This is an island that looks like a wide brimmed hat and is very picturesque. The beach area is flat and rocky with lava tunnels and lava cactus all over the place. You will do a short walk then swim and snorkel here and the snorkelling is absolutely excellent.

DAY 5

Lastly, before departure your cruise will take you to the Charles Darwin Reasearch Station on Santa Cruz Island. Although this Galapagos tortoise breeding centre is in the main town of Puerto Ayora and easily accessed on an independent journey it was a useful last stop for us as we could leave straight for the town from here and didn’t need to return to the airport with the others on the cruise. Had the cruise finished elsewhere, we would have been dropped at the airport afterwards.

Let me know if you have been to any of these locations or if you have any suggestions for the best itinerary stops on our next cruise!

Erika xx