Galapagos by Luxury Yacht - 6 days to/from Quito

6 DAYS IN THE GALAPAGOS

Enjoy the Galapagos aboard the luxury-class yacht: The Natural Paradise. Enjoy full days of exploration and adventure in the living laboratory of this legendary archipelago.

This new yacht has 9 comfortable double cabins – 4 with private balconies. All the beds can be double or twin. Private facilities in each cabin include a private bathroom with cold/hot water and air conditioning. Special amenities include a hydro-massage 4-person Jacuzzi, plus spacious outside decks for relaxing, a large dining area and both indoor and outdoor bar areas.

The ship’s activities include hiking and wildlife-watching on daily land excursions (led by a Level III bilingual naturalist guide certified by the Galapagos National Park Authority), as well as snorkeling, swimming and kayaking. The yacht provides free snorkeling gear (mask, snorkels and fins), an underwater camera and kayaks to complete your adventure in the islands.

The experienced and professional staff and crew will be your hosts during you journey on board the Natural Paradise motor yacht. In addition to the naturalist guide, the staff includes a dedicated cruise director, who will ensure that you are in good hands both on board and on land. The cooking staff are always ready to provide you with delicious food, while the ship’s bartender will serve you delicious cocktails as you enjoy the amazing views.

Technical Specifications

Year of construction: 2015

Capacity: 16 passengers

Length:  111 feet / 34 meters

Beam:  26 feet / 8 meters

Draft:  4 feet / 1. 40 meters

Speed:  14 knots

Capacity:  16 passengers + 10 Crew members

Main engines: CUMMINS / 2 X 400 HP / 1800 RPM

Gross Tonnage:  145 Tons

Generators:  2 X 50 Kw

Safety & Navigation: FURUNO Radar, GPS, Depth sounders, ACR radio, VHF - DSS radio, ABC Fire Extinguishers, all required navigation equipment

Accommodation

4 standard cabins, 3 suites, and 2 junior suites, all with private bathrooms, hot water, air-conditioning, comfortable beds, and ample room for all your belongings.

Upper Deck: 4 double cabins with private balconies

Main Deck: 3 double cabins

Lower Deck: 2 double cabins

Facilities

Special amenities include a hydro-massage 4-person jacuzzi, plus spacious outside decks for relaxing, a large dining area and both indoor and outdoor bar areas. The staff includes a Level III bilingual naturalist guide certified by the Galapagos National Park Authority, as well as a dedicated Cruise Director ensuring you are in good hands both on board and on land. The yacht provides ample social areas, private balconies, and sundecks from which you can view gorgeous landscapes of sun and sea while watching the sun rise or as you wind down for the night, take in the beautiful sunsets of the Galapagos Islands. An underwater camera, snorkeling and kayaking equipment are included on your cruise.

TRIP SUMMARY:

Duration: 6 Days / 5 Nights. Starts in Quito, Ecuador and ends in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Departs on Saturdays.

Trip focus: A moderately active trip. Stunning wildlife viewing and close encounters.

Accommodation: 1 night in Quito, 3 nights on board the Natural Paradise Yacht, 1 night in Puerto Ayora.

WHAT IS INCLUDED:

·         3 nights/ 4 days onboard the Natural Paradise

·         One night in Puerto Ayora Hotel Sol y Mar

·         One night in Quito - Hotel Marriott

·         One private transfer, hotel – airport

·         Mainland-Galapagos-Mainland airfare

·         All meals throughout cruise

·         Transfers in the islands

·         All excursions

·         Bilingual national park guide

·         Use of snorkeling equipment, wetsuits and kayaks

·         Use of underwater camera

·         Galapagos National Park fee of $100

·         Transit Control Card

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED:

·         Alcoholic drinks

·         Travel / medical insurance

·         Tips

·         Personal expenses

ITINERARY:

Day 1 - Saturday: Arrival to Baltra Airport – South Plaza Island

AM: In the morning, you will fly from Quito or Guayaquil (on the Ecuadorian mainland) to Baltra Island, in the heart of the Galapagos archipelago and the main point of entrance to this natural paradise. Upon your arrival at the airport, you will need to pay the national park entry fee, which goes to protecting both the Galapagos National Park and Marine Reserve.  A member of the Surtrek team will then welcome you and accompany you to your ship, the Natural Paradise Yacht.

PM: After lunch, we will explore South Plaza Island, located just east of Santa Cruz Island. After a dry landing on the northern part of this life-filled islet, you will encounter colonies of sea lions and land iguanas. While on the steep banks, you can see numbers of birds – like nesting Tropic birds and Fork-tailed seagulls – but most of all, you will enjoy the beautiful views from either atop the steep banks or while strolling along the base of the cliff. Opuntia cactuses grow on this island and the vegetation changes color throughout the year.

Meals included: Lunch, Dinner

Day 2 - Sunday: Genovesa Island: El Barranco – Darwin Bay

AM:   Our destination for today is Genovesa Island, considered to be one of the wildest and most pristine islands in Galapagos National Park. Known as “Bird Island,” Genovesa is the only place where you can see Red-footed boobies. This morning we are off to the El Barranco cliffs. Located on Genovesa Island, along the southern part of Darwin Bay, a one mile (1.5 km) trail stretches out over volcanic rock that leads to this cliff (this hike takes about two hours to cover). The second half of the trail is very delicate, so please stay on the path. It can get very hot so make sure to bring water. Because of the natural erosion, this is the ideal place for the nesting of Storm petrels. Two other species of petrels that can be seen here are the Galapagos petrel and the Wooden petrel. Red-footed boobies and Nazca boobies can be seen here as well as fur seals and several species of seabirds.

PM: This afternoon, after a wet landing in Genovesa Island’s Darwin Bay, we will walk along a short path that leads through the nesting sites of booby and frigatebird colonies. On the beach, you can observe the interesting spectacle of how frigate birds try to rob the prey of different species of boobies.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 - Monday: Santiago Island: Espumilla Beach – Buccaneer Cove – Puerto Egas Beach

AM: Today we will land on the fourth largest island in the Galapagos: Santiago Island, also known as “James Island” or “San Salvador Island.” The old rusted machines and run-down buildings of former salt mine workers are still apparent on the island, though the last attempts to populate Santiago Island were given up on forty years ago. In the morning we will visit Santiago Island’s Espumilla Beach, where marine iguanas relax and sea turtles nest. While snorkeling, you might come upon octopuses, morays and many types of tropical fish. There is also a Palo Santo forest close to this beach.

PM: After lunch, we will go to Buccaneer Cove, which in the 18th and 19th centuries was a shelter for pirates, whalers and sailors. The bay is surrounded by high tuff cliffs where many sea-bird nest. In the cliffs, you can try to find two rock formations that look like a monkey and an elephant. Later this same afternoon, we will make a wet landing onto Santiago’s Puerto Egas beach. Its black volcanic sand was visited by Darwin in 1835 and still maintaining an abundance of marine iguanas. After a short walk of about 2 km along the coast, we will reach the rugged lava coastline of James Bay. The unique, truly striking layered terrain of Santiago’s shores is home to a variety of resident and migrant birds, including the bizarre Yellow-crowned Night heron and an astounding array of marine wildlife – including lobsters, starfish and marine iguanas grazing on algae beds alongside Sally Light-foot Crabs. Colonies of endemic fur seals swimming in cool water pools formed by volcanic rocks are another highlight.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4 - Tuesday: Santa Cruz: Bachas Beach // Transfer to Baltra Airport – Santa Cruz Highland and Tortuga Bay

AM: This morning we will arrive on the northern coast of Santa Cruz Island, where we will visit the long and sandy Las Bachas Beach, one of the most important nesting beaches for sea turtles. Here you can also find flamingos, Black-winged stilts, sea lions, herons, marine iguanas, and — with a little bit of luck — tiny Galapagos penguins. In addition, this beach is one of the main nesting sites of sea turtles in the Galapagos. A female can lay eggs 3 or 4 times with an average of 70 eggs each, but they then spend 3 to 5 years without breeding. At this paradisiacal site, we will also find the remains of barges that sank long ago; these were once property of the United States Navy when they operated an airbase on Baltra Island during World War II. In fact, the beach got its name because the English word “barges” was hard to pronounce for the local people – hence “Bachas” Beach. You will also have the opportunity to swim on this soft white sand beach or explore the fascinating underwater by snorkeling.

 PM: In the afternoon the archipelago at Baltra airport, you will travel by bus to the Itabaca Channel, followed by a 5-minute ferry ride to Santa Cruz Island and then an hour’s drive to the town of Puerto Ayora. En route, we will stop at a Highlands reserve to see amazing Galapagos giant tortoises in the wild. You will also have a chance to walk through lava tunnels before having lunch at a local restaurant. We will reach Puerto Ayora in the afternoon, where you will check in at your selected hotel and still have plenty of time to explore Tortuga Bay, a white-sand beach stretching alongside natural emerald-green ponds filled with thousands of colorful fish. It's also common to see turtles, marine iguanas and pelicans.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Sol y Mar. http://hotelsolymar.com.ec/es/

Day 5:  Charles Darwin Research Station Santa Cruz Island / Transfer to Baltra Airport

We will visit the famous Charles Darwin Research Station*. This center includes an information center, a museum, a library, and a tortoise breeding station. Park rangers and park managers — along with others who make tremendous efforts to preserve this UNESCO World Heritage Site — work here for the conservation of the islands. In the tortoise breeding center you can see tortoises of different subspecies that are being prepared for reintroduction into their natural habitats. Enjoy your last look at these "enchanted islands," a unique and wondrous paradise! You will then be accompanied to Baltra airport for your return flight to Guayaquil.