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Galapagos – Baltra Airport
We will set out from Quito or Guayaquil
to Baltra airport in Galapagos. Then
we will head for the quay to get on
the M/V Galapagos Legend.
Bartolome
We will have a dry landing. On the island,
we will watch volcanic lava bombs and
volcanic ash cones. At the top, we can
enjoy a wonderful view of the neighboring
islands; we can also see the eroded
rock Pinaculo.
When descending, we will find lava
lizards and autochthonous plants such
as tiquilla and local cactus. We will
have the opportunity to swim under water
(snorkeling) and watch Galapagos penguins,
turtles and white pointer sharks.
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Isabella
(Urbina Bay)
We will have a wet landing. We will visit
the fossil beach and the corals. Depending
on the season, we will have the opportunity
to see giant turtles, land iguanas and flying
cormorants. After the walking, we can do
some snorkeling.
Fernandina (Punta Espinoza)
After disembarking at Punta Espinoza,
we will go to see the rookeries of the
biggest marine iguanas of the archipelago,
besides watching red crabs or zayapas
(Grapsus grapsus), which are colorful
crabs. We will watch not flying cormorants,
Galapagos penguins and sparrow hawks,
and sea lions. Here we can see volcanic
formations such as Brachycereus cactus
and lava formations such as pa-hoe-hoe
and AA lava. And finally, we will see
the mangrove swamps.
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Santiago (Puerto Egas)
Puerto Egas is situated in the north of
Santiago Island; there we will have a
wet landing on a black beach formed by
the erosion of volcanic lava.
At the end of 1950s and beginning of
1960s, Hector Egas, who was born in Guayaquil,
Ecuador, lived in this place to extract
salt from a mine located at 3km from the
beach. Today we can see the remains of
Egas' old factory; they had to leave the
island because they went bankrupt.
The landscape is formed by compact ash
and streams of lava, causing tufa formations.
On this island, we will find migratory
coastal birds such as lava herons, blue
herons, night herons, pelicans and oystercatchers.
We will see marine iguanas laying over
rocks and feeding on algae, and crabs
or zayapas. Here there is a rookery of
fur seals that swim in natural pools called
caverns. At the beach, we can swim and
snorkel and come close to octopus, sea
horses, tropical fish, corals, sponges
and other species of sea fauna such as
moraines, white pointer sharks, sea lions,
turtles and manta rays.
Rabida (Jarvis)
We will have a wet landing on a red-sanded
beach; this color is due to the oxidation
of iron, element that is plentiful in
the island. Rabida Beach is visited by
sea lions and blue-footed boobies. We
will go through a path that will take
us to a salt-water lagoon with mangrove
swamps, and where we will see flamingoes
very occasionally.
From July to September, the brown pelican
nest in the salt mountains. During the
trekking, we will have the opportunity
to see Darwin's finches; when we get back
to the beach, we can do some snorkeling
activities.
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Santa
Cruz (Charles Darwin Station)
Charles Darwin Station is formed by scientists
from around the world that do biological
research and projects on species preservation.
An example of this is the program on the
breeding in captivity of giant turtles and
their offspring. On the island, we can see
giant cactus and land birds. After visiting
the station, we will stroll around the town.
Santa Cruz (High Part)
We will visit the high part of Santa Cruz,
where we will see the two volcanic depressions
called Los Gemelos (the twins), and also
El Chato (the flat) Hill. Finally, we
will go along a tunnel formed by lava.
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Santa
Cruz (Bachas Beach)
We will visit Bachas Beach at the north
of Santa Cruz Island. We will have a wet
landing on this white-sanded beach with
turquoise waters. This is the perfect place
to do snorkeling, surrounded by sea lions,
iguanas and turtles. We will go back and
go to Baltra airport to fly back to Quito
or Guayaquil.
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