GALAPAGOS ITINERARY
“Following in Darwin’s Footsteps”
28 April - 8 May, 2016
ITINERARY OVERVIEW
Thursday 28 April
Arrival in Quito
Meet and transfer to Plaza Grande Hotel
Friday 29 April
Aerial Tram tour, “Welcome lunch” and City
Tour.
Saturday 30 April
Fly to Baltra. Board the M/V Grace.
Santa Cruz: Whalers Bay, Eden Island
Sunday 1 May
Santa Fe Island and South Plazas Island
Monday 2 May
Genovesa (Tower Island): Prince Phillip’s Steps
and Darwin Bay Beach
Tuesday 3 May
Fernandina Island: Punta Espinoza
Isabela Island: Urbina Bay
Wednesday 4 May
Isabela Island: Tagus Cove, Punta Vicente Roca,
Punta Albermarie
Thursday 5 May
Santiago Island: Espumilla Beach or Buccaneer’s
Cove and James Bay
Friday 6 May
Santa Cruz Island: Pit Craters, Tortoise Reserve in the
Highlands. Charles Darwin Research Centre
Puerto Ayora and/or Tortuga Bay
Saturday 7 May
San Cristobal Island: Interpretation Centre
Mid day flight to Quito. Transfer to the Plaza Grande
Hotel.
Sunday 8 May
International Departure.
A short film from last season
April 28: Thursday
Arrival in Quito - Overnight Plaza Grande
On arrival in Quito this afternoon/evening you will be
met at the airport by our local guide who will transfer
you to the Plaza Grande Hotel situated in the old city
of Quito. Dinner is on your own tonight.
April 29: Friday
Aerial Tour of Quito, Welcome lunch, City tour and
overnight at Plaza Grande Hotel
Your guide will meet you in the hotel lobby at 9 a.m. for
an Aerial tram tour above Quito
Our “Welcome” lunch will be at an excellent local
restaurant, after which you will be taken on a
guided
tour of the old City of Quito.
Quito was declared a UNESCO “World Heritage Site” in
1978, thanks to its historic center, which is the largest and
best preserved in Latin America. The colonial center of the
Franciscan city of Quito is a treasure trove of baroque art
and architecture, including buildings, churches,
monasteries and narrow streets that reflect Ecuador's
unique blend of indigenous and Spanish cultures.
Dinner is on your own tonight.
April 30: Saturday
Fly to Baltra - Afternoon: Santa Cruz Island: Whaler’s Bay, Eden Island
We will meet in the hotel lobby early this morning for transfer to the airport for your flight to the Galápagos which arrives
in Baltra at mid morning. The turquoise blue water surrounding the coast is visible from the air as one approaches the
island of San Cristobal.
History suggests that it is here that Charles Darwin reported encountering a pair of giant tortoises feeding on cactus
during his first landing here in 1835
On landing in Puerto Baquerizo, the administrative capital of the islands and a sleepy little port town, you’ll pass through
Park Inspection, after which you’ll be met by your Galapagos guide.
Upon arrival at the port, you’ll be treated to views of the harbor where your yacht awaits you and it’s not long before you will
be crossing from shore to reach the Grace, your home and adventure center for the next week. The captain and crew will
greet you and after settling into your cabins, lunch will be served and the Grace will set sail.
Although The Grace looks as young and chic as the Princess who honeymooned aboard her in the 1950’s, she is
nonetheless what the French call ‘un femme d’un uncertain age. Born in 1928, just before the crash of the Roaring
Twenties, she has surrendered none of her youth’s glamour to the scars and wrinkles of a gallant life, including a stint
chasing subs during WWII. Combat aged her, but benefactors like Aristotle Onassis, John Issa and Prince Renier
ensured she was kept in the style to which she was accustomed. Now as the M/Y Grace, she plies the waters of the
Galapagos Islands, once again the elegant hostel to carefree and adventurous parties.
Whaler’s Bay:
Early Afternoon:
On the north shore of Santa Cruz, this beautiful sandy beach makes a great welcome
for guests. As we drift through the quiet waters in our panga, we are likely to see marine life and when disembarking, a
fabulous opportunity to enjoy the clear waters for snorkelling or swimming. This is a peaceful place that will help you leave
the last vestiges of the other hectic world behind.
Eden Island: Late Afternoon: Eden Islet offers more snorkelling, similar to Whaler’s Bay and/or a panga ride in search of
blue footed boobies, masked boobies and great blue herons. You can toast your first Galapagos sunset aboard the Grace
this evening and following dinner your Guides will make a presentation on the next day’s activities
May 1: Sunday
Santa Fe and South Plaza Islands
Santa Fe may well be the oldest island in the Galapagos. We will anchor at one of the most beautiful and sheltered bays in the
archipelago.
The water is crystal clear here and this is certainly one of the best locations to see sea turtles, swim with sea lions
and glimpses of the Galapagos white-tipped shark.
After a wet landing you will walk up to a nearby cliff to see the land iguanas through an area of Opuntia Cactus. Other animals
present are the Galapagos hawk, lava owls, frigates, pelicans and mockingbirds. Our goal is to spot one of the large endemic
species of land iguana.
South Plaza Island is one of the smallest islands of the archipelago, yet one of the richest in wildlife. The dry landing
transports you to a brilliant combination of life and color.
Land iguanas wander through bright red carpet weed, swallow tailed gulls nest around the cliff tops and red-billed tropicbirds
and shearwaters give beautiful dancing displays. Mind the pirates of the sky; they will strike if you drop your guard. This 13
acre (5 hectare) island is one of the best spots in the archipelago to see land iguanas and swallow-tailed gulls, both
indigenous to the Galapagos. There are iguana nests scattered all over the hill. You'll also have the chance to spot the only
marine - land iguana hybrids in the islands and one of the biggest sea lion colonies in the archipelago.
May 2: Monday
Genovesa Island: Prince Phillip’s Steps. Afternoon: Darwin Bay
Tower Island could serve as a film set for a secret submarine base! The southwestern part of the island is an ocean-filled caldera
ringed by the outer edges of a large and mostly submerged volcano. The island sits to the northwest, slightly removed from the
Galápagos archipelago. It is also known as “Bird Island,” a name it lives up to in a spectacular way.
Named for a visit by the British Monarch in 1964, 25-meter (81-foot) Phillips Steps leads to a narrow stretch of land that opens out
onto the plateau surrounding Darwin Bay, and extends to form the north side of the island. Red-footed boobies wrap their webbed
feet around branches to perch in the bushes, and, in contrast, their “masked- booby” cousins dot the surface of the scrublands
beyond.
Crossing through the sparse vegetation, you will come to a broad lava field that extends towards the sea—this forms the north
shore. “Storm petrels” flutter out over the ocean in swarms, then return to nest in the cracks and tunnels of the lava field, where their
predator, the short-eared owl, is frequently in residence.
Landing on the white coral sands of Darwin Bay and walking up the beach, you will be surrounded by the bustling activity of
“great frigate birds.” Puffball-chicks with their proud papas—who sport their bulging scarlet throat-sacks—crowd the
surrounding branches, while both yellow-crowned and lava herons feed by the shore.
Further along you will discover a stunning series of sheltered pools set into a rocky outcrop, forming another natural film set. A
trail beside the pools leads up to a cliff overlooking the caldera, where pairs of swallow-tailed gulls, the only nocturnal gulls in
the world, can be seen nesting at the cliff’s edge. Lava gulls and pintail ducks ride the sea breezes nearby.
A brief panga (zodiac) ride brings us to the base of those same cliffs to reveal the full variety of species sheltering in the ledges
and crevices created by the weathered basalt. Among them, red–billed tropic birds enter and leave their nests trailing exotic
kite-like tails. This is also an intriguing place to go deep-water snorkelling, where the truly fortunate swimmer can spot one of
the giant manta rays that frequent the inner bay along the cliff walls.
May 3: Tuesday
Fernandina Island: Punta Espinosa. Afternoon: Isabela Island: Urbina Bay
At 1495 meters (4,858 feet), the big news on this youngest and westernmost of the islands is the La Cumbre volcano that
erupts frequently, most recently in May 2005. Fernandina sits across the Bolivar Channel opposite Isabela Island.
Our destination is Punta Espinosa, a narrow spit of land in the northeast corner of the island, where a number of unique
Galápagos species can be seen in close proximity such as marine iguanas, sea lions, flightless cormorants and hawks. As
our panga driver skillfully navigates the reef, penguins show off by throwing themselves from the rocks into the water. Red
and turquoise-blue zayapas crabs disperse across the lava shoreline, while herons and egrets forage through the mangrove
roots. The landing is a dry one, set in a quiet inlet beneath the branches of a small mangrove forest.
A short walk through the vegetation leads to a large colony of marine iguanas—a schoolyard of Godzilla’s children—resting
atop one another in friendly heaps along the rocky shoreline, spitting water to clear their bodies of salt. Nearby, sea lions
frolic in a sheltered lagoon.
May 4: Wednesday
Isabela Island: Tagus Cove.
Afternoon - Punta Vincente Roca and Punta Albermarle
Isabela is the largest island in the archipelago, accounting for half of the total landmass of the Galápagos at 4,588 square
kilometers. Though narrow in places, the island runs 132 km from north to south, or 82 miles. Isabella is formed from six shield
volcanoes that merged into a single landmass.
On the way to Tagus Cove, the boat will sail through the Bolivar Channel. These are the coldest, most productive waters in the
Galápagos, the upwelling of the Cromwell current, where dolphins and whales are frequently seen. The cove’s quiet waters make
for an ideal panga ride beneath its sheltered cliffs, where blue-footed boobies, brown noddies, pelicans and noddy terns make
their nests, and flightless cormorants and penguins inhabit the lava ledges.
Punta Vicente Roca, located at the ‘mouth’ of the head of the sea horse which forms the northern part of the Isabela. Here the
remnants of an ancient volcano form two turquoise coves with a bay well protected from the ocean swells. Masked and bluefooted boobies sit perched along the point and on the sheer cliffs, while flightless cormorants inhabit the shoreline. The entire area of Punta Vicente Roca lies on the flank of 2,600 foot Volcano Ecuador. This is the island’s sixth largest volcano.
The abundance of marine life here, in combination with the protection of the coves, makes it an ideal snorkeling spot.
Punta Albemarle lies on the very northern tip of Isabela. Rocky volcanic cliffs drop down to the ocean floor as almost vertical
walls. You might see large animals like manta rays, marbled rays, hammerhead sharks and marine turtles, but also Chevron
barracuda, snappers, yellow fin tuna, rainbow runners, wahoo and groupers. There are also a lot of smaller fishes like creole
fishes, parrotfishes, scrawled filefishes, pacific boxfishes and tiger snake eels.
May 5: Thursday
Santiago Island: Espumilla Beach - Buccaneer’s
Cove.
Afternoon - James Bay
Predators of sea turtle eggs were pigs, which have
now been entirely eradicated on Santiago. In addition
thanks to the Isabela Project the 120,000 goats which
once lived on Santiago have also now been
eradicated and the vegetation of the island is returning
to a natural state.
Buccaneers Cove served as a safe haven for pirates,
sailors and whalers during the 18th and 19th century.
Anchoring in the protected bay they were able to
make much needed repairs to their ships while other
men went a shore to stock up on salt, tortoises, fresh
water and firewood. The cove is very scenic with steep
cliffs made of tuff formations and the dark reddishpurple sand beach.
James Bay offers an intriguing, eroded rock formation.
Inland, a trail crosses the dry interior. The magical
shorelines of the west of James Island are a
combination of tuff cone, lava flows and organic sand.
A rocky coast with a very gentle slope is used by a
great number of shore birds and reptiles.
May 6: Friday
Santa Cruz Island: Puerto Ayora, Charles Darwin Research Station Afternoon: El Chato Reserve (Highlands)
Santa Cruz is the second largest island in the Galápagos and something of a hub for the archipelago. The small town of Puerto
Ayora in the southwest of this large, round volcanic island, is the economic center of the Islands, with the largest population of the
four inhabited islands (approx. 10,000).
The Fausto Llerena Center is located on the island of Santa Cruz and is part of the Charles Darwin Research Station. It has
been the primary center for the Galapagos Tortoise Breeding Project. This project, which began in the 1970′s has been an
incredible success in helping repopulate the Galapagos Giant Tortoise population. Tortoises of this corral are accustomed to
humans; it is an excellent spot for visitors to be photographed with them.
May 7: Saturday
San Cristobal Island - Interpretation Centre and
departure for the Mainland
Today our voyage comes to an end. Before we bid
farewell to the Grace and her crew we pay a visit to
the Interpretation Centre, which presents a
comprehensive exhibit of the islands’ natural history,
human interaction, ecosystems, flora & fauna..
Our guide will use the exhibits to provide an illustrated
overview of the natural history of the islands.
From the Interpretation Center, a short trail arrives at
Frigate Bird Hill, where both “magnificent- frigates” and
“great-frigates” can be seen in the same colony—ideal
for learning to distinguish the two bird species.
Your flight to the mainland departs San Cristobal early
this afternoon.
You will be met and transferred to the
Plaza Grande. Dinner on your own tonight. Overnight
Plaza Grande.
May 8: Sunday
International Departure
You will be transferred to the airport for your International flights. Sadly time to say goodbye!
COST PER PERSON (Sharing) IN US Dollars:
Albert Deck: Master Suites A1 & A4 - $13,120
Albert Deck: Twin Suites A2 & A3 - $ 11,476
Carolina Deck: Double C1 & C2 - $12,052
Carolina Deck: Twin Cabin C5 - $10,984
Carolina Deck: Single only C3 - $11,730
Cost does not include:
Your cost includes:
Your Royal African host
3 nights at a 5 star hotel in Old Quito with breakfasts
Two Galapagos guides on board the whole cruise
Guided Aerial tram tour out of Quito
Guided City tour of old Quito
Airport transfers for both international and Galapagos flights
International flights to and from Quito
Any options that are not within the specified
itinerary dates and/or not described in the itinerary
Gratuities for crew and guides
Trip cancellation and health insurance
Visa and passport fees
Anything of a personal nature
Welcome lunch in Quito on Friday 29 April
Galapagos return flights
Galapagos Park Entry and Transit fees
Fuel Tax
Note: To upgrade to business class on the flight
An extra chef brought in from Ecuador
Quito/Galapagos/Quito is an additional US$200 per
Liquor and wines (excellent quality) beer and soft drinks
person.
Laundry
TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
Booking Fee:
Due to the individual nature of this voyage, a booking deposit of 30% per person must be received before
your reservation can be confirmed. This fee is non-refundable, and it will be deducted from the total amount payable.
A
minimum of 12 guests is required for this departure to take place. In the event that we do not have 12 guests confirmed 120
days before departure, all deposits will be refunded in full.
Payments:
A final payment for the balance of the trip will be due 90 days from your trip departure date.
Checks should be
made payable to Royal African Safaris or by bank wire transfer. Credit cards are not accepted
Cancellation:
Due to the nature of this voyage, all payments are non-refundable.
This itinerary is subject to change without notice for various factors including but not limited to: safety, weather, mechanical
breakdown, unforeseen emergencies, and the discretion of the Captain, Guide, Royal African Safaris and its partner Quasar
Expeditions and the Galapagos National Park. This itinerary is an accurate representation of what takes place during a typical
trip through the Galápagos Islands at the indicated landing sites, as well as during the excursions in mainland Ecuador.
The Galápagos is a natural ecosystem, making animal encounters there ultimately unpredictable and therefore exceptional in
the way they typically occur. Though Galápagos species seem to have little fear of humans, they are wild animals subject to
environmental factors, including their own instincts that can affect sightings, which means these encounters cannot be
guaranteed. Accepting all these factors, including adhering to the rules of the Galápagos National Park, is a condition of
participation on this trip. Your cost is also subject to change based on any exceptional increases in fuel, park fees, or currency
fluctuation.
All individuals come at their own risk and must therefore provide their own travel, health and accident insurance coverage
during this trip. In addition, we strongly advise guests to take out cancellation insurance to cover any possibilities of personal
health or family matters that would result in the inability to travel.