GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
San Cristobal Island
San Cristóbal (Chatham) Island bears the name of the patron saint of seafarers, “St. Christopher”. The English
named it after William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham. It has an area of 558 square kilometers (215 sq mi) and its
highest point rises to 730 meters (2395 ft). This island hosts frigate birds, sea lions, giant tortoises, blue- and redfooted boobies, tropicbirds, marine iguanas, dolphins and swallow-tailed gulls.
Lobos Island
Located on the north Coast of San Cristóbal Island, the trail at this visitors site can be done in about three hours,
including the panga (dingy) ride. The site offers an excellent landscape, a long powder-like sandy beach
where one can swim and snorkel with an excellent view of Kicker Rock on the horizon. There is a lagoon where
visitors can watch different species of coastal sea birds.
DIVING OPTIONS
DAY 1
ITINERARY A
Kicker Rock
Located just off the west coast of San Cristobal
Island, and is the remains of a lava cone eroded
by the ocean. Two vertical rocks rise 500 ft above
the ocean and form a small channel that is
navigable by small boats, whilst the cliffs are
home to many boobies, frigates and tropic birds.
Under the water, the channel with a sandy/rocky
bottom, reaches approx 19 meters and is one of
the best places in Galápagos to spot the elusive
Galápagos sharks. Spotted eagle rays, green sea
turtles and white tip reef sharks also like to glide
against the current through the channel, as well
as a large variety of colourful reef fish. This is the
place to see the hammerheads cruising the
currents,
DIVING OPTION
Big Port
Pitt Point
Located at the east end of San Cristóbal Island, the trail at Pitt Point includes an olivine beach approximately 90 meters and
a trail that ascends to the top of a volcanic tuff hill passing through several natural viewpoints. This is the only site in the
Galapagos Islands where you can watch the three species of boobies and 2 species of frigates nesting in the same area. Due
to the geographic location of Pitt Point there is enough food so there is no competition between them.
Witch Hill
Located on the northern coast, this eroded hill and its surroundings present one of the most picturesque beaches in the
Galápagos with its white powdery sand and the abundance of animals. Wildlife includes sea turtles, rays, and various types of
booby birds. The clear water provides an excellent opportunity for enjoying swimming and snorkeling.
Gardner Bay
Located on the north Coast of Española Island, the visiting area is defined by two beaches. The main attraction is
the colony of sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki), which inhabit the beach in great quantity during the breeding
season.
Suarez point
Located on the west end of Española Island. Española is known as one of the older islands with an estimated age
of 3.3 million years. Basaltic lava rocks cover much of the island. Albatrosses are present in Española from April to
November or December, and marine iguanas, the Galapagos hawk, a variety of mockingbirds, lava lizards,
Darwin’s finches are all considered endemic to this island. Besides the wildlife on this island a major attraction is El
Soplador (a blowhole) located on a cliff, the water rising up to 25 feet, depending on the intensity of the waves.
DAY 3
DIVING OPTION
Cormorant Point
and Champion
DAY 4
Cormorant Point
Located on the north Coast of Floreana Island. The trail has an approximate distance of 720 meters. The trail
leads the visitor to a viewing site above a lagoon where one can observe a large colony of Flamingos. The same
path ends at a white sand beach which is a nesting area for sea turtles. A large amount of rays and sea turtles
can be seen on the shore as well.
Post Office Bay
An historic site that recalls the days of the whalers when they came for supplies of Galapagos tortoises and water.
Presumably a whaling boat captain placed a barrel in the eighteenth century for those who pass through the
bay to leave mail and then be delivered by those traveling towards the destination. Another point of interest is a
lava tunnel, the path to the cave is clearly marked.
DAY 5
DIVING OPTION
Seymour
and Mosquera
North Seymour Island
Named after an English nobleman, Lord Hugh Seymour, it has an area of 1.9 square kilometers (0.7 sq mi) and a
maximum altitude of 28 meters (92 ft). Just north of the Baltra Airport is this small islet of North Seymour which was
created by seismic uplift, rather than being of volcanic origin. North Seymour is an extraordinary place for breeding
birds, and is home to one of the largest populations of nesting blue-footed boobies and magnificent frigate birds.
Pairs of blue-footed boobies can be seen conducting their mating ritual as they offer each other gifts, whistle and
honk, stretch their necks towards the sky, spread their wings, and dance showing off their bright blue feet.
Bartholomew Island.
Bartolomé (Bartholomew) Island is a volcanic islet and is one of the “younger” islands in the Galápagos archipelago.
This island is one of the few that is home to the Galapagos penguin which is the only wild penguin species that lives on
the Equator.
Genovesa Island: El Barranco
The visitor site of El Barranco is located in the
southern part of Darwin Bay on Genovesa Island.
The trail is on volcanic rock and is 1.5 km long.
Everywhere one looks, there are masked boobies
on the ground and red-footed boobies in the
trees. Snorkeling can be done at the beach or
alongside the cliffs. The water inside the bay is very
rich in nutrients, creating an atmosphere that is
rich in underwater life.
Darwin´s Bay
Located on Genovesa Island, Darwin's Bay
highlights are the nesting colonies of the
common frigate, the Nazca booby and the
swallow-tailed gulls. We also find here nests of
red-footed booby, which is the largest nesting
colony in the Galapagos for this pelagic bird.
DAY 6
DIVING OPTION
Gordon Rocks (minimum
experience to participate:
30 logged dives or the
previous evaluation of our
dive guides at another site)
DAY 7
South Plazas Island
South Plaza was formed by lava up streaming from the bottom of the ocean. Despite its small size it is home to a large number of species and
it is famous for its extraordinary flora, making this island very popular with visitors. On the steep banks it is possible to see a great number of
birds such as nesting red-billed tropicbirds and swallow-tailed gulls. But most of all, enjoying the beautiful view from atop the steep banks or
strolling along the base of the cliff is an extremely pleasurable experience. Very attractive are the beautiful prickly pear cactus trees
(Opuntia echios) and of course the large colony of Galapagos land iguanas. Depending on the season, the Sesuvium ground vegetation
changes its colour from intense green in the rainy season to orange and purple in the dry season.
Santa Fe Island
Santa Fé (Barrington) Island is named after a city in Spain and has an area of 24 square kilometers (9 sq mi) and a maximum altitude of 259
meters (850 ft). Weathered cliffs provide a haven for swallow-tailed gulls, red-billed tropic birds and shear-waters petrels. Santa Fe species
of land iguanas are often seen, as well as lava lizards.
Santa Cruz Island
Given the name of the Holy Cross in Spanish, its English name derives from the British vessel HMS Indefatigable. It has
an area of 986 square kilometers (381 sq mi)and a maximum altitude of 864 meters (2834 ft).
Twin Craters - Baltra
This area has become more popular in recent years due to several trails created that lead to the two craters.
Guides are asked to use only the National Park trail to avoid erosion and deterioration of the area. In 1989 a
circular path around the largest crater was opened which passes through the interior of the Scalesia forest, an
excellent place to observe land birds, especially the woodpecker finch and the vermillion flycatcher.
DAY 8
DIVING OPTION
Santa Fe
General Description of Motor Yacht Stella Maris
M/Y STELLA MARIS was built by Italian Yacht builder Picchiotti and launch in 1987. The Yacht has a long career
as a private / commercial charter vessel throughout the years, first as M/Y TALON and later on as M/Y ALTA.
Stella Maris has undergone a major refit to become the first luxury yacht based in the Galapagos Islands
available for private charters.
Tecnical Specifications
Builder: Picchiotti
Year: 1987 / 2006
Refit: 2013/2014
Hull Type: Full Displacement
Number of decks: 4
Dimensions:
Length Overall: 38m/124’
Beam : 7,77m/ 25’
Draught max.: 2.65m/8’
Gross Tonnage: 317
Materials:
Hull : Steel
Superstructure: Aluminum
Decks: Cork / teak
DECK PLANS
SERVICE ON BOARD
INCLUDES
All acommodations on board
Excurcisions within the islands
Private Naturalist Guide
Transfer within the islands
Soft Drinks: water, coffee, tea
Snorkeling equipment
Fuel
NOT INCLUDED
ADITIONAL PRIVATE STAFF
Selected private naruralist guide
International chef 24/7
Charter concierge service 24/7
Private photographer
Host
Flight tickets to Galápagos
Galapagos National Park fee $100 p/p
Galapagos Transit Card $10 p/p Food
and Alcoholic Beverages
Gratuity
Manta birostris) is a species of ray
in the family Mobulidae, and the
largest type of ray in the world.
They are circumglobal and are
typically found in tropical and
subtropical waters, but can also
be found in temperate waters.
The Blue-footed Booby (Sula
nebouxii) is a marine bird in the
family Sulidae, which includes ten
species of long-winged seabirds.
Blue-Footed Booby
Delphins
Brown Pelican
Manta Ray
The Delphin (dolphin) was a
German midget submarine created during World War II. Designed
in 1944, only three prototypes were
created by the Kriegsmarine by
the end of the war, all of which
were destroyed. The Delphin was
built
for
underwater
speed
attacks, as German engineers
discovered that past midget
submarines were too slow to
match the speeds of large ships in
the English Channel.
The Brown Pelican (Pelecanus
occidentalis) is a small pelican
found in the Americas. It is one of
the best known and most prominent birds found in the coastal
areas of the southern and western
United States. It is one of only 3
pelican species found in the Western Hemisphere. The Brown
Pelican is one of the only two
pelican species which feeds by
diving into the water.
FAUNA in
Tortoises (Testudinidae) are a
family of land-dwelling reptiles in
the order Testudines. Like turtles,
tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of
the shell is the carapace, the
underside is the plastron, and the
two are connected by the bridge.
Marine Tortoise
Flamingos
are
a
type of
wading bird in the genus
Phoenicopterus (meaning "purple
wing"), the only genus in the family
Phoenicopteridae. There are four
flamingo
species
in
the
Americas.
Flamingos
GALAPAGOS
common crabs along the western
coast of the Americas. It is also
known as
"red
rock
crab",
"abuete negro", and along w ith
crabs such as Percnon gibbesi as,
"Sally Lightfoot".
Red Crab
Sea lions are sea mammals characterized by external ear flaps,
long foreflippers, the ability to walk
on all fours, and short, thick hair.
Sea Lion
Microlophus is a genus of Tropidurid lizards. There are twenty two
recognized species in the genus,
and nine of these are endemic to
the Galápagos Islands where they
are popularly known
as
lava
lizards. The remaining species,
which often are called Pacific
iguanas, are found in the Andes
and along the Pacific coast of
Chile, Peru, and Ecuador.
Lava Lizard
Giant tortoises are characteristic
reptiles of certain tropical islands.
Often reaching enormous sizethey can weigh as much as 300 kg
(660 lbs) and can grow to be 1.3
m (4 ft) long. They live, or lived
(some
species are recently
extinct), in the Seychelles, the
Mascarenes and the Galapagos.
Giant Tortoise
The
marine
iguana
(Amblyrhynchus cristatus) is an
iguana found only on the Galápagos Islands that has the ability,
unique among modern lizards, to
live and forage in the sea, making
it a marine reptile. The iguana can
dive over 9 m (30 ft) into the water.
Marine Iguana
The Galapagos land iguana
(Conolophus subcristatus) is a
species of lizard in the family Iguanidae. It is one of three species of
the genus Conolophus. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands
Land Iguana
FAUNA in
GALAPAGOS
GALAPAGOS
ISLANDS