The Galápagos Islands make up a wonderland of primitive landscapes, exotic plants and fascinating wildlife. Because these volcanic islands have never been part of a larger land mass, more than half of their plant life, at least one-third of their fish and almost all of their reptiles are found no where else on Earth. It is easy to capture amazing close-up photographs of wildlife because they are unafraid of humans— penguins skimming effortlessly through the sea . . . sea lions basking in the warm sun . . . giant tortoises making their way inch by inch over well-worn paths . . . and finches, pelicans, frigate birds, terns, boobies, and flamingos filling the skies with a rainbow of color.

Day 1:

Depart USA

Arrive in Quito this evening and transfer to the hotel.
Swissotel

Day 2:

Quito

After breakfast at your hotel, visit the Equatorial Monument, where you can stand in both hemispheres at the same time!  See the museum’s displays about Ecuador’s diverse native cultures.  Return to Quito for a lunch of traditional Ecuadorian specialties. This afternoon, soar up to 13,800 feet on a gondola for spectacular views of Quito and its surroundings. This evening, gather for a festive welcome dinner.
Swissotel (B,L,D)

Day 3:

Quito to Baltra Island and Las Bachas Beach, Santa Cruz Island

Fly to Baltra Island located in the Galápagos archipelago, approximately 600 miles off Ecuador’s coast, and board the Eclipse, your comfortable sea-going home for the next seven nights. This afternoon, visit Las Bachas Beach, whose soft white sand is a favorite nesting site for sea turtles. Look for flamingos, black-necked stilts and whimbrels at a lagoon.
Eclipse (B,L,D)

Day 4:

Puerto Egas, Santiago Island and Bartolomé Island

Hike along black-sand paths and gaze into inter-tidal pools to observe a variety of invertebrates, including sea urchins, octopus, and starfish. Continue along a trail to Fur Seals Grottos, one of the only places in the islands where they can be seen. Enjoy some time this morning to swim or snorkel off the beach. Sail to Bartolomé Island this afternoon, where we swim and snorkel with penguins near Pinnacle Rock. After changing clothes on the ship, walk past spatter and tuff cones, old lava flow, and lava tubes to the island’s highest point to be rewarded with a panoramic view of Sullivan Bay. 
Eclipse (B,L,D)

Day 5:

Santa Cruz Island and Rábida Island

This morning, walk up Dragon Hill to see a land iguana nesting site and impressive views of the bay. This afternoon, explore the unique red sand beach at Rábida Island, home to a colony of sea lions and a pelican nesting site. Walk to a salt water lagoon to see shore birds or snorkel at one of the best sites in the Galápagos.
Eclipse (B,L,D)

Day 6:

Tagus Cove and Elizabeth Bay, Isabela Island

Imagine the world of pirates, buccaneers and whalers while viewing the names of hundreds of ships painted on the high ridges at Tagus Cove. Journey past blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas, and Galápagos penguins while on a panga. Keep your eyes peeled for dolphins and whales, too! This afternoon, enter a sheltered cove where a mangrove ecosystem provides refuge to Galápagos penguins, sea turtles, and rays.
Eclipse (B,L,D)

Day 7:

Punta Espinoza, Fernandina Island and Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela Island

See La Cumbre Volcano, which dominates this landscape. This narrow piece of land is home to some of the Galápagos’s most unique species. This afternoon, enjoy some time to deep water snorkel the waters favored by sea turtles.
Eclipse (B,L,D)

Day 8:

Charles Darwin Research Station and Santa Cruz Highlands, Santa Cruz Island

Learn about preservation efforts being undertaken on the island during a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station. See the famous giant Galápagos tortoise in all its different sizes at a tortoise breeding and rearing center. Enjoy some time at leisure in the small town of Puerto Ayora. After lunch on the ship, return to Puerto Ayora for a motorcoach excursion to the Santa Cruz Highlands. See lava tunnels and Twin Craters, formed by the collapse of the earth’s crust.
Eclipse (B,L,D)

Day 9:

Gardner Bay and Punta Suarez, Espanola Island

Relax with sea lions along the beach or swim and snorkel. Spend the afternoon at Punta Suárez, one of the most spectacular areas in the Galápagos due to its high proportion of endemic fauna. Spot Galápagos doves, finches, and Nazca boobies nesting along the trail. Arrive at the top of a cliff and savor the view of a blowhole while searching for the graceful red-billed tropicbird. Also look for the waved albatross, a species endemic to the archipelago that only reproduces on this island.
Eclipse (B,L,D)

Day 10:

Black Turtle Cove, Isabela Island and Guayaquil

Take a panga trip to Black Turtle Cove, a mangrove estuary where rays, turtles, and sharks live. Return to the ship for a light snack before tendering back to Baltra Island for your flight back to mainland Ecuador. Upon arrival in Guayaquil, transfer to your hotel. Gather this evening for a farewell dinner.
Hilton (B,D)

Day 11:

Depart Guayaquil

Transfer to the airport in time for your international flight back to the U.S.
(B)

Please note that this is an active adventure, which requires getting in and out of pangas, walking up to two hours on uneven surfaces, and snorkeling. Travelers must be in good health.