Galapagos Catamaran Adventure Cruise Vacations

Small Ship Cruise, Hiking, Swimming, and Snorkeling

Explore the islands that inspired Darwin. Experience wildlife that doesn't fear people and is so diverse and abundant you'll have to watch your step to avoid disturbing a napping sea lion or resting iguana!.

The following describes our 7-day itinerary but we also have 6-day and 10-day versions as well.

Choose from three outstanding 16-passenger expedition vessels --Journey I, Journey III and Galapagos Odyssey.

Day 1 Quito. Arrive in Quito and transfer to the your hotel for the night.

Day 2-5. This morning we're off on the 90-minute flight to the Galapagos! While your exact itinerary depends on your cruise and Galapagos National Park regulations, the following islands and activities are all possibilities.

Baltra: Former World War II U.S. military base and now the location of Galapagos's main international airport, it's where you'll probably arrive and depart the islands.

Santa Cruz: Visit the Charles Darwin Research Center, learn about their preservation work and admire the giant tortoises in their breeding program. We explore the island's lush volcanic highlands where wild giant tortoises graze and the island's mangrove-flanked channels and shore looking for land iguanas, green sea turtles, sea lions and schools of spotted eagle rays and golden rays.

Bartolome: An otherworldly volcanic landscape where lava, mangroves and golden sands converge. Fun hikes and fantastic views plus a chance to snorkel with penguins--a tropical oxymoron!

Santiago: Home to Galapagos fur seals and some of the best "tide pooling" in the islands. Good opportunities to see herons and marine iguanas grazing among red sally light-foot crabs. Swim and snorkel with octopus, sea horses and star fish.

Isabela: Largest island in the archipelago, its dramatic landscape was formed by six volcanoes. We visit saltwater lagoons, home to flamingos, and investigate Isabela's caves and shoreline on the watch for penguins, dolphins, whales, sea turtles and the elusive ocean sunfish.

Fernandina: The youngest island, Punta Espinoza is a marine iguana heaven where we see them with sally-light foot crabs, flightless cormorants, Galapagos penguins and sea lions, all with Isabela's stunning volcanoes as a backdrop.

Floreana: Great snorkeling with friendly sea lions. We see flamingos, pintail ducks, swallow-tailed gulls and marine iguanas. "Post Office" Bay is where an empty barrel was set up by an English sea captain in 1793 as an informal postal exchange. Visitors continue the tradition and put unstamped mail in the barrel in hope its reaches its destinations for free.

Española: Snorkel and stroll the island's lava fields and lovely beaches--sea lions, marine iguanas, manta rays, white-tipped reef sharks. Great birding with hooded mockingbirds, Galapagos hawks, Darwin finches, red-billed tropic birds, blue-footed and Nazca boobies and the world largest colony of waved albatross.

San Cristobal: Location of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the capital of Galapagos Province. We visit its Interpretation Center and little Lobos Island, a favorite spot to snorkel with sea lions.

Days 6-7 Quito. We disembark and fly back to Quito. The late afternoon and evening are free to explore the city. The following morning we transfer to the airport for flights home.