Itinerary D 8 Days

You will be transferred to the airport this morning for your flight to Galapagos Islands. The airport is approximately a one-hour drive from the hotel so you should allow for delays. This time will be confirmed by your tour leader at the pre-departure meeting.

On departure from Quito Airport, a US$20 per-person transit card and a US$100 national park entry fee are payable. These transactions can be complicated and time-consuming so please have cash available.
A National Park Guide will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the catamaran "M.Y Grand queen Beatriz". Lunch will be served on board.

Santa Cruz Island: Highlands

Today you will be visiting Santa Cruz, the second-largest island in the Galapagos. Here you'll see the highlands.

North Seymour Island

Today's morning excursion will take you to North Seymour. North Seymour's trail traverses the inland and through the island before reaching the coast. The trail takes you past colonies of blue-footed boobies as well as frigate birds. The majestic frigate bird is a large, black bird that has a very long wingspan and a hooked beak. It is fast and excellent at seeing. The large, red pouch at the neck of Frigate birds is a hallmark. The red pouch is a sign of male dominance.

The relationship between frigates and boobies is interesting. Blue-footed blueboobies and frigate birds share the same nesting area at North Seymour. They nest on the ground, using the twigs from the palo Santas trees to make their nests, while the frigate bird nests in the saltbushes just above them.

Mosquera Islet

You will be visiting the small, sandy island of Mosquera after lunch. It's a peaceful, picturesque place. Sally lightfoot crabs, also known as red lava crabs, can be seen hopping around the rocks and in the tide pools, skipping over small bodies of water to find food. The brightly colored shell tops and blue undershells of these crabs contrast beautifully with the black lava.