One Week Cruise in the Galápagos

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO GO ON A CRUISE IN THE Galápagos?

A cruise in the Galápagos is most certainly not a relaxing holiday. These holidays are designed for active people to get out in nature, exploring the diverse landscapes and environment of the archipelago. I cannot speak for other boats, but on Coral I and II, we really only used the boats for sleeping, eating and traveling between islands.

Most days had four activities: two in the morning between breakfast and lunch, and two in the afternoon before dinner, looking something like this:

• 7:30am – breakfast
• 8:30am – activity 1
• 10:00am – activity 2
• 11:30am – back on board
• 12:30pm – lunch
• 3:00pm – activity 3
• 4:30pm – activity 4
• 6:00pm – back on board
• 7:00pm – dinner
• 8:30pm – briefing for next day

Activities ranged from small walks, longer hikes, panga (dinghy) rides exploring the coast, snorkelling either off the beach or off the panga and visiting animal reserves (e.g. tortoises, Darwin’s research station).

Each day was jam-packed, with early rises and long days. I went to bed completely exhausted most before 10pm and we would then spend the nights being cruised to our next destination - sometimes this meant a smooth gentle rocking to sleep, other nights it was a bit rough, and we were thrown about our beds!

RULES IN THE Galápagos

You cannot visit any of the islands in the Galápagos without a guide, due to the fragility, sensitivity and sheer amount of knowledge you must have to be able to properly experience the environment.

You cannot touch any of the animals, and it is advised to stay at least two metres away, unless the animals come closer out of their own choice.

You cannot bring anything into the Galápagos (e.g. animals, fresh fruit and vegetables) so as not to introduce invasive species and ruin the natural environment. You also cannot take anything out of the Galápagos (e.g. sand, shells, fauna) - this will be checked by sniffer dogs at the airport.

You may not leave the marked trails on any of the islands so as not to disturb any natural habitats including nests and mating sites.

ONE WEEK ITINERARY FOR THE Galápagos

Coral I and II through Go Galápagos offer four itineraries: A, B, C and D. A and C both last 4 days and 3 nights; B and D last 5 days and 4 nights. Each itinerary visits different parts of the archipelago.

We chose itineraries B and C, to make an 8-day and 7-night expedition from Wednesday to Wednesday. We felt that B and C offered the most varied experiences, visiting the largest number of islands. You can view all the possible itineraries here.

Itinerary B + C

Go Galápagos arranges your flights from Quito or Guayaquil to match the departure times of the cruise. We flew out of Quito via Guayaquil to Baltra Airport, departing at 8:04am and arriving at 9:48am in the Galápagos (which are one hour behind mainland Ecuador). Everyone on our cruise was on the same flight.

We were met at the airport by a Go Galápagos guide, who took us on a bus ride from the airport down to the ferry terminal on Baltra to cross over to Santa Cruz Island. Baltra Island only has the airport, so even if you aren’t doing a cruise, you’ll still need to take the bus and ferry to Santa Cruz.

On Santa Cruz Island, a panga (dinghy) met us and our luggage and took us out on a twenty-minute ride to meet our beautiful boats anchored further out in the deeper water: home for the next week.

As we arrived on board, we were greeted by our crew, given a safety briefing and an overview of what to expect from our itinerary and then shown to our rooms where our luggage was waiting for us. After a welcome lunch, we immediately jumped into our first activity – and then it was non-stop after that!

Below, you’ll find a day-by-day detailed guide to everything we did:

DAY 1 – SANTA CRUZ ISLAND

Activity 1 + 2: arrivals from Baltra airport

Lunch: welcome buffet lunch in the restaurant

Activity 3: visit to the Highlands Tortoise Reserve

We departed the boat on the pangas and returned to Santa Cruz Island, where we boarded a thirty-minute bus ride into the heart of the island. Along the way, we saw some local villages and an elementary school (I had no idea people actually lived out here!). At the Highlands Tortoise Reserve, our guide walked us through the reserve, spotting the famous giant tortoises of the Galápagos. Although the tortoises here are not in the wild, they are well cared for on spacious land and a small research centre and restaurant offers a chance to view and touch shells of the tortoises.

CHECK OUT MY VLOG OF DAY 1 ON THE Galápagos HERE!

DAY 2 – ISABELA ISLAND & FERNANDINA ISLAND

Activity 1: panga ride along Isabela Island

After a nighttime cruise north of the equator around Isabela Island, we arrived in Vicente Roca Point. Our first activity of the day saw us in little pangas cruising the coastline, and we were incredibly lucky to spot all the expected animals: blue-footed boobies, noddies, pelicans, penguins, flightless cormorants, turtles, marine iguanas, sea lions. The ocean currents in this bay bring plenty of life making this one of the hotspots for spotting wildlife.

Lunch: buffet lunch in the restaurant

Activity 3: deep water snorkeling at Espinosa Point

After lunch, we cruised to our next spot where it was time for another snorkel. Once again jumping off the sides of the panga, this afternoon’s snorkelling gave us the chance to swim with marine iguanas, flightless cormorants hunting for their lunch, Galápagos penguins and of course, plenty of turtles. The quality of snorkelling out here is unsurpassed, offering such a rich density and variety of marine life, completely unbothered by human presence, allowing us to witness them in their stunning natural environments with their normal behaviours.

CHECK OUT MY VLOG OF DAY 2 ON THE Galápagos HERE!

DAY 3 – ISABELA ISLAND

Activity 1: walk at Urbina Bay

We started our day early with a panga ride out to Urbina Bay on Isabela Island, where we landed on the beach and trekked inland to spot giant tortoises (many of them quite young and small still!), majestic land iguanas munching in the bushes. Isabela Island is actually a cluster of five volcanoes that were joined together by seismic activity and lava flows, so it’s a hotspot for wildlife and fauna.

Activity 4: panga ride around Tagus Cove and walk to Darwin Lake

After a hot shower (the water on the boat is desalinated straight from the ocean!), we took a panga ride around Tagus Cove before heading onto land where a steep set of wooden steps past graffiti-covered rocks from the times of the pirates led us to Darwin Lake, a massive salt-water crater lake, the water source of which scientists still can’t determine. It was here that we learned about the palo santo tree, the sap of which is used as a natural insect repellent and is said to ward off the bad energy and attract good energy! They call it the incense of the Galápagos.

DAY 4 – SANTIAGO ISLAND

Unfortunately, I was wiped out with exhaustion on day 4 and spent the entire day asleep in my cabin. However, I have outlined the itinerary below for those of you who might choose to book this trip and have included a few photos that my parents took while out on the various activities of the day.

Activity 1: hike from Egas Port

This long two-hour hike took everyone across a black volcanic sand beach, one visited by Darwin in 1835. The highlight here is spotting the bright red crabs called Sally Lightfoot Crabs dancing across the black sand.

Activity 2: snorkeling in Egas Port

From the beach, they then snorkeled with the resident fur seals of Santiago Island.

Lunch: buffet lunch in the restaurant

Activity 3: walk in Sullivan Bay

After lunch, a shorter walk in Sullivan Bay, the youngest lava flows of the Galápagos from the late 19^th century show off the new fauna growing in post-eruption.

Activity 4: snorkeling in Sullivan Bay

After the second walk of the day, another beach snorkeling session followed.

DAY 5 – SANTA CRUZ ISLAND & NORTH SEYMOUR ISLAND

Activity 1: walk on Bachas Beach

Possibly the prettiest beach we had visited so far, the pure white sand of Bachas Beach is home to small ponds where flamingos come to visit and feed. We started extra early this day and watched the pink clouds light up the morning sky. The remnants of a World War II barge wreck can also be found on the beach here.

Dinner: buffet dinner in the restaurant

Where we anchored for the night is a fabulous place for spotting sharks and so after dinner in the dark, we all crowded the decks to see the majestic white animals gliding through the ocean below our boat.

DAY 6 – SANTA CRUZ ISLAND & MOSQUERA ISLET

Activity 1: visit to Charles Darwin Research Station

The day started with a panga ride and then a long drive across Santa Cruz Island out to Puerto Ayora where the wonderful Charles Darwin Research Station is located. Here, along with all the scientific research undertaken, they run a special breeding program of tortoises to preserve the fragile species of the Galápagos. It was here where Lonesome George, the last of his kind of species of tortoise, also spent the final decades of his life and where his preserved body can now be viewed in a special climate-controlled room.

Activity 3: walk on Mosquera Islet

This tiny islet is between North Seymour and Baltra Island and is a haven for sea lions as well as frigates and pelicans. The white sand is full of ground-covering fauna and the sand is pure white.

Activity 4: snorkeling off Mosquera Islet

The water here is exceptionally clear, and we finished our day with a snorkel along the coastline spotting colourful shoals of fish and, best of all, two majestic spotted manta rays - an extremely rare sight and unfortunately my GoPro died just as we reached them in the deeper waters. I’ll remember that moment in my memory forever, though.

Dinner: buffet dinner in the restaurant

DAY 7 – SOUTH PLAZA ISLET & SANTA FE ISLAND

Activity 1: walk on South Plaza Islet

We went for a very long morning walk all around the exquisite South Plaza Islet, a little plot of land home to both land and marine iguanas and hundreds of birds calling the steep cliffs facing Santa Cruz Island home. The hardy cacti call this islet home, and sleepy sea lions doze on the cliff ledge, all waiting to be photographed and visited.

Lunch: buffet lunch in the restaurant

Activity 2: snorkelling off Santa Fe Island

We didn’t have a second morning activity as our walk was long and we need the time to cruise to our next destination: the stunningly clear waters off Santa Fe Island that offer the best snorkeling with sea lions. We swam for an hour with these playful creatures off the coast, twirling in and around us, before venturing into deeper waters where gentle turtles could be spotted. This was one of the clearest snorkels we’ve had so far.

Activity 3: walk on Santa Fe Island

After our snorkel, we made way to land to visit the resident sea lion colony of Santa Fe Island’s white beaches, as well as spotting more land iguanas and giant cacti.

DAY 8 – LOBOS ISLAND

Activity 1: walk on Lobos Island

A very early morning - to give us time for a final activity before leaving for the airport - saw us walking along Lobos Island, the best island in the entire archipelago to spot mating and nesting blue-footed boobies and frigates. This was a special way to finish the trip, in peace and quiet watching these brilliantly coloured baby birds and their parents.

RETURNING TO QUITO

After our walk, we returned to the boat to pack up our belongings and say goodbye to the crew. We cruised to our final destination: the harbour on San Cristobal Island, where we took our final panga ride to land where a bus took us to the tiny little one-departure-gate airport.

Getting to have been so entrenched in the diversity and richness of life in the Galápagos, one of the world’s greatest places for wildlife viewing, has been one of the most surreal and privileged experiences of my life. I cannot thank the crew of Coral I enough for making this trip one of the most special memories I will carry forever.

We flew back with Avianca from San Cristobal again via Guayaquil to Quito with the other passengers from our cruise. Returning to the mainland felt strange and the entire week felt almost like a dream – thankfully I’ve got thousands of photos to remind me that I really did undertake this incredible adventure.

If you have any questions about visiting the Galápagos, please don’t hesitate to reach out. This was the most special week.

CHECK OUT MY VLOG OF MY LAST DAY ON THE Galápagos HERE!