5 days aboard Fragata

Home to Galapagos’ main airport, this will be the starting point of your experience aboard the best tour of the Galapagos Islands. A bilingual guide will meet you at the airport and assist you during the transfer onboard the Fragata Yacht. Welcome Ceremony, briefing session.

Wet landing. Situated between Northern Seymour and Baltra, its distinctive flat geography sets her apart from the rest of islands. A long strip of white sand, rocks and tide pools, Mosquera Islet is an excellent diving and snorkeling site where you can enjoy the local fauna without crowds of tourists to distract you.

Dinghy (panga) ride through this spectacular bay where sea horses, penguins, rays, sea turtles, globefish, blue footed Bobbies and the fascinating sunfish are commonly found. Lunch onboard.

Dry landing. Hour and a half hike through sandy and/or rocky trail that’ll take you through iguana nesting grounds (nesting season January-June). During the hike you’ll be able to see lava flows, penguins, pelicans, lava cacti, and a colony of cormorants. Snorkeling on the beach before heading back onboard.

Wet landing on Urbina Bay. Kilometer-long, 2-hour-long hike through sandy and/or rocky trail were you can find coral reefs and seashells above water. You’ll also observe a large land iguana colony, Darwin finches, giant tortoises, (between June-September) and non-flying cormorants. Snorkeling on the beach before heading back onboard for lunch.

Dry landing. During the 1800’s this place was a port where whalers would dock and write the names of their vessels on the walls of a cave. The visit begins on the shore, up a wooden ladder and onto a trail that’ll take you through a forest of Palo Santo trees and arrive at Darwin Lake, a salt water lake inside an extinct volcanic crater. We’ll hike around the lake, through the site’s characteristically dry vegetation, so we can get a panoramic view of the Darwin and Wolf Volcanoes (2-hour-hike, begins at sea-level and getting up to 50m above sea-level). After the hike, a dinghy (panga) ride along the shoreline will offer a chance to observe penguins, cormorants, bobbies, pelicans and sally crabs. Snorkeling on the beach before heading back onboard.

Wet landing on the dark sand beach of James Bay. 1½ hour hike on rocky terrain onto the Salt Crater were you can find Darwin finches, Galapagos hawks, marine iguanas, sally crabs, seals and sea lions. Snorkeling on the beach before heading back onboard.

Wet landing onto a rocky-terrain trail. 30 minute hike that’ll take you through lava rock formations, you’ll see the lava cacti and the Galapagos Sesuvium. Snorkeling on the beach before heading back onboard.

Visit the 1959-established Charles Darwin Station to learn about the Giant Tortoises and their reproduction, as well as the origin and formation of the archipelago.

After the Scientific Station visit, bus transfer over the Baltra Airport and flight back to mainland.