Arrival from Mainland, your friendly guides will be expecting you outside customs to begin your wonderful Galapagos adventure.
Situated in the northern part of Santa Cruz, this inlet is surrounded by mangroves and is only accessible by dinghy. The shallow cove is a safe haven for young marine life including Black-tip & White-tip reef sharks, Rays and sea turtles
Also known as “Prince Phillip’s Steps”, El Barranco is a steep, rocky path that leads up to a high cliff-face. A marvelous view can be appreciated from here. This site is also home to palo santo vegetation as well as red-footed boobies, Doves, Storm Petrels, Galapagos swallows and short-eared lava owls.
This white sand coral beach heads a half mile trail that winds through Mangroves filled with land birds like Nazca & Red-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls and more. Further down the path are tidal pools where sea lions swim playfully. At the end is a spectacular view off a cliff.
A coral beach landing leads you towards a lava field as far as the eye can see. Hunt and peck over the two distinguished types of lava, pahoehoe and “’a’a”, for signs of plant life that have managed to emerge over the past 100 years since the most recent volcanic explosion. A truly amazing volcanic experience…up close and personal!
Rabida Island (Jervis) is one of the most colorful and volcanically varied islands in the archipelago and a great snorkeling site. Its famous maroon sandy beach and stunning lookouts provide wonderful landscapes. The island is a birdwatcher’s delight. Some of the rarest species are in abundance, such as nine varieties of finches, large-billed flycatchers, Galapagos hawks and brown pelicans.
The Charles Darwin Research Station is home to turtles ranging from 3-inches (new hatchlings) to 4-feet long. Subspecies of turtles interact with one another and many of the older turtles are accustomed to humans stretching out their heads for a photo opportunity. The babies are kept until they are about four years old and strong enough to survive on their own.
After the morning excursion you will be taken to the airport for your flight to the mainland.