Galapagos Islands and Quito

Breakfast at the Hotel then take a Colonial city tour: Quito displays the largest colonial town of the Americas and is the first UNESCO's World Heritage Site. The City dates back to 980 A.D. Enjoy the eclectic architecture ranging from the modern quarters to varied colonial facades on churches and private residences decorated and balconies built along the last five centuries. Quito is one of the best preserved Colonial Cities in Latin America. Highlights of your tour: Walk along the so called street of the seven crosses and pass by the Jesuit Convent, once head quarters of the first university in the country, and El Sagrario church with a unique orthodox cross dating back to the seventeenth century. Metropolitan Cathedral with excellent samples of the Spanish renaissance, the monument of Simon Bolivar, The Basilica of the Heart of Jesus a great example of Gothic Architecture, Parks El Ejido and Alameda, Independence Square or Plaza Grande as it's known to local people flanked by the Presidential and the Archbishop's palaces, Continue approximately 11 miles (18 Km.) north of down town Quito, we visit 'Mitad del Mundo' (Middle of the World) and the Equator Monument situated at 0º0'0' latitude. This site is where the Equator Line crosses through the Country dividing the Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres. In the eighteenth century The French Geodesic Expedition erected here one of the three landmarks for their planet calculations to deduct the shape of the planet. This monument complex which replicates colonial architecture, a typical central plaza, a church and bull-fighting ring. We also visit the Intiñan Solar Museum, where you'll find scientific and experimental aspects of being right at the Equator. Overnight in Quito.

In the morning;
Depart from Quito to Baltra Island.
Arriving in the Galapagos, passengers are picked up at the airport by our natural guides and taken to a ten-minute bus drive to the pier to board the M/V Galapagos Legend. In the mountains of Galapagos is possible to admire different kinds of birds, such as tree and ground finches, vermillion flycatchers, paint-billed crakes, yellow warblers, and cattle egrets. The journey to the reserve offers great opportunities to see the contrasts that the island offers in reference to the variety of ecosystems. The road goes from the coast through the agricultural zone and straight up to the dense humid forests. Often, Galapagos giant tortoises are also seen on the way, wandering through pastures in the paddocks. This spot is a bird watchers’ haven since almost every land bird present on the island lives or migrates here. Difficulty level: Easy
Type of terrain: Flat & muddy sometimes (seasonal conditions)
Duration: 45 minute drive or 1½ hour walk Overnight aboard Galapagos Legend.

After breakfast; AM: Be marveled at the variety of sea life that uses the crevices of the lava cliffs for shelter. red-billed tropicbirds fly overhead, switching between their nests and the bay, and a small colony of fur seals may be found near the landing site.
You will be dropped off at a steep stairway that begins on rocks at the foot of a path that leads through a seabird colony full of Nazca and red-footed boobies. At the plateau, the trail continues inland allowing you to see more nesting booby colonies in the thin Palo Santo forest. Near the end of the trail, over a rocky lava plain, Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrels can be observed flying in all directions. If you are lucky, you may catch a glimpse of a short-eared owl. Difficulty level: Moderate
Type of terrain: Rocky/Lava
Duration: 45 minute walk PM: Disembark onto a small sand and coral beach. A short trail heads west along a tidal lagoon and then up a rocky hill that leads to a point overlooking the cliffs and Darwin Bay.
Along the trail near the tidal lagoon, visitors will see pairs of swallow-tailed gulls, lava gulls, yellow crowned and lava herons. The trail continues through Palo Santo trees, Opuntia cacti, and Saltbushes inhabited by Great Frigate birds and red-footed boobies. This is one of the few places in the islands where visitors are guaranteed to see red-footed boobies. It is estimated that more than 200,000 red-footed boobies live in the trees and bushes of Genovesa. Difficulty level: Moderate
Type of terrain: Sand/Lava
Duration: 2½ hour walk approx. or snorkeling Overnight aboard Galapagos Legend.

After breakfast; AM: Dry landing. Walk by a brackish lagoon to see flamingos. The trail leads across typical dry zone vegetation. Keeping up until Dragon Hill, see an important nesting ground for endemic land iguanas, offering lovely views of the anchored boats and neighboring islands. The forest is home to mockingbirds, Darwin’s finches, yellow warblers, and Galapagos doves. Difficulty level: Intermediate
Type of terrain: Rocky
Duration: 2-hour walk PM: Wet landing. Santa Fe shows white sand beaches surrounded by sea lion colonies; through the island path, an endemic cactus forest is passed, home the Santa Fe land iguanas (the largest in the islands). This island is the habitat for a number of species, including the Galapagos hawk, Galapagos snakes, rice rats (one of the few endemic Galapagos rodents), a variety of finches and one of the four mockingbird species of the archipelago. Difficulty level: Intermediate
Type of terrain: Rocky
Duration: 1½ hour walk or 1 hour deep-water snorkeling Overnight aboard Galapagos Legend.

After breakfast; AM: Wet landing. On the north side of Santa Cruz; behind the beach lies two small flamingo ponds were iguanas sunbathe, see coastal birds, Darwin finches, mockingbirds, and gulls, as well as interesting native vegetation like red and black mangrove, salt bushes. This beach is one of the main sea turtles nesting sites in the Galapagos. A turtle can lay eggs 3 or 4 times per season with an average of 70 eggs each time. At this paradisiacal site, we will also find the remains of barges that sank a long time ago, when the United States Navy operated a base during World War II on Baltra Island. Local people modified the word barges to “Bachas”. Difficulty level: Easy
Type of terrain: Sandy
Duration: 1 hour walk PM: After the visit, passengers will be transferred to the airport for their return flight to Quito. Overnight in Quito.