Your Travel Experience with chilepro
Day 1
Arrival and transfer to the ship
You will arrive on the island of Baltra in the morning. After completing the immigration and baggage claim, you will meet the Infinity team and get on the yacht. There you will be shown your cabin where you can spend some time before lunch and a welcome briefing.
Black Turtle Cove, Santa Cruz
Black Turtle Cove is a red mangrove lagoon serving as a nursery for sharks and rays. Black Turtle Cove is a great location to observe mating sea turtles during nesting season. Travellers often see large groups of resting white-tip reef sharks, schools of golden rays and the incredibly beautiful spotted eagle rays. As the water is usually very calm, this area can be navigated using paddles instead of the loud panga engines, increasing your chances of wildlife encounters.
Day 2
Prince Philip's Steps, Genovesa
Genovesa Island is secluded from the other main islands in the north of the archipelago and is well-known as the Bird Island.
Prince Philip's Steps are a staircase sunken into volcanic rock that leads to a plateau rich with vegetation and wildlife. True to the nickname of Bird Island, this area is home to nesting masked and blue-footed boobies, Bahama ducks, petrels and gulls amongst a host of other local species. The Galápagos horned owls bask on the warm volcanic rocks here, paying no attention the tourists around them.
Darwin Bay, Genovesa
Emerging from the narrow entrance, you'll reach Darwin Bay, surrounded by protective cliffs. Frigatebirds regularly patrol the skies here and petrels can be seen hunting coastal waters for smaller fish. The green water in the bay is evidence of a high plankton content which attracts fish and seabirds, making this wildlife-rich bay a wonderful site for snorkeling. With some luck, you may also encounter peaceful hammerheads and black spotted stingrays.
Day 3
Sullivan Bay, Santiago
Although this beautiful beach deserves its place in the highlights list, the day will surprise you with another highlight: the special pahoehoe lava flows.
Almost 100 years ago, lava flowed across the island and left behind various forms of soil: braided and stringy lava fields alternate with sharp-edged jagged formations. Feel the warm stones of the black, unreal lava landscape under your hands and move back to the time of origin, when volcanoes raged here, ultimately creating a paradise.
Rábida
On arrival at Rábida Island's red sand beach you will be greeted by the resident sea lions, basking in the sun. The island's otherworldy red colouring is a result of the high level of iron and magnesium left behind from previous volcanic activity.
A stroll along the beach reveals marine iguanas, mockingbirds, yellow warblers and several species of Darwin’s finches. If you look carefully you may also spot the bright red Sally Lightfoot crabs, who have found possibly the only place on earth where they can effectively camouflage themselves.
Day 4
Fausto Llerena Breeding Station, Santa Cruz
The Charles Darwin Research Station is home to turtles ranging in size from 7.6 cm (hatchlings) to 1.2 m (adults). Different subspecies of tortoises live together here. The young are reared here for around four years until they are strong enough to survive on their own.
Return to the port of Baltra
After this final visit, you will be taken to Baltra Airport on time for your flight to the mainland, or you will continue your individual Galapagos program.