Day 1:  Sat: San Cristobal
Quito or Guayaquil / Galapagos
This morning we fly to San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos. Flight time is approximately 1½ hours. Upon arrival we board M/Y Grace where you will have lunch and a quick briefing en route to our first visitor site: Playa Ochoa.
After this visit you have time for a shower as we get ready for our welcome cocktail and our first formal briefing before dinner. (L, D)

Day 2:  Sun: Genovesa
AM: Genovesa (Tower) Island: Prince Phillips Steps
PM: Tower Island: Darwin Bay
Tower Island could serve as a film set for a secret submarine base! The southwestern part of the island is an ocean-filled caldera ringed by the outer edges of a sizeable and mostly submerged volcano. The island sits to the northwest, slightly removed from the Galapagos archipelago. It is also known as Bird Island, a name it lives up to in a spectacular way! At Tower Island we have the opportunity to go snorkeling, kayaking, on dinghy rides and on walks & hikes. (B, L, D)

Day 3:  Mon: Isabela - Fernandina
AM: Isabela Island : Tagus Cove
PM: Fernandina Island : Punta Espinosa
In the morning we visit Tagus Cove on Isabela Island. A wooden stairway rises to the trail entrance and continues around Darwin Lake through a dry vegetation zone, and ends in a promontory formed by spatter cones. The site provides spectacular views of our anchorage in the bay, as well as Darwin and Wolf Volcanoes. In the afternoon we visit Fernandina Island, home to La Cumbre volcano, which erupts frequently (most recently in May 2005). We visit Punta Espinosa, a narrow spit of land, where a number of unique species, such as marine iguanas, sea lions, flightless cormorants, herons, egrets and Galapagos hawks can be seen in close proximity. (B, L, D)

Day 4:  Tue: Isabela
AM: Isabela Island : Urbina Bay
PM: Isabela Island : Punta Vicente Roca
Urbina Bay is directly west of Isabela’s Volcano Alcedo, where we will make an easy, wet landing (a hop into a few inches of water). We walk on a a stretch of three miles (5 km) of the marine reef that has been uplifted by as much as 13 feet (4 meters) out of the water. A highlight of this excursion are the giant land iguanas and giant tortoises, as well as the opportunity to go snorkeling amongst marine creatures, or just relaxing on shore. In the afternoon we visit Punta Vicente Roca on the northern part of the Isabela Island. Here the remnants of an ancient volcano form two turquoise coves with a bay well protected from the ocean swells. This spot is ideal for a beautiful panga ride and some of the best snorkeling of our trip. (B, L, D)

Day 5:  Wed: Bartolome - Santa Cruz
AM: Bartolome Island: Pinnacle Rock & Overlook
PM: Santa Cruz Island: Bachas Beach
In the morning we visit Bartolome Island, famous for Pinnacle Rock, where we will see Galapagos Penguins and sea lions. We will also hike a trail to Bartolome’s summit where you will be rewarded with spectacular views of Pinnacle Rock and our beach, where the crystal blue waters of the bay cradle your yacht. In the afternoon we visit Las Bachas, a sandy white-coral beach that is a major egg-laying site for sea turtles. The name Bachas refers to the remains of landing craft left here at the end of WWII. Ashore marine iguanas mingle with flamingos and other wading birds in another of the many super saline lagoons found in the Galapagos. (B, L, D)

Day 6:  Thu: Santa Cruz
AM: Santa Cruz Island : Highlands
PM: Santa Cruz: Charles Darwin Station
Santa Cruz is the second largest island in the Galapagos and its capital, Puerto Ayora, is the economic center of the Islands. In the morning we visit the Highlands, where the dry coastal vegetation transitions to lush wet fields and forests overgrown with moss and lichens. Our destination is the Tortoise Reserve, where we will have chances see these animals in the wild. In the afternoon we visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to visit the Giant Tortoise and Land Iguana Breeding and Rearing Program. Here we will find Lonesome George, the last of his particular race of tortoise - and who may be 150 years old! (B, L, D)

Day 7:  Fri: Española
AM: Española Island (Hood): Punta Suarez
PM: Española Island (Hood): Gardner Bay
Hood is the southernmost island of the archipelago, and is one of the most popular due to the breathtaking variation and number of fauna that inhabit the island. In the morning we visit Punta Suarez where you will witness the largest variety of marine iguanas in the Galapagos, masked boobies and blue footed boobies nesting along the cliff’s edge, as well as the famous waved albatross. In the afternoon we visit Gardner Bay, a magnificent long white sandy beach, where colonies of sea lions laze in the sun, sea turtles swim offshore, and inquisitive mockingbirds boldly investigate new arrivals. (B, L, D)

Day 8:  Sat: San Cristobal
AM: San Cristobal: Interpretation Centre & Kicker Rock
Late AM: Depart for mainland Ecuador
Today your Galapagos cruise comes to an end, but before we bid farewell to the Grace we visit a spectacular formation named Kicker Rock that rises 152 meters (500 feet) out of the Pacific. It takes the form of a sleeping lion, but from another angle you can see that the rock is split, forming a colossal tablet and, piercing the sea, a great chisel ready for etching. Later that morning we pay a visit to the Galapagos National Park Visitor Centre that presents a comprehensive exhibit of the islands’ natural history, human interaction, ecosystems, flora & fauna. From the Centre, a short trail arrives at Frigate Bird Hill, where both magnificent-frigates and great-frigates can be seen in the same colony. Next we return to the airport where we began our journey in the Galapagos for the flight back to the Ecuadorian mainland. (B)