7-night East Galapagos Cruise - Isla Baltra to Puerto Ayora

Today Baltra is the most important airport of Galápagos and a small navy base for Ecuador. Baltra has suffered most from human settling and does not have any visitor sites. Many cruises start from the its harbour and already there pelicans and noddies will welcome you. To the north lies Mosquera, a small sandy bank with a large colony of sea lions. Go swimming and snorkeling on the beach.

Santa Cruz is the center of tourism in the Galapagos. The white-sand beach of Las Bachas on Isla Santa Cruz is a major egg-laying site for Pacific green turtles, but pelicans and flamingos feel at home here, too. Puerto Ayora, the largest settlement in the Galapagos, is homeport to many yachts, as well as home to Galapagos National Park Service and Charles Darwin Research Station. A large island with a variety of geology, wildlife and vegetation, all the Galapagos life zones are present on Santa Cruz.

El Barranco (Prince Phillip's Steps) is a port located on Genovesa Island in the Galapagos Islands. After hiking along a steep and rocky path, spectacular views can be enjoyed from a high cliff. El Barranco is home to Galapagos doves, red-footed boobies, Galapagos swallows and short-eared lava owls.

Darwin Bay is located in the Galapagos Islands where one side of the caldera on the horse-shoe shaped Genovesa Island collapsed. The submerged crater that resulted formed Darwin Bay. The steep cliffs that surround the bay provide homes for many seabirds, and there is a white sand coral beach that heads a half mile trail from the bay. Genovesa has developed a reputation as “The Bird Island” due to the numerous bird species that nest there which include swallow-tail gulls, storm petrels, Darwin’s finches, nazca boobies and red-footed boobies. Visitors to Darwin Bay can enjoy hiking, snorkeling, diving, kayaking and dinghy rides. In addition to seabirds, additional wildlife found near Darwin Bay includes rays, colorful reef fish, marine iguana and sharks.

Sullivan Bay is located on the southeastern region of Isla Santiago belonging to the famous Galapagos Islands. This destination is known for its lava fields that many visitors enjoy exploring. This area of the Santiago Islet was active only 100 years ago and volcanic overflows still are remnant today.

Just southeast of Santiago Island is Sombrero Chino, a tiny island with a rocky lava coast that gets its name from its appearance that looks like a Chinese hat. It's crescent-shaped white sand beach is home to thousands of sally light-foot crabs and sea lions. Walking on top fragile lava rock and snorkeling with penguins and possibily white-tipped sharks makes for an exciting experience. 

This small, barren island offers guests the opportunity to observe firsthand its volcanic formations and moon-like landscape.

Cerro Dragon is a Galapagos Island with small lagoons with flamingos, Palo Santo trees, Opuntia cactus.

El Chato Reserve is part of Galapagos National Park on Isla Santa Cruz. Visitors can stand face-to-face with the giant Galapagos tortoise in the wild and enjoy bird watching, in hopes to catch a glimpse of a Darwin finch or short-ear owl. El Chato Reserve is comprised of La Caseta and Cerro Chato, and visitors can explore both areas on the well-preserved trails with a guide.

The Charles Darwin Station offers insight into ongoing research and conservation in the Galapagos.

Punta Suarez is an amazing sight and one of the most attractive in the Galapagos Islands, because of its plentiful and various wildlife. The island trail leads past sea lions surfing the breaking waves, iguanas basking in the warm sun, and boobies nesting right in the path. The trail continues towards the cliffs and the blowhole - a fissure in the lava from which water spurts high in the air like a geyser.

Considered one of the most scenic coves in the Galapagos, Isla Santa Fe, also known as Barrington Island, contains the only population of the rare Santa Fe Land Iguana. These unique iguanas can be found in the prickly pear cactus forest, where cacti can grow up to ten meters. Along the loop trail hike, visitors can check out spectacular views of the cove and bay.

Puerto Ayora is located on the southern end of Isla Santa Cruz. Puerto Ayora is a charming port town where sea, sun, seabirds and sailboats coexist. On the town's outskirts are the headquarters to the world-renowned Charles Darwin Research Station. Many travelers just pass through on the way to see Lonesome George (a 150-year old tortoise; the last of his species) at Darwin Station. Puerto Ayora is a lively seaside town offering international cuisine, oceanfront hotels, outdoor bars, scuba diving schools and an avenue of boutiques with everything from tie-dyed sarongs to Panama hats. Relish the Islands' crescent slices of sand, spectacular diving, mountain top vistas, and tropical climate. Visit select islands and choose from an array of outdoor activities, such as kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, horseback riding and mountain biking. Puerto Ayora provides the most convenient base for island hopping. Three boats, the Delphin, Esmeraldas III and Santa Fe, offer day trips to Florena, Bartoleme, North Seymore and Plazas.

The Los Gemelos Twins are two volcanic depressions on the highest part of Santa Cruz Island - whcih is the fourth largest island in the archipielago and has several great visitor sites.

Today Baltra is the most important airport of Galápagos and a small navy base for Ecuador. Baltra has suffered most from human settling and does not have any visitor sites. Many cruises start from the its harbour and already there pelicans and noddies will welcome you. To the north lies Mosquera, a small sandy bank with a large colony of sea lions. Go swimming and snorkeling on the beach.