Galapagos Islands - Cruise Ships

General Description:
The Motor Vessel Galapagos LEGEND is a 300 feet Ocean-going cruise ship that provides all the facilities and services to make the cruise arround the Galapagos Islands enjoyable and comfortable. The ship has a capacity for 90 passengers and all the commodities of a cruise liner. Yet the Galapagos Legend is small enough for that intimate experience with nature that brings you to the Galapagos Islands. The fully carpeted luxurious cabins all have ocean views, wardrobes and private facilities offering hot and cold water, hair dryer, safe deposit boxes and other amenities.

Features aboard include swimming pool, outside pool bar, spacious dining room, clinic & massage, inside bars, library & video room, piano lounge, computers equipped with games and internet access etc. Six naturalist guides aboard lead daily shore excursions and offer briefings to prepare passengers for the islands to be visited the next day.

Motor Vessel Legend - Specifications
Type	Deluxe Motor Yacht ISM-SOLAS
Length	300 feet / 91.5 mts
Beam	47 feet / 14.3 mts
Draft	13 feet / 3.9 mts
Speed	15 Knots cruising, 19 Knots Maximum
Crew	60 plus a Physician and Plus 6 Naturalist Multilingual guides
Accommodation & Facilities	90 Passengers in 4 decks / each cabin with a double bed or two twin beds and -private Facilities full air conditioning / Restaurant / conference rooms etc.
Safety & Navigation Equipment	Two Lifeboats for 58 passengers each / 10 Life rafts for 25 passengers each / 5 Dinghies / Radars, gyro compass, autopilot, visual directions finder, echo sounder, radio telephony, GMDSS equiped

ITINERARY: 3 nights / 4 days

Day 1 – Monday: Baltra
Departure from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra airport. Passenger will be received at the airport by our guides and then taken to the pier to join the M/VGalapagos Legend.

Chinese Hat
After wet landing, guests will encounter a small colony of sea lions, hike for 1 hour. In this site it is possible to observe flamingos. A walk will take the visitors to the other side of the island.

Day 2 – Tuesday: Santa Cruz (Dragon Hill or Venice)
Early in the morning after a wet landing, passengers walk to a hyper-saline lagoon behind the beach. Observers report that sometimes a high number of Pink Flamingos can be observed. This trail leads up to Dragon Hill, which offers a beautiful view of the bay. This area is a nesting site for a big number of reintroduced Land Iguanas, thanks to the Charles Darwin Research Station. There is also a bizarre Scalesia tree forest.

Passengers will have the option to make a dinghy ride in Venice islet and observe the vegetation and marine animals such as: spotted eagle rays and golden rays, mullets, sharks and sea turtles which rest in calm waters of the coves and channels. Land iguanas are often been observed from the dinghy.

Floreana (Cormorant Point)
Wet landing on a greenish colored sand beach. Passengers will hike a well-marked trail beginning in the Black Mangrove beds heading towards the back of the lagoon. The large, brackish lagoon holds one of the biggest populations of flamingos in the Galapagos. This island is best known for its endemic plant life, such as: the Galapagos millwork, passion flower, and unique button mangrove.

Novice snorkelers can practice back on the main beach where the sea lions are playful while experienced snorkelers can roam the waters around Devils Crown. We kindly remind you this activity is an open water experience; it means there is no place to step on.

Day 3 – Wednesday: Española (Suarez Point)
Travelers will enjoy a dry landing at Suarez Point. Upon landing visitors will learn more about the lava terrain while crossing the inactive lava fields.

Aside from the sea lion colony this is one of the most important sites for bird watching. As soon as visitors out foot on this island many species can be spotted and observed closely. Among the many species, the hooded mocking bird and red billed tropic bird can be seen. Travelers will also spot a large colony of marine iguana, lava lizards, and colorful sally light foot crabs.

After a short trek visitors encounter colonies of masked and blue-footed boobies.

The nesting grounds sometimes overlap the trail. Visitors will also find Galapagos doves, hawks and swallow-tailed gulls. After crossing the nesting grounds you will reach the world’s largest colony of waved albatross (15000 approx.)

May thru December their mating rituals are a highlight of the visit. By the end of this excursion passengers will visit the famous blowhole, where water shoots into the air at almost 23 mts. (75 ft.).

San Cristóbal (La Galapaguera)
Dry landing at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno village. Here passengers will visit San Cristóbal breeding center for an hour where passengers will have the possibility to know more about the Giant tortoises breeding efforts of the National Park; especially of the endemic specie: Geochelone elephantopus Chatamensis. Passengers will observe some animals in their natural environment.

Day 4 – Thursday: North Seymour
After a dry landing, guests will encounter swallow tailed gulls and sea lions. This site is also known for being a major nesting colony of blue footed boobies, and the largest colony of the magnificent frigate bird. (a different species from the great frigate bird).

Travelers will also spot both endemic species of iguanas, the marine iguanas and land iguanas. Passengers will enjoy this relaxed hike around the nesting sites.

Passengers Disembarking.
Return to the Galapagos Legend, check out and transfer to the airport. Return flight to Quito through Guayaquil.

WEST- ITINERARY: 5 days / 4 nights
Day 1 – Thursday: Baltra
Departure from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra airport. Passenger will be received at the airport by our guides and then taken to the pier to join the M/VGalapagos Legend.

Bartolomé
Dry landing. Arriving on this island, passengers will see volcanic formations including lava bombs, spatter, and cinder cones. After a hike to the summit visitors available to enjoy an impressive view of the surrounding islands, including the eroded tuff cone of Pinnacle Rock.

During the hike to the summit, travelers will often see large colonies of marine iguanas, lava lizards, tiquilla, bushes, and various cacti.

Visitors will also enjoy a chance to cool off while snorkeling. Here it is possible to see the Galapagos penguins, sea turtles, and white tipped sharks from a safe distance.

Day 2 – Friday: Urbina Bay (Isabela)
After a wet landing, passengers will go towards the fossil beach and then to the coral area. On the way and depending of the season it will be possible to observe many endemic organisms such as: giant tortoises, land iguanas and flightless cormorants.

Fernandina (Espinosa Point)
After a dry landing at Espinosa Point, passengers will see the biggest marine iguanas mingling with sally-light foot crabs. They will also enjoy the flightless cormorants nesting sites, the Galapagos penguins, Galapagos hawks, and sea lions.

Among the flora and volcanic formations observers will note brachycereus cactus, and two kinds of lava formations “pa-hoe-hoe” lava and ”AA”. Numerous mangrove beds extend into the sea, depicting a healthy and thriving eco-system.

Day 3 – Saturday: Santiago (Egas Port)
Visit the dark sand beach at Egas Port during a wet landing. Most of the landscape is tuff-stone layers and lava flows, the surrounding area is good for spotting and observing hunting herons, great blue herons, lava herons, oyster catchers, and the yellow crowned night heron.

Passengers enjoy the sight of marine iguanas grazing upon algae beds at low tide sharing space with red sally light-foot crabs. There is a colony of fur-seal swimming in deep pools of cool water called “grottos”.

In this beach you can swim and snorkel in search of octopuses, sea horses, star fish and other sea life.

Rábida (Jervis)
Wet landing at the dark red colored beach of volcanic origin frequented by sea lions. It is often considered the geographic center of Galapagos because it has the most diversified volcanic rocks of all the Islands.

A short trail leads to a salt water lagoon, where you will occasionally find flamingos.

July thru September is a good time of the year to observe how brown pelicans nest in the salty bushes found at the far side of the salty lagoon. Also to be observed are boobies and 9 species of Darwin’s finches.

Dinghy ride by the reefs and an excellent opportunity for snorkeling.

Day 4 – Sunday: Santa Cruz (Charles Darwin Station)
Travelers will have the chance to investigate the Charles Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora, staffed with international scientists conducting biological research and conservation projects. Here you can also admire giant tortoises that are part of the breeding program.

Travelers can also admire the impressive giant prickly-pear cactus forest and many land birds. The visit to the station takes around 40 minutes. After this visit, passengers will have some free time to walk around town and shop for souvenirs.

Santa Cruz (Highlands)
One of the options is to cross the highlands of Santa Cruz. Passengers will visit Cerro Chato. In this visit, you’ll be able to observe the famous giant tortoises that gave the name to these islands.

Additionally, travelers can literally get into the Galapagos by walking in the dormant lava tubes.

Day 5 – Monday: Santa Cruz (Bachas Beach)
Wet landing at Bachas beach which is located at north coastline of Santa Cruz Island.

Here you will be encountered by different sea birds, marine iguanas, sea turtles, and passengers would have the opportunity to swim in this white sand beach.

Passengers Disembarking.
Return to the Galapagos Legend, check out and transfer to the airport Return flight to Quito through Guayaquil

Not included in the price:
Transfers from the hotel and to the airport to take the cruise to the Galapagos Islands. Round trip airfare from Guayaquil or Quito to the Galapagos Islands, International flight airport tax (USD 41.- per person) per person to be paid in cash, Entrance fee to Galápagos National Park USD 100.-

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