Anahi Catamaran 7-Night Itinerary B

AM: In the morning, you will fly from Quito or Guayaquil (on the Ecuadorian mainland) to Baltra Island, in the heart of Galapagos archipelago and the main point of entrance to this natural paradise. Upon your arrival at the airport, you will need to pay the national park entry fee, which goes to protecting both the Galapagos National Park and Marine Reserve. A member of the ship's crew will welcome you and accompany you to your catamaran: the M/C Anahi.

PM: We will arrive on the northern coast of Santa Cruz Island, where we will visit the long and sandy Bachas Beach, one of the most important nesting beaches for sea turtles. Here you can find flamingos, Black-winged stilts, sea lions, herons, marine iguanas, and — with a little bit of luck — tiny Galapagos penguins. In addition, this beach is one of the main nesting sites of sea turtles in the Galapagos. A female can lay eggs 3 or 4 times with an average of 70 eggs each, but they then spend 3 to 5 years without breeding. At this paradisiacal site, we will also find the remains of barges that sank long ago, once the property of the United States Navy when they operated an airbase on Baltra Island during World War II. That is why the beach is called “Bachas” because the word “barges” in English was hard to pronounce for the local people. You will also have the opportunity to swim on this soft white sand beach or explore the fascinating underwater by snorkeling.    

AM: Today we will explore South Plaza Island, located east of Santa Cruz Island. After a dry landing on the northern part of this life-filled islet, you will encounter colonies of sea lions and land iguanas. While on the steep banks you can see numbers of birds like nesting Tropicbirds and Fork-tailed seagulls, but most of all, you will enjoy the beautiful views from either atop the steep banks or while strolling along the base of the cliff. Opuntia cactuses grow on this island and the vegetation changes color throughout the year.

PM: This afternoon we will visit Santa Fe Island, a small rocky island covered in small Palo Santo trees and six-meter-high opuntia cactuses. The island is inhabited mainly by large yellow land iguanas, Galapagos buzzards, Blue-footed boobies, and pelicans. While snorkeling in the wonderful blue-green bay in which the ship anchors, you can observe the many inhabitants of this underwater world, including countless tropical fish, rays, sea turtles and playful sea lions.  

AM: Following breakfast, we will visit the highlands of San Cristobal Island. One of the main features on this island is the Tortoise Breeding Center, where you will also see enormous Galapagos tortoises and iguanas. The natural population of tortoises from San Cristobal Island is seriously threatened by introduced animals – mainly wild goats, rats, and cats. Efforts are being made to eradicate them, but so far these have not been successful. Close to the center is an easy trail that covers a distance of 900 meters; along this trail, you will see different species of native and endemic plants of the Galapagos, like cat’s claw, manzanillo, romerillo, and acacia. Be careful not to touch or eat the manzanillo fruits as these are toxic. San Cristóbal Island is also one of the few islands where you can see the plant calandrinia galapagosa, which is in danger of extinction. 

PM: At the port of Baquerizo Moreno, the capital of Ecuador’s Galapagos Province, we will visit San Cristobal Island’s Interpretation Center, an excellent place to learn about nature and settlement history of the archipelago. Here you will discover displays with information about the volcanic origins of the islands, ocean currents, the archipelago’s climate, and facts concerning the arrival of the different species and their colonization. The islands’ human history is also showcased, chronologically narrating the most significant events related to the discovery and settlements of the Galapagos. Later we will hike up the hill called “Las Tijeretas,” the common local name for “Frigatebirds.” In addition to a spectacular view of the bay and the rooftops of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (the Galapagos’ provincial capital), you can also observe many of those birds.  

AM: Today we will visit Floreana Island, considered to be one of the most exotic in the Galapagos archipelago.  Countless legends are part of the history of this island, as pirates and buccaneers were drawn to here in search of for food and water. Later the island was colonized by Norwegians, Brits, Germans and others who were in search of ways to make money from what they hoped to discover here. The name Floreana is in honor of Juan Jose Flores, Ecuador’s first president.  This morning’s excursion is to the Cormorant Point visitor site. After a wet landing on the beach, we will go down a 100-meter-long path to a mangrove lagoon, which is home to Galapagos ducks, black herons, oystercatchers, and plovers.  With a little bit of luck, you might also see flamingos. Another path leads to a small beach that is an important nesting site for sea turtles. In the shallow water here, one can often find stingrays and Whitetip reef sharks now and then. You will be able to take advantage of the great snorkeling opportunity at “Devil’s Crown,” a broken volcanic cone that is one of the most beautiful places to go snorkeling in the Galapagos Islands. The underwater world here includes reef sharks, starfish, sea turtles, sea lions and many species of tropical fish.

PM: Later we will visit Post Office Bay, where the legendary post barrel that whalers historically used to put their mail in is still kept. You can leave a letter here in hopes that it will make to its destination via another tourist.…so don’t forget to bring postcards along. Snorkelers can take a dip on the main beach among the playful sea lions and green sea turtles. Snorkelers can swim on the main beach among playful sea lions. Next, we will visit the lookout point where the controversial “Baroness” Eloisa de Wagner, one of the first human inhabitants in the Galapagos Islands, would spend several hours daily observing whales and dolphins.