Ecuador

Starting Price:	$6,105.00
Trip Length:	8 days

Upper Deck

Cormorant Catamaran

Blue-footed boobies

Cormorant Catamaran: 8 days / 7 nights Saturday to Saturday - Option B

Description Pricing Itinerary

The new Galapagos Cormorant Catamaran combines a high quality experience with modern and ample luxury accommodations. The Cormorant Catamaran, one step ahead other luxury catamarans, offers private balconies, large suites, and an excellent itinerary that allows passengers to experience the awe and beauty of the Galapagos Islands.

Aboard the Cormorant Catamaran you will experience the magic of the enchanted Galapagos Islands 625 miles from the mainland of Ecuador. Admire mysterious creatures like the armies of marine iguanas, flightless cormorant birds, Galapagos penguins, Darwin’s finches, and several others species endemic to this paradise while enjoying first class service, gourmet meals, multilingual naturalist guides, and spacious and beautifully decorated touring vessels.

These ship itineraries alternate every two weeks due to Galapagos National Park regulations, Galapagos cruises are not permitted to visit the same island within a two week period. This itinerary is available every two weeks; please check with your Yampu travel consultant for applicable travel dates.

Additional information on this trip:

Days of Week the Trip can Start:
Saturday

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Day 1

Saturday
Today we will take flight from Ecuador's mainland to Baltra. Upon arrival we will be greeted for airport reception and transferred to the Cormorant Catamaran to begin our Galapagos adventure.

Los Gemelos, Santa Cruz
Today we will visit los Gemelos (or twins) a pair of craters approximately 30 meters deep located on either side of the road to Baltra. The holes could be created because of a volcanic explosion or because of magma chambers inside earth.

Day 2

Sunday
Wetlands & Muro de las Lagrimas (the Wall of Tears), Isabela Island
The wetlands adjacent to Puerto Villamil contain a series of nine trails that allow visitors to enjoy its natural beauty. Play del Amour (Lovers’ Beach) is a popular site where marine iguanas, pelicans, and blue-footed boobies can all be spotted.

Flamingo Lagoon & Tortoise Breeding Center
Today we will visit a coastal lagoon that serves as one of the primary breeding grounds for the pink flamingos. Next, become intimately acquainted with the giant Galapagos tortoises at the Tortoise Breeding Center on Isabela Island. Here we ill learn about the ongoing and intensive efforts that are underway to help repopulate the islands with these majestic creatures.

Sierra Negra, Isabela Island
Today we visit the active Sierra Negra Volcano.

Day 3

Monday
Punta Moreno, Isabela
Located on the southwestern side of Isabela, Punta Moreno has a pristine and isolated landscape covered with black lava flows and brackish lagoons. There are a number of birds including frigates, flamingos, and pelicans.

Elizabeth Bay, Isabela Island
We explore this beautiful bay by dingy while Galapagos hawks soar overhead and schools of pompanos and dorados can be seen swimming underneath the boat. The ride continues to a red mangrove cove passing through red root and green leaf breeding grounds for fish and sea turtles. Here we can also see brown pelicans, flightless cormorants, spotted eagle rays, golden rays, and sea lions.

Day 4

Tuesday
Punta Mangle
Fernandina Island is home to only endemic species, and therefore is one of the world’s most pristine island ecosystems. Here we can see the lava fields from volcano “La Cumbre” and the nesting sites of the islands flightless cormorants. This is also a great opportunity to see the Galapagos hawk.

Urbina Bay, Isabela Island
Urbina Bay is located on the central-west coast of Isabela Island at the foothills of Volcanoes Alcedo and Darwin. After a wet landing on the dark, volcanic sand beach we will walk further inland with a good possibility of seeing giant tortoises in their natural habitat. The inland is also an excellent nesting ground for the large and colorful land iguanas while flightless cormorants, blue-footed boobies, and penguins can all be seen along the rocky shoreline. Afterward we have the opportunity to swim or snorkel.

Day 5

Wednesday
Punta Espinoza, Fernandina Island
Today we visit the archipelago’s youngest island, Fernandina. This island has the most active volcano in the Galapagos with eruptions occurring every few years. Punta Espinoza has a fascinating combination of barrenness and abundance of wildlife that we will observe during a brief one-mile walk. The island has no introduced animals and therefore has a very unique environment with a high density of marine iguanas, sea lions, sally-light foot crabs, flightless cormorants, Galapagos penguins, and Galapagos hawks. The lava terrain on the island calls for good walking shoes.

Tagus Cove, Isabela Island
On the northwest of Isabela is the secluded Tagus Cove that was in past centuries a preferred anchor for pirates and whalers. Old graffiti is still found on its walls as evidence of its earlier visitors. Here the uphill trail leads to a high point with an impressive view of Darwin Crater Lake and the lava flows of Darwin Volcano. The vegetation in the area includes the Palo Santo trees which remain leafless until the short wet season occurring in March or April.

Day 6

Thursday
Puerto Egas (James Bay), Santiago Island
We make a wet landing on the black sand beach of Puerto Egas which was the site of a small salt mining industry in the 1960s. A walk down the shoreline takes us to grottos where we can see several colonies of fur seals. This location is ideal for watching shorebirds, while land birds are better observed inland. Before returning to our vessel we have the opportunity to swim and snorkel from the beach in search of octopuses, sea horses, star fish, and other marine life.

Espumilla Beach and Buccaneer Cove, Santiago Island
Today we will visit the main attractions of Santiago Island including the holy stick forest, beautiful Espumilla beach, and the amazing landscape over Buccaneer Cove. Espumilla is an important beach for nesting marine turtles; here you can also see the white-checked pintail, finches, and mockingbirds.

Day 7

Friday
Prince Philip’s Steps, Genovesa Island
We take a dingy ride to make a dry landing on Barranco, also known as Prince Philip’s Steps. Here we follow a trail through a Palo Santo forest to an open area full of nesting birds that include masked boobies, frigates, and red-footed boobies. At the end of this trail are thousands of band-rumbed storm petrels nesting in the crevices at the cliff’s edge. We will also be able to see the short-eared owls as they hunt the storm petrels during the daylight hours.

Darwin Bay, Genovesa Island
Genovesa is a collapsed volcano that ships are able to sail into through its large breached caldera and anchor at the foot of the steep crater walls. Genovesa is commonly referred to as ‘bird island’ because it is home to thousands of great frigate birds, red-footed boobies, noddy terns, lava gulls, tropic birds, doves, storm petrels, and Darwin’s finches. After a wet landing we follow a trail that leads from a coral beach past tidal lagoons to a cliff’s edge for amazing views. After the walk you can enjoy snorkeling and swimming along the cliffs.

Day 8

Saturday
North Seymour Island
After a dry landing enjoy a walk along the coast and the interior of North Seymour Island. This island was not formed by volcanic activity but rather uplifted boulders that can be seen across the primarily flat terrain. The site is a well known nesting site for colonies of blue-footed boobies that perform a fascinating courtship dance in more open areas. North Seymour is also home to the largest colony of the magnificent frigate bird, a member of the frigate family that is known for the male’s vibrant display of red pouches in hopes of attracting a mate. On the island we will also see both endemic species of iguanas, the marine and land iguanas.

Today we will transfer to Baltra airport for our flight back to Ecuador's mainland to connect with another Yampu add-on of your choice.

8 days , from $6105

Occupancy Type	Main Deck
Double	$6105
Single	$8752

Prices shown above are per person, in US Dollars ($).

Yampu only offers the Cormorant Catamaran as an add-on to our highlight programs. If booking alone, booking fee may apply. Prices include air transportation from Quito or Guayaquil to Galapagos return, 7 nights accommodation on the Cormorant Catamaran including all meals, bilingual naturalist guide, and all planned tours.

Rates include $100 Galapagos National Park entrance fee payable in cash upon arrival as a contribution to the preservation of the Park, and the $10 Transit Control Card.

Rates do not include gratuities, fuel surcharges and local airport taxes that are payable in the country of destination are also not included. Taxes and security fees that can be paid at time of ticketing are already included in the quote.

All cruise itineraries are subject to change.

By traveling to the Galapagos with Yampu Tours, you will be making the choice to travel responsibly. As members of IGTOA (International Galapagos Tour Operators Association), Yampu donates $7 for every traveler that travels to the Galapagos with us. We are dedicated to helping preserve the islands while supporting sustainable Eco-tourism. As an IGTOA member, we are informed, involved, and concerned.

There will also be an optional Galapagos Conservation contribution of $50 per passenger added to your final proposal.
The contribution will go towards:

Creating benefits and educational opportunities for local people.
Strengthening responsible tourism management.
Building strong financial support for conservation among the travel industry and travelers.

Promoting high professional standards for the tourist industry.

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