Aqua Mare Itinerary

Santa Cruz Island - Santa Cruz Island (West and East Galapagos) 14N

Day 1: 
Once you arrive at the airport, you will be met by our team and escorted on a cross island van and ferry transfer of approximately 1.5 hours to Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. On the way there, enjoy a delicious outdoor lunch at a Giant Tortoise Reserve, followed by your first excursion to the highlands of Santa Cruz.

In the evening, you will have some leisure time to explore the main town of Puerto Ayora.We recommend strolling along the main waterfront where you can stop by the many boutiques and jewelry shops before heading back to the ship for an evening of lecture and inspiration for the next day, then to indulge in your first taste of fresh seafood dining in the Galapagos Islands.

Day 2: 
For your second morning in the Galapagos Islands, we will be anchored in the southern partof the Archipelago at Floreana Island. After breakfast, the morning wet landing excursionwill take you to a big brackish water lagoon to observe greater flamingos,ducks, black-necked stilts and other shore birds at Punta Cormorant. You will be able to observe where sea turtles nest at night, and possibly spot stingrays and sharks swimming very close to the shore.

Enjoy a splendid lunch consisting of fresh Ecuadorian recipes with an Andean twist beforeheading back out to Floreana to pay tribute to an old island tradition at Bahía Post Office.The visit will follow another quick tour of what once was a fishing enterprise in the 1920s before continuing onboard the tenders to visit Mirador de la Baronesa. Upon returning onboard Aqua Mare, enjoy another feast showcasing a blend of Japanese technique and Peruvian seasoning through delicacies such as the tuna tartare and quinoa yakimeshi. Stay out on the upper deck with a cocktail if you would like to admire the northern and southern hemispheres’ starlit skies tonight. 

Day 3: 
After a night of sailing, the morning sees our beautiful superyacht anchored on the westernside of Isabela Island. As the biggest and youngest island in the Archipelago, Isabela wasformed by five relatively young volcanoes and is characterized by giant tortoises and marine iguanas. For the morning excursion, a hike at Punta Moreno takes us to the mangroves and gas-rich basaltic lava rocks resulting from a large basaltic lava flow which came from the Cerro Azul volcano on Isabela hundreds of years ago. There are mangrove lagoons along the shore, where you will embark on a dinghy ride to observe marine iguanas,flightless cormorants, and penguins among other species.

In the afternoon, the Aqua Mare will sail north to Bahía Urbina, a 6km² point, once underwater and uplifted in 1954 up to 3m above sea level. Here you can see land iguanas,some of the biggest marine iguanas roaming free in the Archipelago, and on occasion,tortoises as well. We’ll end the day with an unforgettable view of Isabela’s five volcanoes while dining on macambo rice, fish maito, and candied pear beneath the stars. 

Day 4: 
Start the morning early with a workout on our sun deck at our next anchorage point of Punta Espinoza, part of a huge lava flow formed from one of the many eruptions of the La Cumbrevolcano, known to be one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The region is famousfor its large colonies of marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, and lizards. We might comeacross Galapagos penguins, Galapagos hawks, and snakes as well. You will spend the morning on shore with the option to snorkel before returning to the yacht for a sumptuous lunch.As 

Aqua Mare crosses the Bolivar Channel back towards Isabela Island, prepare to channel your inner pirate for the afternoon excursion visiting Caleta Tagus, once a favorite anchorage spot for pirates and whalers. Here we will hike to see Darwin Lake, a salt water lake trapped inside a tuff cone. If you would rather not hike, you can take your pick fromour four double kayaks, snorkeling, stand-up paddle boarding, or a ride on our elegant black tenders to explore the cove and its surroundings. Return to the yacht for evening sundowners and head to the bridge after dinner for a chat with our captain as we cross the equatorial line twice. 

Day 5: 
This morning, we’ll take a tender ride to Caleta Bucanero, a 17th century pirate rest stopwhere pirates used to stock up on fresh tortoise meat and fresh water. In case ocean conditions are unfavorable, we’ll visit Playa Espumilla instead, a golden sandy beach whichis a well-known breeding ground for sea turtles.

We head back to the yacht for lunch encompassing flavors of the South American Pacific coast through specially prepared dishes like the linguine ai frutti di mare. Next, disembarkon the black sand beaches of Puerto Egas, northwest of Santiago Island. You will be able to walk the intertidal zone to the fur seal grottos or snorkel to watch sea turtles, sea lions,and white-tipped sharks.Wind down back onboard with Happy Hour over a glass of our special Aqua Bloody Mareas the crew prepares for departure to our next adventure. 

Day 6: 
Awake to the sounds of nature and a fresh breakfast before departing by tender to Rábida Island, also known as the red island. The color is the result of oxidation of very old porouslava. You will be able to hike, take out one of our double kayaks, stand-up paddle boards,or snorkel, as well as observe sea lions which have made their home on the beach.After a delicious lunch, you can listen to an afternoon lecture presented by our expert guides in the panoramic lounge. 

The Aqua Mare will sail towards the north of Santa CruzIsland, to Caleta Tortuga Negra, a mangrove estuary that is home to sea turtles.This is atender ride excursion as there is no landing site, but you will be able to spot green sea turtles,as well as blacktip and Galapagos sharks. End this glorious day discovering more of our signature cuisine courtesy of Chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino. 

Day 7: 
Your day in the Archipelago begins with a refreshing breakfast before heading out to Seymour Norte Island, formed by uprisings of underwater volcanic lavas some 3.1 millionyears ago. The island is mostly known for its healthy population of land iguanas, blue-footedboobies, swallow-tailed gulls,and great frigate birds. After a morning full of fun activities,you will head back to the yacht for a delicious lunch aboard Aqua Mare.

For the afternoon excursion, hop on to one of our tenders for a wet landing onto Mosquera Island. Although it’sone of the smallest in the archipelago, Mosquera Island is one of the hotspots for spotting sea lions. Around sunset,you will return to the sleek comfort of Aqua Mare for your last evening aboard.End the day by enjoying a view of the archipelago’s starlit skies while sipping wine on the sundeck 

Day 8: 
Today beginswith a luxurious breakfast set against the morning sunrise. Enjoy the views from Aqua Mare before we make our wayto Baltra Island to pick up guests who’ll be joining youfor the next seven nights. While at Baltra, you’ll have the opportunity to relax at the beach or embark on a scuba diving excursion.

The afternoon will see you head out onto your first excursion to the beautiful white beachof Bahia Borrero on the northern part of Santa Cruz.You might be able tospot Darwin’sfinches, Cactus Finchandthe Small Ground Finches nestled in the coastal vegetation. For those who prefer to snorkel, the beach is one of the main nesting sites of sea turtles, so you will no doubt come across one or two! Head home to the yacht for the evening to indulge in a sumptuous dinner curated by Aqua Expeditions world-renowned consultant chef, Pedro Miguel Schiaffino.

Day 9: 
This morning, you’ll wake up on the other side of the equator and head over to Bahia Darwin’s coral line beach for hiking and snorkeling. Following a sumptuous lunch, explore Genovesa Island with a tender ride along the volcanic rocks of El Barranco. You’ll be able to view fur seals resting inside rock crevices. A 1.5 km hike inland will then take us to the lava fields to view red-footed boobies as well as great frigate birds and Galapagos storm petrels. Make it a family affair after dinner at the lower deck Beach Club by enjoying a private movie screening. We recommend watching the Planet Earth documentary on the Galapagos Islands, the swash buckling box office Master and Commander, or simply enjoy the starlit skies from the sun deck.

Day 10: 
Start the morning early with a workout or a guided meditation on our sun deck followed bya refreshing breakfast. Our first excursion of the day will take us to Santiago Island with a drylanding at Bahía Sullivan to discover recent Pahoehoe lava flows. After a sumptuous lunch and lecture from one of our expert naturalist guides onboard Aqua Mare, we leave for Sombrero Chino Island, so named after the small crater that forms the islet. In the surrounding crystal-clear waters, you might have the opportunity to observe sealions and penguins from above. There will be time for snorkeling, stand-up paddle boarding,and kayaking. After working up an appetite, return to the yacht for evening sundownersand a signature dining experience serving macambo rice and fish maito.

Day 11: 
With an early morning anchor at Bartolomé Island, you will embark upon a mild climb up tothe summit of a spatter cone for a spectacular view of the island’s iconic Pinnacle Rock. Cool down afterwards with a snorkel where you may encounter sea turtles and Galapagos penguins, before heading back to the yacht for lunch as we sail towards Santa Cruz Island. Our afternoon excursion takes us to Cerro Dragón or Dragon Hill, so named because in 1975 it was one of the only places in the Santa Cruz Island where scientists could still find a healthy population of land iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus).

Day 12: 
This morning you will explore a Giant Tortoise Reserve to see these wild Galapagos Islands creatures up close in their natural habitat. The area is also a great place to observe Darwin’s finches, yellow warblers, flycatchers, cattle egrets, and if lucky Galapagos Rails. After a delicious lunch, you will visit Darwin Station and National Park headquarters too bserve tortoises in captivity at the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center, as well as the differentage hatchlings categorized by islands. There will be free time to enjoythe town of Puerto Ayora before returning to the ship. Refreshing superfruit juices await at our Beach Club,which is located at water level at the aft of the ship or enjoy the scenic sunset views fromthe upper deck. For divers, there is the option of a full day of diving instead of joining the day excursions.

Day 13: 
Rise and shine to a guided meditation on our upper deck before disembarking in Punta Suárez for this morning’s excursion. This visitor site is one of the most interesting landing sitesin Galapagos Islands, due to the high percentage of unique endemism inits fauna such as Española mocking birds, lava lizards, marine iguanas, and the unique waved albatross.In the afternoon, we will take a tender ride to the beautiful array of islets where you will beable to snorkel alongside playful sea lions and many different species of reef fishes. The last visit of the day will be Bahía Gardner, an outstanding coral lines and beach that boasts one of the biggest colonies of sea lions in the Galapagos Islands. Back at the yacht, head overto our bar to socialize over Happy Hour with a glass of our special Aqua Bloody Mare as the crew prepares for departure to our next anchorage. 

Day 14: 
After a night of sailing, you will visit Santa Fé Island for your penultimate day. It is one of the oldest in the Galapagos Islands (around 3.6 million years old), with the island being characterized to some degree by its vegetation of palo santo trees, apear cactus that is called Opuntia echios barringtonensis, and many other native bushes. 

Day 15: 
You begin your last day with a luxurious breakfast before bidding farewell to the Aqua Mare crew. Your last visit before leaving paradise is a final short excursion to drive up the highlands of Santa Cruz Island to the twin craters of Los Gemelos enroute to the airport. 

Sample itineraries are for guidance only. Actual itineraries may differ slightly due to factors such as weather, wildlife, logistics and local regulations.