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M/C NEMO FIRST CLASS SAILING CATAMARAN |
| SUNDAY |
Morning arrival on Baltra Island where you firstly will pay the National Park Entrance Fee before you will be met by your guide and be transferred to the dock to board the boat. Here you will start your cruise. |
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In the afternoon you will visit the long sandy "Las Bachas" Beach. Here you encounter sea lions, herons and marine iguanas and with good luck penguins. You also have the opportunity to swim offshore of this soft white sand beach. Snorkelling enthusiasts can explore the fascinating underwater world as well. |
| MONDAY |
Arriving at Bartolomé you will ascend a lookout point from where you can admire the spectacular panorama of the Sullivan Bay and the famous needle shaped rock, the so called Pinnacle Rock. The beaches at the foot of the Pinnacle Rock boast some fine snorkeling spots from which you can discover the marvelous underwater world with a good chance to encounter penguins or the softly gliding turtles. After a wet landing, you will encounter a small colony of sea lions and then proceed to hike for approximately one hour up this dark unyielding solid rock island. Amazingly you will encounter a certain type of cacti vegetation growing here; the only flora on the island. |
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From a distance, before you arrive, you will notice the shape of the island, hence its name! At the top of the hat you can enjoy stunning views of other islands. |
| TUESDAY |
This day will lead you to the largest island of the archipelago, Island Isabela. With a surface of 4588 sq.km the isle engages more than the half of the land area of whole Galápagos. You will visit the "Centro de Crianza de Arnaldo Tupiza", one of the local breeding centers for tortoises. Here you will learn a lot of things about these primeval seeming animals with their shells. In the afternoon you will have a short boat trip through the harbor bay of Isabela. |
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After passing sea lions and pelicans, which take a relaxing sun bath on the fishing boats there, you will reach the small island of "Tintoreras". There you will take an easy walk through the bizarre landscape of lava with its huge colonies of sea lizards. Also a colony of sea lions is local here and often you can observe white tip sharks, resting in the flat water near the shore. |
| WEDNESDAY |
Floreana Island is perceived as one of the most exotic Island of the archipelago. In the morning you will visit the famous Post Office Bay which keeps the legendary post barrel that whalers historically used to post their mail in. Nowadays you can leave a letter and hope that it will make its destination via another tourist. |
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At Cormorant Point you land on a green olivine sand beach. Following a 100 m long path you will soon reach a lagoon with flamingoes, white-checked pintail ducks and other shorebirds. |
| THURSDAY |
Española is the southernmost and oldest island of the Galápagos archipelago. Because of its isolated position you can explore a lot of endemic wildlife. Gardener Bay is on the eastern shore with turquoise shot coloured water and a magnificent beach. Around the small islets nearby, snorkelers will find lots of fish and sometimes turtles and sharks. The bay is also frequented by a transient colony of sea lions which like to swim with you. Birds, like the endemic Hood-Mockingbird and different species of Darwin finches, are omnipresent. |
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In the afternoon you will have an excursion to Point Suarez which is one of the most outstanding wildlife areas of the archipelago, with a long list of species found along its cliffs and sand or pebble beaches. In addition to five species of nesting seabirds there are the curious and bold Española Island mockingbirds, Galapagos doves and Galapagos hawks. Several types of reptiles, including the marine iguana and the oversized lava lizard, are unique to this island. When heavy swells are running, Point Suarez is also the site of a spectacular blowhole, with thundering spray shooting 30 yards into the air. The walkabout on a stony path is about 2km (duration about 3 hours). |
| FRIDAY |
Today you visit Santa Fe Island, a small rocky peninsula which is covered by little Palo Santo trees and by up to 6m high opuntia cacti. Inhabitants of this island are a specific species of large yellow land iguanas, the Galápagos buzzard, some blue footed boobies and pelicans. After the hike you can swim or snorkel in the bay in company of sea lions and marine turtles. Finally you can observe the tropic underwater world. |
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Then you anchor at the harbour of Puerto Ayora on Island Santa Cruz. Beside its rank as homestay for sea lions and pelicans, the marina is a popular starting point for round-the-world-yachtsman. The island itself has come to be both touristic and scientific center of the archipeleago. The Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galapagos National Park offices are based on Santa Cruz Island. The station encompasses an information centre, a museum, a library and a tortoise breeding station. Here you will have an opportunity to visit some of the best scientists of the Galápagos. Park rangers and park managers among others, who make huge efforts to preserve this Unesco World Heritage Site, conduct the conservation of the islands. In the tortoise breeding and rearing centre you can encounter tortoises of different subspecies, which are prepared for reintroduction to their natural habitats. The most popular inhabitant of this Station is probably Lonesome George. He is the only survivor of his specific turtle species. In the past all approaches to find a partner for him failed. But in July 2008 the scientists found a carved nest wit nine eggs from a female tortoise. Three of them could be saved and now accordingly to strict instructions they are incubated syntheticly. |
| SATURDAY |
Today you will explore South Plaza Island, the more southernly island of the both Plaza Island, located in the east of Island Santa Cruz. On this island so full of life you will encounter colonies of sea lions and land iguanas. On the steep banks it is possible to see a great number of birds such as nesting tropic birds and fork-tailed seagulls. But most of all, enjoying the beautiful view from atop the steep banks or strolling along the base of the cliff is an extremely pleasurable experience. The Opuntia cactus and red coral bushes grow here and the vegetation changes colour according to the seasons of the year. |
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After a dry landing, you will have a short walk along the coast of the northernmost island of Seymour. Guests will encounter swallow tailed gulls, sea lions and cliff crabs. 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 species different to the great frigate bird. You can also spot both endemic species of iguanas, the marine iguanas and land iguanas. You will enjoy this relaxing hike around the nesting sites. |
| SUNDAY |
Today you visit the nearby Black Turtle Cove, a nesting site for marine turtles. With good luck you can observe different types of sharks in the calm water, so for example the white-tipped shark or schools of golden mustard rays as well. Afterwards you will be escorted to the airport of Baltra island and from there you will fly back to Ecuador mainland. |
SHIPS 
