AM - Flight to the Galapagos and boarding of the Archipel I Today you fly to the magical Galapagos Islands! In the morning, you will be picked up at the hotel and brought to the Quito airport. There, at the departures hall, you must reach the Galapagos Government Council counter, to purchase the Transit Control Card ($20 per person, must be kept safe during the trip as it has to be presented again upon return). Then your luggage will be inspected to make sure that no foreign plants or animals are introduced on the islands. Next you will catch the flight to Baltra island, and upon landing there, authorities will collect the Galapagos National Park entrance fee ($200 per adult, $100 per child), unless it has been prepaid. At the Baltra arrivals area, a guide holding an Oniric Cruises sign will meet you, help you collect your luggage, and escort you on a short bus ride to the harbour, and board the Archipel I cruise. After a greeting from the crew and captain, your cabins will be assigned and then lunch will be served.

PM - Fausto Llerena Breeding Centre, Santa Cruz island Your first excursion will take place on Santa Cruz Island. You will disembark to the Fausto Llerena Breeding Centre, where you can observe tortoises that come from various islands of the archipelago. They are part of a breeding programme intended to repopulate the areas where the number of tortoises has decreased due to human activity or predatory invasive species.

AM - Punta Moreno, Isabela island During the night we navigated to the northwest coast of Isabela, where two huge volcanoes are found, the Sierra Negra and the Cerro Azul. In between these two is located our visit point, Punta Moreno. There, we will follow a trail that runs along a solidified black lava flow until we reach a complex of tidal lagoons, where sharks and marine turtles are often seen. Several species of birds can also be visible, including flamingos, which are found around the lakes and mangroves.

PM - Urbina Bay, Isabela island Urbina Bay is located along the west coast of Isabela, and is close to the base of the Alcedo volcano, home to one of the rarest, most endangered species of the Galapagos: the endemic pink iguana of Isabela. The coastline here has undergone major changes recently due to volcanic activity, expanding the shore three quarters of a mile out to the sea. Observe corals, shells, molluscs and many curious organisms.

AM - Punta Espinoza, Fernandina island After breakfast you will disembark to Fernandina, the Galapagos’ westernmost and youngest island (less than one million years old). It is so remote and pristine that has only 1 visitor site, Espinoza Point, where you will find some of the most bizarre animal species, products of natural selection. Among them is the flightless cormorant, a bird which had to adjust its way of survival after arriving at the Galapagos Islands and being isolated here for thousands of years. It had to learn how to find food in the ocean, so its wings slowly lost the ability to fly and now work as fins. You are witnessing evolution! The endemic marine iguanas can also be found conglomerated in the thousands, one over another to maintain their body heat, when they are not swimming near the shore or blocking the way.

PM - Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela island During lunchtime onboard we navigated across the Bolivar Channel for a final visit to Isabela island. While entering a dark cave below a spectacular arch, you will be accompanied by the roaring echoes of the waves crashing the surrounding cliffs. Just around the corner, the collapsed amphitheatre of the Ecuador volcano offers an impressive view. The calmer waters of the coves are well-protected against the ocean swell and are a fairly cold, but a great place for snorkelling amongst various species of shark, penguins, puffer fish and even seahorses and the giant mola-mola!

AM - Puerto Egas, Santiago island We will disembark to the Puerto Egas, where you will enjoy a very unique guided walk along its coastline, masterly sculptured with black basalts and polished multi-coloured ash-layers. All this scenery forms a photogenic location with collapsed lava tunnels, natural arches, caves and blowholes known as ‘Darwin’s toilet’. The site is called Puerto Egas because at the beginning of the previous century, there was an attempt by a man named Hector Egas to extract the salt of the lagoons. The enterprise failed but it left traces of the infrastructure amidst the island’s wilderness.

PM - Isla Rábida In the afternoon you have a ‘wet landing’ on the extraordinary red beach of Rabida island. Oxidised iron particles have given its rocks and sand an intense rusty colour. Contiguous to the beach is a shallow green lagoon, an oasis on this otherwise arid island, which attracts all kind of aquatic birds, like pintails and American flamingos. Between the evergreen foliage of the surrounding mangrove bushes, many species of songbirds hide and breed. One of the most outstanding attractions is the major breeding colony of brown pelicans, the only ones in the world that plunge-dive. On return you will be picked up by the inflatable dinghies, to get ready for snorkelling.

AM - Black Turtle Cove You will disembark the cruise for the last time, to get en route to the airport. Right on our way, we will stop to explore Black Turtle Cove from the dinghy. This place is a living illustration of how mangroves alter the marine environment to create a rich and unique habitat. Three mangrove species crowd the area from the shore out into the lagoon, which reaches almost a mile inland. As we drift through quiet waters in the zodiac, you are likely to see spotted eagle rays, which swim in a diamond formation. White-tipped reef sharks slip beneath the boat and Pacific green turtles come to the surface for air. Transfer to Baltra airport.