6-night Galápagos Islands – Iconic Wildlife & Sublime Scenery | Western Route

Quito is a fantastic place to visit and the best place to start your Latin American journey. Quito is also the entertainment center in Ecuador with new bars and discos opening every week and also the best place to shop, either at the small souvenir shops or at big malls. Quito has many interesting cultural sites, historical sites, museums, private galleries, churches, exhibition centers, and theaters.

Destination Guide

Quito is a fantastic place to visit and the best place to start your Latin American journey. Quito is also the entertainment center in Ecuador with new bars and discos opening every week and also the best place to shop, either at the small souvenir shops or at big malls. Quito has many interesting cultural sites, historical sites, museums, private galleries, churches, exhibition centers, and theaters.

Destination Guide

Quito is a fantastic place to visit and the best place to start your Latin American journey. Quito is also the entertainment center in Ecuador with new bars and discos opening every week and also the best place to shop, either at the small souvenir shops or at big malls. Quito has many interesting cultural sites, historical sites, museums, private galleries, churches, exhibition centers, and theaters.

Destination Guide

Today Baltra is the most important airport of Galápagos and a small navy base for Ecuador. Baltra has suffered most from human settling and does not have any visitor sites. Many cruises start from the its harbour and already there pelicans and noddies will welcome you. To the north lies Mosquera, a small sandy bank with a large colony of sea lions. Go swimming and snorkeling on the beach.

Cerro Dragon is a Galapagos Island with small lagoons with flamingos, Palo Santo trees, Opuntia cactus.

Located at the ‘mouth’ of the head of the sea horse, which forms the northern part of the Galapagos islands, is Punta Vicente Roca, Here the remnants of an ancient volcano form two turquoise coves with a bay well protected from the ocean swells.

The spot is a popular anchorage from which to take panga rides along the cliff that are the remains of the volcano or explore a partially sunken cave at the water’s edge. Masked and blue-footed boobies sit perched along the point and the sheer cliffs, while flightless cormorants inhabit the shoreline.

The upwelling of coldwater currents in this part of the Galapagos, give rise to an abundance of marine life which, in combination with the protection of the coves, make Punta Vicente Roca one of the archipelago’s sough after dive spots.

One cove is only accessible from the sea by way of an underwater passage. The passage opens to calm waters of the hidden cove where sea lions like to laze on the beach having traveled along the underwater route. The entire area of Punta Vicente Roca lies on the flank of 2,600 foot Volcano Ecuador.This is the Galapagos island’s sixth largest volcano. Half of Volcano Ecuador slid into the ocean leaving a spectacular cutaway view of the volcanic caldera.

From a chance to walk on recent lava flows to the opportunity to see the endemic flightless cormorant up close, this island offers it all.

Destination Guide

Puerto Ayora is located on the southern end of Isla Santa Cruz. Puerto Ayora is a charming port town where sea, sun, seabirds and sailboats coexist. On the town's outskirts are the headquarters to the world-renowned Charles Darwin Research Station. Many travelers just pass through on the way to see Lonesome George (a 150-year old tortoise; the last of his species) at Darwin Station. Puerto Ayora is a lively seaside town offering international cuisine, oceanfront hotels, outdoor bars, scuba diving schools and an avenue of boutiques with everything from tie-dyed sarongs to Panama hats. Relish the Islands' crescent slices of sand, spectacular diving, mountain top vistas, and tropical climate. Visit select islands and choose from an array of outdoor activities, such as kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, horseback riding and mountain biking. Puerto Ayora provides the most convenient base for island hopping. Three boats, the Delphin, Esmeraldas III and Santa Fe, offer day trips to Florena, Bartoleme, North Seymore and Plazas.

Puerto Ayora is located on the southern end of Isla Santa Cruz. Puerto Ayora is a charming port town where sea, sun, seabirds and sailboats coexist. On the town's outskirts are the headquarters to the world-renowned Charles Darwin Research Station. Many travelers just pass through on the way to see Lonesome George (a 150-year old tortoise; the last of his species) at Darwin Station. Puerto Ayora is a lively seaside town offering international cuisine, oceanfront hotels, outdoor bars, scuba diving schools and an avenue of boutiques with everything from tie-dyed sarongs to Panama hats. Relish the Islands' crescent slices of sand, spectacular diving, mountain top vistas, and tropical climate. Visit select islands and choose from an array of outdoor activities, such as kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, horseback riding and mountain biking. Puerto Ayora provides the most convenient base for island hopping. Three boats, the Delphin, Esmeraldas III and Santa Fe, offer day trips to Florena, Bartoleme, North Seymore and Plazas.

The Post Office Box on Post Office Bay was used in old days by whalers and others to stay in touch with their loved ones at home. Leaving the letters behind in the wooden barrel, other sailors returning home took it with them. Today tourists take the tradition over and leave post cards behind to be picked up later by others. A large lava tube is located behind the barrel. Visitors can enter the lava tunnels by stairs. The coastal vegetation is a dry tropical forest with low growing trees and shrubs. Frigate birds become frenzied when fisherman or cooks clean fish and throw away the scraps. Watch them playfully throw up the pieces and have aerial acrobatic frigates snatch them from the air. When free meals are not available frigates harass other sea birds in the air to drop their catch. Rays are seen around boats floating close to the water surface. The beautiful sunsets on the equator are fast and should not be missed.

Named not after the bird but a US ship, there is a wet landing onto a, literally, green beach - so coloured because it is made from olivine crystals (volcanic silicates of magnesium and iron). Pencil sea urchins may be found on the beach. A short walk inland and the trail comes to a brackish lagoon. This is home to one of the biggest populations of flamingos in the archipelago, these pink residents spend about 7 hours a day or more eating, and so take some binoculars to watch the ballet of necks as they gracefully move back and fourth, scouring the floor of the lagoon for little shrimp. Take your binoculars to enjoy the show up close. Also present are pintail ducks and stilts. The trail crosses a narrow neck of land and comes to a white beach on the eastern side of the island. Ghost crabs inhabit the beach, and rays and turtles can be seen in the sea. Sea turtles nest at Punta Cormorant (December to May) on the white sand beach, just a short walk away from the olive coloured beach where you land.

Today Baltra is the most important airport of Galápagos and a small navy base for Ecuador. Baltra has suffered most from human settling and does not have any visitor sites. Many cruises start from the its harbour and already there pelicans and noddies will welcome you. To the north lies Mosquera, a small sandy bank with a large colony of sea lions. Go swimming and snorkeling on the beach.

Quito is a fantastic place to visit and the best place to start your Latin American journey. Quito is also the entertainment center in Ecuador with new bars and discos opening every week and also the best place to shop, either at the small souvenir shops or at big malls. Quito has many interesting cultural sites, historical sites, museums, private galleries, churches, exhibition centers, and theaters.

Destination Guide