THE GALAPAGOS TRAVEL EXPERTS THE GALAPAGOS TRAVEL EXPERTS

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GRACE
LUXURY MOTOR YACHT
The most interesting historic yacht in the Galapagos, the Grace was built by the renowned Camper & Nicholson, who are noted for producing and managing yachts for the world's richest people. The M/Y Grace (Zein) story is part of their grand legacy. The Grace was a wedding gift from Aristotle Onassis to Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco. It was aboard this very vessel that Princess Grace and Prince Rainer took their honeymoon cruise through the Mediterranean. She has been owned by Sir George Tilley and was part of the British Royal Navy during WWII. Grace was purchased and relocated to Ecuador in 2006, where she received a complete 3-year top to bottom renovation. In spring 2009, the Grace began operating 7 night Galapagos cruises. Today she is one of the finest yacht offering naturalist cruises. Measuring 146 feet in length Grace is luxuriously comfortable for the select 18-passengers aboard her each week. With four suites and five staterooms measuring up to 200 feet (19m) an almost 1:1 passenger to staff ratio, the Grace is quickly becoming the most popular option in the islands for private charters.

8 Day / 7 Night Naturalist Itinerary Visiting the Western and Central Islands

ITINERARY
ISLA LOBOS & KICKER ROCK ESPAOLA FLOREANA PUERTO VILLAMIL & SIERRA NEGRA LAS BACHAS & CALETA TORTUGA NEGRA RABIDA & SULLIVAN BAY BARTOLOME & NORTH SEYMOUR MOSQUERA

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GRACE

Discover the natural wonders of the Galapagos Islands aboard the luxurious Grace

GALAPAGOS ONLINE
THE GALAPAGOS TRAVEL EXPERTS 284 C East Lake Mead Parkway #162 Henderson, NV 89015 P: 866.681.8687 E: info@galapagosonline.com www.galapagosonline.com

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DAY 1: SATURDAY / GALAPAGOS ARRIVAL, KICKER ROCK & ISLA LOBOS

PM: Galapagos Arrival & Kicker Rock & Isa Lobos, San Cristobal
This morning we fly to Baltra Island in the Galapagos. Flight time is approximately 1 hours. Upon arrival we board M/Y Grace where you will have lunch and a quick briefing en route to our first visitor site: Kicker Rock & Isla Lobos. We visit a spectacular formation named Kicker Rock that rises 152 meters (500 feet) out of the Pacific. It takes the form of a sleeping lion, but from another angle you can see that the rock is split, forming a colossal tablet and, piercing the sea, a great chisel ready for etching. Heading up the north coast of San Cristobal past Kicker Rock is a small islet known as Isla Lobos for the frolicking, barking sea lions which make the islet their home. A short walk on the islet offers views of nesting blue footed boobies and frigatebirds. The highlight of Isla Lobos is snorkeling with playful sea lion pups, mantas and sea turtles. After this visit you have time for a shower as we get ready for our welcome cocktail and our first formal briefing before dinner.

DAY 2: SUNDAY / ESPAOLA

AM: Punta Suarez, Espaola
Hood is the southernmost island of the archipelago, and is one of the most popular due to the breathtaking variation and number of fauna that inhabit the island. In the morning we visit Punta Suarez where you will witness the largest variety of marine iguanas in the Galapagos, masked boobies and blue footed boobies nesting along the cliffs edge, as well as the famous waved albatross.

PM: Gardner Bay, Espaola

In the afternoon we visit Gardner Bay, a magnificent long white sandy beach, where colonies of sea lions laze in the sun, sea turtles swim offshore, and inquisitive mockingbirds boldly investigate new arrivals.

DAY 3: MONDAY / FLOREANA

AM: Baroness, Post Office Bay, Floreana
Historically Post Office Bay is the location of a wooden barrel that was placed in the 18th century by the crew of a whaling ship. It has been used since this time by mariners and tourists as a post office. The idea is to carry letters or postcards to their destination by hand. Apart from being the Post Office Barrel, this site was the landing area for some of the first colonists. We will continue to the north of the island and will ascent to an elevated slope to enjoy a beautiful vista at the Baroness Lookout. It is said that Baroness Eloisa von Wagner loved this place and spent several hours watching the horizon. Within walking distance (30 m) are the ruins of what is known as her House. From this lookout, the landscape covers the coastline from the Enderby islet to Post Office Bay, as well as Cerro Pajas, the pool of flamingos and wide forest of Palo Santo.

PM: Punta Cormorant, Floreana

At Punta Cormorant you land on a beach with green olivine sand. Several trails allow you to explore a brackish water lagoon with a colony of flamingos that are there most of the year, and white-cheeked pintail ducks, stilts, and other shorebirds feeding alongside the flamingos. The trail then goes over a hill and dunes to a stunning white beach consisting of ground coral, where the green sea turtles nest.
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DAY 4: TUESDAY / PUERTO VILLAMIL & SIERRA NEGRA

AM: Tintorares & Humedales, Isabela
Los Tintorares are the small islets just in front of Puerto Villamil's main dock. Arriving to the islet you will begin your walk through a stark black lava field, a favorite site for marine iguanas. Continuing along the trail you will come to a wooden overlook where you can see white-tipped reef sharks sleeping at the bottom of the crevices. Reef sharks are nocturnal animals and sleep during the day, feeding at night. Continuing along the path you will come to two small beaches, favorite sites for sea lions. At the far end of Puerto Villamil is a mangrove area known as Los Humidales. This area is the best area in Galapagos to see migratory birds. Within the mangroves there are several incredible lagoon areas perfect for swimming and snorkeling including Poza Redonda, is a path of 50 meters long, of lava plates leading to a pool formed inside a collapsed lava tube. Tunnel del Estero, a path 75m long and with adequate lava plates ending in a staircase inside a lava tunnel. Above the tunnel you can see the intertidal landscape that offers a tapestry of Galapagos Sesuvium between "El Tunel del Estero" and Lovers Beach a popular beach used by the local community.

PM: Sierra Negra, Isabela

This afternoon passengers head for the Sierra Negra volcano, the second largest volcanic crater in the world. It sits in the southern part of Isabela Island. Transportation is available to the end of the road, followed by a 45-minute walk on a trail to the top of the volcano from where the caldera can be viewed.

DAY 5: WEDNESDAY / BACHAS BEACH & CALETA TORTUGA NEGRA

AM: Bachas Beach, Santa Cruz
In the afternoon we visit Las Bachas, a sandy white-coral beach that is a major egg-laying site for sea turtles. The name Bachas refers to the remains of landing craft left here at the end of WWII. Ashore marine iguanas mingle with flamingos and other wading birds in another of the many super saline lagoons found in the Galapagos.

PM: Caleta Tortuga Negra, Santa

In the afternoon we visit Black Turtle Cove, a beautiful mangrove estuary where we quietly drift in our panga to see spotted eagle rays, diamond shaped mustard rays, white-tipped reef sharks, pacific green sea turtles and a large variety of shore birds.

DAY 6: THURSDAY / RABIDA & SULLIVAN BAY

AM: Rabida
Only a short sailing distance from Bartolom is the colorful island of Rbida. Aquatic activities will include swarms of reef fish, sea lions and often large rays. Glass Bottom boat is an option for non-snorkeler. The day can end with a rewarding stroll along the trail up to the viewing rocks over the red beach. A deciduous forest of palo santo trees, home to Darwin finches and Galpagos doves. Weather permitting, stargazing from the outer deck at night.

PM: Sullivan Bay, Santiago

Board the panga for the short ride to the landing site at Sullivan Bay on the East Coast of Santiago. A wet landing on a white coral sand beach is followed by a walk over lava that flowed here less than 100 years ago. This is the perfect place to see and feel the volcanic origin of Galpagos. The last major eruption on Santiago was probably in the early 1900's. One observer aboard a sailing vessel reported that the ship approached the lava flow so
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closely that the pine tar used to seal the hull of the ship began to soften, and the captain had to hurry the ship away from the bay.

DAY 7: FRIDAY / BARTOLOME & NORTH SEYMOUR

AM: Bartolome
In the morning we visit Bartolome Island, famous for Pinnacle Rock, where we will see Galapagos Penguins and sea lions. We will also hike a trail to Bartolomes summit where you will be rewarded with spectacular views of Pinnacle Rock and our beach, where the crystal blue waters of the bay cradle your yacht.

PM: North Seymour

North Seymour Island is teaming with wildlife! Cliffs only a few meters high form the shoreline are home to swallow-tailed gulls. A tiny forest of silver-grey Palo Santo trees stands just above the landing, where a trail will take us to see sea lions, marine iguanas, blue footed boobies, pelicans, magnificent frigatebirds and land iguanas

DAY 8: FRIDAY / MOSQUERA & GALAPAGOS DEPARTURE

AM: Interpretation Center & Disembark San Cristobal
Mosquera Islet is located between Baltra and North Seymour. This is a small islet formed by a geological uplift, with a reef of rocks and coral and a great white sand beach, where lie a big population of sea lions. You can also observe several species of shorebirds. This site offers great snorkeling and swimming. Along the rocks are commonly running Red Lava crabs or Sally light-foot crabs. Next we return to the airport where we began our journey in the Galapagos for the flight back to the Ecuadorian mainland.

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