Genovesa Island is known as Bird Island and is one of the most interesting for visitors! Hike along Darwin Beach on the north side of Darwin Bay, formed by the rim of a sunken crater. Red mangroves along the trail provide habitat for yellow warblers, yellow-crowned night herons, and pintail ducks. The highlight of this site is the incredible abundance of Red-footed Boobies, Great Frigatebirds and Swallow-tailed Gulls. Despite being the most abundant species of booby in the islands, the red-footed is rarely seen unless you visit Genovesa. The bay also offers several places to snorkel; from deep waters along the cliffs across the bay, to shallow waters by the beach. In either case, there are many fish to see and great chances of seeing sharks, rays and sea lions.

After lunch, explore the cliffs by Zodiac before climbing Prince Phillip's Steps to the island's plateau. The landing sport is a rock fall that forms a natural staircase up the cliffs but the rest of the trail is quite easy and leveled. Walk through massive colonies of Red-footed and Nazca Boobies and an extraordinary Palo Santo forest on the way to a lava ridge where thousands of storm petrels dart about while Short-eared owls stalk them for prey. Along with Darwin Beach, this is one of the trails in the entire Galápagos with the most abundance of fauna. Snorkelers can explore the cliffs, where there are many fish and great chances of seeing sharks, rays and sea lions.

This morning, explore the lush highlands of Santa Cruz Island. Walk along a shady trail between the Twin Craters, actually two sinkholes created long ago by underground lava tunnels that collapsed. Learn about the special nature of the surrounding forest, with its Scalesia pedunculated trees (endemic to the Galápagos) and abundant bird life including finches, Vermilion Flycatchers, and mockingbirds. Continue for a special opportunity to see giant tortoises in their wild and natural habitat. The Galápagos Islands are named after these magnificent, ancient creatures and the experience with them is magical.

Cruise over lunch to Santiago Island, and venture ashore at Sullivan Bay. Hike along the sandy shore, surrounded by lava fields that formed only about 100 years ago. Your guide will point out the hardy "pioneer" plants, specialized flora that are the first to colonize a lava field. Conclude with a refreshing swim and chance to do some snorkeling!

Isabela Island's wetlands are home to abundant bird life, including flamingos, stilts, whimbrels, gallinules, finches, Pintail Ducks, Brown Pelicans and more. Marine iguanas creep through the marshes as well. Part of the trail goes up Orchilla hill, which offers a nice view of the nearby town of Puerto Villamil. Continue to the Sierra Negra Volcano (4,890'), one of the most active volcanoes in the Galápagos. Hikers are rewarded with an unforgettable lesson in volcanic geology, with the chance to see the main volcanic caldera, very recent lava flows and fumaroles, and several smaller craters at the Chico Volcano site. Along the way, enjoy spectacular views of the ocean and surrounding islands.

Enjoy lunch on board, then visit the Arnaldo Tupiza Breeding center, a highlight of any visit to Isabela Island. Here, giant tortoises of the Isabela Island subspecies are hatched and cared for until they can survive on their own in the wild. Hundreds of adorable baby tortoises lumber about in raised pens, designed to protect them from predators including rats and ants. Even the walk to get to the breeding center from town is fun, as it is connected to Puerto Villamil by a boardwalk over some marshy wetlands where sightings of flamingos and other water birds are common.

Head out this morning to explore Elizabeth Bay, located along the west coast of Isabela Island. This is one of the island's breeding sites for penguins. Exploring the mangroves, channels and coves by panga, you'll have the chance to see many sea turtles, penguins, pelicans, flightless cormorants, herons and rays.

After lunch, anchor near Isabela's Urbina Bay - famous for having uplifted 15 feet along 2 miles of coastline exposing corals and invertebrates in its strata. Follow your guide on the trail to look for Galápagos land iguanas, Galápagos hawks, and finches. You can also snorkel at this location and look for turtles, cormorants, a large diversity of fish and, with a bit of luck, octopus and lobsters.

In the morning, visit Tagus Cove, located to the west of Darwin Volcano on Isabela Island. While walking, inspect the inscriptions left by pirates in the 1800's. From here, you can see Darwin Lake, perched above sea level, but full of saltwater. It contains no fish, but it is very common to see a variety of bird species. After the walk, cruise by panga along the coast of Isabela to look for wildlife. Snorkelers will have great chances of swimming with penguins, cormorants and sea lions.

Rest for lunch, then set out from your anchorage near Punta Espinosa on Fernandina Island - said to be the largest ecologically pristine island in the world and one of the highlights of the trip. This island is an active shield volcano which had an eruption as recently as 2018. Upon landing, take a walk on black lava fields in search of marine iguanas, colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs and Galápagos sea lions lounging in its tidal pools.

Wake for a wet landing on Santiago's soft, sandy Espumilla Beach. Walk the island's lagoon and beach in search of raptors and finches before suiting up for cliff-side kayaking and snorkeling. Perhaps the finest snorkel of the trip, you will be amazed by the array of colorful marine life, from angelfish and rays to sea turtles and white-tipped reef sharks.

After lunch, visit the small red volcanic island of Rábida near the center of the archipelago. Its red-sand beach is home to sea lions and pups. Behind the beach is a brackish lagoon, home to migratory shorebirds, wading birds, and ducks. Two species of boobies nest along the cliffs. Snorkel with colorful fish and reef sharks along the cliff face or swim with sea lion pups - another highlight of the trip! Back on the boat tonight, enjoy a festive farewell cocktail hour and a group dinner with the captain.

Arrive this morning off of Mosquera Islet to see a large sea lion colony. Then disembark the Endemic and head to the Baltra airport for your return flight to Quito. An MT Sobek representative will greet you at Quito airport and provide assistance to your nearby hotel.

Use the complimentary airport shuttle to transfer to the airport in time for your outbound flight, or opt to stay on in Quito to join us for one of our extensions in Ecuador or Peru!