Galaxy Sirius Itinerary C - 6 days

DAY 1: THURSDAY
AM: BALTRA ARRIVAL TRANSFER TO THE BOAT
Departure to the Galapagos Islands, arrive at Baltra airport, where a National Park-certified naturalist guide will warmly welcome you to this biodiversity-rich paradise. Your exciting journey in the footsteps of Darwin is about to start!

PM: SANTA CRUZ: BLACK TURTLE COVE
At Black Turtle Cove, named for the abundant green sea turtles, locally known as "Tortugas Negras," you're in for a delightful boat tour onboard the dinghies. Your adventure here is a peaceful exploration of shallow channels, small coves, and beautiful mangrove forests surrounding the area.
Reef sharks, sea turtles, and several species of rays inhabit this tranquil sanctuary, which is considered a crucial mating area for turtles and a nursery for various shark species. Look out for herons, pelicans, and boobies who make this their feeding ground, preying on schools of anchovies. There's no landing at Black Turtle Cove. Still, the rich biodiversity experienced from the boat more than makes up for it, offering up-close encounters with the wonderful marine life of the Galapagos.
Highlights: White-tipped and black-tipped reef sharks, green sea turtles, rays, herons, blue-footed boobies, and mangroves.

DAY 2: FRIDAY
AM: RABIDA
Rabida Island, recognized for its unique reddish lava rocks enriched with iron, has a distinct appearance in the Galapagos. The beach's unusual red hue reflects this characteristic, serving as a home for a small sea lion colony. If you're lucky, you'll discover a small saltwater lagoon inhabited by ducks, stilts, and flamingoes.
The trail invites you inland, offering spectacular beach and lagoon views. Keep an eye out for Darwin finches, flycatchers, and mockingbirds. Along the coastline cliffs, you can observe Nazca & blue-footed boobies, brown noddies, herons, and the two species of sea lions: the Galapagos and fur seals.
Snorkeling Experience: Embark on a snorkeling adventure from the beach and explore a protected rocky area brimming with fish, sea lions, and reef sharks. The vertical walls are a natural canvas showcasing an impressive variety of small invertebrates.
Highlights: Red-sand beach, Galapagos sea lions, Galapagos hawks, flycatchers, Darwin finches, Galapagos mockingbirds, ducks, flamingoes.

PM: CHINESE HAT
Chinese Hat, named for its perfectly symmetrical volcanic cone shape, is a small islet separated from Santiago by a narrow channel, forming one of the most beautiful bays in the Galapagos. The contrast of the blue-turquoise water, coral sand beaches, and dark lava rocks add a real tropical flair to the area, making the sight of penguins resting on the rocks even more astonishing. The trail guides you along the shore, leading you through a small sea lion colony.
Snorkeling Experience: As you swim in these vibrant waters, the incredible colors of the fish and the sleek shapes of reef sharks will captivate you. It's common to witness a penguin darting through the water in pursuit of anchovies, resembling a small, agile torpedo.
Highlights: Galapagos sea lions, Galapagos penguins, lava tubes, oystercatchers, Galapagos hawks. 

AM: NORTH SEYMOUR A BIRDWATCHER’S PARADISE
Seymour Island is a paradise for bird watchers, with large colonies of magnificent and great frigatebirds inflating their red throat pouches in an impressive courtship display. On the ground, blue-footed boobies perform their famous mating dance, while swallow-tailed gulls perch on cliffs overlooking the sea. Inland, land iguanas have thrived thanks to conservation efforts, while marine iguanas bask on the rocks near playful sea lions body surfing the waves.
Snorkel Experience: Swim alongside sea lions, sharks, turtles, rays, and tropical fish. If you're lucky, you might spot eels hiding among the rocks in this thriving marine ecosystem.

Highlights: Galapagos sea lions, Magnificent and great frigatebirds, Land and marine iguanas, Darwin finches

PM: SANTA CRUZ: HIGHLANDS
Begin your Galapagos adventure with a scenic bus ride into the lush Santa Cruz highlands. Walk through a reserve, spotting giant tortoises—some over 600 pounds—grazing peacefully. Discover endemic birds like finches and flycatchers. If included in your itinerary, explore a lava tunnel, a fascinating remnant of the volcanic forces that shaped these islands.

Highlights: Lava tunnels, Darwin finches, Galapagos flycatchers, Giant tortoises, Barn owls, White-cheeked pintails 

DAY 4: SUNDAY
AM: SANTIAG0: SULLIVAN BAY
Walking through Sullivan Bay offers an extraordinary journey into the volcanic origins of the Galapagos Islands. Your hike will take you across a perfectly preserved Pahoehoe lava flow, providing endless opportunities to observe the delicate textures of this rare type of lava. While the landscape may appear barren and lifeless at first, a closer look reveals resilient pioneer plants, scurrying lava lizards, and small birds. Along the shore, penguins, pelicans, and oystercatchers add a touch of life to the stark environment.
Snorkeling Experience: Following the hike, you can swim or snorkel from a coral sand beach or the dinghies. The underwater world here starkly contrasts the sparse land, teeming with schools of fish, Galapagos penguins, reef sharks, turtles, and rays.
Highlights: Pahoehoe lava, Galapagos penguins, oystercatchers, Galapagos hawks.

PM: BARTOLOME
Bartolome Island is one of the most iconic places in the Galapagos, renowned for its accessible penguin population and the beautiful Pinnacle Rock. The beach nearby the rock is painted with peach-colored sand, adding to the surreal beauty of the landscape. A hike to the island's summit will offer you panoramic views of lunar-like landscapes dotted with volcanic cones, numerous islands, Sullivan Bay, and, of course, the towering Pinnacle Rock.
Snorkeling Experience: Following the hike, you have the option to swim or snorkel from the beach. This location boasts a well-deserved reputation as one of the best snorkeling spots in the Galapagos, with its clear, calm water and diverse underwater life. This includes penguins, which are surprisingly easy to spot, along with many colorful fish, invertebrates, playful sea lions, turtles, rays, and reef sharks.
Highlights: Galapagos penguins, volcanic landscapes, Pinnacle rock, blue-footed boobies, herons, sea lions, and sharks. 

DAY 5: MONDAY
AM: GENOVESA: EL BARRANCO
Located in the southern part of Darwin Bay on Genovesa Island, El Barranco is blessed with cliffs facing the sea made from very fragile, fractured lava. This creates an ideal nesting environment for storm petrels, attracting a significant population of short-eared owls. The trail is dotted with red-footed and Nazca boobies. At the same time, the base of the cliffs provides restful, shaded areas for Galapagos fur seals and numerous seabirds.
Snorkeling Experience: Snorkeling alongside these cliffs is an exhilarating experience, teeming with diverse fish and providing great chances to see sharks, rays, and playful sea lions.
Highlights: Nesting great frigatebirds, red-footed & Nazca boobies, Galapagos sea lions, Galapagos fur seals, lava & swallow-tailed gulls, yellow-crown night herons, Genovesa ground finch, Genovesa cactus finch, Galapagos mockingbirds.

PM: GENOVESA: DARWIN BAY
Darwin Bay on Genovesa Island is a birder's dream come true. When you set foot on the beach, you will be amazed by the spectacle of hundreds of boobies, gulls, and frigatebirds soaring above, nesting in the bushes, or roosting on the sandy terrain. This immersive wildlife trail hosts sea lions and marine iguanas by the sea, and inland you'll encounter night herons, lava and swallow-tailed gulls, Darwin finches, Galapagos doves, mockingbirds, and more.
Snorkeling Experience: Darwin Bay offers a variety of snorkeling locations, from deep waters along the bay's cliffs to shallow waters near the beach. Regardless of where you choose, a colorful variety of fish awaits your visit, with a high chance of spotting sharks, rays, and sea lions.
Highlights: Nesting great frigatebirds, red-footed & Nazca boobies, Galapagos sea lions, lava & swallow-tailed gulls, yellow-crown night herons, Genovesa ground finch, Genovesa cactus finch, Galapagos mockingbirds.