Most flights arrive mid-day.  It will take about 30 minutes to collect your luggage.  You then board a bus for a 10 minute trip to the Canal where you board a ferry for a 10 minute crossing.  The thrill begins with the land-before-time views as you are transported to the Canal.  And then suddenly, there's the color of the water in the Canal!  From the other side, it is a 45 minute drive into Puerto Ayora. 

After you check into your hotel and have a couple of hours to unpack, have lunch, etc, you will be met by your Naturalist Guide for a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Center.  Why so many offer this on the final day rather than the first perplexes us. 

Charles Darwin Research Station Visit: In addition to the many fascinating aspects of a visit to the Darwin Station,it is also home to world-famous Lonesome George, the only remaining Galapagos Tortoise of his species from the island of Pinta making him the most rare living creature in the world. If you have spent too much time in the water so far, a visit to the Darwin Station will also provide you with the opportunity to see land iguanas. When possible, we recommend you do your souvenir shopping here or in the National Park gift shop to support the good cause both are. Overnight Santa Cruz.

Above 50 ft, you can see thick schools of king angelfish; yellow tailed surgeonfish, puffers, grunts, snappers and groupers. It is also a good place for hammerheads and Galapagos sharks. At the end of the dive, on the wall, you can find sea horses clinging on to the branches of the black coral. It was soooo much fun to play around inside the giant cloud of black-striped salemas.  It would swallow divers so you couldn't even see there was a diver inside, apart from the bubbles rising above. 

Champion: Sea lions galore, Sea Turtles, White-Tipped Reef Sharks, Yellowtail Surgeonfish, Longnosed Hawkfish, Sea Stars, Scorpionfish, Mexican hogfish in various growth stages, King Angelfish,  Spinster Wrasse, Guinearfowl Puffer in its bright yellow phase, Flag Cabrilla,  Red Lipped Batfish,  Barracuda,  Black striped Salemas, Panamic horse conch,  Green Morays, Pacific Seahorse, Blue Lobster, Octopus and more.

One of the nicest real drift wall dives in Galapagos. You can easily glide along side the island escorted by a group of friendly sea lions. You can also look around for sharks, rays and sea turtles. If you are interested in small creatures, look for sea horses, long nose hawk fish and coral hawk fish. If you're lucky, you'll spot a red-lipped batfish in the sand.

Lunch will be onboard during a surface interval. Overnight Santa Cruz.

Gordon Rocks: While there is lots and lots to see, there is one reason people head to Gordon Rocks and one reason it is a world-renowned site: the Hammerheads, up close and really personal. Sure, there are Eagle Rays, Stingrays, Marbled Rays, Mantas, White-Tipped Reef Sharks, Galapagos Sharks, Jacks, Turtles, Heiroglyphic Hawkfish, Flag Cabrillas, Blennies, Wrasse in various growth stages, Cardinalfish, King Angelfish, Sea Lions, Yellowtail Surgeonfish, King Angelfish, Barracudas, Jack and more…but it’s all about the hammerheads.  Odds of seeing them are 90%.

The rocks lie a short distance north of the Plazas islands off the east coast of Santa Cruz. You dive in remnants of an old crater about 100m across. There are two large crescent shaped rocks on the north and south (the rim), and a smaller rock with a channel and 3 underwater pinnacles in the west. In the middle of the area lies another pinnacle jutting up to about 17m. You can dive on all sides of the crater, both inside (sandy area) and out (vertical walls, very deep). Currents can be very strong here, the local name for the dive site is La Lavadora (The Washing Machine). Sometimes, there are often heavy currents, eddies and down currents, swells and surge (especially inside the caldera) and the water in places is deep.

Lunch Onboard during surface interval. Overnight Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz Highlands Tour: You'll walk around the enormous collapsed chambers called Los Gemelos and through the 'fuzzy' forest of one of the few remaining healthy Scalesia Forests in the Galapagos.  The fuzzy part is draped liverwort, which often reminds people of Spanish Moss.  Scalesia is in the daisy and sunflower family, but most describe it as Jurassic sized broccoli stalks.  You'll see blue-eyed Galapagos doves and hopefully, the adorable Vermillion Flycatcher.

Next we head to a private tortoise reserve where we will be able to walk through open fields and observe the iconic Galapagos Tortoises in the wild. Afterwards, we will explore a lava tube.  These amazing structures are literally where lava once flowed beneath the earth's surface.

Around mid-day, we'll head back into Puerto Ayora for lunch.  You will depart for Puerto Villamil at 2PM and arrive around 4:30 PM.  Hotel check-in. Unpack. Relax. Enjoy the spectacular powdery white sand beach and especially the sunset from the beach. Overnight in Isabela. Overnight in Isabela.

La Viuda: Diving this site depends on diver skills and current conditions. Galapagos Grunts, Parrotfish, Creole, Puffers, Bacalao, Snappers, Sea horse, Turtles, Panamic Soldierfish, Wrasse, Stingrays, Marbled Rays, Galapagos Blenny, Panamic Fanged Blenny, Trumpetfish, Cornetfish, Moray eels, Barberfish, Yellowtail Surgeonfish, Moorish Idol,  Sea Stars and so very, very much more.  La Viuda is packed with fish and interesting geological formations.  Lots of groups of stingrays at this site, too.

Isla Tortuga lies off  the southeastern side of Isabela, the remnants of a volcano with one side resembling half a caldera.  Some tourists come here in a boat just to admire the many frigates, blue-footed boobies, tropic birds and other sea birds that nest on the island. Underneath, it is a beautiful seascape with lots of life. The colors of coral contrast against the stunning color of the blue in Isabela.  Last time I dived Tortuga,  I thought one turtle had developed a crush on me.  I couldn’t get rid of him for awhile.  We also saw, what one described as a squadron of eagle rays...over a dozen.  Nice diving.

Las Tintoreras is an islet a few minutes out from port that is a raggedly treacherous AA lava field full of marine iguanas.  The path through it leads to a Canal with resting White-Tipped Reef Sharks, an inlet where Penguins often swim and a beach with a Sea Lion colony.  The views are spectacular, again, land-before-time vistas.  You can snorkel the mangrove lined inlet near the dock and what you will see always differs:  Tropical reef fish, Penguins, White-Tipped Reef Sharks, Turtles, etc.

Overnight Isabela.

Los Tuneles is, simply put, one of the most magical spots in the whole of the Galapagos. It is a labyrinth of submerged lava tunnels inside the breakers, so the water is not just completely calm, but swimming- pool clear. There are large schools of fish, Sea Turtles, White-Tipped Reef Sharks, Lobster, Sea Lions, Marine Iguanas and this is most likely the best opportunity to encounter Galapagos Penguins really up close and personal.  Los Tuneles also has a 'turtle highway', a route turtles take between the mangrove and the sea that means you often literally watch them passing each other in two lanes, as though on a highway.  Blue Footed Boobies nest in Los Tuneles. The backdrop is an incredible land-before-time vista with two active volcanoes looming above, Volcan Sierra (last erupted in 2005) and Cerro Azul (last erupted in May 2008).

Los Tuneles is an amazing place you will never forget. Even the most hard-core diver is completely smitten. Once, we got to snorkel at open sea with 10 giant mantas for 30 minutes constantly circling so close below us that we were often sucking in our stomachs to avoid them brushing us.  One did clip me with its wing!  9 males were chasing 1 female in a figure 8 immediately below us.  We left them after 30 minutes.  What a magical experience!

Lunch would be served onboard.  We will return in the late afternoon to Puerto Villamil.

Most flights arrive mid-day.  It will take about 30 minutes to collect your luggage.  After you check into your hotel and have time to unpack, have lunch, etc, you will be met by your Naturalist Guide for a visit to the Interpretation Center.  You'll have time to walk around the Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and see the hundreds of sea lions along the shore.  Overnight San Cristobal.

Kicker Rock:  Locally known as Leon Dormido (Sleeping Lion), these majestic rocks rise out of a protected sea and tower above the water forming an iconic Galapagos landmark.  Below the water, it's even better.  You'll probably begin Dive 1 in a canal between the monoliths.  From the sandy bottom looking up, you'll mostly like see Galapagos Sharks.  Rounding the corner to the outside wall, there's a bit of current and usually lots of turtles.  The wall at Kicker Rock is easily the most colorful dive site in the whole of Galapagos with abundant life covering every inch.  You'll find moray eels, turtles sleeping in ledges, octopus, sea lions, turtles, many tropicals and out in the blue, watch for eagle rays and hammerheads. 

After the day's diving, you'll head over to a spectacular white sand beach in a tranquil bay to enjoy a little sun, sand and snorkeling. Overnight in San Cristobal.

You transfer to Santa Cruz first thing in the morning.  

Charles Darwin Research Station Visit: In addition to the many fascinating aspects of a visit to the Darwin Station, it is also home to world-famous Lonesome George, the only remaining Galapagos Tortoise of his species from the island of Pinta making him the most rare living creature in the world. If you have spent too much time in the water so far, a visit to the Darwin Station will also provide you with the opportunity to see land iguanas. When possible, we recommend you do your souvenir shopping here or in the National Park gift shop to support the good cause both are.

Tortuga Bay:  Tortuga Bay is a double-crescent powdery white sand beach. One side has calm, lake-like turquoise water, but the larger beach has strong and sometimes dangerous currents. You may see Sea Turtles, White -Tipped Reef Sharks, and Marbled Rays. Pelicans, Blue-Footed Boobies are often spotted in the red mangrove forest or black lava rocks lining the bay’s side. The mangroves provide a nesting area for the Great Blue Heron. Land birds include Darwin’s Finches and Galapagos Mockingbirds. You will see large marine iguana colonies sunning and sneezing the salt after returning from sea.  Crimson Sesuvium covers the ground much of the year. It is a stunning array of colors -blue skies, black volcanic rock, white sand, emerald green or deep blue sea, crimson or yellow sesuvium and green and brown shades of opuntia or mangrove.

Above 50 ft, you can see thick schools of king angelfish; yellow tailed surgeonfish, puffers, grunts, snappers and groupers. It is also a good place for hammerheads and Galapagos sharks. At the end of the dive, on the wall, you can find sea horses clinging on to the branches of the black coral. It was soooo much fun to play around inside the giant cloud of black-striped salemas.  It would swallow divers so you couldn't even see there was a diver inside, apart from the bubbles rising above. 

Champion: Sea lions galore, Sea Turtles, White-Tipped Reef Sharks, Yellowtail Surgeonfish, Longnosed Hawkfish, Sea Stars, Scorpionfish, Mexican hogfish in various growth stages, King Angelfish,  Spinster Wrasse, Guinearfowl Puffer in its bright yellow phase, Flag Cabrilla,  Red Lipped Batfish,  Barracuda,  Black striped Salemas, Panamic horse conch,  Green Morays, Pacific Seahorse, Blue Lobster, Octopus and more.

One of the nicest real drift wall dives in Galapagos. You can easily glide along side the island escorted by a group of friendly sea lions. You can also look around for sharks, rays and sea turtles. If you are interested in small creatures, look for sea horses, long nose hawk fish and coral hawk fish. If you're lucky, you'll spot a red-lipped batfish in the sand.

Lunch will be onboard during a surface interval. Overnight Santa Cruz.

Gordon Rocks: While there is lots and lots to see, there is one reason people head to Gordon Rocks and one reason it is a world-renowned site: the Hammerheads, up close and really personal. Sure, there are Eagle Rays, Stingrays, Marbled Rays, Mantas, White-Tipped Reef Sharks, Galapagos Sharks, Jacks, Turtles, Heiroglyphic Hawkfish, Flag Cabrillas, Blennies, Wrasse in various growth stages, Cardinalfish, King Angelfish, Sea Lions, Yellowtail Surgeonfish, King Angelfish, Barracudas, Jack and more…but it’s all about the hammerheads.  Odds of seeing them are 90%.

The rocks lie a short distance north of the Plazas islands off the east coast of Santa Cruz. You dive in remnants of an old crater about 100m across. There are two large crescent shaped rocks on the north and south (the rim), and a smaller rock with a channel and 3 underwater pinnacles in the west. In the middle of the area lies another pinnacle jutting up to about 17m. You can dive on all sides of the crater, both inside (sandy area) and out (vertical walls, very deep). Currents can be very strong here, the local name for the dive site is La Lavadora (The Washing Machine). Sometimes, there are often heavy currents, eddies and down currents, swells and surge (especially inside the caldera) and the water in places is deep.

Lunch Onboard during surface interval. Overnight Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz Highlands Tour: You'll walk around the enormous collapsed chambers called Los Gemelos and through the 'fuzzy' forest of one of the few remaining healthy Scalesia Forests in the Galapagos.  The fuzzy part is draped liverwort, which often reminds people of Spanish Moss.  Scalesia is in the daisy and sunflower family, but most describe it as Jurassic sized broccoli stalks.  You'll see blue-eyed Galapagos doves and hopefully, the adorable Vermillion Flycatcher.

Next we head to a private tortoise reserve where we will be able to walk through open fields and observe the iconic Galapagos Tortoises in the wild. Afterwards, we will explore a lava tube.  These amazing structures are literally where lava once flowed beneath the earth's surface.

Around mid-day, we'll head back into Puerto Ayora for lunch.  You will depart for Puerto Villamil at 2PM and arrive around 4:30 PM.  Hotel check-in. Unpack. Relax. Enjoy the spectacular powdery white sand beach and especially the sunset from the beach. Overnight in Isabela. Overnight in Isabela.

La Viuda: Diving this site depends on diver skills and current conditions. Galapagos Grunts, Parrotfish, Creole, Puffers, Bacalao, Snappers, Sea horse, Turtles, Panamic Soldierfish, Wrasse, Stingrays, Marbled Rays, Galapagos Blenny, Panamic Fanged Blenny, Trumpetfish, Cornetfish, Moray eels, Barberfish, Yellowtail Surgeonfish, Moorish Idol,  Sea Stars and so very, very much more.  La Viuda is packed with fish and interesting geological formations.  Lots of groups of stingrays at this site, too.

Isla Tortuga lies off  the southeastern side of Isabela, the remnants of a volcano with one side resembling half a caldera.  Some tourists come here in a boat just to admire the many frigates, blue-footed boobies, tropic birds and other sea birds that nest on the island. Underneath, it is a beautiful seascape with lots of life. The colors of coral contrast against the stunning color of the blue in Isabela.  Last time I dived Tortuga,  I thought one turtle had developed a crush on me.  I couldn’t get rid of him for awhile.  We also saw, what one described as a squadron of eagle rays...over a dozen.  Nice diving.

Las Tintoreras is an islet a few minutes out from port that is a raggedly treacherous AA lava field full of marine iguanas.  The path through it leads to a Canal with resting White-Tipped Reef Sharks, an inlet where Penguins often swim and a beach with a Sea Lion colony.  The views are spectacular, again, land-before-time vistas.  You can snorkel the mangrove lined inlet near the dock and what you will see always differs:  Tropical reef fish, Penguins, White-Tipped Reef Sharks, Turtles, etc.

Overnight Isabela.

Los Tuneles is, simply put, one of the most magical spots in the whole of the Galapagos. It is a labyrinth of submerged lava tunnels inside the breakers, so the water is not just completely calm, but swimming- pool clear. There are large schools of fish, Sea Turtles, White-Tipped Reef Sharks, Lobster, Sea Lions, Marine Iguanas and this is most likely the best opportunity to encounter Galapagos Penguins really up close and personal.  Los Tuneles also has a 'turtle highway', a route turtles take between the mangrove and the sea that means you often literally watch them passing each other in two lanes, as though on a highway.  Blue Footed Boobies nest in Los Tuneles. The backdrop is an incredible land-before-time vista with two active volcanoes looming above, Volcan Sierra (last erupted in 2005) and Cerro Azul (last erupted in May 2008).

Los Tuneles is an amazing place you will never forget. Even the most hard-core diver is completely smitten. Once, we got to snorkel at open sea with 10 giant mantas for 30 minutes constantly circling so close below us that we were often sucking in our stomachs to avoid them brushing us.  One did clip me with its wing!  9 males were chasing 1 female in a figure 8 immediately below us.  We left them after 30 minutes.  What a magical experience!

Lunch would be served onboard.  We will return in the late afternoon to Puerto Villamil.