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Cachalote - Galapagos Cruising |
© John Muddeman/Nature Portfolio 
Sunset over Las Marielas, Isabela
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Cachalote I is a charming 96 foot schooner overall, with 86.6 feet on deck, offering First Class service. Passengers can relax on one of the three wooden decks while sailing or just anchored in a harbour, but don't forget that sunscreen!Come visit the Enchanted Isles of the Galapagos with our brand new schooner! Enjoy beautiful cruising through the islands...spot dolphins and whales...snorkel with the sea lions...see birds with blue feet, red feet or big red 'balloons' on their necks...enjoy the scenery and volcanoes...and marvel at the colourful beaches. Come, relax and have fun on our new vessel.
Baltra / Plazas After minibus transfer from Baltra airport, embark CACHALOTE for lunch on board. The first visit is just off the east coast of Santa Cruz to the Plazas, a pair of islets which have been geologically uplifted, forming cliffs with spectacular views. After a dry landing on South Plaza in the natural dock, the trail leading to the cliffs traverses Coastal and Dry Zone Vegetation. Look out for prickly pear cacti and distinctive red sesevium mats. Recent El Nino phenomena have taken their toll on the prickly pear thanks to root rots, causing the land iguanas that feed off them to decline a little. However, number are expected to stabilise. Along the trail you can often see swallowtailed gulls, shearwaters and red-billed tropicbirds. A colony of veteran, scarred bachelor sea lions resides near the end of the trail. Day 2 - Thursday Santa Cruz: Darwin Station / Highlands Moor up in the bustling port of Puerto Ayora to visit the Darwin Station. Lunch on board is followed by a trip into the interior highlands - a great place to see giant tortoises in the wild - with a route that passes through seven vegetation zones on the drive to the top. Plenty of birds such as finches, cuckoos, vermilion flycatchers and yellow warblers to look out for, plus a walk through the fascinating lava tunnels and large pit craters at Los Gemelos. |
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Day 3 - Friday Espanola (Hood): Gardner Bay / Punta Suarez Having sailed overnight to Espanola, your first visit will be to Punta Suarez, renowned as the only location on earth that is home to the Waved Albatross which nests here between March and December. Hood mocking birds, red billed tropic birds, brightly coloured marine iguanas and lava lizards are found here, as are nesting colonies of nazca boobies and blue-footed boobies. After lunch on board, you visit Gardner Bay where clear waters and a huge variety of fish species make for excellent snorkelling and swimming. Beach birds include yellow warblers, Galapagos doves, Darwin's finches, mockingbirds. And of course, there are sea lions and marine iguanas. |
© Keith Grant/Nature Portfolio 
A nesting Waved Albatross on Espanola
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Day 4 - Saturday Floreana (Charles): Punta Cormorant / Post Office Bay An unusual green mineral sand beach at Punta Cormorant leads to a lagoon often frequented by pintail ducks and flamingos. From there you walk on through diverse vegetation to reach a white beach known for sea turtles, sting rays, ghost crabs, as well as Galapagos flycatcher and cuckoo. There may be time for snorkelling at Devil's Crown nearby before lunch. The afternoon visit is to Post Office Bay, where 18th century whalers left mail to be picked up by passing ships. Today visitors can leave their own messages and pick up mail to deliver back home. |
© Keith Grant/Nature Portfolio 
Lava Cactus
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Day 5 - Sunday Isabela (Albemarle): Punta Moreno / Elizabeth Bay Today the largest Galapagos island, Isabela was originally six separate volcanoes whose lava flows merged into a horseshoe about 80 miles in length. A visit to Punta Moreno, on Isabela's southwest flank, begins with a panga ride along beautiful rocky shores, where penguins and great blue herons are often seen, and into a mangrove. After a dry landing, the trek sets off across harsh lava terrain dotted with lagoons that are oases of abundant wildlife. Clumps of pioneering lava cactus and scalesia are characteristic here as are pintail ducks, flamingos and carpenter bees - one of the few pollinating insects in Galapagos. Back on board the Panga, we ride north to Elizabeth Bay, located on the Perry Isthmus, passing rocky islets that are breeding grounds for a small colony of penguin. Flightless cormorants and the biggest specimens of marine iguana are often seen here. A narrow cove lined with tall red mangrove trees is home to marine turtles, rays and shore birds. |
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Day 6 - Monday Isabela (Albemarle): Urvina Bay / Fernandina (Narborough): Punta Espinoza Located at the foot of Volcano Alcedo, one of the world's most active volcanoes, the seabed here was dramatically uplifted by almost 4m in 1954, exposing giant coral heads and leaving marine organisms high and dry. These fascinating skeletal relics can be seen today, after a wet landing, on the west coast of Isabela. Flightless cormorants and brown pelicans also nest in Urvina bay. West of Isabela, Fernandina is the youngest of the Galapagos islands at less than 1 million years old. The most volcanically active, it boasts a dramatic landscape dominated by recent lava flows and sand. Clumps of pioneering drought-tolerant lava cactus are already beginning to colonise the lava. The island is home to the largest colony of marina iguanas in Galapagos, the sandy areas near the point filled with their nest holes during the first half of each year. Near the tip of the point is a large colony of sea lions. Pelicans and Flightless cormorants can often be seen here as well, while the beach is frequently alive with Sally Lightfoot crabs. |
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Day 7 - Tuesday Santiago (James): Puerto Egas / Bartolome Awake to find Cachalote anchored off James Island. Land at Punta Egas for a lovely walk with opportunities for rockpooling (some tidal) en route to the Fur Seal Grotto where sea lions and fur seals bask. There will possibly be time for a pre-lunch swim and snorkel, before the afternoon visit to Bartolome island and Pinnacle rock. Here, wooden steps take you on a strenuous climb to the top of this small island, passing spatter and cinder cones and some lava cactus clumps. At the top the reward is a fabulous panorama of Pinnacle Rock, white beaches and mangroves with the vast volcanic backdrop beyond. |
© Keith Grant/Nature Portfolio 
Galapagos Fur Seal with pup
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Day 8 - Wednesday Santa Cruz: Turtle Cove / Baltra A memorable finish to the cruise is the panga ride to Turtle Cove at dawn - a peaceful system of coves and inlets surrounded by mangroves. In the water you may see pairing turtles, white-tipped sharks and rays. After a late breakfast disembark Cachalote for the journey back to Baltra airport and air flight to the mainland. N.B. All Galapagos itineraries are subject to change due to national Park regulations, Weather conditions, etc. The itinerary described is that normally followed by "Cachalote". Sightings of any of the birds or animals mentioned in the itinerary couldn't be guaranteed, although experience leads us to a reasonable expectation of what is described. Prices from Low season £ 1125.00 High season £ 1250.00 Prices are based on per person, full board, accommodation in twin or single en suite cabins. Prices exclude Galapagos National Park Entry Fee (currently $ 100.00 per person), return airfare Quito - Baltra, Galapagos (allow from £ 250.00 per person), tips (allow $ 150.00 per person), drinks and other personal expenses. For overnight in Quito see our Mainland Ecuador Itinerary. | ||
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