• Upon arrival to the airport in Quito (airport code UIO) you will be greeted by your private guide and/or driver holding a sign with your name on it.
• If you will already be in town today (either by way of another Trip Harvest itinerary which ends in Quito or on your own), we can of course meet you there as well to begin this itinerary.

• Private transfer (car or van, depending on your party's size) to your selected hotel.
• Driver and English-speaking guide or Driver-Guide (guide drives the vehicle; this depends on the location and traveler quantity).
• Your guide will provide you with additional information regarding your trip and will assist you with getting settled-in at your hotel on arrival.
• Modern, safe, air-conditioned vehicle and complementary bottled water for each passenger.

• You'll be met at your hotel by your private guide and will have a unique and tour of the city, walking the historic Old Town.
• Walk through the streets and plazas of historic Old Town with its colonial buildings, cobblestone streets and cathedrals.
• Visit the Gothic Basilica Church and its impressive architecture.
• Visit the unique Manuela Saenz museum, the former home of a mistress of Simon Bolivar, the museum houses many artifacs from the lives of these two figures.  
• Later return to your hotel and enjoy the balance of the day at leisure.
• This is a half day tour lasting around 4 hours.

• Transfer to the airport with a private vehicle and driver (Spanish-speaking, generally with a basic understanding of English).
• Domestic travel generally requires arriving 2 hours prior to departure and 3 hours for international.  Your transfer will be scheduled accordingly.

• Fly from Quito (UIO) to Baltra in the Galapagos (GPS).
• NOTE: The flights to the Galapagos for cruise itineraries must meet certain arrival/departure time parameters and are generally booked through the cruise operator.  We take care of this for you. Please do not purchase Galapagos flights before consulting with us.

AM: Arrive to the Baltra Airport

• After arriving at Baltra airport you will be greeted by a representative of the Galapagos Odyssey and will begin activities included with your cruise.

PM: Santa Cruz, Dragon Hill - dry landing. Activities: hiking, panga ride

• Land iguanas and the flamingo lagoons are two of the highlights of this site.
• Feral dogs once nearly eliminated the iguanas, but the Galapagos National Park removed them in 1990, and the reptiles seem to be making a comeback.
• The trail (3km/2 miles round trip) leads through dry-zone vegetation to a small hill where the iguanas live.
• The area is home to Galapagos mockingbirds, Darwin´s finches, varieties of the endemic Opuntia and candelabra cacti, and Galapagos cotton.
• The small offshore island of Venecia is not open for landing, but land iguanas are easy to spot during the panga ride along its shore.
• These were protected as a breeding nucleus when the feral dogs threatened the main population at Dragon Hill.
• Green turtles, sharks, and rays may be spotted on the panga ride, while black-necked stilts, white-cheeked pintails, and migratory shorebirds are usually present on the shoreline.

AM: Genovesa, El Barranco – dry landing. Activities: hiking, panga ride

• Also known as Prince Philip´s Steps since the Duke of Edinburgh visited this island in 1964, this gully formed of lava rocks leads up some 25 m (82 feet) to an extensive flat dried lava field. It is an easy climb with a wooden handrail to assist us on our way up.
• This part of the island is populated by red-footed boobies and frigatebirds, which prefer the trees, and Nazca boobies which simply nest on the ground. There are also small marine iguanas here. However, no land iguanas are present, as the ocean currents would not have taken them in the direction of Genovesa.
• The trail continues through a Palo Santo (holy stick) and croton forest over large fields of lava to the southeast, where the trees give way to the famous Brachycereus, also known as lava cactus, and where thousands of Galapagos storm petrels are usually seen whirling in the skies.
• Here we can also find a different species, the Madeiran storm petrel, sharing the space with the other petrels.
• This site is also the best place in Galapagos to observe the endemic short-eared owl since they prey on the petrels.
• A panga ride along the cliffs will offer good chances of seeing the rather elusive Galapagos fur seals among the rocks, as well as views of red-billed tropicbirds in flight.

PM: Genovesa, Darwin Bay – wet landing. Activities: hiking, snorkeling.

• After landing at a small sand and coral beach, it easy to realize why this island is known as “a bird paradise.”
• Among the bird species found here, the most common are swallow-tailed and lava gulls, mockingbirds, yellow-crowned night herons, lava herons,
• Galapagos doves and yellow warblers, which add a dash of color with their bright yellow feathers.
• The salt bushes of the island are dominated by great frigatebirds and red-footed boobies that breed in abundance on this island. Looking carefully, you might spot unusual red-footed boobies that have white feathers instead of their normal brown plumage.
• From the beach a trail leads past tide pools and lava ridges to a high point overlooking the bay, offering one of the most rewarding views in Galapagos.
• Darwin bay is also the only place in the islands to observe the sharp-beaked ground finch.

AM: Bartolome – wet landing. Activities: hiking, snorkeling

• This young and rather barren island offers steep, dramatic volcanic landscapes which are frequently photographed by its visitors.
• Upon arrival, the first impression is the moonlike terrain of spatter, tuff cones and small lava tubes, where the only visible flora consists of pioneer species such as the Tiquilia and Chamaesyce.
• We will then climb up a wooden stairway that leads to the summit of the island; here, you will be able to enjoy the most famous landscape of the Galapagos.
• The view is formed by two beaches separated by a narrow band of mangroves, as well as Pinnacle Rock, a distinctive rock shaped by the practice bombings of American pilots during World War II.
• Snorkeling off the northern beach is extremely rewarding, as it is usual to see penguins near Pinnacle Rock.
• At the southern beach, where swimming is not allowed, it is easy to find reef sharks and rays, and green turtles that tend to nest here from January to March.

PM: Santiago - Sullivan Bay – wet landing. Activities: panga ride, snorkeling from the panga

• This fascinating volcanic site was named after Bartholomew James Sullivan, the first lieutenant on HMS Beagle, the ship that brought Charles Darwin to the Galapagos.
• This unique landscape is composed of a pair of eroded scoria lava cones which were engulfed by a recent (in geological terms) pahoehoe lava flow and which is considered one of the finest in the world.
• There are easy to spot tuff cones, miniature spatter cones, and the imprints of tree branches in the once molten rock all over the island.
• Though the lava flow is over 170 years old, it looks much more recent because of its isolation on the island, that has greatly helped to its preservation.
• Pioneer plants such as Brachycereus cactus and the endemic herb Mollugo are starting to colonize the dark grey rocks and lava, preparing the way for other plant species.

AM: Santa Cruz, Highlands – dry landing. Activities: walking / hiking

• The Highlands of Santa Cruz island are probably the most visited area in the Galapagos due to their easy access and because this visit is included in virtually every Galapagos itinerary.
• This area is shared between some private properties and the Galapagos National park, and it concentrates vast extensions of Escalesia and Miconia forests.
• The giant Tortoises of Santa Cruz Island are on a constant migration from the fertile highlands to the drier seashores, making this the area that offers the best chance in the archipelago to observe this iconic animal in their natural habitat.
• Besides the imposing vegetation and the tortoises, the Highlands are a great spot to watch other bird species, as the vermillion flycatcher and the short ear owl.
• After the visit you'll be taken to the Baltra Airport for your flight back to the mainland.

• Today you'll fly back to mainland Ecuador (flights stop in Guayaquil and then continue on to Quito) where you can continue your trip or fly home.

• This marks the completion of this itinerary.
• If you aren't heading home today, you may want to add another destination to your trip (suggestions can be found in the "Add On" tab in your shopping cart).