 GRAN NATALIA ITINERARY 2008
First Cruise Departure on July 6th 2008
THURSDAY
San Cristobal – Loberia
Also Known as Chatam, this island of 558 sq km is the fifth largest in the archipelago and has the second largest population. The provincial capital of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is found on the south west point of the island.
PM: Arrival in San Cristobal Airport and greeting by our naturalist guide. Transfer to the The Galapagos Odyssey Yacht 'Gran Natalia Yacht" (approx 10 mins).
Check in and Lunch on board
After our arrival to San Cristobal, we visit its Interpretation Center where we can walk through the Galapagos Islands’ volcanic origins, its first human settlements and the great challenges we face ahead.
On the afternoon, we visit Lobería where you can see a big sea lion colony and marine iguanas. This will be a greatintroduction to our voyage through the Galapagos Islands.
 FRIDAY
Española Island
This Island, often called by its English name of Hood, is the most southerly in the archipelago. It is a medium sized island of 61sq km and there are two visitors sites.
Punta Suarez, lies at the western end of the island. A wet landing is necessary. There is a trail of about two km in length which takes the visitor trough a beach full of marine iguanas, by masked and blue–footed booby colonies before reaching the main attraction, the waved Albatros colony.
Gardner Bay is a beautiful white sand beach at the east end of Española. It is reached with a wet landing and there is good swimming, and a sea lion colony. An islet rock, a short distance away, provides with good snorkeling. You can often see white – tipped reef sharks around it.
SATURDAY
Floreana Island
Officially known as Santa Maria but more often called Floreana or Charles, this, at 173sq km, is the sixth largest of the island.
Post Office Bay, used to have a barrel where whalers lef mail. Any captain of a boat which was heading to where the mail was addressed would deliver it. The site continues to be used, though obviously the barrel has been changed many times.
Punta Cormorant, is also reached with a wet landing. There is a greenish beach; green because it contains crystals of the mineral olivine. There are often sea lions, and swimming and snorkeling are both good.
 SUNDAY
North Seymour – Bachas Beach.
On the morning we will visit North Seymour Island. Here we will visit a circular trail leading through some of the largest and most active seabirds breeding colonies in the islands. Magnificent frigate birds and blue footed boobies are the main attractions.
This afternoon we will visit Bachas Beach, a white coral beach, favorite by sea turtles for a nesting site. Behind one of the beaches there is a small brackish water lagoon, where occasionally is possible to observe flamingos and other coastal birds, such as black-necked stilts and whimbrels. We will have a chance to swim and snorkel back to the Gran Natalia.
MONDAY
Bartolome and Sullivan Bay
In the morning we visit Bartolome Island with an area of 1.2 sq km. From here we can see the most frequently photographed and hence most famous vista of the islands. There are two visitor sites and footpaths. One begins from a jetty (dry landing) from where we walk 600 meters to the 114 mt. summit of the island. The other visitor site is a small sandy beach in a cove (wet landing). Here there is good snorkeling and  swimming and the opportunity to swim with the endemic Galápagos penguins which frequent this cove.
On the afternoon, we will visit Sullivan Bay lava field is a variety of interesting patterns. The shapes and textures of trees, which once existed there and Hornitos caused when pockets of gas or water trapped under the lava exploded. The Sullivan Bay Lava is known a Panoehoe (Hawaiian for Rope). This thin-skinned lava's molten material cools down after an eruption causing the surface
materials to buckle creating a rope like appearance. Panoehoe Lava is rare to the rest of the world, but is common to the volcanoes of Hawaii and the Galapagos Islands.
After exploring the lava flow, there is swimming and snorkeling with playful sea lions off two small coralline beaches.
 TUESDAY
Isabela Island (Humedales and Tintoreras)
Isabela Island is by far the biggest island of the Galapagos—bigger than all the other islands combined. It is about 75 miles long and 50 mile at its widest. The total land area is 1771 square miles—bigger than Rhode Island. It is comprised five major volcanoes, of which two are still active. These mountains were probably separate at one time and then fused in to a single mass. The most recent eruption was Cerro Azul in 1999. So the island is still rising, and Wolf Volcano is the highest point in the islands—an elevation of 5,600 feet. Its name comes from Queen Isabela of Spain (1451-1504) who helped Columbus get money for his voyages in the 1490s. On older maps you will see it called Albelmarle, named by the English after a duke.
 WEDNESDAY
Gemelos & Santa Cruz Highlands
Today we will board a coach to visit the highlands of Santa Cruz (35 mins) where we can see the famous Giant Galapagos Tortoises on the wild
Here we will be walking around their natural habitat while they roam through the plains. If there is the chance, we will also visit the Gemelos, two collapsed craters that remind us of the volcanic origins of the archipelago.
 THURSDAY
San Cristoba
Early this morning we visit Sleeping Lion, a little rocky island which because of fancifu resemblance to a sleeping lion, is named Leon Dormido. The English name, however, is Kicker rock. The island is a sheer walled tuff cone which has been eroded into two smaller rocks.
Transfer to the airport to fly back to the mainland for departing passengers.
Passengers continuning he tour, while come back to the Gran Natalia for Lunch
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