Ecuador & Galapagos Islands: An ultraluxe cruise from island to island (10 days)

Please note that the following itinerary is an example, as all of our journeys are custom-made. Blue Parallel will recommend the best ship according to your client's needs.

Evening international flight arrival to Quito. As you exit the secured area with your luggage, you will be greeted by your personal guide who will take you to your car for your private transfer to your luxury boutique hotel (approx. 50 minute transfer) where you can rest for the evening.

Depart your hotel with your personal guide to visit Quito's main historical highlights including the Monasterio de San Agustin, the elegant church of San Francisco, the Presidential Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace, and the Compañía de Jesús church, one of Quito’s most renowned churches, known for its profusely gold-adorned interior and baroque design.

Savor a recommended lunch in Quito before visiting the Guayasamin Museum along with the Chapel of Man, accompanied by your expert guide. Oswaldo Guayasamin was an Ecuadorian master painter and sculptor of Quechua and Mestizo heritage and is lauded as a national treasure of Ecuador.

As the sun sets, head into the colonial center of Quito where you will experience exclusive private access to the Convent of Santo Domingo. Enjoy delicious appetizers and drinks from your privileged vantage point in the city with incredible views of Quito and its surroundings.

Greeting by your personal guide in the lobby of the hotel and private transfer to Quito airport for your flight to the Galapagos Islands (via Guayaquil depending on flight schedules). Flight arrival on the Galapagos Islands. As you exit the plane, you will be greeted by your cruise personnel after clearing customs. Group transfer to the San Cristobal dock where you will board a zodiac to your cruise

The Galapagos Islands offer some of the best wildlife viewing in the world, not only because the animals themselves are beautiful and interesting, but also because they are virtually fearless. Through a quirk of evolution, large predators failed to evolve here, with the result that all the islands' wild residents are endowed with a unique sense of security. This means that the famous blue-footed boobies, the sea lions and the penguins will almost welcome you as you explore the islands with your naturalist guide. There will be plenty of opportunities to go swimming, snorkeling and hiking throughout the trip.

After checking-in to your cabins and an introductory briefing & safety drill, enjoy lunch on board. Before the yacht sets sail, return to San Cristobal to explore El Junco Lake. El Junco, Spanish for “sedge”, is the crater of an extinct volcano and is the only sizable fresh water lake in the Galapagos Islands. Listen out for the calls of sea lions as you ride the zodiac across the lake.

Upon returning to the yacht, the Captain and crew will welcome you on board with cocktails, before enjoying a delicious dinner on board.

Following breakfast, take a group zodiac ride with your expert guide to Cerro Brujo beach to spot wildlife and unusual geological formations. Cerro Brujo is a breathtaking white coral sand beach, considered one of the most spectacular in Galapagos and perfect for a tranquil walk with extensive views. There you will have the opportunity to snorkel or kayak from the beach or swim with sea lions. Then a zodiac ride will take you through a cave called “The Cathedral”.

Following lunch on board, cruise toward the northeastern tip of San Cristobal to Punta Pitt where you can hike and snorkel at Pitt Rock. Punta Pitt is situated at the eastern end of San Cristobal Island and is a set of eroded volcanic cones sparsely populated by endemic vegetation. This is the only place in the Galapagos where you can observe all three species of boobies and both species of frigates nesting in the same area. Here you will have the opportunity to snorkel at Pitt Rock with sea lions and colorful fish such as king angelfish and surgeonfish.

Return to the yacht for a delicious dinner and enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure, taking in the starry Southern skies and distant view of the “Sleeping Lion”.

Head to Espanola Island, where you will first visit Suarez Point, home to some of the most outstanding wildlife in the archipelago. The southernmost island of the Galapagos, Espanola Island, is the breeding site of nearly all of the Waved Albatrosses on the planet. Espanola is also populated by many blue-footed and Nazca boobies, Darwin finches, mockingbirds, Galapagos doves, hawks, marine iguanas, and sea lions. Suarez Point is full of animal life! Explore the region on foot where you will have the chance to see both blue-footed boobies and Nazca boobies. You'll also have the chance to see large albatrosses launch themselves off a steep cliff by the ocean!

Return to the yacht for a BBQ lunch served on deck as well as a cooking demonstration on how to make Ecuadorian ceviche.

In the afternoon, visit Gardner Bay on the eastern side of Espanola Island. Gardner Bay is the breeding site of nearly 12,000 pairs of Waves Albatrosses. Take the opportunity to swim and snorkel on its white sandy beaches.

Return to the yacht for dinner in the evening, followed by an informative and entertaining lecture on marine currents, climate or the geology of the islands.

Following breakfast, head to Cormorant Point’s olive-sand beach, which is home to a wild flamingo lagoon. Cormorant Point is home to a large flamingo lagoon that also sometimes hosts other birds like common stilts and white-cheeked pintails. The island is also known for its distinctive “Green Beach,” which is named after its unusual green color from the high proportion of olivine crystals that make up the sand.

Hike to a beach where sea turtles lay their eggs in powdery sand dunes and stingrays swim in the shallow water. Continue to Devil’s Crown on Floreana where you can snorkel with your expert guide. Devil’s Crown is an islet with a collapsed volcanic cone near Punta Cormorant and is one of the most interesting underwater sites in Galapagos. Snorkelers can expect to see a wide range of brightly colored reef fishes and hammerhead sharks, both within the “crown” and outside. Inside, you will see smaller fish such as parrotfish, and outside, larger fish such as palometas. There are underwater caves between these two areas where hammerhead sharks can often be found.

Return to the yacht for lunch prior to your next excursion.

At Floreana Island, explore Post Office Bay, a historic white sand beach where pirates and whalers used to leave and receive letters in a barrel. In the 18th century, pirates and whalers sailing through the Galapagos put a wooden barrel on Floreana Island as an unofficial mailbox. Today, visitors continue the tradition by leaving addressed postcards in the barrel and sorting through letters left by others to deliver.

Following Post Office Bay, head to Baroness’ Observatory, an area with breathtaking views. Take in the incredible views from Baroness Observatory and explore the animal and plant life on relaxing trails. This island's human history is also intriguing as it was once the home of a notorious Baroness and her three lovers.

Return to the yacht to enjoy dinner.

Following breakfast, dock at Puerto Ayora, where you will disembark and start your activities for the day. Travel to Santa Cruz Highlands with a naturalist guide, an area located in the northern part of the island which can reach elevations up to 1500m. Here at the Highlands, you can walk along a winding path, observing the hills, ferns, volcanoes, and rich wildlife. This area is home to giant tortoises, palo santo forests, Mockingbirds, Bahama Ducklings, White-cheeked Pintail ducklings, Darwin Finches, and many other species.

Following lunch on the yacht, with an expert guide, visit the “Twin Pit Craters” area known for its Scalesia Forest. The Twin Pit Craters are large depressions of volcanic material, formed by a long process of slow sinking of the ground, where exceptional Scalesia trees, ferns, mosses, and orchids can be seen in the surroundings.

Return to Puerto Ayora to relax at leisure with the option to stay on land for dinner (transportation provided by Zodiac) or return to the yacht for dinner.

Following breakfast, sail to Bartolome Island where you will disembark for your excursion on the island. You will have the option to hike to the highest point of the island or take a Zodiac ride around the island. Bartolomé Island boasts some of the most stunning landscapes in all of the Galapagos. In addition to the extinct volcano itself, there is a colorful variety of volcanic formations in red, orange, green, and lustrous black. Climb the 300+ stairs to the top of the volcanic cone to take in incredible views of the surrounding islands. Then, visit the famous Pinnacle Rock, a distinctive feature of the island and the Galapagos themselves. The beach is excellent for snorkeling and you may even spot some Galapagos penguins.

The itinerary for this afternoon varies depending on your yacht:

Origin: Visit Sombrero Chino Island (Chinese Hat) near Santa Cruz. Land on a beautiful crescent-shaped beach where sea lions and Sally Lightfoot crabs call home. Not even a square kilometer in size, the tiny island of Chinese Hat gets its name from its shape, which is, of course, quite similar to a Chinese hat. This newly formed volcanic island is just off the southeastern tip of San Salvador Island and makes for a charming day trip thanks to its natural beauty.

OR

Theory: Explore Bachas Beach on Santa Cruz Island, one of the most beautiful beaches in the Galapagos Islands. Post-WWII, the US military grounded and abandoned barges here. Naturally, the locals began referring to the beach as the “barges” beach, which has since evolved to Bachas Beach. Currently, it is an important nesting location for the East Pacific green sea turtle. This stunning white beach is situated on the north shore of Santa Cruz Island, just a few yards from the ocean. Its several brackish lagoons make for excellent feeding grounds for a variety of wading birds, including stilts and flamingos.

Return to the yacht for dinner.

Following breakfast, head towards South Plazas Island, which has the largest land iguana population in the archipelago. The island is characterized by steep cliffs that were formed by rising lava. You will have the opportunity to see sea lions, colorful land iguanas, and strange plant life only native to the island. The carpet of scarlet sesuvium succulents serves as groundcover for a grove of luminescent green prickly-pear cactus. Yellow-gray land iguanas sit beneath, waiting patiently for pears to drop. The trail takes you gradually towards the southern cliff of the island where you will be able to observe nesting swallow-tailed gulls and several sea birds such as tropical birds, Nazca and blue-footed boobies fly by.

Following lunch, embark on North Seymour Island to explore the rocky coast, passing colonies of blue-footed boobies, and magnificent frigate birds. Later, snorkel off the coast of the island near the Mosquera Islet.

North Seymour is an uplifted (rather than volcanic) island and so is generally flat and strewn with boulders. The island has been nicknamed “Bird Island,” given the ideal nesting sites for a large population of superb frigate birds. Blue-footed boobies dance their courtship dance in the more open spaces, while swallow-tailed gulls perch on the cliff edges. Even with the formidable surf that can pound the shores, sea lions make their way onto the beach and can be found bodysurfing. The snorkeling along the island provides a great peek into the lives of the endemic tropical fish that call the Galapagos home! A highlight of this excursion is an unusual colony of marine iguanas who adapted to eating the plant Batis maritima rather than their normal diet of algae.

Before dinner, you are invited to a champagne toast at the Captain’s farewell party. Following dinner, enjoy a special presentation from your guides.

Travel by bus to the Interpretation Center on San Cristobal to gain a more complete understanding of the natural and human history of the Islands. Afterwards, transfer to the airport for your flight to Guayaquil on the mainland. Once there, you will be greeted by your Blue Parallel host and assisted with check-in and luggage for your international flight home in the evening.