Grace Galapagos Cruises

Floreana has a colorful history: pirates, whalers, convicts, and a small band of somewhat peculiar colonists—a self-proclaimed Baroness among them—who chose a Robinson Crusoe existence that ended in death and mystery. Today, roughly a hundred Ecuadorians inhabit the island. In 1793, British whalers set up a barrel as the island’s post office, to send letters home on passing ships. The tradition continues to this day. Simply drop a post card into the barrel without a stamp. And if you do, you must take a post card from the barrel and see that it gets to the right place. That is how the system began and continues to this day.

Continuing a bit farther inland at Post Office Bay, enter the underworld of Floreana in the form of a lava tube. The lava tube descends fairly deep into the earth back toward the ocean, where you can swim in a subterranean grotto beneath the tide. Bring a good waterproof flashlight. Snorkeling in Post Office Bay offers choice encounters with waiting sea turtles and tropical fish.

Visit a tortoise reserve and watch many of the giant tortoises up close and personal. All the while, the naturalist guides points out the wildlife and explains colorful history of Floreana’s first inhabitants like the Baroness and re-telling the legend of the “Floreana Mystery.” Return to the Grace for lunch and a siesta. Land farther along the shore to the northeast and pass within view of Baroness Point in an area of mangrove lined lagoons. Eloise Wehrborn de Wagner-Bosquet, the self-proclaimed Baroness (of Floreana) frequented this overlook.

Punta Cormorant offers two highly contrasting beaches: one composed of volcanic olivine crystals, giving it a greenish tint that glitters in the sun, the other is a very fine white sand known as Flour Beach, formed by the erosion of coral skeletons. Between the two beaches in a basin formed by the surrounding volcanic cones is a hyper-saline lagoon frequented by flamingoes, pintails, stilts and other wading birds. Stop at the lagoon and then continue on the trail to Four Beach. Be careful not to wade into the tide with bare feet, as the silty surf is rife with rays. Look for sea turtles surfing the waves off the beach. Return to the Grace, don your wetsuit and make your way around Punta Cormorant.

Not far from the north shore of Floreana is the tiny islet known as Champion. Champion is considered one of the top snorkeling sites the Galapagos offering prime underwater sea lion interactions. Dolphins are frequently seen near the shore along with humpback whales who like the bay off Flour Beach. Swim with the sea lions and be surrounded by an assortment of tropical fish including yellowtail grunts, amberjacks and schools of king angel. Possibly spot sleepy white-tipped reef sharks hugging the bottom. Sea turtles glide by, while torpedo-like Galapagos penguins can also be encountered in the waters off Champion.

Alternatively, perhaps snorkel at Devil’s Crown which is located some 700 feet north of Punta Cormorant. Devil’s Crown is an old submerged volcanic cone that has been worn down by waves and is home to a myriad of marine species including several species of corals, sea urchins, and a great number of fish species, making this place one of the best snorkeling sites in the Galapagos. The eroded crater walls form a popular roosting site for seabirds including boobies and pelicans. The snorkeling begins outside the crater to the southeast, where a swift current will take you for a ride along the north side of the crown and right into the middle. Relax, enjoy the ride and let the current do the work. After the ride keep your eyes open for spotted eagle rays and golden rays that like to swim near the crown. Once back aboard the Grace, soak in the warm Jacuzzi and then retire for hors d’ouevres and drinks to enjoy the sunset.

Hood (also called Espanola) is the southernmost island of the archipelago and is one of the most popular due to the breathtaking variation and sheer number of fauna and Gardner Bay. The giant tortoise was reintroduced to Hood in the 1970s and counts as one of the park’s great success stories. They reside in an off-limits area, but don’t worry—the famous giant tortoise awaits you on other islands! The quantity and variety of wildlife at Punta Suarez is remarkable. Sea lions surf the waves beyond the breakwater landing, and tiny pups are known to greet your toes upon arrival. A few steps inland is a colorful variety of marine iguana in the Galapagos. They bear distinctive red and black markings, some with a flash of turquoise running down their spine. They nap in communal piles or cling to the rocks for warmth.

The trail leads beside the western edge of the island where masked boobies (also known as Nazca boobies) nest along the cliff’s edge. The trail descends to a rocky beach before rising to an open area where there is often a large gathering of nesting blue-foot boobies. Galapagos doves, cactus finch and mockingbirds forage nearby, unconcerned by human presence. Both lava and swallow-tailed gulls, with their red ringed eyes, sit atop the cliffs in company with marine iguanas. The trail continues to the high cliff edge of the southern shore. Below, a shelf of black lava reaches out into the surf where a blowhole shoots a periodic geyser of saltwater into the air.

Farther east along the cliff is the Albatross Airport where waved albatross line up to launch their great winged bodies from the cliffs, soaring out over the dramatic shoreline of crashing waves and driven spray. These are the largest birds in the Galapagos with wingspans up to 7.4 feet. They are the only species of albatross exclusive to the tropics. In the trees set back from the cliff is one of only two places in the world where the waved albatross nests. The 12,000 pairs that inhabit Hood Island comprise all but a tiny fraction of the world’s population of this species. Lucky visitors can watch courtship ‘fencing’ done with great yellow beaks. Large, fluffy, perfectly camouflaged chicks adorn nests on the ground nearby. The albatross lay their eggs from April through June though they can be seen fencing long after that. Eggs take two months to hatch. Hungry chicks can eat up to 4.4 pounds a day, which keeps their parents busy. By December the chicks are fully grown and ready to set out on their own in January. Pairs mate for life.

On the northeastern shore of Hood, Gardner Bay offers a magnificent long white sandy beach, where colonies of sea lions laze in the sun, sea turtles swim offshore and inquisitive mockingbirds boldly investigate new arrivals. Step off the powdery white sand into the turquoise water for a swim, but just a little further off-shore the snorkeling by Gardner Island offers peak encounters with playful young sea lions and schools of surprisingly large tropical fish, including yellow tailed surgeonfish, king angelfish and bump-head parrot fish. The young sea lions like to snack and play along Gardner Island’s sea cliff. They dart up from the depths, playfully show off their skills and then disappear. Sleepy white-tipped reef sharks can also be seen napping on the bottom. Gardner Bay and Islet also offer inviting waters for those interested.

Punta Pitt is located at the east end of San Cristobal Island. The trail includes an olivine beach approximately 300 feet and a trail that ascends to the top of a volcanic tuff hill passing through several natural viewpoints. Punta Pitt is composed of volcanic tuff substrate. This is the only site in the Galapagos Islands to watch all three species of boobies and two species of frigates nesting in the same area. Due to its geographic location and abundance of food, there is hardly any competition between them. The blue footed boobies nest in the interior of Punta Pitt, red-footed boobies nest on bushes and masked boobies nest in the cliffs.  Sealions can also be found in the area. San Cristobal was the first island Darwin visited when he arrived in 1835. He reported encountering a pair of giant tortoises feeding on cactus during that outing.

To the southeast of Kicker Rock lies Isla Lobos. The tiny island is separated from much larger San Cristobal by a narrow channel and little bay. This basalt island outcropping lives up to its name of Sea Lion Island and is home to a noisy population of frolicking and barking beasts. It is also a nesting place for blue-footed boobies and an excellent spot for snorkeling with sea lions. After walking the trail for some baby sea lion and booby watching amidst the sands beneath the salt bushes, have a real treat: change into snorkeling gear for some swimming with sea lions! They may dart past, then swim up and blow bubbles at your mask. On occasion they have been known to leap over and then dive in front of unsuspecting snorkelers.

Warm up from your dip in Grace’s Jacuzzi, while the ship heads up the coast from Isla Lobos to Leon Dormido, also known as Kicker Rock, a spectacular formation that rises 500 feet out of the Pacific. It takes the form of a sleeping lion, hence it’s Spanish name. From another angle one can see that the rock is split forming a colossal table and, piercing the sea, a great chisel ready for etching. Circumnavigate the rock formation and, depending on weather, go snorkeling again for a chance to see hammerhead sharks.

Santa Fe features one of the more beautiful and sheltered coves in the islands. Its turquoise lagoon is protected by a peninsula of tiny islets forming an ideal anchorage. The island lies southeast of Santa Cruz Island within sight of Puerto Ayora. Geologically, it is one of the oldest islands in the archipelago and for many years was thought to be a product of an uplift event. Through satellite imagery it has been possible to determine the island’s volcanic origins. A wet landing on a sandy white beach brings offers contact with one of many sea lion colonies. Bulls contend for the right of being beach master, while smaller males mask as females to make stealthy mating moves. Galapagos hawks are sometimes easily approached, perched atop salt bushes.

Ascend a trail leading toward the cliffs, where a dense inland thicket stand, and the cliff side provides an expansive view of the ocean. The forest of giant prickly pear cactus live up to their name with tree-sized trunks—the largest of their kind in the Galapagos. At the top of the trail, hope to spot one of the large species of land iguana endemic to Santa Fe. Beige to chocolate brown in color with dragon-like spines, these big iguanas truly resemble dinosaurs. An indigenous species of rice rat also inhabits the thicket, and lucky hikers may spot harmless Galapagos snakes. After the hike, there is nothing more inviting than snorkeling in the calm waters of the bay where sea lions play, sea turtles swim and tropical fish hide amidst the islets that form the natural reef. Santa Fe offers a more advanced kayaking route along its northern shore that ends at sea caves and is subject to conditions.

South Plaza Island lies just a few hundred meters off the east coast of Santa Cruz Island. South Plaza is one of the smallest yet richest islands in the archipelago. Just over 400 feet wide, it was formed by lava upwelling from the bottom of the ocean and is known for its lush and diverse flora. A grove of luminescent green prickly-pear cacti, a ground cover of red sesuvium, the turquoise waters of the channel and fiery Sally Lightfoot crabs combine to create a colorful palate of an island to explore. One of the big attractions here are the friendly yellow land iguanas waiting for lunch to drop from a cactus in the form of a prickly pear. Follow a trail up the tilt of the island to cliffs that look out over the ocean. Swallow-tailed gulls with red banded eyes nest atop the overlook, where its possible to spot marine life such as manta rays. South Plaza has a very healthy population of sea lions including a colony of bachelors that sit atop the cliff. They unintentionally polish the surrounding rocks with the oil from their fur. Look for red-billed tropic birds, Nazca and blue-footed boobies catching rides on the wind currents.

North Seymour Island was lifted from the ocean floor by a seismic event, and its origins as a seabed give the island its low, flat profile. Cliffs only a few meters high form much of the shoreline, where swallow-tailed gulls sit perched in ledges. A tiny forest of silver-grey Palo Santo trees stand just above the landing, usually without leaves, waiting for the rain to bring them into bloom. This island is teeming with life.

Give way to a passing sea lion or marine iguana. Blue-footed boobies nest on either side of the trail where mating pairs perform their courtship dance or fluffy white chicks peel out from beneath their protective mothers. The trail follows the eastern shore along the beach, where flocks of brown pelicans and blue-footed boobies hunt schools of fish. The boobies are ideally adapted as dive bombers and easily pierce the water, zeroing in on their targeted prey. Frigatebirds with wingspans of up to 5 feet soar overhead and all around. They were named for the way that the trim of their wings in flight are reminiscent of the square rigged sailing warship. Not coincidentally frigatebirds are also called Man O’ War birds and they live up to that name when they target boobies, pelicans and other birds to steal their catch. Because the frigates are pelagic, they lack the ability to take off from the water, so they do better at snatching fish from the surface or simply stealing them. They also target marine iguanas and young baby sea turtles.

The trail turns east and inland to reveal the nesting stronghold of the frigates. Watch males with large, bright red, inflated throat sacks known as gular pouches, all done in an effort to attract females. The guide points out the difference between the magnificent, or Man O’ War frigates, and their great frigate bird cousins. Large puff-ball frigate bird chicks inhabit nests, waiting for their parents to return with a meal. Even at this young age they possess long hooked beaks and act defiant when they feel threatened. Take a closer look at the feathers of the proud parents and notice their iridescent quality and deep green tinge.

Another inhabitant along the trail is the yellow land iguana. The species was originally introduced to the North Seymour in 1932 by Captain Alan Hancock and his crew from Baltra with the aim of rescuing the creatures from the poor conditions left by goats and other feral animals. The iguanas colonized the island without problem. The original colony disappeared from Baltra when it became a US military base in WWII. In 1980, the Charles Darwin Station began a breeding program using some of the animals found on Seymour and successfully reintroduced their prodigy to both islands. Today the population on Seymour is roughly 600 and on Baltra 1,500.

The snorkeling site at North Seymour also attracts scuba divers, with a chance to see many types of rays including marble rays, golden eagle rays, spotted eagle rays, sting rays and even manta rays. Dormitories of white-tipped reef sharks sleep on the bottom while schools of king angelfish and yellow tailed surgeonfish swarm the rocky shoreline passing the occasional parrot and damselfish. Some of the rocks are actually well disguised scorpion fish. Large schools of tightly packed blue and gold snappers, grunts and jacks are usually found plying these waters. Sea lions pay visits from both Seymour and nearby Mosquera Island as sea turtles and the occasional hammerhead shark can been seen down in the depths. Creole fish, the color of red salsa; hieroglyphic hawkfish, with neon-like etchings on their flanks; and spotfin burrfish, which look a bit like a swimming shoe box with a cartoon face, also inhabit the region.

Bartolomé is famous for Pinnacle Rock, a towering spearheaded obelisk that rises from the ocean’s edge and is the best known landmark in the Galapagos, which served as a back drop in the film Master & Commander. Galapagos penguins the only species of penguin found north of the equator walk precariously along narrow volcanic ledges at its base. Sea lions snooze on rocky platforms, ready to slide into the water to play with passing snorkelers. Below the surface, shoals of tropical fish dodge in and out of the rocks past urchins, sea stars and anemones.

A perfectly crescent sandy beach lies just to the east of the pinnacle and across a narrow isthmus another beach mirrors this one to the south. Sea turtles use both beaches and another to the west of the Pinnacle as nesting sites and can sometimes be seen wading back out into the shallow water near the shore or resting in the sand recovering from the arduous task of digging nests, laying eggs and covering them over. Penguins like to rest atop the nearby rocks by our next landing site, about a quarter mile east along the shore. The submerged walls of a tiny volcanic crater give the impression of a large fountain pool.

The entrance to a 2,000-foot pathway complete with stairs and boardwalks leads to Bartolome’s summit. The route is not difficult and presents an open textbook of the islands’ volcanic origins: a site left untouched after its last eruption, where small cones stand in various stages of erosion and lava tubes form bobsled-like runs down from the summit. At the top, be rewarded with spectacular views of Santiago Island and Sullivan Bay to the west, and far below, Pinnacle Rock and the crystal turquoise waters of the bay cradling the Grace. The next landing site is a short distance away to the southeast.

This evening will be especially relaxed; consider enjoying a long, lingering soak in the Jacuzzi. The Grace yacht can stay anchored where she is tonight as you are already within sight of the next morning’s landing site across the channel just to the south. The view east toward the tiny twin table mountain islands of Daphne Major and Daphne Minor is particularly inviting with the sun setting behind them.

Tiny Sombrero Chino (Chinese Hat) Island is named for the resemblance its shape has to a traditional Chinese Coolie’s hat. Today’s visitor site is off limits to larger groups and day boats, making Sombrero Chino, along with Daphne Major, one of the least visited sites in the central islands. The island lies just off the southeastern tip of the large nearby island of Santiago, separated by a narrow channel which makes for very calm, protected waters. Step ashore on a tiny crescent shaped cove with sandy white beach cradled between black lava rocks and the crystal turquoise waters of the channel. A sea lion colony likes to rest on the warm white sands, while the rockier sections of the coast are alive with colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs. Marine iguanas sun themselves atop the rocks after foraging for algae in the channel. American oyster catchers stalk the tide pools stabbing at shellfish with their bright orange beaks.

Take a quarter-mile trail into the island’s volcanic interior to explore its rock formations, including excellent examples of pahoehoe lava resembling black rock ropes. The area is inhabited by ground-hugging red sesuvim plants and curious lava lizards. Back at the cove, enjoy another opportunity to snorkel with sea lions as well as rockier sections of the coastline inhabited by Galapagos penguins that dart past unsuspecting snorkelers. Galapagos penguins are the only species of penguin you’ll find living north of the nearby equator. Paddlers will have the opportunity to kayak in areas not indicated as off limited by national park signs.

In the early afternoon, set out to Dragon Hill. Bright yellow land iguanas inhabit the northeastern shore of Santa Cruz Island, with large spines on their backs that make them look even more like their legendary cousins. All they lack are wings. In the 1900s their ancestors were once moved to nearby Venezia islet to protect them from the feral dogs that once roamed Santa Cruz. When the dogs were removed, the colony was returned and today they thrive around the hill that is named in their honor, Cerro Dragon. The lava flows that reach out from the shore from Cerro Dragon form black reefs that make for excellent snorkeling at high tide.

Make a dry landing and spot yellow warblers that stand out against the black lava. Walk up the beach to a trail that leads to a hyper saline lagoon, which is a seasonal haunt for pink flamingos. At the top of Dragon Hill, notice the transition from intertidal vegetation like mangroves to dry zone vegetation including palo santo cactus and the silvery leafed palo santo trees. Keep a look out for the famous Darwin’s finches. Also known as Galapagos finches, they were first collected by Charles Darwin and make a group of about 15 species that are found nowhere else. Ironically, they are not related to true finches.

While walking through the scalesia forests, look for dragons below and endemic cactus finch and woodpecker finch perched overhead. The loop trail heads inland and up the hill. The rough terrain makes this hike a bit challenging, but the view back toward the bay is rewarding. The real reward, of course, is the dragons hiding in the thicket.  Back at the beach, lucky observers may see one of Santa Cruz Island’s fearless Galapagos hawks perched atop the lava, surveying the surroundings.

This last morning in the Galapagos includes a visit to Black Turtle Cove. Located on the northern shore of Santa Cruz, the cove is a living illustration of how mangroves alter the marine environment to create a rich and unique habitat. Four species of mangrove crowd the shore and lagoon, which stretches almost a mile inland. Drift through the quiet waters in the dinghy in search of spotted eagle rays and cow-nosed or golden rays, which swim in a diamond formation. White-tipped reef sharks can be seen beneath the boat and Pacific green sea turtles come to the surface for air and to mate. Sea birds, including brown pelicans, blue herons and lava herons, come to feed in the cove which has also been declared a “Turtle Sanctuary.”

Set sail for nearby Baltra Island, which was a US Air Force base during WWII and still has remnants of the old foundations from that era ashore. It doesn’t take long for the Grace to navigate north along Baltra’s western shore to the island’s port. The crew will see to transporting your luggage ashore. All you need to do is take along your carry-on luggage for the short crossing to shore, where a bus will drive the five minutes to the airport. This is one last chance to purchase souvenirs in the airport. Almost all flights to the mainland stop in Guayaquil and continue on to Quito so make sure you know where to get off the plane. Say farewell the to Galapagos and begin your journey home or to some other destination like the Ecuadorian Highlands, Amazon or nearby Peru.