Galapagos: Baltra to Santa Cruz Island

Start off your exceptional cruise through the tropical Galapagos Islands with a two-night stay in Quito. Board the luxurious Aqua Mare and embark on a journey with diverse, wildlife-rich regions to explore on your ports of call, catching glimpses of creatures that have made a home on the islands. Whether you take picturesque hikes up splatter cones of Bartolome Island, snorkel the lively waters of Espanola Island or wander through the Darwin Station and National Park headquarters, you’ll have a holiday filled with natural beauty and fascinating excursions. This itinerary departs at various points in the year, perfect for you to pick what suits you, with the option of doing the cruise in reverse.

After your pre-cruise stay for two nights in JW Marriott Quito exploring the best of the ‘Middle of the World’ city, take a flight to Baltra Island where you will board the Aqua Mare and sail to Bahia Borrero for finch spotting and admiring sea turtles. After a night of voyaging to the other side of the equator, wake in Bahia Darwin to hike, snorkel and explore the penguin and seal population of Genovesa Island.

Bahia Sullivan is home to recent Pahoehoe lava flows, of which you can discover on your exploration of the island. Next is the Sombrero Chino Island, surrounded in crystal-clear water, perfect for your snorkelling sessions. To see the famed Galapagos penguins, you’ll travel to your next port of call, the scenic Bartolome Island. After a hike up one of the spatter cones, you might get the opportunity to encounter some Galapagos penguins and sea turtles before sailing to Dragon Hill on Santa Cruz Island where you’ll see the healthy population of land iguanas.

A highlight of Santa Cruz Island is the Manzanillo Giant Tortoise Reserve and Fausto Llerena Breeding Centre. Here, you’ll discover some of the wild Galapagos creatures from Darwin’s finches and yellow warblers to flycatchers. Plus, you can also see captive tortoises in the National Park headquarters as well as hatchlings, an unmissable experience for wildlife lovers!

In between excursions, you’ll be dining on the superb flavours concocted by world renowned consultant chef, Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, and rest in elegantly designed suites - some of the largest in the Galapagos. Enjoy swapping stories with your new friends in the panoramic lounge whilst sipping on some selected wines, beers and non-alcoholic drinks, or spend relaxing mornings on the sun deck in the Jacuzzi. Send updates of your adventures to your loved ones at home using two hours of complimentary access per day to the high-speed Starlink WiFi. 

9 nights from £10,499 per person

Based on 15 May - 24 May

Various departure dates available throughout the year