Galapagos and Ecuador 2025

Day 7:  February 14 Tagus Cove / Punta Espinoza.  Stop for a visit at Tagus Cove and hike to a lookout to get a stunning view of the bay.  Spot old graffiti on the cliffs from whalers and pirates who once visited the cove.  Continue to Punta Espinoza on Fernandina, the youngest of the Galapagos Islands.  Witness the large colony of marine iguanas and a variety of bird life. Morning.  Tagus Cove Visit.  Visit Tagus Cove, an Isabela Island anchorage site that was popular among whalers and pirates.  Tour the area on foot for spectacular views of Darwin Lake (a spherical saltwater crater), the bay, and Darwin and Wolf volcanoes.  Upon landing, take the wooden stairway to the trail entrance, and follow the trail through a dry vegetation zone.  Opt to continue on an ascent to a promontory made up of spatter cones (small volcanic cones) or explore the area by dinghy. Morning.  Snorkelling (Tagus Cove).  Grab a mask and snorkel and wit...

Day 6:  February 13 Elizabeth Bay / Urbina Bay.  Pay a morning visit to Elizabeth Bay which offers amazing bird and marine life viewing opportunities.  Head out on the pangas and explore the shallows and mangroves to look for sea turtles and penguins.  Visit Urbina Bay, located at the base of the Alcedo Volcano.  Hike the trail for a chance to see land tortoises in the wild, watching for land iguanas along the way. Elizabeth Bay Panga Ride.  Head out by panga to explore, keeping an eye out for wildlife hiding among the mangroves.  Search for marine turtles, rays, and flightless cormorants in the sheltered waters.  Also spot blue-footed boobies, penguins, and pelicans feeding on the abundant marine life. Urbina Bay Visit.  Visit Urbina Bay for a unique walk among a massive marine reef that was raised out of the water in 1950 during an uplift.  See "sculptures" of dried coral and other ocean formations while touring the area on foot. ...