G A L A P A G O S I S L A N D S
San Cristobal Island San Cristóbal (Chatham) Island bears the name of the patron saint of seafarers, St. Christopher. The English named it after William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham. It has an area of 558 square kilometers (215 sq mi) and its highest point rises to 730 meters (2395 ft). This island hosts frigate birds, sea lions, giant tortoises, blue- and redfooted boobies, tropicbirds, marine iguanas, dolphins and swallow-tailed gulls. Lobos Island Located on the north Coast of San Cristóbal Island, the trail at this visitors site can be done in about three hours, including the panga (dingy) ride. The site offers an excellent landscape, a long powder-like sandy beach where one can swim and snorkel with an excellent view of Kicker Rock on the horizon. There is a lagoon where visitors can watch different species of coastal sea birds. DIVING OPTIONS Kicker Rock Located just off the west coast of San Cristobal Island, and is the remains of a lava cone eroded by the ocean. Two vertical rocks rise 500 ft above the ocean and form a small channel that is navigable by small boats, whilst the cliffs are home to many boobies, frigates and tropic birds. Under the water, the channel with a sandy/rocky bottom, reaches approx 19 meters and is one of the best places in Galápagos to spot the elusive Galápagos sharks. Spotted eagle rays, green sea turtles and white tip reef sharks also like to glide against the current through the channel, as well as a large variety of colourful reef fish. This is the place to see the hammerheads cruising the currents, DAY 1 ITINERARY A
DIVING OPTION Big Port Pitt Point Located at the east end of San Cristóbal Island, the trail at Pitt Point includes an olivine beach approximately 90 meters and a trail that ascends to the top of a volcanic tuff hill passing through several natural viewpoints. This is the only site in the Galapagos Islands where you can watch the three species of boobies and 2 species of frigates nesting in the same area. Due to the geographic location of Pitt Point there is enough food so there is no competition between them. Witch Hill Located on the northern coast, this eroded hill and its surroundings present one of the most picturesque beaches in the Galápagos with its white powdery sand and the abundance of animals. Wildlife includes sea turtles, rays, and various types of booby birds. The clear water provides an excellent opportunity for enjoying swimming and snorkeling.
Gardner Bay Located on the north Coast of Española Island, the visiting area is defined by two beaches. The main attraction is the colony of sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki), which inhabit the beach in great quantity during the breeding season. Suarez point Located on the west end of Española Island. Española is known as one of the older islands with an estimated age of 3.3 million years. Basaltic lava rocks cover much of the island. Albatrosses are present in Española from April to November or December, and marine iguanas, the Galapagos hawk, a variety of mockingbirds, lava lizards, Darwin s finches are all considered endemic to this island. Besides the wildlife on this island a major attraction is El Soplador (a blowhole) located on a cliff, the water rising up to 25 feet, depending on the intensity of the waves. DAY 3
DIVING OPTION Cormorant Point and Champion DAY 4 Cormorant Point Located on the north Coast of Floreana Island. The trail has an approximate distance of 720 meters. The trail leads the visitor to a viewing site above a lagoon where one can observe a large colony of Flamingos. The same path ends at a white sand beach which is a nesting area for sea turtles. A large amount of rays and sea turtles can be seen on the shore as well. Post Office Bay An historic site that recalls the days of the whalers when they came for supplies of Galapagos tortoises and water. Presumably a whaling boat captain placed a barrel in the eighteenth century for those who pass through the bay to leave mail and then be delivered by those traveling towards the destination. Another point of interest is a lava tunnel, the path to the cave is clearly marked.
DAY 5 DIVING OPTION Seymour and Mosquera North Seymour Island Named after an English nobleman, Lord Hugh Seymour, it has an area of 1.9 square kilometers (0.7 sq mi) and a maximum altitude of 28 meters (92 ft). Just north of the Baltra Airport is this small islet of North Seymour which was created by seismic uplift, rather than being of volcanic origin. North Seymour is an extraordinary place for breeding birds, and is home to one of the largest populations of nesting blue-footed boobies and magnificent frigate birds. Pairs of blue-footed boobies can be seen conducting their mating ritual as they offer each other gifts, whistle and honk, stretch their necks towards the sky, spread their wings, and dance showing off their bright blue feet. Bartholomew Island. Bartolomé (Bartholomew) Island is a volcanic islet and is one of the younger islands in the Galápagos archipelago. This island is one of the few that is home to the Galapagos penguin which is the only wild penguin species that lives on the Equator.
Genovesa Island: El Barranco The visitor site of El Barranco is located in the southern part of Darwin Bay on Genovesa Island. The trail is on volcanic rock and is 1.5 km long. Everywhere one looks, there are masked boobies on the ground and red-footed boobies in the trees. Snorkeling can be done at the beach or alongside the cliffs. The water inside the bay is very rich in nutrients, creating an atmosphere that is rich in underwater life. Darwin s Bay Located on Genovesa Island, Darwin's Bay highlights are the nesting colonies of the common frigate, the Nazca booby and the swallow-tailed gulls. We also find here nests of red-footed booby, which is the largest nesting colony in the Galapagos for this pelagic bird. DAY 6
DIVING OPTION Gordon Rocks (minimum experience to participate: 30 logged dives or the previous evaluation of our dive guides at another site) DAY 7 South Plazas Island South Plaza was formed by lava up streaming from the bottom of the ocean. Despite its small size it is home to a large number of species and it is famous for its extraordinary flora, making this island very popular with visitors. On the steep banks it is possible to see a great number of birds such as nesting red-billed tropicbirds and swallow-tailed gulls. But most of all, enjoying the beautiful view from atop the steep banks or strolling along the base of the cliff is an extremely pleasurable experience. Very attractive are the beautiful prickly pear cactus trees (Opuntia echios) and of course the large colony of Galapagos land iguanas. Depending on the season, the Sesuvium ground vegetation changes its colour from intense green in the rainy season to orange and purple in the dry season. Santa Fe Island Santa Fé (Barrington) Island is named after a city in Spain and has an area of 24 square kilometers (9 sq mi) and a maximum altitude of 259 meters (850 ft). Weathered cliffs provide a haven for swallow-tailed gulls, red-billed tropic birds and shear-waters petrels. Santa Fe species of land iguanas are often seen, as well as lava lizards.
Santa Cruz Island Given the name of the Holy Cross in Spanish, its English name derives from the British vessel HMS Indefatigable. It has an area of 986 square kilometers (381 sq mi)and a maximum altitude of 864 meters (2834 ft). Twin Craters - Baltra This area has become more popular in recent years due to several trails created that lead to the two craters. Guides are asked to use only the National Park trail to avoid erosion and deterioration of the area. In 1989 a circular path around the largest crater was opened which passes through the interior of the Scalesia forest, an excellent place to observe land birds, especially the woodpecker finch and the vermillion flycatcher. DAY 8 DIVING OPTION Santa Fe
General Description of Motor Yacht Stella Maris M/Y STELLA MARIS was built by Italian Yacht builder Picchiotti and launch in 1987. The Yacht has a long career as a private / commercial charter vessel throughout the years, first as M/Y TALON and later on as M/Y ALTA. Stella Maris has undergone a major refit to become the first luxury yacht based in the Galapagos Islands available for private charters. Tecnical Specifications Builder: Picchiotti Year: 1987 / 2006 Refit: 2013/2014 Hull Type: Full Displacement Number of decks: 4 Dimensions: Length Overall: 38m/124 Beam : 7,77m/ 25 Draught max.: 2.65m/8 Gross Tonnage: 317 Materials: Hull : Steel Superstructure: Aluminum Decks: Cork / teak DECK PLANS
SERVICE ON BOARD INCLUDES All acommodations on board Excurcisions within the islands Private Naturalist Guide Transfer within the islands Soft Drinks: water, coffee, tea Snorkeling equipment Fuel ADITIONAL PRIVATE STAFF Selected private naruralist guide International chef 24/7 Charter concierge service 24/7 Private photographer Host NOT INCLUDED Flight tickets to Galápagos Galapagos National Park fee $100 p/p Galapagos Transit Card $10 p/p Food and Alcoholic Beverages Gratuity
The Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) is a marine bird in the family Sulidae, which includes ten species of long-winged seabirds. Manta birostris) is a species of ray in the family Mobulidae, and the largest type of ray in the world. They are circumglobal and are typically found in tropical and subtropical waters, but can also be found in temperate waters. Blue-Footed Booby Delphins The Delphin (dolphin) was a German midget submarine created during World War II. Designed in 1944, only three prototypes were created by the Kriegsmarine by the end of the war, all of which were destroyed. The Delphin was built for underwater speed attacks, as German engineers discovered that past midget submarines were too slow to match the speeds of large ships in the English Channel. Manta Ray Marine Tortoise Tortoises (Testudinidae) are a family of land-dwelling reptiles in the order Testudines. Like turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. Brown Pelican The Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a small pelican found in the Americas. It is one of the best known and most prominent birds found in the coastal areas of the southern and western United States. It is one of only 3 pelican species found in the Western Hemisphere. The Brown Pelican is one of the only two pelican species which feeds by diving into the water. Flamingos Flamingos are a type of wading bird in the genus Phoenicopterus (meaning "purple wing"), the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae. There are four flamingo species in the Americas. FAUNA in GALAPAGOS
FAUNA in GALAPAGOS common crabs along the western coast of the Americas. It is also known as "red rock crab", "abuete negro", and along w ith crabs such as Percnon gibbesi as, "Sally Lightfoot". Sea lions are sea mammals characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short, thick hair. Red Crab Lava Lizard Microlophus is a genus of Tropidurid lizards. There are twenty two recognized species in the genus, and nine of these are endemic to the Galápagos Islands where they are popularly known as lava lizards. The remaining species, which often are called Pacific iguanas, are found in the Andes and along the Pacific coast of Chile, Peru, and Ecuador. Sea Lion Giant Tortoise Giant tortoises are characteristic reptiles of certain tropical islands. Often reaching enormous sizethey can weigh as much as 300 kg (660 lbs) and can grow to be 1.3 m (4 ft) long. They live, or lived (some species are recently extinct), in the Seychelles, the Mascarenes and the Galapagos. The marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) is an iguana found only on the Galápagos Islands that has the ability, unique among modern lizards, to live and forage in the sea, making it a marine reptile. The iguana can dive over 9 m (30 ft) into the water. The Galapagos land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus) is a species of lizard in the family Iguanidae. It is one of three species of the genus Conolophus. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands Marine Iguana Land Iguana
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS