Galapagos Discovery: The Nat Hab Experience

Upon arrival at the Quito airport, you are met by our local representative and transferred to our boutique hotel in the heart of Quito's historic Old Town, about an hour away. This evening, enjoy dinner on your own.

After breakfast, embark on a full day of discovery in Ecuador’s capital. Heralded as Latin America's best-preserved colonial city, Quito's Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with cobblestone lanes, elegant plazas and monuments, and ornate gilded churches. On a guided city tour, take in a panorama of the city and surrounding volcanic peaks, visit the 16th-century Church and Convent of San Francisco, and wander through San Francisco Square. Marvel at the baroque splendor of La Compañia Church with its gleaming gold-leaf interior, and survey Independence Plaza, the original center of Quito from which we view the Archbishop's Palace, Cathedral and Presidential Palace.

We also visit an artisanal chocolate shop featuring products handmade from Ecuador's finest cacao and we'll do a chocolate tasting. Ethically cultivated by a women's cooperative using traditional organic techniques, this rare cacao is prized by the great chocolatiers of the world for its heady aroma and unique flavor. Following lunch, the afternoon is at leisure to explore the city further on your own or visit the shops near our hotel, where you can purchase locally crafted goods ranging from hats to wooden toys. This evening, we gather for a welcome dinner with one of our Expedition Leaders.

Depart early this morning for the Quito airport and our flight to the Galapagos Islands. Note that our flight has a short layover in Guayaquil due to scheduling and logistical constraints. Landing on Baltra, we meet our second Expedition Leader, who accompanies us to the pier where the Tip Top IV awaits. This first-class motor yacht will be our home base for the next week as we explore the islands. Once we’re settled in, join our guides for a safety briefing and orientation to the adventures that lie ahead.

Our first landing awaits on Black Turtle Cove, a sheltered lagoon on the north coast of the island. Take a panga ride to explore the shimmering turquoise water, hoping to see white-tipped reef sharks, rays and sea turtles. Back aboard the Tip Top IV our Expedition Leaders offer a briefing about tomorrow’s activities, followed by sunset cocktails and dinner.

This morning our Expedition Leaders provide an orientation to our kayaks, helping us get fitted to our boats and reviewing paddling techniques. Our first chance to paddle awaits as we visit Genovesa, or Tower Island, a collapsed shield volcano that attracts literally millions of seabirds that come here to breed and nest. Paddling our kayaks inside the flooded crater, we are surrounded by red-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, storm petrels and yellow-crowned night herons that rend the air with a cacophony of squawks. Surrounded by vertical cliffs of the collapsed caldera, Darwin Bay is an ideal breeding site for the birds that congregate on Genovesa, including red-billed tropic birds and Galapagos shearwaters that nest in holes in the lava walls.

Our first landing is at Darwin Bay Beach, following a trail into lush mangroves where red-footed boobies nest. We may also see nesting colonies of great frigatebird, Nazca booby and huge numbers of breeding swallow-tailed gull pairs. After our walk, snorkel from the beach, where plenty of sea lions loll in the sun, and look for rays and sea turtles commonly on view beneath the surface. This afternoon, we visit El Barranco, also known as Prince Phillip's Steps, a steep path with stairs carved into the rock that leads to a plateau full of birdlife within a Palo Santo forest. Walk among colonies of great frigatebirds and Nazca boobies to a lava field where storm petrels nest in underground lava tubes. We may also see Galapagos doves, mockingbirds and perhaps an endemic short-eared owl.

Arrive on Santa Cruz where our day begins in Puerto Ayora, the island’s main town to visit the world-famous giant tortoise-rearing center, run in tandem by Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Research Station. Here, international scientists conduct research dedicated to conserving the unique habitats and species of the Galapagos. At the facility, we see the protection pens where hatchlings are bred to help increase depleted tortoise populations, a central mission for both the research station and the national park. To date, more than 5,000 tortoises bred at the station have been released into the wild.

After lunch on board the Tip Top IV, we have a bit of time to wander around Puerto Ayora before ascending into the misty highlands of Santa Cruz where Nat Hab's private Tortoise Camp awaits. The camp’s exclusive setting offers a rare opportunity to spend a night in wild tortoise habitat, and these ancient, gentle reptiles that are the archipelago's namesake often wander right through camp. Accommodations are in safari-style walk-in tents on raised platforms and treehouses with views of the ocean. While rustic, they offer comfortable amenities, including real beds and en suite facilities.

But the real treat of a stay here is our proximity to wild tortoises, which are attracted to the area's lush vegetation, including our Scalesia forest restoration zone. Since 2022, Nat Hab and our guests have planted more than 1,000 of this important tree, endemic to the islands and habitat for myriad diverse plants and animals. However, invasive species and historical deforestation threatens the Scalesia forests, making their conservation a high priority. Tortoises are most commonly seen in camp from July through February. From March to June, we make an excursion to a nearby tortoise reserve for closer views, as they migrate seasonally to a lower elevation.

Please note: At times, Tortoise Camp may be closed due to poor weather conditions.

Search for more giant tortoises this morning before we return to the Tip Top IV for lunch and sail on to El Eden, a restricted islet located just off Santa Cruz Island. An ancient, eroded volcano, the islet is comprised of layers upon layers of volcanic ash cemented over eons of time, with a small volcanic sand beach. The steep slopes of the old tuff cone are completely covered in Palo Santo trees and opuntia cacti that make up the bulk of the dry forest in the Galapagos archipelago. Exploring by panga, we get a close view of the islet, with the picturesque backdrop of Santa Cruz behind it. Along the shore we may encounter flocks of seabirds resting alongside marine iguanas. Since the islet’s northern side faces the open ocean, it also attracts pelagic birds such as the elegant Nazca booby and red-billed tropicbird. The opposite side of the island is sheltered by Santa Cruz, creating calm sea conditions for birdwatching from the panga. We may see blue-footed boobies, brown pelicans, various herons, and occasionally we spot a small colony of Galapagos sea lions alongside marine iguanas as we soak up the peace of this serene environment surrounded by mangroves.

As we navigate the Bolivar Channel to reach Isabela, the largest island in the Galapagos, our day begins at sunrise, keeping watch on deck for whales and dolphins. Anchoring at Tagus Cove, we set out to explore by kayak, finding penguins, pelicans and graffiti dating to the 1800s when the names of ships were carved into the rock above a historic anchorage for pirates and whalers. Another snorkeling opportunity awaits, perhaps with a chance to frolic again with young sea lions. Inside the submerged volcanic cone, we find saltwater Darwin Lake. On the southern side of Isabela, Tip Top IV enters Elizabeth Bay to explore a sprinkling of islets, a lagoon frequented by sea turtles, and surrounding red and black mangroves. On a panga ride, search for resting and feeding sea turtles along with lava herons, Galapagos penguins, rays and flightless cormorants.

At Urbina Bay this morning, step onto a black sand beach to witness one of the best examples of geological uplift in the Galapagos, a phenomenon that occurs when molten rock beneath the surface suddenly shifts. In 1954, the coastline was driven three-quarters of a mile out to sea, exposing coral and stranding marine organisms on what is now the shore. Urbina Bay is home to a colony of some of the largest land iguanas in the islands, plus the iconic Galapagos tortoise. We may also see bright yellow Darwin’s cotton flowers here, unique to the archipelago.

This afternoon we land at Punta Moreno, a point located between two volcanoes, Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul, where we step ashore to walk atop the hardened lava. At first glance, the corrugated rock landscape appears lifeless. However, the ropy black surface is dotted with numerous coastal lagoons harboring a wide variety of birdlife. Commonly seen species include flamingos, paint-billed crakes, white-cheeked pintails and herons. We also see endemic Galapagos flora taking root on this young, barren lava flow, including giant opuntia cactus, Palo Santo trees and lichens. The protected waters of Moreno Bay are surrounded by mangroves, creating perfect habitat for sea turtles, which we may spot from the pangas or as we snorkel. Cormorants may also be on view along the shoreline as well.

This morning we land at Punta Cormorant on Floreana, one of the few populated islands in the Galapagos. Following a trail through a Palo Santo forest to a brackish lagoon, look for pintail ducks, common stilts and bright pink flamingos. As we wind our way past a wide variety of plants, we reach a beach of fine sand where sea turtles lay eggs in the dunes and rays swim in the shallow water. Back aboard ship, we sail a short distance to Champion Islet just offshore, one of the best drift-snorkel spots in the Galapagos. As the current floats us past the steep walls of this submerged volcanic crater, we spy large schools of fish and bright corals as we're followed by playful young sea lions.

Floreana's rich cultural history is filled with intrigue, including tales of pirates who once hid out here. One relic of this colorful past is the "Post Office Barrel," established by British whalers in 1793, where travelers still leave mail for personal delivery via visitors passing through. After a short snorkel to look for sea turtles, we paddle around the mangrove-lined shores of Post Office Bay where large bull sea lions patrol the rocky terrain and reddish-colored marine iguanas bask near the tree cacti.

A small, flat, sandy islet nearly devoid of vegetation, Mosquera sits in the channel between Baltra and North Seymour and has one of the largest sea lion populations in the Galapagos. Depending on the tide, we will either walk or explore by panga. The islet hosts a variety of bird species, including the rare Lava Gull and a range of coastal birds. Watch for colorful Sally Lightfoot Crabs on the beach.

All too soon, our time in the Enchanted Isles comes to a close as we return to Baltra and say goodbye to Tip Top IV, her crew and our Expedition Leaders. Transfer to the airport, then board our flight back to the mainland. Upon arrival at the Quito airport, we transfer to our hotel just minutes away, where an overnight stay is included. A complimentary shuttle takes you back to the airport in time for your flight home, or for your onward extension.