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Arrive
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Day 1 Arrive in Quito
Arrive in Ecuador’s capital city today where you will be met at the airport and privately transferred to Casa Gangotena. Housed within a beautifully restored mansion, Casa Gangotena is a luxurious and well-positioned base for you to recover from your journey or gain a gentle introduction to historic Quito.
Overnight: Casa Gangotena
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Day 2 To the Galapagos, Santa Cruz Highlands
Your adventure begins in earnest today as you take a morning flight to the Galapagos Islands. You will be met at the airport and transferred to your luxury catamaran with the other guests. Settle in for a first delicious lunch onboard before setting out on a guided expedition through the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. Here, you may be able to enjoy one of the Galapagos’ most iconic wildlife encounters - observing giant tortoises roaming freely in their natural habitat. Sir David Attenborough first visited the Galapagos Islands in 1978 while filming the documentary Life on Earth, and giant tortoises were an iconic species he introduced to a global audience to illustrate the islands’ evolutionary importance. He returned to the archipelago on various occasions and giant tortoises were a regular feature, including a poignant encounter in 2012 with Lonesome George, the last known Pinta Island tortoise. Though this subspecies is sadly now extinct, passionate conservation efforts and breeding programmes have contributed to the survival of over 20,000 giant tortoises across the Galapagos Islands, and being able to see them in the wild is always a powerful experience.
The second part of your explorations in the Santa Cruz highlands takes you through through ancient lava tunnels formed by volcanic activity thousands of years ago. Walking beneath the earth through these vast natural passages provides a fascinating insight into the geological forces that shaped the archipelago. As the day draws to a close, return to the vessel where there’ll be some time to relax before dinner.
Overnight: Hermes
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Day 3 Dragon Hill & Chinese Hat
Waking to your first full day in the Galapagos, you’ll disembark after breakfast to explore Dragon Hill on the western coast of Santa Cruz Island. A gentle walk leads past a hypersaline lagoon, often frequented by elegant pink flamingos, pintail ducks, and a variety of other birdlife. Continue through a landscape of endemic vegetation including remarkable scalesia forest, which leads to a prime viewing area for the Galapagos land iguana. These remarkable reptiles, found nowhere else on Earth, bask among the volcanic terrain and can be viewed and photographed in close proximity.
Return to the Hermes for lunch while she sets sail for the small islet of Chinese Hat, named for its distinctive cone-shaped silhouette. Here, striking lava formations meet white coral-sand beaches. In the surrounding waters you’ll be able to swim alongside playful sea lions, colourful tropical fish and maybe even the Galapagos penguin—the only penguin species found north of the equator. Marine iguanas are frequently seen resting on the lava rocks, and the island’s volcanic scenery provides further insights into the geological origins of the archipelago.
Overnight: Hermes
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Day 4 Prince Philip’s Steps & Darwin Bay
Today’s adventures are centred around the remote island of Genovesa, a place of extraordinary wildlife and strong connections to Charles Darwin’s evolutionary studies. Genovesa is also home to one of the world's largest colonies of red-footed boobies, with tens of thousands of birds nesting amongst its rugged landscapes. The island featured in David Attenborough’s 1998 documentary The Life of Birds, which highlighted remarkable seabird behaviour including the courtship rituals of great frigatebirds. Attenborough’s love of birds is well documented, and his multiple visits to the islands provided him with endless opportunities to observe the ways endemic species have adapted to their surroundings.
On your own visit to Genovesa you’ll first land at Prince Philip’s Steps, a dramatic staircase carved into the cliffs that rises from the shoreline to the island’s plateau above. As you ascend, you’ll be able to absorb sweeping views across Darwin Bay and the surrounding ocean. At the top, a trail winds through palo santo woodland, where Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies, Darwin finches and mockingbirds are commonly encountered.
Your afternoon excursion explores Darwin Bay from the water. Formed by the collapsed caldera of an ancient volcano, you will land on one of Darwin Bay’s sand and coral beaches. A gentle coastal walk reveals nesting colonies of red-footed boobies and Attenborough’s much-loved magnificent frigatebirds. Pass a tidal lagoon where playful sea lions gather before continuing to a scenic viewpoint overlooking this wild and untouched corner of the Galapagos.
Overnight: Hermes
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Day 5 Black Turtle Cove & Bachas Beach
After breakfast, you’ll disembark to explore the serene waterways of Black Turtle Cove in northern Santa Cruz, one of the Galapagos' most important mangrove ecosystems. Travel by Zodiac through crystal-clear waters that provide excellent opportunities to observe wildlife beneath the surface. Keep watch for sea turtles, golden rays and manta rays gliding through the shallows, while white-tip reef sharks can often be spotted cruising silently beneath the mangrove roots.
After lunch back on board, the exquisite shores of Bachas Beach await for your afternoon excursion. This sweeping stretch of soft white sand is one of the most attractive beaches in the Galápagos, as well as being an important nesting site for green sea turtles. Here you can enjoy some free time swimming in the clear waters or snorkelling directly from shore. Sally Lightfoot crabs scuttle across the lava rocks, sea lions bask along the shore, and a variety of birdlife, including frigatebirds and blue-footed boobies and black-necked stilts can often be seen nearby. Return to Hermes later this afternoon and perhaps enjoy a relaxing soak in the Jacuzzi on the panoramic deck.
Overnight: Hermes
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Day 6 Tagus Cove & Urbina Bay
Overnight, Hermes will have sailed to the far western reaches of the Galapagos and the vast island of Isabela. Today’s explorations focus on the island’s wild western coast which feels wonderfully untouched. Sir David Attenborough spent considerable amounts of time on the island, showcasing the landscapes to demonstrate the dynamic geology and extraordinary evolutionary history of the Galapagos archipelago. At Tagus Cove you will be able to see more evidence of the islands’ volcanic origins. This historic anchorage was once used by pirates, whalers and early explorers, including Charles Darwin during his visit to the islands in 1835. A trail leads inland to Darwin Lake, a striking saltwater crater lake set high above sea level on the slopes of Darwin Volcano. From the viewpoint, take in sweeping vistas across the cove and surrounding lava fields. The area is also rich in birdlife, with the possibility of seeing blue-footed boobies, brown noddies, terns, and flightless cormorants. Snorkelling here offers the chance to encounter sea turtles, sharks, and colourful reef fish in the clear, nutrient-rich waters. Return to Hermes for lunch and time to recover from your active morning.
This afternoon, continue to Urbina Bay. As one of the youngest geological features in the Galápagos, the bay was highlighted by Attenborough as evidence the islands are still changing geologically to this day. On your guided walk, take in scenes of coastal vegetation and the Alcedo Volcano beyond. This is a prime place to look for wild Galápagos giant tortoises and land iguanas, as well as marine iguanas and flightless cormorants closer to the shoreline. Snorkelling in the surrounding waters provides opportunities to spot penguins, turtles, and marine iguanas feeding beneath the surface.
Overnight: Hermes
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Day 7 Espinoza Point & Vicente Roca Point
This morning, land at Espinoza Point on Fernandina Island, the youngest and most pristine island in the Galapagos. Located to the west of Isabela, Fernandina is another place Sir David Attenborough spent considerable time. Remarkably, no introduced species have established themselves here, allowing you to experience an ecosystem that remains largely unchanged. One of the highlights is one of the world’s largest colony of marine iguanas, visited by Sir David Attenborough to film one of the evolution’s most remarkable reptiles - lizards that feed in the sea. Galapagos hawks, lava lizards, sea lions and penguins also live together here in a near-pristine environment, showing how isolation can drive species to evolve in unique ways. As you explore the shoreline, you may see sea lions basking along the coast, and rays and sea turtles resting in the shallows. Continuing along the trail, you may also encounter the flightless cormorant. This remarkable bird has evolved in the absence of predators, exchanging flight for exceptional diving abilities – a powerful example of adaptation to island life.
This afternoon, head to Vicente Roca Point, a place where Sir David Attenborough demonstrated the link between ocean currents and biodiversity. The convergence of cold ocean currents creates one of the richest underwater environments, highlighting the powerful oceanic forces that sustain life throughout the island. Take a guided Zodiac safari along the coastline, observing towering cliffs, secluded coves, and abundant birdlife. There is also a healthy population of Galapagos green turtles, which are frequently seen gliding through the clear waters. Snorkelling in this remarkable marine sanctuary delivers encounters with turtles, rays, reef sharks and vast schools of tropical fish. Explore underwater cliffs and shallow caves teeming with life, gaining a deeper appreciation of the incredible ecosystems that thrive beneath the surface of the Pacific.
Overnight: Hermes
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Day 8 Egas Port & Buccaneer Cove
Sailing east overnight you will wake to views of Santiago Island. Once frequented by pirates and whalers seeking fresh supplies, Santiago now offers some of the finest wildlife viewing opportunities in the Galapagos. This morning, explore Puerto Egas, a striking stretch of coastline characterised by black volcanic sands, rugged lava formations, and clear waters. Marine iguanas bask on the lava rocks, Sally Lightfoot crabs add flashes of colour to the dark coastline, and shorebirds forage along the water’s edge. The island is also home to sea lions, fur seals, and both land and marine reptiles. After a guided walk you’ll be able to snorkel directly from the beach, keeping a lookout for sea turtles, rays, reef sharks and colourful fish.
This afternoon, continue to Buccaneer Cove. One-time refuge of pirates and sailors navigating the Pacific, the cove is framed by towering cliffs, sea caves, and striking rock formations sculpted by wind and waves over millennia. Exploring by Zodiac, cruise beneath the dramatic cliffs while observing nesting seabirds and sea lions positioned along secluded stretches of shoreline. Back on board Hermes, you’ll mark the last night of your expedition with a farewell dinner.
Overnight: Hermes
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Day 9 North Seymour Island & Departure
Your final morning in the Galápagos is spent exploring North Seymour Island, a small but fascinating island that supports an extraordinary concentration of birdlife. Follow well-maintained trails across the island’s arid landscape, spotting blue-footed boobies and magnificent frigatebirds. Males perch among the low vegetation displaying their extraordinary scarlet throat pouches, and being able to glimpse them is a highlight of any visit to North Seymour. At the end of your morning tour, you’ll disembark and transfer to Baltra Airport for your onward flight to mainland Ecuador.
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Depart
