Galapagos Northern Loop

During World War II, Baltra served as a U.S. military base protecting the Panama Canal from enemy attack. Now the cactus-strewn landscapes of Baltra are home to the region’s main airport and where you will meet the ship. After just a short bus and zodiac ride you will be aboard. Your luggage will be delivered straight to your stateroom, giving you the opportunity to explore the Celebrity Xpedition, a 296-foot mega-yacht and your home for the week.

Located in the center of the Galapagos archipelago, Santa Cruz Island, or Isla Santa Cruz as known by the locals, is the second largest island in the chain, after Isabela. The capital of the island is Puerto Ayora, which is the most populated urban center in the Galapagos Islands as well as the largest port town. The island itself is the most populated in the Galapagos, with 12,000 residents scattered throughout small villages. The island is a large, dormant volcano which it is estimated hasn’t been active in over a million years. As a testament to the volcano’s previous activity, there is a giant lava tunnel over 6,500 feet long that tourists can walk through.The highlands of Puerto Ayora offer are filled with a variety of trees and plants such as scalesia trees, cat’s claws, and Galapagos miconia. The highlands are also home to land tortoises that roam free in search of food and shallow ponds.

There are also two large holes on the island named Los Gemelos or “The Twins,” which were caused as the result of the collapse of a magma chamber. Tortuga Bay can be found on the island, a pristine spot to observe marine iguanas, birds, Galapagos crabs, and a natural mangrove in which white-tipped reef sharks and the Galapagos tortoise can be found. Speaking of the giant tortoise, the Charles Darwin Research Station is located here, where they have implemented a breeding program for these endangered giants. This research station is the operational hub for the international non-profit Charles Darwin Foundation, and crucial research as well as environmental education are performed here. Santa Cruz is the main tourism hub for all of the Galapagos Islands and contains the longest paved road in the Galapagos, which runs across the island north-south. Indulge in the pristine white sand beaches of Las Bachas on the northern coast. Explore Black Turtle Cove by zodiac, and wonder at the impressive iguana population on Dragon Hill. It is on Isla Santa Cruz that tourists can really experience the interior and higher elevations of a Galapagos Island, as the elevation rises to a breathtaking height of 2,835 feet.

Here you have the opportunity for a morning hike over a blackened landscape that is nothing less than a geologic wonderland. At every step, the hardened twists and turns of lava that flowed during a volcanic eruption in the 1900s are visible. Collapse craters, hornitos, and lava cactus dot the trail and where black pahoehoe lava flows between high piles of red volcanic debris (scoria cones). It resembles a strange Martian landscape. A short Zodiac ride along the coast provides additional viewing of the island’s interesting geology along with the opportunity to look for blue-footed boobies, sea turtles, and more.

We’ve taken a page out of Darwin’s Red Notebook and learned that to be relevant—to keep up with the times—we have to evolve to fit perfectly into the ever-changing world around us. More specifically, the environment around us. With 10 years in the Galapagos, we’ve learned and evolved our vacations to meet the needs of the modern explorer. We’ve adapted to bring you updated luxuries that elevate your experience in this precious archipelago to the next level. The way we see it, the Galapagos Islands may be primitive, but your vacation there doesn’t have to be.

Due to currents and upwelling, the water here is noticeably colder than in other parts of the Galapagos and in 1954, part of this area along Isabela’s coast was uplifted 12–15 feet just prior to an eruption. The remains of a coral reef raised during the uplift can still be found at Urvina Bay. On a long hike, you can ramble through the now high-and-dry corals of this once thriving reef or stick to a shorter version of the same hike and look for land iguanas, finches, and if luck holds, giant tortoises. Afterwards, if conditions allow, the black sand beach of Urvina Bay offers a chance for swimming and snorkeling. While in the water, you may see sea turtles and diving cormorants.

Tagus Cove (Isabella)

Here on Isla Fernandina, guests may walk on recent lava flows from La Cumbre volcano and also observe the flightless cormorant, one of the islands’ best examples of evolution.

One of the most dramatic of landscapes in the Galapagos. At the foot of Isabela’s Ecuador Volcano, this is an opportunity to see first-hand the remains of a caldera and the abundant wildlife now residing in the area. Here, a Zodiac ride provides an excellent viewing platform and if conditions allow, you can jump in for a snorkel. Cruising along shore, a volcanic dike, where lava once shot up through a vertical crack is clearly evident and the steep cliffs make for drama while on the search for Galapagos fur seals and other wildlife. In the water, sea turtles and penguins are everyone’s favorite.

With its black sand beach, coastal tide pools, andblue-water grottoes, this stop offers a wonderful tasteof the Galapagos and the opportunity to see shore birds,Galapagos Hawks, sea lions, marine iguanas, andGalapagos fur seals. Sea lions, colorful tropical fish,and sea turtles are often seen while snorkeling.

Santiago Island, which is made up of two overlapping volcanoes, was historically a stopping place for Spanish sailors to refill their water barrels and stock up on perishables. The island is currently uninhabited, though there were colonization attempts throughout the 1800s and early 1900s. At one time there was a salt mine on Puerto Egas. The mine was closed in the 1960s, but you can still tour the site today. Santiago was the second island Charles Darwin visited in the Galapagos. When he arrived, the land iguanas were so abundant that he and the crew of the HMS Beagle had trouble finding a spot to pitch their tents for the night. Yet today, there are no land iguanas remaining on Santiago Island. Conservation of native wildlife has presented something of a challenge here: Feral pigs, donkeys, and goats, which were brought by early island settlers and passing mariners wreaked havoc on the endemic plant and animal life over the years and taxed precious resources. At one point, the goat population was estimated to have blossomed to around 100,000. To date, all three species have been eradicated.

While you’re on Santiago Island, you’ll have the chance to stop at Puerto Egas, which is home to a colony of playful fur seals. You can visit them at the sea caves and grottoes (essentially collapsed lava tubes) where they enjoy swimming and lounging on the rocks. You’ll also pay a visit to Espumilla Beach, renowned as a sea turtle nesting site. At Sullivan Bay, you’ll see firsthand the effects of volcanic eruptions and have the unique experience of walking across a recent lava flow.

Santa Cruz is the second-largest island in the Galapagos and home to Puerto Ayora (the largest town in the islands). In 1959, the Ecuadorian government declared all the islands, except areas already colonized, as a national park. In the same year, the Charles Darwin Foundation was founded to promote scientific research and ensure the conservation of the Galapagos. In 1992, the waters surrounding the Galapagos were declared a marine reserve. Here, you have the opportunity to visit a giant tortoise reserve in the lushly vegetated highlands, where the animals roam free in their natural habitat. On another excursion, a short drive through town brings you to the Galapagos Park Service giant tortoise breeding station and the Charles Darwin Research Station. Afterwards there is time to wander through the lovely streets of Puerto Ayora for some shopping.

Named after the birthplace of legendary explorer Christopher Columbus, Genovesa Island is a Galapagos Island crown jewel. This horseshoe-shaped island is also known for its diverse population of birds and distinct shape. Those characteristics are where Genovesa draws its two nicknames from: Bird Island and Tower Island. And you’ll likely notice both as you step off your zodiac.

You’ll walk up the same rocky path Prince Phillips did when he visited the Galapagos Islands in 1965 and 1981. As you scale the cliffs, you’ll make your first encounter with the colonies of colorful seabird. You’ll disperse into the thin Palo Santo forest where your path inland is a birdwatcher’s dream. Flocks upon flocks of birds nesting in their natural habitats. Swallow-tailed Gulls. Red-footed Boobies. Nazca Boobies. Blue-footed Boobies. Storm Petrels. Galapagos Mockingbirds. Galapagos Doves. Great Frigate Birds. Lava Gulls. Fiddler Crabs. And that’s not all.

If you love eclectic cuisine, Darwin, which sits at the top of the Northern Territories and is therefore at the crossroads of so many cultures, will not disappoint. Sample everything from crocodile and barramundi to mud crabs and buffalo. Once you’ve had your fill of culinary adventures, saunter into the street and watch musicians and performers show off traditional Aboriginal culture.

North Seymour Island is just north of Baltra and was formed through a series of sporadic uplifts. It took about a million years for the island to reach its current level. Now above the sea, the layers of lava that originally erupted underwater have created a low-lying island packed with wildlife. The island is home to the largest nesting colony of frigatebirds in the Galapagos along with blue-footed boobies, finches, land iguanas, marine iguanas, and sea lions. A hike along shore and into the island’s interior brings you up close and personal to just about everything the island has to offer. You can also choose to go on a short Zodiac ride along the coast to search for fur seals, sea lions, and red-billed tropic birds. And for the more adventurous and experienced, jump in for a deep-water snorkel.

During World War II, Baltra served as a U.S. military base protecting the Panama Canal from enemy attack. Now the cactus-strewn landscapes of Baltra are home to the region’s main airport and where you will meet the ship. After just a short bus and zodiac ride you will be aboard. Your luggage will be delivered straight to your stateroom, giving you the opportunity to explore the Celebrity Xpedition, a 296-foot mega-yacht and your home for the week.