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Category: Luxury Class
Departures: Monday - Thursday
Capacity: 90 passenger
The Galapagos Legend expedition-style ship offers you the best in Galapagos tours, with accommodations that will pamper you and choices that will allow you to direct your own luxury vacation experience.
Facilities and Accommodation
Glass bottom boat, snorkeling equipment, wet suits, 24 hours medical service, concierge service, room service, multilingual naturalist guides, guides research center, children's menu, chocolate mania, ice cream palour, pop corn, video games, satellite communications, e-mail, international fax & phone. All cabins have lower beds, convertible double bed, safety deposit boxes, music, tv (closed circuit), air conditioning, private facilities, inter-cabin phones, 110/220 volt outlets, connecting cabins.
Specifications
Built in: Germany-Howaldts-Werke, Hamburg
Totally converted in: 2001
Gross tonnage: 2746
Length: 91.50 mts
Beam: 14.30 mts
Speed: Maximum 19.0 knots, cruise speed 15 knots
Life boats: 2 for 58 passengers each
Life rafts: 10 for 25 passengers each
Dinghies: 5 units for visits to the islands
Crew: 60 plus a physician
Guides: 6 top naturalist guides
Day 1: Monday
Baltra Airport. Departure from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra (2 and half hour flight). Passengers are picked up at the airport by our guides and taken to the pier to board the M/VGalapagos Legend.
North Seymour Dry landing. Guests will encounter swallow-tailed gulls, blue footed boobies, and sea lions. This site is a major nesting colony of blue footed boobies, and has the largest colony of the magnificent frigate bird. Travelers will also spot both the marine iguanas and the land iguanas.
Day 2: Tuesday
Santa Cruz (Dragon Hill). Dry landing. Passengers walk to a saltwater lagoon behind the beach, where on occasion many pink flamingos can be observed. This trail leads up to Dragon Hill, which offers a lovely view of the bay. This is a nesting site for reintroduced land iguanas, and there is also a Holy Stick Forest.
Floreana (Cormorant Point). Wet landing on a greenish colored sand beach. Visitors will hike from the black mangrove beds to a large, brackish lagoon, which holds one of the biggest flamingo populations in the Galapagos. This island features endemic plants such as Scalesia villosa, Galapagos daisies, white and black mangrove, and holy stick
Day 3: Wednesday
Española (Suarez Point). Dry landing. Visitors will learn more about the lava terrain and hike cross the inactive lava fields. Besides the sea lion colonies, this is a very important site for bird watching. Various bird species such as the mockingbird of Española, Nazca booby and tropic bird can be spotted and observed from very close. You will also see a large colony of marine iguanas, lava lizards, and rally light foot crabs. After a short trek visitors encounter colonies of masked and blue-footed boobies. The nesting grounds sometimes overlap the trail. Visitors will also find Galapagos doves, hawks and swallow-tailed gulls and then reach the world’s largest colony of waved albatross. A major highlight is their mating season, from May through December. You’ll visit the famous blowhole, where water shoots into the air 23 m (75 ft) up.
San Cristóbal (Interpretation Center or La Galapaguera). Dry landing at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Passengers will visit San Cristóbal breeding center and learn about the National Park’s breeding program with the giant tortoises. Passengers will observe some animals in their natural environment.
Passengers will also have the opportunity to the visit the town and go shopping for souvenirs and arts and crafts.
Day 4: Thursday
Santa Cruz (Carrión Point). Today, passengers can choose either a ride in an outboard motorboat to observe the Galapagos fur seal, seabirds and marine wildlife or go snorkeling to see a variety of tropical fish, manta rays or even harmless white-tipped reef sharks.
Bartolome. Dry landing. Passengers will see volcanic formations like lava bombs, spatter, and cinder cones. After hike to the summit you’ll be impressed by the view of the surrounding islands, including the eroded tuff cone of Pinnacle Rock.
During the hike to the summit, travelers will often see colonies of marine iguanas, lava lizards, tiquilla, lava cactus, Scalecia tree and others.
Visitors will be able to snorkel and see the Galapagos penguin, sea turtles, and white tipped sharks from a safe distance.
Day 5: Friday
Urbina Bay (Isabela). Wet landing. Passengers will visit the fossil beach and coral area. Depending on the season you may be able to observe giant tortoises, land iguanas and flightless cormorants. After the walk we will have time for snorkeling.
Fernandina (Espinosa Point). Wet landing. Passengers will visit the volcanic ash beach and coral area. Depending on the season you may be able to observe giant tortoises, land iguanas and flightless cormorants. After the walk we will have time for snorkeling.
Day 6: Saturday
Santiago (Egas Port). Wet landing on a beach of dark sand (volcanic ash). Most of the landscape is comprised of layers of rocks and lava flows. Here you can see great blue herons, striated herons, yellow-crowned night herons and American oystercatchers.
Passengers will see marine iguanas grazing upon algae beds alongside red sally light-foot crabs. There is a colony of fur-seals swimming in pools of cool water. This is a place where you can swim, snorkel and look for squid, starfish and a variety of colorful tropical fish.
Rábida (Jervis). Wet landing. The volcano-formed beach is dark red and frequented by sea lions. It’s considered the geographic center of Galapagos because it has the most diverse volcanic rocks on the Islands. You’ll hike to a salt water lagoon, where flamingos can sometimes be found.
July through September is a good time to observe brown pelicans nesting in the salty bushes. Boobies and 9 species of Darwin’s finches can also be observed.
You can take a ride along the reefs in a dinghy, as well as snorkel.
Day 7: Sunday
Santa Cruz (Charles Darwin Research Station). Here you will be able to observe the giant tortoises that are part of the reproduction program and the world’s most famous tortoise, Lonesome George, the last surviving specimen of his species. Visitors can also admire the prickly-pear cactus forest and many land birds. Later on, you’ll have some free time to walk around town and shop for souvenirs.
Santa Cruz (Highlands). Travelers can trek through the highlands of Santa Cruz and visit Cerro Chato, where they will be able to observe the famous giant tortoises.
Additionally, travelers can walk inside the dormant lava tubes.
Day 8: Monday
Santa Cruz (Bachas Beach). Wet landing. This beach is located on the north side of Santa Cruz Island. Visitors will encounter many sea birds, marine iguanas, sea turtles, and have the opportunity to swim on the white-sand beach.
Return to the Galapagos Legend, check out and transfer to Baltra’s airport.
Return flight to Quito via Guayaquil.
