Western Galapagos Islands | Monserrat

Upon arrival on Baltra Island and once you’ve cleared immigration and customs, our Monserrat Yacht naturalist guide will welcome you to the archipelago and escort you to the vessel.

In the afternoon, visit Cerro Dragón (Dragon Hill), renowned as one of the archipelago’s best bird‑watching sites. A short walk from the beach brings you to a hypersaline lagoon—saltier than the ocean—where pink flamingos, common stilts, pintail ducks and other waterbirds congregate. En route, you’ll pass through a forest of endemic Scalesia trees—an iconic genus of which only around 400 specimens remain worldwide.

In the morning, you’ll head to Buccaneer Cove for a thrilling panga ride along its towering cliff‑wall rock formations—once a favorite hideout for pirates stocking up on food and fresh water. As you cruise the cove, keep an eye out for sea lions basking on the beach and seabirds nesting in the crevices above. After the ride, slip into the clear waters for a snorkeling adventure alongside playful sea lions and curious fur seals.

In the afternoon, you’ll explore Puerto Egas—also known as James Bay—where a salt crater, dark‑sand beach, and rocky tidal pools set the stage for abundant wildlife. Wander the shoreline spotting shorebirds and sun‑bathing marine iguanas, then grab your snorkel and dive in right from the beach. Beneath the surface, look for rays, turtles, and reef sharks before finishing your visit among the tide‑pools, alive with Sally Lightfoot crabs and more marine iguanas.

In the morning, we’ll visit Vicente Roca Point on Isabela’s western shore, where the Bolivar Channel churns up some of the richest marine life on Earth. As we cruise along sheer cliffs, you’ll spot blue‑footed and Nazca boobies, brown pelicans, noddies and even flightless cormorants perched on lava outcrops. Then it’s time to don your mask and fins for deep‑water snorkeling: schools of Galápagos green turtles glide beneath you, and if visibility’s clear you might glimpse reef sharks and graceful rays weaving through swaying corals.

In the afternoon, we’ll hop ashore at Espinoza Point on Fernandina—arguably the archipelago’s most untouched island, free of any invasive species. First, wander among tidal pools teeming with tiny fish, mollusks and, on lucky days, a stranded ray or sea turtle. A short trail leads past marine iguana burrows and sun‑bathing sea lions, ending at the nests of the rare flightless cormorant—only a few hundred of which remain in the western islands. To cap it off, slip back into the water for more snorkeling, where curious penguins dart below and marine iguanas bob on the surface alongside gentle sea turtles.

In the morning, you’ll make a wet landing on the beach at Urbina Bay—where the sea floor thrust skyward in 1954, revealing a coral reef terrace that’s still one of the youngest landscapes in the archipelago. Under the watchful slopes of Alcedo Volcano, you’ll follow a winding trail past grazing Galápagos giant tortoises and sun‑bathing land iguanas. As the path loops back toward the shore, colonies of flightless cormorants cling to the rocks, their glossy feathers shimmering in the sun. Before you leave, slip into the clear water for a snorkel: curious Galápagos penguins will dart around you while marine iguanas graze on underwater algae.

In the afternoon, we’ll venture to Tagus Cove on Isabela’s northwestern coast—a sheltered inlet once frequented by whalers, pirates, and even Charles Darwin in 1835, whose footsteps (and those of countless sailors) are still etched into the cliff walls. After a dry landing, stroll along the shoreline where blue‑footed boobies, brown noddies and, in season, Galápagos penguins and woodpecker finches flit among the volcanic boulders. Then climb the short trail to Darwin’s Lake—a surprising saltwater lagoon perched high on the volcano’s flank—where your naturalist guide will share the scientific theories behind this rare inland sea.

Early in the morning, enjoy a panga ride through Black Turtle Cove’s mangroves, spotting manta rays, green turtles and whitetip reef sharks. Afterwards, return to Baltra Island, disembark and transfer to the airport for your flight back to mainland Ecuador.