Galápagos – Central and East Islands aboard the Reina Silvia Voyager

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.

The adventure begins today. Feel free to explore, but make sure you're back in time to meet the group. Your G Representative will review the details of your tour.

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.

Head to Santa Cruz’s verdant highlands. This is a perfect place to hike through the grounds and see giant tortoises in their natural environment, before savouring an included lunch.

Visit Fausto Llerena Breeding Center a great place to observe many species of tortoises. Brought back from the brink of extinction, see the famous Galápagos tortoise up close – a corral houses adult tortoises, and a nursery cares for the young until around age three when their shells have hardened. This area also houses the Charles Darwin Research Station, a scientific organization initiated in 1964, which works to preserve the Galápagos' ecosystem through the conservation efforts of scientists, researchers, and volunteers. While the offices themselves are not open to visitors, the research station provides a study location for international scientists and environmental education for the local community.

The Reina Silvia Voyager is just as elevated as the name implies. This modern catamaran offers increased stability when cruising the waters of the Galápagos Islands. Enjoy the view from the spacious sun deck, Jacuzzi, or private balconies (available with most cabins).

Visit Gardner Bay's magnificent white sandy beach and spectacular landscapes. This incredible place is home to sea lions, hood mockingbirds, Nazca boobies, waved albatross, red-billed tropic birds, lava lizards, Galapagos hawks, and blue-footed boobies. Be sure to explore the beautiful turquoise water and its incredible sea life.

Strap on your snorkel and if conditions allow, see an abundance of sea life including; young sea lions and large schools of surprisingly big tropical fish, including yellow-tailed surgeonfish, king angelfish, and bump-head parrot fish.

Visit Punta Suárez, one of most rich wildlife landing sites in the Galápagos. Be greeted by surfing young sea lions on arrival. Head to the trail to find many species of nesting sea birds, and, if lucky, see the waved albatross. Follow the path up to a cliff for great views over the ocean, and watch sea birds gliding in the wind.

The Reina Silvia Voyager is just as elevated as the name implies. This modern catamaran offers increased stability when cruising the waters of the Galápagos Islands. Enjoy the view from the spacious sun deck, Jacuzzi, or private balconies (available with most cabins).

The Reina Silvia Voyager is just as elevated as the name implies. This modern catamaran offers increased stability when cruising the waters of the Galápagos Islands. Enjoy the view from the spacious sun deck, Jacuzzi, or private balconies (available with most cabins).

Enjoy amazing wildlife watching and interesting geological formations on this fascinating expedition. Arrive at a quiet cove on the eastern tip of San Cristóbal to explore Punta Pitt. Made up of volcanic tuff substrate, it's the only site in the Galápagos where it's possible to see three species of boobies and two species of frigatebirds.

Visit a white sandy beach on the island where it is possible to watch sea lions in their natural habitat.

Visit Santa Fé for amazing wildlife watching opportunities. Hike towards the cliffs along the island's northern shore to view the forest of giant prickly pear cactus (Opuntia), which is home to endemic land iguanas. It is also one of the best locations to see sea turtles, sea lions, and maybe even get a glimpse of a whitetip reef shark from the panga.

This may well be the oldest island in the Galápagos. You will anchor at one of the most beautiful and most sheltered bays in the archipelago, and some of the best snorkeling is here, with its crystal clear and Santa Fe Island - Mapshallow waters. Certainly one of the best locations to see sea turtles, swim with sea lions and glimpse of the Galápagos White-tipped Shark. After a wet landing you will walk up to a nearby cliff to see the land iguanas through an area of Opuntia Cactus. Other animals present are the Galápagos Hawk, owls, Frigates, Pelicans, Manta Rays and mockingbirds. Offering a unique landscape Santa Fé gives provides both aquatic and terrestrial wildlife opportunities. Hiking towards the cliffs along the island's northern shore you can view the forest of giant prickly pear cactus (opuntia) which is home to endemic land iguanas. It is also one of the best locations to see sea turtles, swim with sea lions and glimpse of the Galápagos White-tipped Shark.

Enjoy some amazing snorkelling right off the beach in Santa Fé. Swim with playful sea lions, and search for sea turtles, rays, and reef sharks while getting great views of large schools of brightly coloured tropical fish.

Take to the crystal blue waters off Santa Fe island with a provided Kayak this morning. Get up close and personal with the areas rugged coastlines, and spot a huge variety of aquatic life in the shallow water below.

Visit South Plaza, one of the smallest islands in the Galápagos, which has one of the largest populations of land iguanas. Walk along a path through a cactus forest and view a combination of dry and coastal vegetation on this lively island, home to a wide range of fauna, including incredible birdlife. Spot red-billed tropicbirds and indigenous swallow-tailed gulls resting on the cliffs, and sea lions playing in the waters.

The Reina Silvia Voyager is just as elevated as the name implies. This modern catamaran offers increased stability when cruising the waters of the Galápagos Islands. Enjoy the view from the spacious sun deck, Jacuzzi, or private balconies (available with most cabins).

Walk along the white coral sands of Darwin Bay surrounded by bustling sea birds. Follow the trail and see nesting frigatebirds, gulls, and boobies. Be sure to bring your camera to take some snaps of your new feathered friends.

Landing on the white coral sands of Darwin Bay and walking up the beach, you will be surrounded by the bustling activity of “great frigate birds.” Puffball-chicks with their proud papás—who sport their bulging scarlet throat-sacks—crowd the surrounding branches, while both yellow-crowned and lava herons feed by the shore. Farther along you will discover a stunning series of sheltered pools set into a rocky outcrop, forming another natural film set. A trail beside the pools leads up to a cliff overlooking the caldera, where pairs of swallow-tailed gulls, the only nocturnal gulls in the world, can be seen nesting at the cliff’s edge. Lava gulls and pintail ducks ride the sea breezes nearby. A brief panga ride brings us to the base of those same cliffs to reveal the full variety of species sheltering in the ledges and crevices created by the weathered basalt. Among them, red–billed tropic birds enter and leave their nests trailing exotic kite-like tails. This is also an intriguing place to go deep-water snorkeling, where the truly fortunate swimmer can spot one of the giant manta rays that frequent the inner bay along the cliff walls. You might also seem them at the surface as the sun set’s on your first full day in the Galápagos. We have the opportunity to go on walks & hikes, snorkeling, kayaking and on dinghy rides.

Visit this sunken caldera for a great snorkelling opportunity. See large schools of tropical fish swarming near the vertical walls, and, if lucky, see manta rays, white-spotted eagle rays, sea lions, and hammerhead sharks.

Traverse along the white sand beaches of Darwin Bay, and explore the mangroves that surround the crystal waters.

Visit "El Barranco" aka Prince Phillip's Steps located on the southern tip of the island for an amazing wildlife watching opportunity. Hike up the steps to see a sea bird colony that is full of life including the breeding grounds for red-footed boobies and masked boobies.

The Reina Silvia Voyager is just as elevated as the name implies. This modern catamaran offers increased stability when cruising the waters of the Galápagos Islands. Enjoy the view from the spacious sun deck, Jacuzzi, or private balconies (available with most cabins).

The Reina Silvia Voyager is just as elevated as the name implies. This modern catamaran offers increased stability when cruising the waters of the Galápagos Islands. Enjoy the view from the spacious sun deck, Jacuzzi, or private balconies (available with most cabins).

Visit Sullivan Bay on Santiago Island to see one of its star natural attractions – striking and fascinating giant lava formations. Very few plants have managed to survive on this island due to its harsh environment and relatively new lava flow. Enjoy a walk along the lava formations before coming to a white-coral sand beach, where abundant Sally Lightfoot crabs and sea lions gather on shore.

Enjoy a cool dip after exploring Sullivan Bay on foot. Grab a snorkel and discover many species of fish and other marine life in the shallow waters. Keep an eye out for turtles, rays, and large schools of colourful fish.

Take the opportunity to swim and snorkel along the shore, home to one of the most iconic volcanic rock formations on the islands. Home to Galápagos penguins, friendly sea lions, sea turtles, and a huge variety of fish, Bartolomé and its surrounding waters are a fantastic place to explore the natural wonders of the Galápagos.

Hike to Bartolomé's summit for a stronger perspective of the islands' not-too-distant volcanic origins, and enjoy a panoramic view – it’s one of the best among the islands! See other Galápagos Islands in the distance as well as Pinnacle Rock, the island’s famous towering landmark.

Arrive at a red sand beach at Rábida to explore its trails. A short trail leads to a saltwater lagoon; another trail goes past the lagoon to the interior, where the revered palo santo trees grow. (When burned, the branches of this tree give off a pleasing aroma and ward off mosquitoes.)

Grab a snorkel and discover many species of fish and other marine life. Keep an eye out for white-tip sharks and sea lions.

Explore the red sand coastlines of Rabida island, and keep an eye out for Sea Lion colonies sunning themselves on the beach.

Explore Chinese Hat’s beautiful landscape and view many geological formations such as lava tubes and lava flows.

Snorkel right from the white-coral sand beach and come face to face with playful sea lions and large schools of tropical fish. Keep an eye out for marine iguanas and penguins.

Chinese Hat is a tiny Island just off the southeastern tip of Santiago Island is less than a quarter of 1 sq km in size. It is a fairly recent volcanic cone, which accounts for its descriptive name; it has the shape of a down-facing Chinese hat. The hat shape is best appreciated from the north side. Opposite Sombrero Chino, on the rocky shoreline of nearby Santiago, Galápagos penguins are often seen. There is a small sea lion cove on the north shore, where boats anchor and land at the visitor site. A 400 m. trail goes around the cove and through a sea lion colony and marine iguanas cover the landscape. The volcanic scenery is attractive, and there are good views of the cone. Sombrero Chino (Chinese Hat Islet), which has a beautiful landscape and a spectacular white coral sand beach, followed by snorkeling with sea lions and penguins and swimming opportunities in the cove.

The Reina Silvia Voyager is just as elevated as the name implies. This modern catamaran offers increased stability when cruising the waters of the Galápagos Islands. Enjoy the view from the spacious sun deck, Jacuzzi, or private balconies (available with most cabins).

Get a closer look at Chinese Hat Island's many geological lava formations. Your kayak will give you access to many areas not visible from land, so take your time to marvel at these natural wonders.