M/Y Coral I & II

Galapagos,Galapagos islands,Galapgos trip,Galapagos Travel

The Coral I is a fully equipped, spacious yacht with custom-designed teak and bronze interiors. Up to 36 passengers can be accommodated in 18 air conditioned cabins with twin, double or upper/lower berths.

Facilities include two spacious sun decks, interior buffet area, two separate salon areas with a full bar, TV/VCR and stereo, and library. Snorkeling gear is available on board.


Specifications

Type: Motor Yacht
Category: First Class
Length: 100 feet / 30.5 meters
Speed: 10 knots
Capacity: 36 passengers in 18 cabins with private facilities
Cabins: 2 superior cabins with 1 lower double or 2 lower single beds, 1 standard plus cabin with 1 lower double or 2 lower single beds, 7 standard cabins with 1 lower double and 1 upper single bed, or 1 upper single and1 upper double
Crew: 10 plus 2 naturalist guides

Coral II

The Coral II is a fully equipped, spacious yacht with custom-designed teak and bronze interiors. The yacht has a capacity for 20 people in a variety of cabin options, all fully air conditioned.

Facilities include two spacious sun decks, interior buffet area, two separate salon areas with full bar, TV/VCR and stereo, and library. Snorkeling gear is available on board.

Specifications

Type: Motor Yacht
Category: First Class
Length: 102 feet / 32.5 meters
Speed: 10 knots
Capacity: 20 passengers in 11 cabins with private facilities
Cabins: 1 superior cabin with 1 lower double bed, 2 standard plus cabins with 1 lower double or 2 lower single beds, 10 standard cabins with 1 lower double and 1 upper single bed, or 1 upper single and 1 upper double
Crew: 10 plus 2 naturalist guides

Sample Itinerary: 4 Days/3 Nights

Sunday, Day 1: Santa Cruz

Departure from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra airport in Galapagos (approx. 2 and a half hour flight). Passengers are greeted by guides at the airport and transferred to the Itabaca canal, cross to the Island of Santa Cruz and travel to Puerto Ayora.

Santa Cruz (Charles Darwin Research Station)

Travelers will have the chance to investigate the Charles Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora, staffed with international scientists conducting biological research and conservation projects. Here you can also admire giant tortoises that are part of the breeding program.

Monday, Day 2: Española (Suarez Point)

Travelers enjoy a dry landing at Suarez Point. Upon landing visitors will learn more about the lava terrain while crossing the inactive lava fields. Aside from the sea lion colonies, this is one of the most important sites for bird watching. As soon as visitors step on this island many species can be spotted and observed closely. Among the many species are the hooded mocking bird and red billed tropic. After crossing the nesting grounds you will reach the world’s largest colony of waved albatross (approx. 15,000). If you visit during the months of May-December, you can observe their mating rituals. Nearing the end of this excursion passengers will visit the famous blowhole. Here, water shoots into the air to almost 23 mts. (75 ft.).

Española (Gardner Bay)

In the afternoon, passengers will visit Gardner Bay. This is a wet landing on a white coral beach amidst a large colony of sea lions. This site has no trails therefore hiking is not possible. However, there is an open area where you can spot Galapagos hawks, american oyster catchers, Galapagos doves, hood mockingbirds (a species endemic to this island), 3 species of darwin finches and yellow warblers, lava lizards, marine iguanas. It is also a great place for swimming and snorkeling. Often snorkelers see many of the Galapagos marine species such as: king angelfish, creole fish, damsel fish, parrot fish, manta rays, white tipped reef sharks, and many more. You'll feel like you are swimming in a Galapagos aquarium with so much marine life surrounding you!

Tuesday, Day 3: Floreana (Cormorant Point)

Wet landing on a greenish colored sand beach. Passengers will hike a well-marked trail beginning in the Black Mangrove beds heading towards the back of the lagoon. The large, brackish lagoon holds one of the biggest populations of flamingos in the Galapagos.This island is best known for its endemic plant life such as: the Galapagos millwork, passion flower, and unique button mangrove, one of the four species in Galapagos. Novice snorkelers can practice back on the main beach where the sea lions are playful, while experienced snorkelers can roam the waters around Devils Crown.This is an open water experience, it means no place to step down on.

Floreana (Post office)

Located on the north side of Floreana Island, the bay is so-named because in 1793, Captain James Colnett installed an empty barrel of rum which works as an informal post box for the sailors. As sailors periodically passed through the Galapagos they would take with them letters for their next ports of call or final destinations. Today, visitors continue the tradition by placing postcards without stamps inside the barrel which reach their destinations free of charge. Sometimes it takes weeks, sometimes months--and sometimes the cards never get there at all! A short walk from the famous barrel, across typical vegetation of the island, we come to a tunnel formed by lava flows. Once down the lava path, we can observe land birds such as the mocking bird of Galapagos, some species of Darwin’s finches, yellow warblers and lava lizards.

Floreana (Mirador de la Baronesa)

After we make a wet landing on “Mirador de la Baronesa” your naturalist guide will tell the murder and mystery legend of the Baronesa.This viewpoint is located on the north of the Floreana Island. It is a tuff basalt formation between Cormorant Point and Post Office bay. The climb on the trails is very easy. Steps are placed in this area for security.

Wednesday, Day 4: North Seymour

After a dry landing, guests will encounter swallow tailed gulls and sea lions. This site is also known for being a major nesting colony of blue footed boobies and the largest colony of the magnificent frigate bird (a different species from the great frigate bird). Travelers can also spot both endemic species of iguanas, the marine iguanas and land iguanas. Passengers will enjoy this relaxed hike around the nesting sites.

After disembarking at the docks of Baltra, passengers will take a bus to the airport for their flight back to mainland via Guayaquil to Quito.

Peter Oxford

Itinerary Day by Day

3 Nights: Sunday-Wednesday

4 Nights: Wednesday-Sunday

7 Nights: Sunday-Sunday

   or Wednesday to Wednesday

Sunday: Baltra Airport am.

Highlands/ (Santa Cruz) pm.

Monday: Suarez Point (Española) am.

Gardner Bay (Española) pm.

Tuesday:Comorant Point (Floreana) am.

Post Office

Mirador de la Baronesa (Floreana) pm.

Wednesday: North Seymour am.

Baltra Airport pm

Dragon Hill - Venice (Santa Cruz) pm

Thursday: Rábida (Jervis) am.

Egas Port (Santiago) pm.

Friday: Espinosa Point (Fernandina) am.

Tagus Cove (Isabela) pm.

Saturday: Bartolomé am.

Black Turtle Cove (Santa Cruz) pm.

Sunday: Charles Darwin Station am.

Baltra Airport pm.