Galapagos Wildlife Odyssey | 12-Day Hermes Tour | Galapagos Tour

Galapagos Icons & Wildlife Odyssey 12 Days | Hermes Catamaran

Galapagos Icons & Wildlife Odyssey 12 Days

The Galapagos Icons & Wildlife Odyssey aboard the Hermes Mega Catamaran is a 12-day, 11-night expedition combining wildlife encounters, volcanic landscapes, marine adventures, historic locations, and conservation experiences across Santa Cruz, Isabela, Fernandina, Santiago, North Seymour, Rabida, Bartolome, South Plaza, Santa Fe, San Cristobal, Española, and Floreana. Beginning at Baltra Airport, the itinerary introduces travelers to sea turtles, Galapagos Penguins, marine and land iguanas, sea lions, fur seals, Giant Tortoises, flamingos, Flightless Cormorants, frigatebirds, and several species of boobies while exploring beaches, lava formations, cliffs, lagoons, historic anchorages, and distinctive underwater environments. Hiking, snorkeling, swimming, panga rides, and wet and dry landings provide varied ways to experience the archipelago before the journey concludes with a conservation-focused visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station and departure via Baltra Airport.

Day by day

Day 1: Welcome to Paradise: Baltra & Bachas Beach

Your Galapagos journey begins at Baltra Airport, where a Hermes guide will welcome you to the islands and escort you to the superyacht. Once aboard, you will enjoy lunch and learn about Hermes before beginning your first exploration. In the afternoon, head to Bachas Beach on Santa Cruz Island, where soft white sand formed from decomposed coral creates an inviting coastal landscape and an important nesting site for sea turtles. Along the lava rocks at the water’s edge, look for colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs. The excursion also provides opportunities to observe frigatebirds, Blue-footed Boobies, and sea lions. This first afternoon introduces the extraordinary combination of wildlife and scenery that will accompany you throughout the voyage.

Day 2: Penguins, Volcanoes & the Uplifted Coast of Isabela

Begin at Tagus Cove, a historic Isabela Island anchorage once used by whalers and pirates dating back to the 1800s. Following a dry landing, hike along the slopes of Darwin Volcano, enjoying panoramic views before reaching Darwin’s Lake, a saltwater crater lake situated above sea level. A dinghy excursion along the cliffs provides opportunities to observe Blue-footed Boobies, Brown Noddies, and the endemic Flightless Cormorant. Snorkeling brings another perspective, with Galapagos Penguins, schools of fish, and possibly sea turtles. In the afternoon, explore Urbina Bay, created by a dramatic geological uplift in 1954 that exposed part of the shallow sea bottom and coral reef. Walk among coral fossils and search for Galapagos Land Iguanas before snorkeling near a small Galapagos Penguin colony and looking for Marine Iguanas feeding underwater on algae.

Day 3: Fernandina’s Lava Kingdom & Vicente Roca’s Marine World

Day 4: Santiago’s Black Shores & Buccaneer Secrets

Day 5: Courtship Displays & Giants of Santa Cruz

Day 6: Red-Sand Rabida & the Legendary Pinnacle Rock

Day 7: Land Iguanas, Giant Cacti & Santa Fe Sea Lions

Day 8: Three Booby Species & the White Sands of Witch Hill

Day 9: Sea Lion Island, Galapagos History & Tijeretas Views

Day 10: Española’s Sea Lion Beach & Spectacular Suarez Point

Day 11: Floreana’s Green Sands & the Legendary Post Office

Day 12: A Conservation Finale at Charles Darwin Research Station

Map

Puerto Ayora | Sea Lion | Galapagos Islands

+12

Bahía Elizabeth | Hawk | Galapagos Islands

Cruise Includes

Accommodation in double cabin.

All activities and excursions as depicted in the itineraries in company of a bilingual naturalist guide.

Snorkeling equipment.

Kayak

Wetsuits

Stand up Paddle Board

Internet

All meals on board.

Purified water, tea, coffee

Non – alcoholic beverages

Selected menu premium wines, beer and cocktails

Laundry service

Mini bar consumption

Butler service

Assistance at the airport for flight to Galapagos on departure dates

National Park Entrance Fee ($30 Ecuadorians / $200 Foreigners) (Subject to change)

Galapagos Control Transit $20

Full meals on board (breakfast, lunch & dinner)

Cruise does not include

Air ticket to and from Galapagos.

Gratuities to guides and crew.

Personals expenses.

Alcoholic drinks not included in menu selection

Travel insurance.

Fuel Surcharge

Corkage Fee ($100 per bottle)

Ticket to/from Galapagos

Entrance to the Galapagos National Park $ 200 USD

Galapagos control transit card $20,00 USD

Tips, phones, internet services

Laundry Service.

Drinks, Bottled Water, Alcoholic Beverages.

Optional Tours

Consumptions or personal charges.

Highlights

Encounter Galapagos Giant Tortoises roaming freely in the Santa Cruz Highlands and learn about tortoise conservation at the Charles Darwin Research Station.

Explore Fernandina’s dramatic black lava fields among large concentrations of marine iguanas and endemic Flightless Cormorants.

Snorkel at multiple locations with opportunities to encounter Galapagos Penguins, sea lions, sea turtles, rays, reef fish, sharks, and marine iguanas.

Witness Blue-footed Boobies and Magnificent Frigatebirds at the wildlife-rich North Seymour Island.

Discover Rabida’s deep-red shores and Bartolome’s iconic Pinnacle Rock landscape.

Search for the distinctive Santa Fe Land Iguana among giant Opuntia cacti.

Observe Blue-footed, Red-footed, and Nazca Boobies at Pitt Point on San Cristobal.

Walk among the remarkable wildlife of Española, including sea lions, marine iguanas, Nazca Boobies, Blue-footed Boobies, and the Waved Albatrosses described in the source.

Experience Floreana’s contrasting green and white beaches and participate in the historic Post Office Bay tradition.