Galapagos Cruise from November 10 to 17, 2013

Thank you for visiting my Galapagos blog.
- Review of Xpedition Galapagos Cruise
- See posts from individual days and all landings below.
- you can read the Quito pre- and post-cruise tour at this link.

A 8 minutes sample video from the Galapagos Cruise

Landings and links to video from each landing

At our 7-night Galapagos island B Cruise (Inner loop itinerary) departing from Baltra November 10. 2013. Link to video from each landing: we did Circumnavigate

Daphne Minor & Major; and visited Puerto Egas (Santiago); Rabida Island; Elizabeth Bay (Isabela); Tagus Cove (Isabela); Sullivan Bay (Santiago); Bartolome Island; Bachas Beach (Santa Cruz); North Seymour Island; Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (San Cristobal); CerroBrujo (San Cristobal); Kicker Rock (San Cristobal) ; Puerto Ayora with Charles Darwin Station and Highlands (Santa Cruz); and back at Baltra November 17, 2013. Click on the map to the left and open the  map with links to videos from the different places we visited on the trip.

We booked our tour direct with Celebrity Cruises at celebritycruises.com.
Flight to Quito was booked direct at united.com.
Get cruise planning details at galapagosexpedition.info
Below you will find blogs with reviews from each of the landings on itinerary B (Inner Loop itinerary) . 

Celebrity Xpedition Review
We found, that the best way to see the Galapagos Islands is by ship. By ship it is possible to visit several different places, both the wester and the eastern islands, in order to experience the different nature and the many special animals on the Galapagos Islands.

It is debatable whether one should choose a small or large ship. Size matters. Larger ships will have better amenities, and smaller boat will have more intimate atmosphere. The maximum size of the ships at Galapagos is 100 passengers and each group visiting the islands has a maximum of 16 guests and a guide (naturalist). The guide must in all cases be certified. The most important thing is the quality of the guides and the places visited
After review of the different offerings, we did select a cruise with Celebrity Xpedition. Virtuel video tour from Xpedition.  We chose Celebrity Xpedition a larger ship with capacity for 96 passengers because this ship is absolutely in the best category in terms of quality of cabins, public spaces, meals on board and guides in the Galapagos Islands.
Although there are 96 people, it was like a big family, and each group visiting the islands was not more than 16 people. At Xpedition, there are several different offerings at each destination - Long and short walks or panga ride only. Also the guides on Xpedition are among the best in the Galapagos. Unlike other Celebrity cruises the Xpedition is an all inclusive tour.

For the 7-night Galapagos cruise we have booked the 10-night cruise tour with two nights at J.W.Marriott Hotel in Quito before and one night after the cruise. inclusive breakfast at fhe the hotel and dinner at the Carmine Restaurant Saturday evening before the cruise, as well as and dinner at the Marriott Sunday evening after the cruise. Also included a Quito city tour and a visit to the 'Mitad del Mundo' monument as well as a local Quito market.

This 10-day tour also include the Xpedition charter flight from Quito to Galapagos. Luggage was brought direct from the hotel to our cabin, both ways.
There are two Xpedition itineraries - The Galapagos island A Cruise and the B Cruise. There is no big differences between the Outer loop itinerary (A) and Inner loop itinerary (B -itinerary) on A you will see nesting Albatross while B will have nesting Frigate birds. The major reason for the two itineraries, is to allow the animals some rest between the visits.

Videos from the Galapagos Cruise:

Videos from the cruise:

- Galapagos Cruise review, November 2013
- Panga Ride, Wet and Dry Landings
- Celebrity Xpedition Tour
- What to Pack for the Galapagos Cruise
See  itinerary and links to videos from each location
See reviews in the posts below including links to videos.
- Birds, Mammals and Reptiles of the Galapagos
- Galapagos Penguins and Flightless Cormorant
- Blue-footed Booby and Magnificent Frigate bird
- Galapagos Sea Lions and Fur Seals
- Reptiles of Galapagos Islands
- Larger Birds of Galapagos
- Orca Whale Watching, Galapagos

- Darwin Finches
- Galapagos Tortoise

Sunday - the last day of the Galapagos Cruise

We had to put the suitcases outside the cabin door Saturday evening, and then we didn't see them, until we arrived at the JW Marriott hotel in Quito Sunday after noon. The suit cases were delivered to our room at the hotel just after arrival. 
We had to be out of our cabin at 8AM. Went down to Darwins restaurant for breakfast, and at 9am we got our boarding pass for the Celebrity Charter flight to Quito. Then the pangas were ready to transport us at our last Galapagos panga ride into the Baltra pier.  From the pier we continued by by bus the short distance to the airport. Went through security and waited an hour, before for the charter plane departed for Quito. We did have a nice lunch on the  'Celebrity Xpedition' plane on our Balta to Quito flight.

At about 3PM we landed in Quito where we went straight to the buses, that brought us to hotel JW Marriott, a trip of approximately 1 hour. In the evening there was a dinner for all Celebrity guests at the Marriott hotel.


After the Galapagos cruise we stayed 5 days in Quito, from where we have planned some excursions in Ecuador. At the end we did have a 24 hour flight from Quito via Houston, Texas, continued via New York to Copenhagen.

Read the review on the pre- and post-cruise stay in Quito at  quito-2013.blogspot.com

Puerto Ayora (Santa Cruz)

Landing: Dry
Video from Puerto Ayora
and from the Fish Market.

After breakfast we went into Puerto Ayora is the largest town in the Galapagos.

Here we first visited the Darwin Centre (see other blog) and then we went for a walk in the city - the most interesting seeing was the local fish market, where the fishermen just had landed the  catch of the day and was cleaning the fish - sea lions, frigate birds and pelicans were fighting for the remains, and fishermen had a hard time keeping sea lions and the large birds away from the fish - a fun experience - late morning we went back to the ship for lunch.

Santa Cruz Island is situated in the centre of the archipelago with an area of 986 kilometres squared and a maximum altitude of 864 metres. It is a large island with a variety of geology, wildlife and vegetation, all of the Galapagos life zones are present on Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz Canton is the second largest island after Isabela. Its capital is Puerto Ayora, the most populated urban centre in the Galapagos Islands.

Santa Cruz is named after the Holy Cross, its English name (Indefatigable) was given after a British vessel (HMS Indefatigable). 

Puerto Ayora
Santa Cruz hosts the largest human population in the archipelago at the town of Puerto Ayora, a port city located along Academy Bay on Santa Cruz Island, with more than 12,000 inhabitants, the largest city in the Galapagos. The city is home to the National Park Tortoise Breeding Center and the Charles Darwin Research Station and a center of tourism in the islands. There are many trips from Puerto Ayora to the different islands in the Galapagos.
 

Cerro Brujo and Kicker Rock

Landing Wet
Video from Cerro Brujo

A beautiful beach of white coral beach where you can swim and watch birds and sea lions, plus snorkel next to the black volcanic cliffs make this beach another of the Galapagos most spectacular.

We decided not to go ashore, but instead to take a panga ride along the Cerro Brunjo rocks - here there were several caves in the cliffs where there were sea lions, pelicans as well as many sea birds.

 

Cerro Brujo is the remains of a tuff cone. It is one of the first sites visited by Charles Darwin. Captain Fitzroy climbed to the top of the hill to scout out reefs. It has an impressive landscape, where it is often possible to see coastal and migratory birds, including pelicans, Blue-footed Boobies, and Swallow-tailed Gulls, as well as sea lions and marine iguanas. At times the lagoon is completely dry and deposits of salt may be found in the bottom. The people of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno used to use the lagoon as a salt mine.
Located on the north coast of Isla San Cristobal. In the vicinity of the beach you can see seabirds like blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, herons, frigate birds and shore birds

Landing: circumnavigation
Video from Kicker Rock

When leaving Cerro Brujo the ship did circumnavigate Kicker Rock, the striking remains of a volcanic tuff cone, now split in two.

Kicker Rock or "León Dormido," which literally translates to "Sleeping Lion  is a rock formation, located on the coast of  San Cristobal. It is a magnificent island in the middle of the sea, rising 500 feet from the ocean, is shaped like a giant sleeping lion , hence its name. The rocks are remains of a vertical formation of tufa, and is a favorite place for various species of seabirds.

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (San Cristobal)

Landing Dry
Video from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

There are also cities at the Galapagos - the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the administrative capital of the islands, and with its 5,600 inhabitants is the second largest town in the Galapagos - the town is primarily a fishing village.

After breakfast we sailed to the waterfront in the panga's. First we went on a short tour of the local 'Interpretation Center' where there was an exhibition about the history of the Galapagos. Then we walked around town and looked at the sea lions lying on the street and benches along the waterfront. At about 11AM we went back to the ship for lunch.

San Cristobal is the easternmost island in the Galapagos archipelago, and one of the oldest geologically. It bears the name of the Patron Saint of seafarers, 'St. Christopher'. Its English name was given after William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham. It has an area of 558 square kilometres (215 square miles) and its highest point rises to 730 metres (2,395 feet).

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristobal
The town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the provincial capital of the Galapagos and the second largest settlement on the islands and home to one of the island's two major airports. It originated as a penal colony more than a hundred years ago.
Now a sleepy town overlooking the harbor is known for its relaxed attitude. The beaches close to the city is one of the few places where visitors are allowed to camp on the islands, National Park Information site is located just outside the city, is pleased to provide information. There are a number of hotels and restaurants available for those interested in staying a few extra days in the area to explore some of the local locations.

Dry and Wet landing

Landings: wet and dry
Video from landings: Link to video.

At the Xpedition Galapagos crouse we had both wet and dry landings in the course of an itinerary. 
We did sail from Celebrity Xpedition in panga boats (Zodiac rubber rafts) from the ship into the island shore where landing were either at the beach or rocks/pier. it is important to bring the right shoes/sandals for the landings and hiking.

Maybe also bring a towel along for wet landings so that you can dry your feet and change into socks and hiking shoes.
I used Keen Waterfront Sandals for all tours. I also used those sandals for the hiking as well.

Dry Landing:
On a dry landing, the panga will sail next to a cement or natural rock outcropping and travelers can step out of the panga directly onto the dry land.

Wet landing:
On a wet landing, the panga will approach a sandy beach and travelers will step out of the panga into ankle deep (or possibly knee deep) water and walk to shore. You can either simply walk onto the beach and put on our hiking shoes and socks or use water sandals.

This is a short video showing the different landings:

North Seymour Island

Landing Dry
Video from North Seymour

After lunch we did approach North Seymour with a dry landing on the steep rocks.
The island is teeming with life. North Seymour has a visitor trail approximately 2 kilometres in length crossing the inland of the island and exploring the rocky coast.
During our visiting we had to give way to passing sea lions and land iguana. The whole island is covered with low, bushy vegetation.

Magnificent frigatebirds perch in low bushes, near the boobies, while watching over their large chicks. The frigates are huge, dark acrobats with a 2.5m  (90-inch) wingspan. Male frigates can puff up their scarlet throat sacks to resemble a giant red balloon. Boobies and frigates have an interesting relationship. Booby birds are excellent hunters and fish in flocks. The frigates by comparison are pirates, they dive bomb the boobies to force them to drop their prey. Then the acrobatic frigate bird swoops down and picks up the food before it hits the water.
See the video: Blue-footed Booby and Magnificent Frigate bird, 

North Seymour is a small island near to Baltra Island in the Galapagos Islands. It was formed by seismic uplift rather than being of volcanic origin. The island has a flat profile with cliffs only a few feet from the shoreline, where swallowtail gulls and tropicbirds sit perched in ledges. A tiny forest of silver-grey Palo Santo trees stand just above the landing, usually without leaves, waiting for rain to bring them into bloom

The island is named after an English nobleman, Lord Hugh Seymour. It has an area of 1.9 km² (0.7 square miles) and a maximum altitude of 28 metres (92 feet).

Bartolome Island (Santiago)

Landing: Dry
Video from Bartolome

Bartolomé Island is one of the most spectacular of settings in the Galapagos.
After a dry landing we did climb the volcanic cone (board walk and 380 stairs) and from the top there was a great views of the other islands. 
Bartolomé is famous for its Pinnacle Rock, which is the distinctive characteristic of this island, and the most representative landmark of the Galápagos.

Optionally you could also swim and snorkel around Pinnacle Rock; the underwater world there is impressive. You can snorkel with the penguins, marine turtles, white-tipped reef sharks, and other tropical fish.

Bartolomé Island is a volcanic islet in the Galápagos Islands group. It is a volcanic islet just off the east coast of Santiago Island. It is one of the "younger" islands in the Galápagos archipelago. This island, and Sulivan Bay on Santiago island, are named after naturalist and lifelong friend of Charles Darwin, Sir Bartholomew James Sulivan, who was a Lieutenant aboard HMS Beagle.

With a total land area of just 1.2 km², this island offers some of the most beautiful landscapes in the archipelago. The island consists of an extinct volcano and a variety of red, orange, green, and glistening black volcanic formations.

Sullivan Bay (Santiago)

Landing: Dry
Video from Sullivan Bay.

Sullivan Bay is especially fascinating for those who are interested in geology and volcanology. 
There is a path of about 2 km, where we walked over the uneroded, black lava flow covered with lava bubbles and tree-trunk molds in the surface.

The area is covered with solidified lava flows in a corrugated or accordion. This area was very active in the last 25 years of the nineteenth century. Lava from Sullivan was formed in 1897. It's a very young geologically flow. The magma formed is flat, but the movement of underground lava, the rapid cooling and other eruptions led to the break in many places.

Sullivan Bay is located south-east of Santiago Island. It is of great geological interest. Here you can see some amazing lava formations, the result of a volcanic eruption in 1903. This is an excellent example of colors and shapes that contrast with lavas typical of other older types. Volcanological formations attract students and scientists from all sides due to the capricious formations.

Sullivan Bay has an elevation of 114 meters, where you can observe sea and land birds, a colony of fur seal and black marine iguanas have adapted very well to this field.

Blue-footed Booby and Frigatebirds

Video: Blue-footed Booby and Magnificent Frigatebird, Galapagos (North Seymour)

The Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) is a marine bird in the family Sulidae, which includes ten species of long-winged seabirds. First studied extensively by Charles Darwin at the Galapagos. It belongs to the genus Sula, which comprises six species of boobies. It is easily recognizable by its distinctive bright blue feet, which is a sexually selected trait. Males display their feet in an elaborate mating ritual by lifting their feet up and down while strutting before the female. The female is slightly larger than the male and can measure up to 90 cm (36 in) long with a wingspan of up to 1.5 m (4.9 ft).
The natural breeding habitats of the Blue-footed Booby are the tropical and subtropical islands of the Pacific Ocean. It can be found from the Gulf of California down along the western coasts of Central and South America down to Peru. Approximately one half of all breeding pairs nest on the Galápagos Islands. Its diet mainly consists of fish, which it obtains by diving and sometimes swimming underwater in search of its prey. While it sometimes hunts alone, the Blue-footed Booby mainly hunts in groups.
The Blue-footed Booby usually lays one to three eggs at a time. The species practices asynchronous hatching, which means that eggs that are laid first are hatched before the consequent eggs, resulting in a growth inequality and size disparity between siblings. This results in facultative siblicide in times of food scarcity, making the Blue-footed Booby an effective model for studying parent-offspring conflict and sibling rivalry.

Magnificent Frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens) are a family, Fregatidae, of seabirds. There are five species in the single genus Fregata. They are also sometimes called Man of War birds or Pirate birds. Since they are related to the pelicans, the term "frigate pelican" is also a name applied to them. They have long wings, tails, and bills and the males have a red gular pouch that is inflated during the breeding season to attract a mate. Frigatebirds are pelagic piscivores that obtain most of their food on the wing. A small amount of their diet is obtained by robbing other seabirds, a behaviour that has given the family its name, and by snatching seabird chicks. Frigatebirds are seasonally monogamous, and nest colonially. A rough nest is constructed in low trees or on the ground on remote islands. A single egg is laid each breeding season. The duration of parental care in frigatebirds is the longest of any bird.

Arrival to Galapagos, Baltra Island

We did stay two nights at JW Marriott in Quito prior to the Galapagos cruise.
Read the Quito pre- and post-cruise review here.

Sunday morning we were ready at 7:30 to go to Quito airport, but there was an 'unexpected' marathon in Quito that morning. Much of the city was blocked off, so the buses could not get in to the hotel - we were over an hour late. Luckily it was a AeroGal plane chartered specifically for this Xelebrity cruise, so the plane had to wait. At 11 pm we arrived at the airport and went straight for the charter flights from Quito to Baltra in the Galapagos, - a 2 hours flight.
See the short video: Celebrity Xpedition Flight from Quito to Baltra

Arrived at Baltra Airport and went through immigration. After a short bus ride from the airport to the pier and a short panga ride in a Zodiac rugbber-raft (picture), we were aboard the Celebrity Xpedition (picture below).
Short video: Transfer Baltra Airport to Pier.

The luggage was delivered directly to your cabin, which gave us the opportunity to get lunch and explore the Celebrity Xpedition, a 296-foot megayacht, which will be our home on the tour around the Galapagos Islands.

We have cabin 419 on deck 4 - there are 4 decks with a total of 46 cabins. The cabins at deck 3 and 4 are about 15 m2 and we have to do without a balcony on this cruise, however limited in how much time will want to spend in your cabin during the day time.


Baltra Island or Isla Baltra is a small island of the Galapagos Islands. Visitors to the Galapagos Archipelago often visit here first, as this is where the main airport, Seymour Airport, is situated. Until 1986, Baltra was the only airport serving the Galapagos. Now one of two airports, most flights operating in and out of Galapagos still fly into Baltra