Galapagos Islands Expedition Cruise – Nine of the - GPS-GPS-0-SCGAL2324WN MS Santa Cruz II departing 3 Oct 2023

Quito, Ecuador’s capital, sits high in the Andean foothills at an altitude of 2,850m. Constructed on the foundations of an ancient Incan city, it’s known for its well-preserved colonial center, rich with 16th- and 17th-century churches and other structures blending European, Moorish and indigenous styles. These include the cathedral, in the Plaza Grande square, and ultra-ornate Compañia de Jesús Jesuit church.

Quito, Ecuador’s capital, sits high in the Andean foothills at an altitude of 2,850m. Constructed on the foundations of an ancient Incan city, it’s known for its well-preserved colonial center, rich with 16th- and 17th-century churches and other structures blending European, Moorish and indigenous styles. These include the cathedral, in the Plaza Grande square, and ultra-ornate Compañia de Jesús Jesuit church.

The Galápagos Islands is a volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. It’s considered one of the world’s foremost destinations for wildlife-viewing. A province of Ecuador, it lies about 1,000km off its coast. Its isolated terrain shelters a diversity of plant and animal species, many found nowhere else. Charles Darwin visited in 1835, and his observation of Galápagos’ species later inspired his theory of evolution.

Isabela Island is the largest island of the Galápagos with an area of 4,640 square kilometres and length of 100 kilometres, almost four times larger than Santa Cruz, the second largest of the archipelago. It was named after Queen Isabella I of Castile. The island straddles the equator.

Santa Cruz is an island in Ecuador’s Galápagos National Park. It’s known for sandy beaches like El Garrapatero. The town of Puerto Ayora is the archipelago’s tourism hub. Here, the Charles Darwin Research Station has a breeding program for endangered giant tortoises, which live wild in El Chato Reserve. Tortuga Bay attracts sea turtles and marine iguanas. Los Gemelos volcanic calderas and a lava tunnel lie inland.

The Galápagos Islands is a volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. It’s considered one of the world’s foremost destinations for wildlife-viewing. A province of Ecuador, it lies about 1,000km off its coast. Its isolated terrain shelters a diversity of plant and animal species, many found nowhere else. Charles Darwin visited in 1835, and his observation of Galápagos’ species later inspired his theory of evolution.

Baltra Island, or Isla Baltra, is a small island of the Galápagos Islands. Also known as South Seymour, Baltra is a small flat island located near the center of the Galápagos. It was created by geological uplift. The island is very arid and vegetation consists of salt bushes, prickly pear cactus and palo santo trees.