Day 1 - Baltra, Santa Cruz

Cruise Embarkation, Baltra Island - Your flight from Ecuador lands on Baltra Island. During World War II, Baltra served as a U.S. military base protecting the Panama Canal. Now the cactus-strewn landscapes of Baltra are home to the region's main airport and where you will be greeted by staff from Celebrity. After just a short bus and zodiac ride you will be aboard the ship.

Black Turtle Cove, Santa Cruz Island - A Zodiac ride into Black Turtle Cove, one of the most beautiful sites in the Galapagos, takes us through a complex maze of tranquil saltwater inlets surrounded by mangroves. Once inside the cove, we'll quietly explore the area looking for sea turtles, several species of rays, and sharks. It is also a nesting site for brown pelicans, egrets, and herons. Excursion options: Zodiac.

Day 2 - Rabida, Santiago

Puerto Egas, Santiago Island - With its black sand beach, coastal tide pools, and blue-water grottos, this stop offers a wonderful taste of the Galapagos and the opportunity to see shore birds, Galapagos Hawks, sea lions, marine iguanas, and Galapagos fur seals. Sea lions, colorful tropical fish, and sea turtles are often seen while snorkeling (conditions permitting). Excursion options: walk, swimming, snorkel.

Rabida Island - A small island south of Santiago, Rabida is best known for its red sand and eroded volcanic landscape. The high amount of iron contained in the lava at Rabida give a distinctive red color to the sand of its beach. A nesting colony of pelicans makes its home here, along with sea lions, finches, mockingbirds, Galapagos Hawks, and some seabirds. With good conditions, the snorkeling can be excellent. Excursion options: zodiac, walk, swim, kayak and snorkel.

Day 3 - Isabela, Fernandina

Tagus Point, Isabela Island - Historically an anchorage for pirates and whalers was named for the British naval vessel that moored here in 1814. The names of those old ships are carved into the rock above the landing. Tagus Point offers a breathtaking view of Isabela, its volcanoes, and a saltwater lagoon.

In the cove, there can be blue-fitted boobies, brown noddies, and pelicans, and where noddy terns make their nests. Along the shore seabirds, penguins, sea lions, sea turtles and nesting flightless cormorants can often be found. Excursion options: Zodiac, walk, snorkeling, and kayak.

Espinoza Point, Fernandina Island - Fernandina is the youngest island in the Galapagos and, as Darwin wrote, it is "covered with immense deluges of black naked lava." Along with its extraordinary black lava rocks, this point of land hosts the largest colony of marine iguanas in the Archipelago, along with sea lions and a nesting site for flightless cormorants. Excursion options: Walk, snorkel, hike.

Day 4 - Isabela

Urvina Bay, Isabela Island - Composed of five merged volcanoes, this is the largest island in the Galapagos, and the most recently active, the latest eruption having occurred at Wolf Volcano in 2015. Here you will see large land iguanas, finches, and if lucky, a giant tortoise or two. In 1954, magma from one of the island's volcanoes caused part of the bay to be uplifted some 6 meters, allowing you to walk through the remains of what was once a thriving underwater reef. Excursion options: Walk, hike, snorkel, swim.

Vicente Roca Point, Isabela Island - The half-collapsed remains of an ancient volcano make for a spectacular setting at this site. Awe-inspiring cliffs, blue waters, and wildlife create a zodiac ride to remember as you search for sea turtles, penguins, fur seals, the flightless cormorant, marine iguanas, marine mammals, and the oddly shaped form of the elusive sunfish. Excursion options: zodiac, deep water snorkel.

Day 5 - Bartolomé, Santa Cruz, Daphne

Bartolome Island - Bartolomé Island offers one of the region's most photographed views, and is a spectacular geological setting. Its barren moon-like volcanic landscapes, spatter cones, and pinnacle rock make for a unique stop. It is also home to the endemic Galapagos penguin and provides an excellent opportunity for snorkeling. Excursion options: hike up some 368 stairs "To the Top" of the volcano, a zodiac ride, and an optional beach swim or snorkel.

Las Bachas, Santa Cruz Island - Las Bachas Beach is located in the north of Santa Cruz Island. Its soft, white sand is derived from remains of coral, shells, algae, making it a favorite nesting site for sea turtles. Behind the beach there is a small brackish lagoon, where it is possible to observe flamingos and other coastal birds, such as black-necked stilts and whimbrels. Excursion options: walk, swim, and snorkel.

Daphne Island - Daphne is a satellite volcanic cone located north of Santa Cruz Island. The crater floor is an important breeding site for blue-footed boobies. The cliff shore of the island is home for sea lions, pelicans, blue-footed boobies, and tropic birds which can be observed during the circumnavigation of the island.

Day 6 - Genovesa

El Barranco, Genovesa Island - Also known as Prince Philip's Steps, El Barranco was named for Prince Philip, who visited Galapagos in 1965 and again in 1981. The steep stairway leads up through a seabird colony full of Nazca and Red-footed Boobies. Once visitors reach the plateau, the trail continues inland and passes more nesting booby colonies in the thin Palo Santo forest. You will see Nazca boobies, Galapagos doves, mockingbirds and storm petrels. Lucky visitors with keen eyes may catch a glimpse of a Short-eared lava owl stalking petrel along the island's eastern cliffs. Excursion options: Hike, zodiac, deep water snorkel.

Darwin Bay, Genovesa Island - Darwin Bay's soft white sand is only the beginning of a spectacular excursion. A trail from the beach takes you into lush mangroves where red-footed boobies nest. Other local wildlife includes sea lions, swallow-tailed gulls, frigate birds, and more. Snorkeling is a must here, as the nutrient-rich water attracts all types of marine life, including sharks, sea lions, sea turtles, and the occasional manta ray. Excursion options: Walk, swim, snorkel and kayak.

Day 7 - Santa Cruz

Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island - This is the main population center of the islands, home to the National Park Tortoise Breeding Center and the Charles Darwin Research Station. After Darwin's studies and surveys, the Galapagos Archipelago remained untouched except for occasional landings for water and meager supplies mustered from the uninhabited islands. Many tortoises were taken for food and oil.

In 1930, an expedition from the US arrived to create a wildlife sanctuary for the entire archipelago, and finally, in 1935, the first laws were passed to protect these islands. In 1959, the Ecuadorian government declared the Galapagos a national park, the catalyst needed to promote scientific research, restoration, and preservation of the ecosystem.

You will have the opportunity to take a bus ride to the highlands to observe giant tortoises in the wild and walk through a lava tunnel. Optional time for shopping will be available. Excursion options: Tortoise-breeding Center/Charles Darwin Center, Highlands.

Day 8 - Baltra

Cruise Disembarkation, Baltra Island - At the end of your cruise, you will return to Baltra to say farewell to the enchanted islands. After your last zodiac ride and a short bus ride, you'll arrive at the Baltra airport for your onward journeys.

7-Night Galapagos Northern Loop Itinerary