Hermes Itineraries A + B (9 Days): Isabela to San Cristóbal | Hermes Catamaran

Your Galapagos adventure begins at Baltra Airport, where a Hermes guide will welcome you and escort you to the superyacht. Once aboard, you will enjoy lunch and learn about Hermes before setting out on your first excursion. In the afternoon, visit Bachas Beach on Santa Cruz Island, a beautiful stretch of soft white sand formed from decomposed coral. The beach is a favored nesting site for sea turtles and provides an excellent introduction to the wildlife of the archipelago. Along the lava rocks bordering the water, look for colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs moving across the shoreline. The area also offers opportunities to observe frigatebirds, Blue-footed Boobies, and sea lions, beginning your journey with an engaging combination of coastal scenery and Galapagos wildlife.

Begin the morning at Tagus Cove on Isabela Island, a historic anchorage once frequented by pirates and whalers dating back to the 1800s. After a dry landing, hike along the slopes of Darwin Volcano to panoramic viewpoints and Darwin’s Lake, a saltwater crater lake situated above sea level. A dinghy ride beneath the cliffs provides opportunities to observe Blue-footed Boobies, Brown Noddies, and Flightless Cormorants. Snorkeling introduces another side of the cove, with Galapagos Penguins, schools of fish, and possible sea turtle encounters. Later, explore Urbina Bay, where a dramatic geological uplift in 1954 exposed part of the shallow sea bottom and coral reef. Walk among coral fossils while looking for Galapagos Land Iguanas before snorkeling near a resident Galapagos Penguin colony and watching for Marine Iguanas feeding underwater on algae.