Cruise Itinerary

During World War II, Baltra served as a U.S. military base protecting the Panama Canal from enemy attack. Now the cactus-strewn landscapes of Baltra are home to the region's main airport and where you will meet the ship. After just a short bus and zodiac ride you will be aboard. Your luggage will be delivered straight to your stateroom, giving you the opportunity to explore the Celebrity Xpedition, a 296-foot mega-yacht and your home for the week.

Only 525 feet wide and less than a half a mile long, Mosquera Islet may be tiny, but it’s home to the one of the largest sea lion populations in the Galapagos. This narrow sandy expanse is situated in the channel between Baltra and North Seymour Island and offers a perfect opportunity for sea lion watching. Step ashore and you’re sure to see a sea lion or 10, basking in the sun or frolicking in the water nearby. They’re a playful bunch and very entertaining to watch. Just don’t get too close. The males can be aggressive if they think you’re encroaching on their territory. Just offshore, you might catch a glimpse of an orca pod. They often cruise the area looking for snacks, which can sometimes include sea lions.

Dragon Hill, or "Cerro Dragon," is named after its population of land iguanas. The site offers a beautiful view of the landscape and two small brackish lagoons where flamingos and other shore birds occasionally feed. Along the trail, we'll cross a beautiful "white forest" of Palo Santo (incense) trees and Galapagos cotton plants. Excursion options include a high-intensity hike with swimming/snorkeling at the beach, high intensity snorkeling from a zodiac followed by a short walk and a low-intensity Zodiac ride along the coastline with optional dry landing for animal observation.

The landscapes of this small island are visually stunning. It’s the top of an old volcanic cone bathed in crimson. The rocks and sand are hued brilliant red and sit amid coves of clear aqua blue water. A short hike up a steep hill provides for several spectacular overlooks, while you search the high cactus for finches and other birds. A Zodiac ride along the coast is also an option, as guests look for sea lions, fur seals, and birds. A brackish lagoon just behind the landing site sometimes provides an extraordinary opportunity?to get up close and personal with flamingos—a photographer’s dream, when it happens. A swim off the beach or snorkel along the shore afterwards is just the way to end the day.

About one million years ago, six volcanoes (five of which are still active) coalesced to form seahorse-shaped Isabela, the largest of the Galapagos Islands. At 1,790 square miles, it’s larger than all of the other islands combined, and, because it’s located on the western edge of the archipelago near the Galápagos hotspot, it’s one the world’s most volcanically active places. While many of the Galapagos islands are home to wildlife only, Isabela had a robust population of 1,749 in the 2006 census. From Tagus Cove on the northwestern side (which sheltered whalers, pirates, and buccaneers in days of old) to the laid-back resort town of Puerto Villamil at its southern tip, the island offers visitors a dazzling variety of terrains, wildlife and experiences. The Cromwell Current hits the base of Isabela’s west coast, causing nutrient-rich water to up well creating the perfect feeding environment for ground for fish, whales, dolphins, and birds. Because 16 species of whales have been identified in the area (including humpbacks, sperms, sei, minkes and orcas), it’s regarded as the best place to see whales in the Galapagos. As is often the case in the region, animal species abound. Visitors can hope to see penguins, cormorants, marine iguanas, boobies, pelicans, Sally Lightfoot crabs, Galápagos land iguanas, Darwin’s finches, Galápagos hawks, and Galápagos doves. There are many and varied ways to encounter wildlife on Isabela: at Moreno Point, near Elizabeth Bay on the west coast, visitors traverse a lava path to find pools at which a wide variety of birds feed. Vicente Roca Point offers some of the most dramatic landscapes in the Galapagos and the opportunity to see the remains of Ecuador Volcano

The Wall of Tears is a historical site 5 km west of Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.

Floreana Island was once a penal colony for Ecuador, the first capital of the Galapagos and where Charles Darwin met the viceroy of Galapagos. Your excursion options include a medium-intensity wet landing at Cormorant Point (or Punta Cormorant), where you may see two plant species found only at this particular site, as well as flamingos, stilts and whit cheeked pintail ducks. Or try advanced snorkeling in Devil's Crown Volcanic Cone to spy grunts, groupers, chubs, spotted eagle rays, white-tipped reed sharks, sea stars, parrotfish and rainbow wrasse.

Santa Cruz is the second-largest island in the Galapagos and home to Puerto Ayora (the largest town in the islands). In 1959, the Ecuadorian government declared all the islands, except areas already colonized, as a national park. In the same year, the Charles Darwin Foundation was founded to promote scientific research and ensure the conservation of the Galapagos. In 1992, the waters surrounding the Galapagos were declared a marine reserve. Here, you have the opportunity to visit a giant tortoise reserve in the lushly vegetated highlands, where the animals roam free in their natural habitat. On another excursion, a short drive through town brings you to the Galapagos Park Service giant tortoise breeding station and the Charles Darwin Research Station. Afterwards there is time to wander through the lovely streets of Puerto Ayora for some shopping.

Punta Suárez lies at the western point of Española, the oldest island in the Galápagos. Sheer cliffs provide superb thermals for seabirds and you may spot Swallow-tailed Gulls, Nazca Boobies and Blue-footed Boobies on the breeze. The largest seabird to nest in the Galapagos Islands is the Waved Albatross. These ocean wanderers can be seen seasonally here from April through December, when pairs reunite on Española, going through an elaborate pair-bonding display. View less Mockingbirds, doves, and occasional Galápagos Hawks can also be seen on the point, along with sea lions and colorful marine iguanas.

Isla Champion is a small islet off Floreana Island’s northeast coast. To cruise by it reveals a bare, rocky island without much allure, but to enter the infinitely blue waters around this small landmass is to discover a spectacular underwater realm. The visibility is generally impressive and thanks to this water clarity snorkelers often spot reef sharks patrolling the reef wall, cruising Pacific green turtles, and playful Galapagos sea lions. Encounters in the blue with thousands of small silver minnows, large tuna fish, or oceanic sunfish are not unheard of either.

The cliff shore of the island is home for sea lions, pelicans, blue footed boobies and tropic bird. In addition, large schools of fish can be observed from the zodiac rides.

During World War II, Baltra served as a U.S. military base protecting the Panama Canal from enemy attack. Now the cactus-strewn landscapes of Baltra are home to the region's main airport and where you will meet the ship. After just a short bus and zodiac ride you will be aboard. Your luggage will be delivered straight to your stateroom, giving you the opportunity to explore the Celebrity Xpedition, a 296-foot mega-yacht and your home for the week.