ACCOMMODATION

the SHERATON, QUITO

Hotel on Puerto Baquerizo (San Cristobal, Galapagos)

M/Y SEAMAN JOURNEY

Marine Yacht Seaman Journey

• Length: 90ft (27.6 m) Beam: 36.08ft (11m)
• Capacity: 16 passengers Main engines: 2x Cummins, 350 H.P. iMO
• On Board: Dining room, living room,conference area, library with chart games and DVD playerbar area, shaded relaxing area, whirlpool, kayaks, Laundry, Library, air- conditioning WIFI, Hairdryer Max speed: 10 knots

MAIN DECK

UPPER DECK

 

sole use supplements

DAY 1

LANDING IN QUITO (TRIP STARTS AT 6PM)

Quito, located on the equator in a valley at the foothills of the Pichincha volcano is the largest, best preserved colonial city of America - declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. Tonight you will stay at the Sheraton Quito, and depending on your arrival time, you can spend your day exploring the old town of Quito and the surrounding area before meeting your SwimQuest hosts at 6pm for a welcome drink and dinner. (Let us know if you would like to organise a day trip - we can help).

DAY 2

MORNING: TRAVEL TO SAN CRISTOBAL

We will board a morning flight from Quito to the island of San Cristóbal in The Galapagos. On arrival, we have a transfer to the hotel in the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and a briefing before the adventure begins.

AFTERNOON: LA LOBERIA (SWIM 1.5 - 2.5 KM)

In the afternoon we will head to "La Loberia" to swim with large Galapagos sea lions. They are very curious and will be happy to swim next to you underwater! We also get to see yellow warbler birds, frigate birds, and several species of Darwin’s finches along the beach. In between the rocks we may find marine iguanas, which you can only see in Galapagos.

DAY 3

MORNING: PUNTA SUAREZ (1.5 - 2KM COASTAL SWIM)

This morning we will travel on a boat for approximately two hours to reach Española Island, stopping at Punta Suarez for our first coastal swim. After which, there will be opportunity to walk on the island, passing through a colony of albatross (present between March and December), and blue-footed and Nazca boobies, before seeing the marine iguanas.

AFTERNOON: ESPANOLA NORTH COASTLINE (2.5KM SWIM) > zayapas, sea turtles

After this visit, we will return to the vessel to enjoy lunch and navigate to our second swim of the day along the north coastline, with the possibility of spotting blue sharks, zayapas, sea turtles, and tropical fish among other species.

DAY 4

MORNING: TRANSFER TO LIVEABOARD

Once on board your ship, you will be introduced to the crew and given a welcome briefing. After this you'll be shown to your cabins, followed by a delicious lunch on board.

AFTERNOON: LOBOS ISLAND LOBOS CHANNEL SWIM 2-3KM > SEA LIONS, FUR SEALS, BLUE FOOTED BOOBIES

This afternoon, we will visit Lobos Island for our first swim along the channel between Lobos Island and San Cristóbal. Waters are turquoise, sheltered and crystal clear. Lobos Island is named after the colony of Galápagos Sea Lions that live here. You can also see Galápagos Fur Seals basking here, and there is a nesting colony of Blue-Footed Boobies that come each year to raise their chicks.

DAY 5

MORNING: PITT POINT WITCH HILL SWIM 3-3.5KM > RAYS & GREEN SEA TURTLES, GALÁPAGOS SEA LIONS, MARINE IGUANAS, PELICANS, AND GALÁPAGOS BLUE-FOOTED BOOBIES

Stephens Bay with Witch Hill in the background, San Cristobal Island

This morning we travel to Pitt Point, or Punta Pitt, at the far eastern edge of San Cristobal. Following a wet landing directly onto the beach you'll be welcomed by the friendly and noisy barking of the local colony of Galápagos Sea Lions. There is so much to see here, both on land and sea, and as such - before we start our swim we will take a quiet path up the cliffs to a breeding site used by all 3 resident species of booby - the Blue-Footed, Red-Footed and Nazca Boobies. Nowhere else in the Galápagos do all three species nest side-by-side like this. As well as this unique booby colony you can also see Galápagos Frigatebirds and petrels. In addition to the wonderful bird life, the view down to the beach and across the island from this high vantage point make the climb worth it. After our walk, you'll be itching to get in for a swim and we will do so this morning at the brilliant white coral sand beach at Witch Hill ("Brujo Hill") - arguably one of the very best in the Galápagos. This was one of the first sites where Charles Darwin made landfall on his famous journey here on HMS Beagle. During your swim, look out for likely sightings of Galápagos rays, green sea turtles, sponge coral and a wide range of beautiful fish. If you are booked as a non-swimmer, then a kayak ride or snorkel will still let you see plenty of wildlife thanks to the crystal clear waters off this stunning beach.

AFTERNOON: KICKER ROCK CIRCUMNAVIGATION 1.5KM – 2KM > hammerheads, TURTLES

This afternoon provides an incredible opportunity to swim around Kicker Rock, a 490ft tall monolith. Kicker Rock (or Leon Dormido, "sleeping lion", locally) is an iconic feature of Galápagos geology, and is one of the most popular photograph opportunities in the archipelago. Marine life here is plentiful, and you may spot hammerhead sharks, green turtles and a whole variety of tropical fish. Once back on board, look out for Galápagos Blue-Footed Boobies, Nazca Boobies, and Frigatebirds as they launch themselves from their roosts in the cliffs high above.

DAY 6

MORNING: GARDNER BAY SWIM 1.5KM > SEA LIONS, MOCKINGBIRDS, GREEN SEA TURTLE

Today we head to Gardner Bay a wonderfully sheltered area on the eastern shore of Espanola Island and a great place for swimming and snorkelling. The beach here is home to a large colony of Galápagos Sea Lions, and Galápagos Mockingbirds. These birds are full of curiosity, and have been known to come and investigate bootlaces, camera straps and in our case - goggles! The Galápagos Green Sea Turtle can also often be seen in the shallows here, and along with a large variety of colourful reef fish, this makes Gardner Bay a wonderful place to swim. 

AFTERNOON SUAREZ POINT 3.5 - 4KM COASTAL SWIM > SEA LIONS, BLUE-FOOTED BOOBY, NAZCA BOOBY, WAVED ALBATROSS

This afternoon we head to Suarez Point on the western tip of Espanola - one of the most wildlife-packed of all the visitor sites in the Galápagos. After a stunning swim along this dramatic volcanic coastline, we swim into a beach frequented by Galápagos Sea Lions – and if you have any energy left – you can enjoy a two mile hike along a trail that will take you up around the cliffs.

The range of wildlife on show here is simply stunning. This is a great place to view the remarkable Galápagos Blue-Footed Booby as well as their cousins the Nazca Booby. You can also see the rare Waved Albatross at Suarez Point, where they use the cliff tops to launch themselves into the air over the ocean.

Another famous natural feature here is the blowhole. This geological formation funnels the incoming waves into a chamber where it gets compressed and then the air and seawater are forced out at great speed, making a spectacular plume of water shooting high into the air.

DAY 7

MORNING: FLOREANA 3-4KM BAY TO BAY SWIM > REEF SHARKS, RAYS, SEA LIONS

This morning we head to Floreana for some bay to bay swimming, finishing at the famous ‘Post Office Bay’. Since the 19th century, whalers kept a barrel at Post Office Bay, so that mail could be picked up and delivered to their destination by ships on their way home. Cards and letters are still placed in the barrel without any postage. Visitors sift through the letters and cards in order to deliver them by hand! Look out for reef sharks, rays, and sea lions swimming around you along this coastline.

AFTERNOON - CORMORANT POINT 1.5M SWIM / SNORKEL > FLAMINGOS, RAYS

This afternoon we will head to Cormorant Point - on the northern tip of Floreana, landing on a beach that sits between two volcanic cones. The sand on one of the beaches here has a noticeably olive-green colour, due to a much higher than usual concentration of olivine crystals in the sand.  The adjacent beach is mainly coral sand, and is almost a brilliant white in comparison. Here we will take you to a large lagoon frequented by flamingos, their pink colouring a sharp contrast to the green sand. We will swim (or snorkel) here - look out for beautiful rays in the shallows.

DAY 8

MORNING: SEYMOUR PART CIRCUMNAVIGATION 4.5KM SWIM > LAND IGUANAS, RAYS, REEF SHARKS

Today we sail to Seymour - an island formed at the same time as neighbouring Baltra Island, and by the same process - an uplifting of undersea lava. In 1934 a group of Galápagos Land Iguanas were moved here by Captain Hancock. They have since thrived, and there are now well over 2,500 of them on the island. This morning we will swim around the island's coastline - there is plenty of marine life to see - including rays and reef sharks.

AFTERNOON: BACK TO BALTRA ISLAND

Your Galápagos adventure ends with the arrival of your ship back at Baltra Island (also known as South Seymour). After saying goodbye to your ship and crew, you'll board the transfer vehicle which will take you on the short journey to the airport in plenty of time for your flight back to Quito.

Please let us know if you have onward plans and we can put you in touch with our local travel partners.

GETTING THERE

TRANSFERS TO THE GALAPAGOS