Galapagos Inner Loop Cruise with Quito

Board your included flights from London Heathrow. On arrival you’ll be greeted at the airport by a Celebrity Cruises representative and transferred to the JW Marriott hotel. Enjoy free time to relax and settle in. 

Breakfast is served at the hotel. During your guided tour of the capital of Ecuador, situated at an altitude of 9,350 feet, you’ll stand on the equatorial line at the Intiñan Solar Museum, and marvel at the monastery of San Francisco and la Compañia Church. Lunch with a spectacular view of the city and enjoy a welcome dinner at a local gourmet restaurant. Your Tour Director will escort you throughout your Quito stay and serve as your personal concierge.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Baltra, Galapagos. During World War II, Baltra served as a U.S. military base protecting the Panama Canal from enemy attack. From the airport, it is just a short bus and tender ride to the ship. 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. 

With its sandy beach and black–rock, blue-water grottos, this stop offers a taste of the Galapagos geology, some great snorkelling, and an opportunity to see shore birds and Galapagos fur seals. A small island south of Santiago, Rabida is best known for its red sand and eroded volcanic landscape. A nesting colony of pelicans makes its home here, along with sea lions and some sea birds. 

Elizabeth Bay is one of the western-most points in the Galapagos. A scenic coastal exploration ride along this sheltered inlet offers viewing of a wide variety of wildlife and a wonderful mangrove ecosystem. Historically an anchorage for pirates and whalers, this site offers a breath taking views of Isabela, its volcanoes, and a saltwater lagoon. Along the shore, seabirds, penguins, sea lions, sea turtles, and nesting flightless cormorants can often be found. 

During a volcanic eruption in the early 1900’s, this area of Santiago was covered with flowing lava. Today, the hardened fields of black rock create a geologic wonderland. Take advantage of the cool of the early morning for a walk at this amazing site. 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 snorkelling. 

Behind one of the most beautiful white sand beaches in all of the Galapagos, you will find two small ponds that often have flamingos feeding in the shallows. It is also one of the largest nesting areas for the Pacific green sea turtle. A small island just north of Baltra, North Seymour is home to the largest colony of frigate birds in the Galapagos. While keeping an eye out for male frigates trying to impress potential mates with an inflated red neck pouch, you may also see blue-footed boobies dancing in a timeless courtship ritual. Sea lions and large land iguanas also roam about this rocky terrain. 

Visit the small waterfront town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the administrative capital of the islands. Thought by many to be the most spectacular site in San Cristobal, Punta Pitt allows for the rare opportunity to visit one of the few locations in the Galapagos where you can observe all three species of boobies–Blue, Red and Nazca–and two species of frigate birds nesting in the same area. You will have an opportunity to explore its volcanic terrain as well as beach swimming. 

The main population centre of the islands, Puerto Ayora is home to the National Park Service tortoise-breeding centre and the Charles Darwin Research Station. You will be able to visit the breeding centre and walk through the Research Station. You will also have the opportunity to take a bus ride to the highlands to observe giant tortoises in the wild and walk through a lava tunnel. In addition, you will have an exclusive opportunity to participate in the Scalesia reforestation project. 

Upon your arrival in Quito, a Celebrity Cruises® representative will escort you to the JW Marriott hotel, where dinner will be served at the hotel. 

Your Celebrity Cruises® representative will once again escort you to the airport for your return. Breakfast is included at the hotel. 

Arrive back at London Heathrow airport.