Itinerary

In the early morning, for those who desire, and prior to sunrise, we will head to the famous Mayan ruins of Tikal to walk through the jungle and climb on top of the Jaguar Temple to await the awakening of the jungle with its unique sounds and amazing light! We will spend part of the morning exploring the other temples of this unique site and return to the hotel for lunch and an afternoon on the shores of Lake Flores.

Our full day sightseeing tour includes a one-hour tour on the Panama Canal with an opportunity to enjoy the vegetation and wildlife (monkeys).
We will then proceed to the Miraflores Lock where you will be able to watch ships entering the lock and discover the new museum with the opportunity to enter the Lock on a simulator. A buffet lunch will be served at the Miraflores Restaurant offering a great view of the canal. In the afternoon, we will continue our tour including the Old City with the most important sites.

Embarkation:  Today we will fly commercial airline (ticket not included) to Baltra in the Galapagos. Upon arrival, transfer to Yacht La Pinta for a welcome introductory briefing and lunch.

Afternoon: South Plaza Island:  The turquoise waters of the channel here contrast brilliantly with the white sand and black lava of the shoreline, while a carpet of scarlet sesuvium succulents serves as groundcover for a grove of luminescent green prickly-pear cactus beyond, populated by yellow-grey land iguanas. Along the coastline one finds sea lion colonies, while sea birds play with the thermals that form along the cliffs of this small but spectacular island.

Morning: Punta Pitt (San Cristobal Island):  We land at the eastern tip of San Cristobal Island this morning. The tail that ascends from the beach provides spectacular views of the shoreline; we can observe frigates, plus a colony of bachelor sea lions. After the walk, if conditions are favorable, there is a chance to swim from the beach and snorkel.
Afternoon: Cerro Brujo: In the afternoon following lunch on board, a dinghy ride along the shores of tuff-stone layers takes us to Cerro Brujo's expansive, white coral beach, great for walking, with rewarding bird-watching featuring seabirds and shore birds. Also, look out for Galapagos sea lions. These are the same shores that Charles Darwin walked upon, back in September 1835.

Disembarking in the morning, we visit the Charles Darwin Research Station and the 'rearing in captivity' program for the giant tortoises. Here we witness the efforts and results of all the field work done in the name of science.
We transfer by bus across Santa Cruz Island and a short ferry ride to Baltra. Transfer to the airport and take the commercial flight (ticket not included) back to Guayaquil.
Transfer to the Hilton Colon hotel.

We'll enjoy a superb day of sightseeing including a climb (in a specially equipped army vehicle) to the rim of the active volcano Masaya and stand on the edge of the earth's furnace. Afterward, we'll take a boat among the 356 Las Isletas (the Small Islands) on Lake Nicaragua. Fianlly, we'll see the hightlights of Granada.