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The sixteen passenger Aida Maria offers a great combination of comfort, style and economy for tours in the Galapagos. Each of the eight double cabins has a private bathroom with hot showers , air conditioning , an ample external deck to enjoy sunny Galapagos days. The M/Y Aida Maria started operating in the galapagos islands in 1997 offering cruises around the islands as a charter yacht as well as for individual travellers.
It's design is based in efficiency and comfort with social areas and 8 cabins providing optimum comfort for your experience exploring the galapagos. She takes 16 guests in double cabins with private facilities, A/C and hot water and desalinator having unlimited water.
The Aida Maria is one of the very few yachts entirely hand made in the Galapagos islands completely from local farms timber wood ,this is one of the most traditional and classic boats in the Galapagos,the owners have been running tours in Galapagos since the 1960's but the family has its roots in Galapagos since the late 1930's.
For a classic experience of the Galapagos with one of the best boats with excellent service ,experienced captain, friendly crew and great food, the M/Y AIDA MARIA is your choice.
The M/Y AIDA MARIA has 8 very comfortable double cabins located on 3 decks, 4 on Main deck 2 on the upper deck and 2 on the sun deck,each cabin has upper and lower beds, private bathroom with hot showers , all cabins have the same price and are assigned on first come first serve basis, so if you want the upper deck cabins please be the first one to make your reservation and ask for availability ,however all cabins are the same size and have the same facilities.
| DAY | ISLAND | PLACE |
| SUN |
Santa Cruz |
AM: Baltra Airport PM: Bachas Beach |
| MON |
Genovesa |
AM: Darwin Bay PM: El Barranco |
| TUE |
Bartolome Santiago |
AM: Bartolome Island PM: Sullivan Bay |
| WED |
Daphne - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz |
AM: Daphne Island - Black Turtle Cove PM: Dragón Hill |
| THU |
Santa Cruz |
AM: Charles Darwin Station PM: Highland |
| FRI | Floreana |
AM: Cormorant Point - Devil´s Crown PM: Post Office |
| SAT |
Española |
AM: Suarez Point PM: Garned Bay - Gardner Islet - Osborn Islet |
| SUN | San Cristobal |
AM: Lobos Island AM: San Cristobal Airport |
Fly from the Ecuadorian mainland to the islands on an early morning 90-minute flight. As you prepare to land in Baltra, look out the window. The landscape below will seem otherworldly – you’ll truly be landing in a place like no other. The Galapagos Islands are completely unique and you’re about to see why. Your bilingual naturalist guide will greet you at the airport and meet you after customs. During lunch he/she will introduce you to the islands, specifically the flora and fauna that you will encounter at our first destination.
BACHAS BEACH (SANTA CRUZ ISLAND)
During lunch he/she will introduce you to the islands, specifically the flora and fauna that you will encounter at our first destination, Las Bachas Beach. On the sandy white beaches of Las Bachas you will get a close look at a sea turtle nesting area as well as a lake frequented by pink flamingos and other migratory birds. Afterwards, you’ll cool off with a dip in the beautiful, blue Pacific Ocean. As this is the first evening together, the crew will invite everyone to a pre-dinner cocktail on the yacht before the welcome dinner. If the night is clear, as it usually is, the stars above will sparkle; look for the Southern Cross, the Big Dipper (turned up-side down!) and Orion.
DARWIN BAY (GENOVESA ISLAND)
Early in the morning you’ll have breakfast and then you’ll disembark at Genovesa “Tower” Island, which is located in the northeastern part of the Galapagos (less than half a degree north of the equator).
At “Tower” Island you’ll anchor at Darwin Bay, which is located on the southern part of the island, and is actually the caldera of an extinct, partially eroded volcano, with the surrounding cliffs forming the inner lining of the rim. While the origin of the name “Tower” is not known, one can imagine it had something to do with these towering cliffs. The tour will be a long, fairly-easy walk, but it is usually hot and dry here, so you may want to carry some water. After a wet landing on a coral beach the trail begins in an area where there are several swallow-tailed gulls. As you walk back from the beach, you’ll see a variety of Opuntia cactus and mangroves.
Tower is an outpost for many sea birds (as Española is in the south). Interestingly, there are almost no land reptiles on Tower, only very small marine iguanas. This is attributed to the direction of the ocean currents, which wouldn’t have carried the terrestrial animals here.
EL BARRANCO
Following lunch you will do a dry landing to climb EL Barranco or Prince Philip’s Steps. The steep ascend takes you 100 feet above sea level, to be welcomed by the elegant silhouette of red billed tropic bird and the aerobatic Galapagos shearwater, both interact with the precipice on fast approaches. The lava rock trail takes through the endemic dwarf incense tree forest, to find more red footed “lancers” nesting and many of their gannet like relatives, the Nazcas, loudly claiming the floor as their residence. The Palo Santo forest is dormant most of the year, to awaken in the rainy season and contaminate the air with a refreshing aroma. As you exit the latent trees your breath may cease by the panorama of thousands of storm petrels flying erratically beyond the lava flows. This is the perfect scenario for the island predator to make a successful kill. The short-eared owl, known elsewhere around the world as a nocturnal predator, in Genovesa hunts in bright daylight. More cat than owl, waits patiently outside lava tunnels and crevasses to capture the stormy petrels as they leave their houses after feeding their young.
BARTOLOME ISLAND
Bartolome Island, which at its highest point is 114 meters, is one of the most photographed vistas in the archipelago. This island is quite young and quite volcanic, therefore, it's relatively unpopulated; only a small handful of die-hard plant and animal species have survived long enough to call this lava-land home.
SULLIVAN BAY (SANTIAGO ISLAND)
After the visit to Bartolome Island you’ll visit nearby Sullivan Bay. At the turn of the century a huge lava flow spilled right down to the sea and today you can stroll across this black volcanic expanse, admiring its time-frozen ripples, bubbles and ropes.
DAPHNE ISLAND
Early in the morning you’ll arrive to Daphne Island, a cone formed by the accumulation of volcanic ash, which is home to thousands of birds such as blue footed boobies, frigate birds, tropic birds, and many more. We wont go ashore here, but we’ll navigate around this volcanic cone, so binoculars are recommended to get a good look at the birds. Daphne has been a great research site on which many scientists have spent years studying the behavior of Darwin’s finches.
BLACK TURTLE COVE (SANTA CRUZ ISLAND)
After this visit you’ll move on to our next site, Black Turtle Cove, which is a red mangrove lagoon on Santa Cruz and is a nursery for many sharks and rays. It’s also a great location to observe mating turtles around this time of year. You’ll see large groups of resting White-Tip Reef Sharks, schools of Golden Rays and Spotted Eagle Rays, and a few juvenile Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks and Black-Tip Sharks. The water very calm so we often used paddles instead of the loud panga engines to move around the area.
DRAGON HILL
After lunch you’ll navigate for a couple of hours to Cerro Dragon, where you’ll make a dry landing on lava rocks. Cerro Dragon is a small bay on the west coast of Santa Cruz and got its name from the many land iguanas that live in the area. Land iguanas are endemic to the Galapagos Islands where they have found good mating and nesting areas.
CHARLES DARWIN STATION (SANTA CRUZ ISLAND)
After breakfast you’ll sail to Santa Cruz Island, where you’ll visit the world-famous Charles Darwin Station, a non-profit institution that dedicates itself to studying and protecting the flora and fauna of the Galapagos. This is one of the best places to see land tortoises.
Then you’ll visit the station’s Tortoise Rearing Center. Here you can find baby, hand-sized tortoises, between the ages of one and five, and marvel at how they achieve such large sizes as adults (500 lbs. or more!). Galapagos tortoises are believed to have a lifespan of over 100 years, so the young ones have a long life ahead of them as long as they receive the protection they need.
Aside from the Station headquarters, Santa Cruz Island is home to the largest town and economic center of the Galapagos, Puerto Ayora. In this portside town you can buy souvenirs (postcards, t-shirts, books, etc.) of the islands. Check out the unique Galapagos ceramic shop near the entrance of the Charles Darwin Station.
HIGHLAND
After shopping in Puerto Ayora and lunch on the boat (guests may dine in town if they desire), you’ll explore the upper region, “HIGHLAND” of the island, which is a moisture-rich area with fertile volcanic soils. You’ll learn about the vegetation and animal life of this zone, often strikingly different than that found at lower elevations.
Darwin’s Finches, Yellow Warblers, and Bright Red Vermillion Flycatchers will fly in and out of the moss-covered trees. From this high vantage point you’ll be treated to beautiful views of the surrounding archipelago.
In the late afternoon you’ll return to town. For those who wish to check out the nightlife, this is your chance; the boat will be docked in port most of the night.
CORMORANT PONIT (FLOREANA ISLAND)
When you wake up and look out your porthole on Day 6 you will see Floreana, one of the greenest islands in the archipelago. Ask your guide to tell you about its mysterious history laden with rumors of witches, murderous baronesses, blackmail, and dubious disappearances.
Your first stop is Punta Cormorant, where you’ll follow a footpath to a lagoon inhabited by flaming-pink flamingos. You will also pass by Carolina Beach, a Sea Turtle nesting area and a superb spot for watching sea birds and sea rays.
DEVIL´S CROWN
Back on the yacht, you’ll skirt the island’s coast until you arrive at Devil’s Crown, a sub-marine crater that offers some of the most spectacular snorkeling in the Galapagos. This is a great spot for seeing the wide array of tropical fish, many endemic to the islands, including purple sea stars and spiky sea urchins. The crater’s most thrilling undersea creatures, however, are the white-tipped sharks. As with most of the creatures in the Galapagos they are unperturbed by your presence, so you can swim in their company freely and fearlessly.
POST OFFICE BAY
After returning to the boat for lunch you’ll sail on to Post Office Bay, where the islands’ original post office (really only a wooden barrel) was established in 1793. The current system still functions as it did three centuries ago: Visitors drop off unstamped letters and postcards AND pick-up whatever mail they can hand deliver themselves when they return home! (Try it, it actually works!).
SUAREZ POINT (ESPAÑOLA ISLAND)
Head to Punta Suárez on Española Island, the southernmost island in the Galápagos archipelago and home to several wildlife species. Hike to the top of the cliff for spectacular photo opportunities, and explore the island's untamed natural beauty.
GARDNER BAY
Visit Gardner Bay's magnificent white sandy beach, home to sea lions and sea birds. Be sure to explore the beautiful turquoise water and its incredible sea life. Spot young sea lions and large schools of surprisingly big tropical fish, including yellow-tailed surgeonfish, king angelfish, and bump-head parrot fish.
GARDNER ISLET
This small island in front of Gardner Bay is lined with vertical cliffs that drop to sandy ledges and large boulders. Diving here you will encounter the smallest of the Galapagos garden eels, snake eels, blackspot morays, Galapagos putterfish, scorpionfish, and red-lipped batfish. On the north end of the island are twisting tunnels and to the south are caves making for interesting exploration. The area has an abundance of fish including schools of snappers, creolefish, king angelfish, butterflyfish, jacks, large pufferfish and a variety of sea urchins and sea stars.
OSBORN ISLET
Is located to the southeast of Gardner Bay, near Española Island. Since landing is not allowed on this site, the visit consists of a tranquil panga ride that will allow us to enjoy the panoramic views and the many species that inhabit the place.
The islet wa named after after Henry Fairfield Osborn, a true lover of nature and animal species. William Beebe worked for him and named the islet after traveling to discover Galapagos.
There are many different schools of fish and other animal species, such as parrotfish, sea lions, butterfly fish, corals, green pencil urchins and many other colorful fish. This site is also great for snorkeling and swimming around the abundant marine life, as its waters are very calm.
LOBOS ISLAND (SAN CRISTOBAL)
On your 8th day of visiting the Galapagos you’ll arrive early in the morning to San Cristobal, the capital of the Galapagos. The first site will be Isla Lobos, a very small islet made of volcanic rocks that gets its name from the colony of Sea Lions (Lobo de Mar in Spanish) that live there. Here you can observe the behavior and interaction of Sea Lions living in a small community. Before taking the flight back to the mainland you will have some time to visit the town on your own for last minute shopping or people watching in the Galapagos.
After this final visit, you will be transferred to the San Cristobal airport in time for your flight back to the mainland.
Important: Itineraries are unlikely to change significantly but are subject to change. Weather, wildlife breeding, safety concerns, instructions from the Galapagos National Park, specific abilities and interests of passengers as well as operational matters may cause your guide or captain to change the time or nature of visits. Your guide and captain will always endeavor to select the best itinerary within these limits.
| Yach Name: | Aida Maria |
| Category: | Tourist Superior Class |
| Construction: | 1996. Galapagos Island |
| Motor: | 2 John Deere (175 HP) |
| Generator: | 2 x yanmar 110 V |
| Electricity: | 110 V / 220 V |
| Aire Acondicionado: | All the cabins and indoor areas |
| Navegation: | 70 Feet |
| Speed: | 9 Knots |
| Capacity: | 16 Passengers |
| Acomodation: | 8 doubles cabins (upper and lower beds) with private facilities |
| Social Areas: | Dining room, living room, sundeck and entertaiment center |
| Crew: | 8 + 1 bilingual naturalist guide |
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