Athala

Luxury Motor Catamaran

Overview

True five star luxury. Great service, beautiful and spacious interiors and excellent itinerary.

Category	Length	Guests	Cabins
First Class	103ft / 31.45 m	16	8

One of only three yachts offering true 5 star facilities in Galapagos, this is a beautiful vessel which is very spacious, light and airy. Like her sister ship, Nina, the Althala offers all the amenities of being on a larger vessel, but all the intimacy and benefits of being on a smaller vessel. Each of the rooms is spacious with picture windows. Service on board is excellent, with an administrator on board to ensure the smooth running of operations. Whilst the itinerary isn’t as strong as the sister yacht, but it is available for 4 and 5 day cruise options as well as 8-days. Althala and her sister yacht Nina are owned by a well respected Ecuadorean family who have a very good reputation for high quality service.

Cabins:

Eight double deluxe cabins (min 175 square feet, 16.3 m2) are all spacious, four on the main deck and four on the upper deck. All cabins have ocean views with large picture windows and the cabins on the main deck have the additional luxury of a private balcony.

Rates:

Prices start at USD $2,495 (GB£1663) per person for a 5-day cruise
** Special deals regularly available on this yacht

Athala is available to charter
Discounts available for groups
Including all accommodation, food, services of a top class naturalist, $10 Galapagos Migration Card.
Excluding flight to Galapagos, $100 Galapagos National Park entrance fee, bottled and alcoholic drinks, tips and personal expenses

If you would like any more information or to chat over the details of the trip we would be delighted to help. Telephone 01482 872 716 for more information or email us today.

Itinerary

From 2011 the Galapagos National Park is changing all yacht itineraries from 8-days to 15-days in order to spread more evenly the number of visitors to each site. Below is a list of all the islands that will be visited, shorter visits from 5 days upwards are possible within this itinerary. Please contact us for details.

Download large jpg version of this map: Detailed Itinerary

8-Day Cruise ‘A’ The Western, Southern and Central Islands
(Coloured blue on the map)

SATURDAY
Baltra Arrival at Baltra airport and transfer to the yacht.

Rabida A red sandy beach with sea lions and nesting Brown Pelicans, which sometimes afford a rare glimpse of chick feeding. A short walk from the beach is a sea water lagoon, where flamingos can sometimes be seen. Geologically, Rabida is said to have the most diversified volcanic rocks of all the islands. It also provides a great opportunity to snorkel with sea lions and has a great diversity of near-shore and pelagic fish.

SUNDAY
Isabela Measuring over 1800 square miles, and accounting for over half the land surface area in Galapagos, at about 80 miles in length, the seahorse shaped Isabela Island is the largest in the Galapagos. Isabela is formed from six separate volcanoes (Alcedo, Cerro Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra and Wolf).

Isabela – Vicente Roca Point Beautiful volcanic scenery and amazing lava intrusions as well as a huge sea cliff categorise this area, in the northern part of the island which lies on the flank of 2,600 foot Volcano Ecuador. Here the remnants of an ancient volcano form two turquoise coves with a bay that is well protected from ocean swells. Masked and blue-footed boobies sit along the cliffs whilst flightless cormorants stay along the shoreline and if you are lucky you will see penguins in the water. The upwelling of coldwater currents have created an abundance of marine life here, making for great snorkelling.

Fernandina The youngest of the Galapagos Islands at just over 100,000 years old, this is the most pristine and untouched of all the islands (not just in Galapagos, but in the world). Volcanically it is still active with eruptions occurring every few years. Punta Espinosa, is a truly spectacular visitor site and a real highlight. A narrow strop of land extending out from the base of the Fernandina Volcano it offers the best chance to see Marine Iguanas with the largest colony in the Galapagos. You will also have the chance to see Flightless Cormorants here, at the tip of the narrow point.

MONDAY
Isabela – Tagus Cove The land tour here takes you up the slopes of the Darwin Volcano up to a salt water lagoon at the top, providing a great view of the fragile lava fields, the volcanic formations as well as the ocean. A great part of the visit here is a panga ride along the coast, with dramatic colours and beautiful tuff formations, with Blue-footed boobies, penguins and marine iguanas.

Isabela – Urbina Bay In 1954, almost 4 miles of coastal seabed, with marine-life and all, were dramatically and very suddenly uplifted about 15 ft. This area is now a nesting site for Brown Pelicans and Flightless Cormorant and giant Marine Iguanas can be seen. You will also see a few large land iguanas and if you are lucky a giant tortoise or two can be seen.

TUESDAY
Isabela – Elizabeth Bay Located on the west coast of the Isabela, no landings are permitted here, but it makes for a beautiful panga (small dingy) ride. This is one of the best areas to see Galapagos Penguins as they prefer the cooler waters found in this area of the archipelago. Flightless Cormorants and giant marine iguanas, which have grown so large thanks to the plentiful food are also see in this area. As you then enter a narrow cove lined with large Red Mangrove trees, you can see marine turtles, rays and shore birds.

Isabela - Punta Moreno With dramatic seascapes and one of the best sunrise areas in the Galapagos, the visit to this site begins with a panga ride along the beautiful rocky shores where shore birds, penguins and great blue herons can be spotted. The panga then enters an area of mangroves before you disembark. This enigmatic area is one of the driest lava fields you will ever see, but is punctuated by small lagoons and ponds containing and abundance of wildlife including flamingos and pintail ducks.

WEDNESDAY
Isabela – Villamil A small town on the southeast coast of Isabela. Here the Galapagos National Park Service has recently opened a Tortoise Breeding and Rearing Centre, just outside of town to protect and increase the endangered populations of tortoises in the southern part of the island. It is a beautiful setting, with lots of space and shade for the tortoises. Next to the town are a number of lagoons where flamingos and common stilts are usually seen. There are also some beautiful beaches that are said to be amounst the most important migratory bird viewing areas in Galapagos.

Isabela – Sierra Negra Volcano The oldest and largest volcano on Isabela Island, with a caldera measuring over 5 miles across. Your visit here will begin in Villamil in a vehicle to the base of the volcano where your 3-7 hour round trip to the caldera can be made either on foot or horseback. Along the way you will usually see Vermillion Flycatchers, Galapagos Martins, egrets, Galapagos Hawk and at the end of the walk you will be rewarded with an incredible panoramic view of Isabela.

THURSDAY
North Seymour A great variety of Galapagos wildlife is provided in the loop trail on this small island. The highlight of your visit here will be the largest colony of magnificent frigatebirds in the Galapagos as well as a colony of blue-footed boobies. In addition there are sea lions, marine iguanas, lava lizards, swallow-tailed gulls, and a few secretive, but very large, land iguanas.

Santa Cruz - Charles Darwin Research Station The Charles Darwin Research Station offers a great chance to learn about the work being done to conserve and protect the islands wildlife. For some visitors (depending on the time of year) this is the only time to see Giant Tortoises and certainly the closest range opportunity. It is also a great chance to see the Tortoise Rearing Centre. You can also visit the pen of the famous Lonesome George, the last-surviving member of the Pinta Island sub-species – he may not always be lonesome….as he is still young by tortoise standards, and the Station is actively working to try and encourage him to pair up with some females from closely related subspecies. For the latest details on Lonesome George’s love life you will have to ask your guide!

FRIDAY
Espanola (Hood) This island is one of the highlights of any visit to Galapagos (it is Santiago Bejarano’s favourite island). Espanola is the southernmost island in the Galapagos, and is considered the oldest. Numerous sea lions are seen here, plus hundreds of marine iguanas basking on the rocks. Espanola’s marine iguanas are unlike other Galapagos marine iguanas in their bright colouring, and the lava lizards are distinctive too. Espanola is home to thousands of nesting seabirds between April and November, with the Waved Albatross, perhaps the most spectacular of Galapagos birds, returning to Espanola by the thousands in late March to perform their amazing mating dance and produce the next generation. Almost the entire population breeds on this island April through November; they spend the rest of the year at sea. You’ll also witness courting blue-footed and masked boobies, and hopefully see their offspring of the year. At Gardner Bay there’s time to hang out with sea lions and snorkel, as well as walk the beautiful white sand beach.

San Cristobal Interpretation Centre – Flight home

8-day Cruise ‘B’ The Central, Eastern and Northern Islands
(Coloured red on the map)

SUNDAY
San Cristobal The easternmost island in the archipelago, this island has a small town, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and an airport and is where a number of cruises start and end. It is also home to a fantastic interpretation centre, which provides an excellent overview to the islands natural history and the conservation work being done to protect it.

San Cristobal - Isla Lobos A perfect place to swim with playful sea lions and snorkel. This basalt island outcropping lives up to its name of “sea lion island”. As well as the sea lion colony on the beach it is also a nesting place for blue-footed boobies.

San Cristobal – Cerro Brujo The striking, eroded tuff cone was one of the first sites visited by Charles Darwin, it is has a beautiful white coral sand beach where you can take a leisurely walk (depending on time of year) visited by Brown Pelicas, Blue-footed Boobies, and Swallow Tail Gulls as well as marine iguanas and sea lions. The beauty of this dramatic area can also be explored by ‘panga’ or small dingy where you can explore a tunnel that goes all the way through the eroded rock formation.

MONDAY
San Cristobal – Punta Pitt Located in the northwest of the island, this is a large eroded ash cone with dramatic volcanic scenery and is home to a large colony of sea lions, as well as red-footed boobies, blue-footed boobies and Nazca boobies.

Floreana - Punta Cormorant At Punta Cormorant you’ll walk on an olivine beach (a mineral known for its olive-green quality, that is found in meteorites, the moon and mars as well as on earth), visit a large lagoon where great flamingos sometimes nest, and walk over to Flour Beach, a beautiful white sandy beach to look for green sea turtle nests.

Floreana – Devil’s Crown Devil’s Crown is one of the highlights of this area is snorkelling at Devil’s Crown, a partially submerged crater teeming with parrotfish, wrasse, surgeonfish, and damselfish among many other varieties of tropical fish.

Floreana - Post Office Bay The famous Post Office Bay is where people leave their mail to be picked up and delivered by others in the “post office” barrel—a time-honoured tradition begun by whalers hundreds of years ago.

TUESDAY
Santa Cruz - Black Turtle Cove A beautiful mangrove lagoon on the north shore of Santa Cruz Island. The yacht anchors just outside the cove and you enter on a dingy, paddling through the calm water which is a nesting site for Green Sea Turtles (they are on the rare and endangered species list). A wonderfully quiet journey, through a beautiful and unique habitat and with good luck as well as the marine turtles you will see different types of sharks and schools of Golden Rays swimming just below the surface, whilst yellow warblers sing from above.

Bartolome Home to one of the most iconic scenery shots of Galapagos, this small island located off the eastern shore of James Island is home to beautiful panoramic views. The striking volcanic landscape, looks almost lunar and provides a great introduction to the volcanic origins of the islands, with spatter cones and cinder cones. You will also see Pinnacle Rock, a striking example of a tuff cone, and good examples of pioneering plants, including some beautiful stands of lava cactus. At sea level, this is a great place for swimming and snorkelling, if you are lucky with Galapagos Penguins.

WEDNESDAY
Genovesa (Tower) A highlight of any visit to the Galapagos, a truly beautiful island thanks to the richness of its birdlife. Located in the northeast portion of Galapagos, the island is an outpost for many seabirds (as is Espanola in the South). Interestingly there are no land reptiles here and only very small marine iguanas, due to direction of ocean currents which apparently would not have carried terrestrial animals there. You will visit the following sites.

Darwin Bay – Genovesa This bay is actually the caldera of an extinct, partially eroded volcano, with the surrounding cliffs forming the inner portion of the rim. You arrive on a corral beach, and will immediately be struck by the birdlife. Great Frigatebirds (which during February –May the males have their red pouches inflated looking trying to attract a mate), Red-footed boobies nesting in the mangroves, Swallow-tailed Gulls, Lava Gulls, Yellow-crowed Night Herons. Your trail takes you past a beautiful tide pool area.

Prince Philip’s Steps – Genovesa The tour begins with a great panga (small dingy) ride along the base of the cliffs where you an see Redbilled Tropicbirds trying to make a precise landing in their nest. Squadrons of Frigatebirds are seen flying back and forth, whilst Red-footed boobies perch on branches of Palo Santo trees which seemingly grow out of the cliffs. Once you arrive on land and climb to the cliff-top, you enter an area where nesting Masked Boobies and Great Frigatebirds are found. It is also a great place to see Galapagos Doves and Vampire Finches (sharp-beaked ground finches)…ask your guide for the full story on the name! You will also see great numbers of Storm Petrels here, sometimes in tens of thousands. If you are lucky, you may also see a short-eared owl.

THURSDAY
James (Santiago) James Bay This was the island where Charles Darwin spent the majority of his land visits in Galapagos. At James Bay, the Fur Seal Grotto provides great chances to get close views of both fur seals and sea lions in a series of rocky pools. This visit also provides some of the best opportunities for tide-pooling in the Galapagos, with the chance to see plovers, herons and oyster catchers with some good swimming and snorkelling off the beach.

James – Playa Espumilla This tawny beach is a favourite nesting ground of green sea turtles, a trail with some very large Palo Santo trees where a number of land birds can be seen, including the Vermillion Flycatcher, the Galapagos Dove, Darwin Finches and Galapagos Mockingbirds. The beautiful sandy beach is a great place to swim and has some great mangrove areas.

FRIDAY
South Plaza South Plaza is the best island for observing land iguanas, along with cactus finches, tropic birds and sea lions. One of your first stops will be through a small “forest” of prickly pear (Opuntia) cactus. The walk along the sea cliffs is a wonderful experience, with Audubon’s shearwaters and red-billed tropicbirds gliding by. Towards the end of the walk is a bachelor sea lion colony, with a battle-scared collection of old bulls in various states of recuperation or total retirement!

Santa Cruz – Highlands The highlands of Santa Cruz are home to fascinating geological features, like lava tubes and the twin sinkhole craters of Los Gemelos, which are home to some 300 different fern species as well as a “forest” of Sunflowers as well as some elusive endemics like the Woodpecker Finch (one of only two bird species in the world to use twigs as tools), the Small Tree Finch, Vegetarian Finch and Galapagos Rail all found in the lush forest of Scalacia (Giant Daisies) that characterise the highlands of this island. The highlands of Santa Cruz are one of the best places to see Giant Tortoises in the wild, particularly October through December as these magnificent giants undertake their seasonal migration from the lowlands to the lush grazing of the highlands.

SATURDAY
Mosquera This tiny islet, nestled between Baltra and N.Seymour islands is a beautiful long narrow beach with a large population of sea lions. As with other areas in Galapagos this area has been geologically uplifted. A great opportunity for swimming and snorkelling off the beach.

Baltra Flight home.

Please note: Itineraries are unlikely to change significantly but are subject to change. Weather, wildlife breeding, 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 times or nature of your visits. Your guide will always endeavour to have the best itinerary for you within these constraints.

Deck Plan / Spec

Athala Deck Plan

Facilities

Guests have the choice of eating in the elegant indoor dining area or outside in al-fresco style. The yacht has a comfortable lounge area and library complete with plasma TVs, lap tops (no internet service), DVD player and sterio. The upper deck has a bar and a beautiful open teak deck area for relaxation, dining and barbeques. The huge sundeck features a Jacuzzi and is great for watching whales or dolphins or to simply relax and soak up the views and the sunshine between island excursions.

Crew

Captain, bilingual Galapagos National Park Naturalist Guide, Cruise Manager plus 8 other crew members.

Equipment

2 Detroit MTU Series 60 4-cycle elctronically controlled,
2 John Deere 6081 AFM 300 HP, all equiptment meets/exceeds the international SOLAS standard,
2 x 20 man life craft,
Navnex,
2 GPS sonar,
2 naval radars, fire detection and prevention systems etc.