Day 1   Morning flight from London bound for Guayaquil, a large city on the coast of Ecuador, arriving in the evening for an overnight stay.

Day 2   This morning we will take a flight to the island of San Cristóbal (or Chatham, most islands in the Galapagos having alternative English and Spanish names), the most easterly of the Galapagos Islands, for an overnight stay. The only town on the island, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, is the administrative capital of the Galapagos, but relatively few tourists visit. San Cristóbal is a geologically older island, compared to much of the Galapagos, with a lusher vegetation of cactus, poisonous Manzanillo trees and introduced fruits such as bananas and oranges. This afternoon we will explore the mountainous interior of San Cristóbal, as far as El Junco lagoon. Here we will be looking in particular for Chatham Mockingbird, found just on this one island, and we will also have pour first encounters with other Galapagos endemics including Small and Medium Ground-Finches, the rather bullfinch-like Vegetarian Finch, Large Tree-Finch and Dusky Warbler Finch (the warbler finches are now treated as two species, with Dusky split from Olive), as well as more widespread species such as Magnificent Frigatebird, Brown Pelican, Western Cattle Egret, Common Moorhen and Smooth-billed Ani.

Day 3   Today we will travel by ferry across to the island of Santa Cruz (or Indefatigable) in time for lunch at Puerto Ayora and then, during the afternoon, take an   onward ferry to the little town of Puerto Villamil on Isabela fore a two nights stay.

Day 4   Isabela is dominated by a chain of huge volcanos that rise up to 1660m above sea-level. This morning we will drive from Puerto Villamil up to the end of the road on the slopes of Volcán Sierra Negra (or Santo Tomás) and then walk (or, if you prefer, ride a horse!) up to the rim of the immense crater for spectacular views over this dramatic island. Reaching 1490m, Sierra Negra is the second highest of the five huge volcanic cones that dominate Isabela, and in particular is a good spot for the rather elusive Galapagos Martin and the uncommon Vegetarian Finch. Other birds we are likely to encounter include endemics such as Galapagos Hawk, Galapagos Vermilion and Large-billed Flycatchers, Galapagos Mockingbird, Medium and Small Ground-Finches, Large and Small Tree-Finches, Woodpecker Finch and Olive Warbler Finch, as well as Dark-billed Cuckoo. Not far below the rim is an active volcanic area known as Volcan Chico. Here we can walk across areas of volcanic ash and lava to see active fumaroles with their brightly-coloured sulphur deposits and gaze down across the awesome ‘moonscape' of Isabela towards distant Bahía Elizabeth on the island's west coast. After we return to Puerto Villamil we can check out the harbour and adjacent beaches, which provide good scavenging for Brown Pelicans, here rubbing shoulders with the Lava Gull, which is possibly the rarest gull in the world, found only in the Galapagos archipelago and numbering just 300-400 pairs. A small area of marshland attracts impossibly pink American Flamingos.

Day 5   This morning we will take the ferry back to the bustling little town of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz for a two nights stay. The Darwin Research Station at the other end of town, which we will visit this afternoon, offers excellent displays of material explaining Galapagos geology and ecology. The breeding programme for Giant Tortoises is open to the public, and we can mingle with some huge specimens from various islands displaying a great variety of adaptation of shell shape to environment. Particularly poignant is ‘Lonesome George' the last survivor of the Pinta island form. The vegetation around the station is dominated by Prickly Pears and huge Jasminocereus cacti (Candelabra cacti) where we will find a variety of finches, perhaps including Common Cactus-Finch and Vegetarian Finch.

Day 6   Today we will make an outing to the highlands of Santa Cruz. Early in the morning we will creep along one of the highland trails where we have an excellent chance of encountering the delightful little endemic Galapagos Rail, which is sometimes quite unconcerned by its huge admirers, making a very close approach. Later we will visit Los Gemellos, where some enormous sinkholes in the limestone rocks are surrounded by beautiful forest that holds some exciting endemics, including Galapagos Dove (often absurdly tame), Large-billed (or Galapagos) Flycatcher, Galapagos Vermilion Flycatcher (sometimes lumped with Vermilion Flycatcher of the mainland), Galapagos Mockingbird, Large and Small Tree-Finches (which prefer the humid uplands), Olive Warbler Finch and the famous Woodpecker Finch. During the afternoon we will have the opportunity to search for Giant Tortoises in the wild. Formerly common and widespread on many islands in the Galapagos, they are now either extinct or scarce. Tens of thousands were taken up to the 19th century by passing mariners. Stored live in ships' holds for months with no food and water, they provided a ready source of fresh food and were also used as ballast. We shall visit a reserve area set aside for these prehistoric, painfully slow and cumbersome relics. At a marshy pool, where the tortoises often come to cool off, we will also keep a lookout for Paint-billed Crake (a recent colonist from the mainland) and Purple Gallinule. We will also be searching today for the endemic Galapagos Barn Owl (now sometimes considered a distinct species once more).

Days 7-13   On the morning of Day 7 we will drive across Santa Cruz (there will be a second chance for Galapagos Rail, should it have proved elusive yesterday) and cross over to the small island of Baltra, just off the north coast. Here we will board our vessel, our home for the next seven nights. During this period we shall cruise amongst the ‘real' ‘Islas Encantadas' or ‘Enchanted Islands' as the Galapagos are known, leaving the inhabited and greatly transformed larger islands behind and entering the natural paradise that still survives on the smaller islands. The precise order in which we visit the islands may be modified according to the decisions of the national park service, who regulate landings, at the time, but the sites to be visited remain the same. Much of our travelling will be done at night to maximize time ashore, but even daylight hours at sea are not wasted as we can enjoy searching for pelagic seabirds such as the endangered Galapagos Petrel (now mostly treated as a distinct species from Hawaiian) which breeds in just a few colonies in the highlands, and cetaceans such as Bryde's Whale and Bottle-nosed Dolphin.

Seymour (or North Seymour) is a small island that epitomizes the abundance and fearlessness of the local wildlife. Within minutes of landing we shall be stepping over and around nesting Blue-footed Boobies. Whilst we have to adhere to designated footpaths to minimize damage to the environment, the boobies know no such rules and are content to raise their comical looking chicks in the centre of the main thoroughfare. In low Cryptocarpus (saltbush), Magnificent Frigatebirds nest at eye-level and within arm's reach. Here we should be able to enjoy the spectacle of the males waggling their grossly inflated red throat pouches and see the ungainly young on the tiny stick nests awaiting the next instalment of fish stolen by their parents from the luckless boobies. A long stretch of boulder beach is home to dozens of the Galapagos race of the California Sealion, an immensely appealing animal that we will encounter many times during our cruise and have some close encounters with. Here, if sea conditions are suitable, we can watch them body-surfing through crashing, sunlit rollers.

Genovesa (or Tower) is magnificent and remote, and every inch seems covered with birds. On landing at Darwin Bay we step ashore on a white coral beach to find a mass of nesting Red-footed Boobies – one of the main reasons for our visit. This species, most of which are of the brown phase in the Galapagos, nests only on the outermost islands. The species is unusual for a booby in that it nests in low trees and shrubbery. Amongst these absurdly confiding birds nest good numbers of Great Frigatebirds. Another speciality here is the Large Cactus-Finch. The Darwin's finches are a complex and unique group in the Galapagos, perfectly illustrating adaptive radiation. On Genovesa the Large Cactus-Finch shares the limited environment with Large Ground-Finch, Sharp-beaked Ground-Finch and Dusky Warbler-Finch. It has evolved a bill midway between the huge, parrot-like bill of the Large Ground Finch and the slim bill of the other two species. Where we see this species again, on Española (or Hood), it has no such competition and has developed an enormous seed-cracking beak much like the Large Ground Finch on Genovesa! There are no such identification problems with the ever-present Mangrove Warbler (a form often lumped with Yellow and Golden Warblers) and the endemic Galapagos Dove. During our visit to Tower we shall also visit El Barranco, which is reached via Prince Philip's Steps, named after the Duke of Edinburgh following his visit to Genovesa. Here Nazca Boobies (split from Masked) nest in fair numbers whilst Red-billed Tropicbirds prefer the narrower ledges along the cliffs which they share with exquisite Swallow-tailed Gulls, virtually a Galapagos breeding endemic (a few nest on Malpelo island off Colombia) and possibly the most beautiful gull in the world. Another attraction here is the vast colony, numbered in tens of thousands of pairs, of Madeiran and Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrels. The latter species is unusual in being active at the colony by day, and the air is full of these tiny whirring seabirds weaving in and out on their way to and from their nest holes, and occasionally falling prey to Short-eared Owls. After leaving Tower we may well see Madeiran Storm-Petrel and the breeding-endemic Galapagos Shearwater (split from Audubon's) offshore.

Bartolomé (or Bartholemew) off the southeast corner of James is only a small islet but one of the most photographed in Galapagos with its tooth-like Pinnacle Rock jutting skywards at the end of a beautiful white sandy beach. This islet is special for its geological formations – hollow lava tubes, cliffs of compressed cinders and small spatter cones where molten lava and ash have created an almost lunar landscape. We will have time to climb the 114m summit (from where there is an extraordinary view across Bartolomé to the island of Santiago beyond, and explore a beach for turtles and Galapagos Penguins before dipping into the crystal clear waters for an encounter with the colourful and varied reef fish.

Where we land on Santiago (or James) the coastline is flat and rocky with a wide intertidal zone good for waders and for the endemic Lava Heron and Yellow-crowned Night Heron – all feeding on the abundant, brilliant red Sally Lightfoot Crabs, while remarkably tame Galapagos Hawks (which here are never persecuted, unlike the situation on the inhabited islands) Further along the coast is a natural grotto where the Galapagos Fur Seal finds shelter from the midday sun. As numerous as the sealions, they are much more elusive; possibly because of the slaughter of tens of thousands in the past for the fur trade. The ubiquitous lava lizards are everywhere here. Elliot's Storm Petrel is a common inshore species at Santiago, but surprisingly its nesting locations within the Galapagos have never been found.

Along the spectacular west coast of Isabela (or Albemarle), where a series of volcanic peaks tower above this largest of the Galapagos islands, we will visit a mangrove area where there is a good chance of seeing the uncommon Galapagos Martin. We may also take a dinghy ride below the impressive tuff (volcanic ash) cliffs where nesting Brown Noddies are abundant, their smoky brown plumage well camouflaged against the rock, and Galapagos Penguins hide in the recesses. (The coastal mangroves of Isabela hold the last populations of the very localized, declining and now critically endangered endemic Mangrove Finch, but the landing sites were closed to visitors indefinitely as of 2007.)

Fernandina (or Narborough) is one of the most recently active volcanic areas of the Galapagos and also one of the most magical islands. Areas of bare lava are just beginning to be colonized by the first intrepid plant species such as the Brachycereus cactus. Where the lava reaches the sea there are some of the most impressive gatherings of Marine Iguanas in the Galapagos. Hundreds of them lie motionless, basking in the sunshine, with just the odd snort as they sneeze away excess salt through their nostrils. Some are scattered across the flat, rocky platform while others are packed together in an intertwined mass. In this area we can also expect stunning, close-up views of nesting Flightless Cormorants. With the world population of less than 1000 individuals confined to this northwestern part of the Galapagos, it is one of the world's rarest seabirds. The Galapagos Penguin, which occurs here in some numbers, is yet another Galapagos bird with a claim to fame, being the most northerly penguin in the world. The tidal pools often attract Green Turtles and along the shoreline we may find waders such as American Oystercatcher, Semipalmated Plover, Wandering Tattler and Ruddy Turnstone.

On Floreana (or Charles) we shall be looking in particular for the Medium Tree Finch - only found in the higher parts of this one island, the Galapagos form of the Short-eared Owl (which may represent a distinct species) and the Charles Mockingbird, now confined to the tiny offshore islets of Gardner and Champion, where it can be watched at relatively close range during a zodiac cruise (as landings are not permitted). At Punta Cormorant we will explore a mangrove-fringed lagoon where a number of American Flamingos and White-cheeked Pintails should be present, along with waders such as Least and Spotted Sandpipers and Black-necked Stilt. The island has a fascinating and intriguing human history including numerous attempts by colourful characters to settle the island, mysterious disappearances and unsolved murders! At Post Office Bay a barrel still stands that used to provide an impromptu post-box for passing mariners (and now provides the same service for tourists). If time permits we can visit the Devil's Crown, the jagged broken rim of an extinct volcano sticking up out of the water which provides some superb snorkelling.

Española (or Hood) is the most southeasterly island of the archipelago. By this time, many of us will be assessing which were our favourite islands or most memorable experiences – wait until visiting Española before making any decisions! At this low-lying island some 15 kilometres long and totally uninhabited, we shall be greeted by the customary palaver of honking sealions, but amongst them are the distinctively heavy-billed Hood Mockingbirds, phenomenally inquisitive, running up to peck at loose shoe-laces and open rucksacks. Here too is the much larger-billed version of the Large Cactus Finch, the largest of the endemic lava lizards and some particularly fine examples of Marine Iguanas with a bright reddish hue to the sides of their bodies. The real highlight, however, will be that most special of all the Galapagos seabirds, the Waved Albatross (which breeds only here and, in much smaller numbers, on Isla de la Plata off the coast of Ecuador). At this time of year many adults will be on eggs, or guarding small chicks, but others will still be displaying. Watching them point their bills skywards while stretching out their long wings and making their strange wailing cries is an experience one never forgets. Ungainly on land, once these leviathans have waddled rapidly across the rocks and taken to the air they become transformed into huge but graceful creatures that ride the updrafts along the cliffs. This fantastic island also has some spectacular mixed colonies of Blue-footed and Nazca Boobies, Red-billed Tropicbirds and Swallow-tailed Gulls.

At Caleta Tortuga Negra (or Black Turtle Cove) on the north coast of Santa Cruz we will make a zodiac cruise amongst the quiet waters of the mangrove-fringed channels. Here, Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets wait for fish and Brown Noddies perch on the backs and heads of fishing pelicans as they try to snatch a scrap or two. We are also likely to come across one or two Striated Herons amongst the Lavas. White-tipped Reef Sharks, one of the smallest and mildest mannered of the family, lie in wait for their prey and schools of juvenile Spotted Eagle Rays and Golden Cowrays flap slowly past.

Day 14   Today we will arrive at the island of Baltra where we say goodbye to our boat and crew before taking a flight to Guayaquil where we connect with an evening flight bound for London.

Day 15   Afternoon arrival at London.

Accommodation & Road Transport: For one week in the Galapagos we shall be based on a good quality, well equipped and comfortable motor boat with twin berth cabins. All cabins have private bathrooms and there is individual air-conditioning. Travelling on board one of the smaller motor boats is undoubtedly the most intimate and rewarding way of seeing the Galapagos, but space is much more limited than on a cruise ship. Sea conditions in the Galapagos are mostly calm to moderate, but rough seas cannot be ruled out entirely. The hotels are of normal Birdquest standard (although at the simpler end of the scale on San Cristobal and Isabela). We will use few roads during our travels, and these arte variable in quality. Road transport will be by small coach or minibus (‘truck bus' on Floreana).

Walking: The walking effort is mostly easy, but some nature trails on the islands are over rougher terrain where some agility, or a stick, are required.

Climate: From sea-level to moderate altitudes it is predominantly warm or hot all year. Sunny and overcast conditions tend to alternate, but rain is only likely at these elevations between January and April, when the humidity is rather high. Conditions in the highlands are similar but cooler and there can be rain showers at any time of year (with frequent rainfall between January and April). From May to December, low cloud often shrouds the highlands, but the lowlands are often sunny.

Bird Photography: Opportunities are outstanding for much of the tour.

Ecuadorian Andes Birding Extension Itinerary

Day 14   We will take a flight to Quito for an overnight stay.

Days 15-17   As a total contrast to the Galapagos, we will explore the bird-rich cloudforests of the famous Mindo region, where we will spend three nights. For full details of this wonderful area and its superb diversity of birdlife, please see Days 2-4 of our Birdquest The Best of Ecuador tour account. As with that tour, we will visit the Yanacocha area en route from Quito to Mindo.

Day 18   After a final morning in the Mindo area we will return to Quito in time for an evening flight bound for London.

Day 19   Afternoon arrival at London.