My Wife and I took an amazing trip to the Galapagos Islands in 2024.  We took a four day cruise to explore the eastern islands.  

HIGHLANDS (SANTA CRUZ ISLAND)
Dry landing. A 45-minute bus ride will take us to the Santa Cruz highlands, located in the northwest of Puerto Ayora, where we will find a natural reserve with giant tortoises. * These enormous and slow-moving reptiles are responsible for the island’s name and therefore approaching them in their humid and forested abode is always an inspiring adventure. They can weigh between 250 and 300 kg and can live up to 200 years. Additionally, travelers can walk inside surprising lava tubes.
Difficulty level: easy
Type of terrain: flat and muddy

EL BARRANCO Prince Philip ́s Steps (Genovesa Island)
Be marveled at the variety of sea life that uses the crevices of the lava cliffs for shelter.
Red-billed Tropicbirds fly overhead, switching between their nests and the bay, and a small colony of fur seals may be found near the landing site. You will be dropped off at a steep stairway that begins on rocks at the foot of a path that leads through a seabird colony full of Nazca and Red-footed Boobies. At the plateau, the trail continues inland allowing you to see more nesting booby colonies in the thin Palo Santo Forest. Near the end of the trail, over a rocky lava plain,
Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrels can be observed flying in all directions. If you are lucky, you may catch a glimpse of a Short-eared Owl.
Difficulty level: moderate
Type of terrain: rocky – lava
Duration: 45-minute walk

DARWIN BAY
Disembark onto a small sand and coral beach. A short trail heads west along a tidal lagoon
and then up a rocky hill that leads to a point overlooking the cliffs and Darwin Bay. Along the trail near the tidal lagoon, visitors will see pairs of Swallow-tailed Gulls, Lava Gulls, Yellow-crowned and Lava Herons. The trail continues through Palo Santo trees, Opuntia cacti, and Saltbushes inhabited by Great Frigate birds and Red-footed Boobies. This is one of the few places in the islands where visitors are guaranteed to see Red-footed Boobies. It is estimated that more than 200,000 Red-footed Boobies live in the trees and bushes of Genovesa.
Difficulty level: moderate
Type of terrain: Sand & Lava
Duration: 2 ½-hour walk approx / Snorkeling

SOUTH PLAZAS
Sea lions, swallow-tailed gulls and land iguanas are all present at the landing site. The small island is covered with a carpet of red succulent studded with Opuntia cacti. At the cliff edge, we spend time watching birds fly past at eye level in the updraught. These include frigatebirds, flocks of Galapagos shearwaters and of particular note, flights of displaying red-billed tropicbirds. Back at sea level, we once again encounter land iguanas, some of which have hybridized with their resident marine cousins.
Difficulty vel: intermediate
Type of terrain: rocky
Duration: 2-hour walk

SANTA FE
Wet landing. Santa Fe shows white sand beaches surrounded by sea lion colonies; through the island path, an endemic cactus forest is passed, home the Santa Fe land iguanas (the largest in the islands). This island is the habitat for a number of species, including the Galapagos hawk, Galapagos snakes, rice rats (one of the few endemic Galapagos rodents), a variety of finches and one of the four mockingbird species of the archipelago.
Difficulty vel: intermediate
Type of terrain: rocky
Duration: 1 ½-hour walk / 1-hour deep-water snorkeling

BACHAS BEACH
Wet landing. On the north side of Santa Cruz, behind the beach lies two small flamingo ponds where iguanas sunbathe, see coastal birds, Darwin finches, mockingbirds, and gulls, as well as interesting native vegetation like red and black mangrove, salt bushes. This beach is one of the main sea turtles nesting sites in the Galapagos.
Difficulty level: easy
Type of terrain: sandy
Duration: 1-hour walk / 1-hour snorkeling / beach time