Galapagos Islands Baltra Day 1 March 11th
Embark Silver Galapagos and depart on your exciting Silversea North Central Galápagos
Expedition. After settling in, attending a mandatory safety drill and setting sail, you will
be introduced to your Expedition Team.
Silver Galapagos will then head for Daphne to do a circumnavigation -usually only scientist are allowed to land.
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In the evening enjoy the first of many memorable meals in The Restaurant.
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Sunset in Baltra196357p.8.jpg
PelicanVisitor Outside Our Room
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The Itabaca channel between Baltra Island on the right and Santa Cruz on the left, as seen from a departing aircraft
Baltra (South Seymour) Island ? Baltra is a small flat island located near the centre of the Galápagos. It was created by geological uplift. The island is very arid, and vegetation consists of salt bushes, prickly pear cacti and palo santo trees. Until 1986, Baltra (Seymour) Airport was the only airport serving the Galápagos. Now, there are two airports which receive flights from the continent; the other is located on San Cristóbal Island. Private planes flying to Galápagos must fly to Baltra, as it is the only airport with facilities for planes overnight. On arriving in Baltra, all visitors are immediately transported by bus to one of two docks. The first dock is located in a small bay, where the boats cruising Galápagos await passengers. The second is a ferry dock, which connects Baltra to the island of Santa Cruz. During the 1940s, scientists decided to move 70 of Baltra’s land iguanas to the neighboring North Seymour Island as part of an experiment. This move proved unexpectedly useful when the native iguanas became extinct on Baltra as a result of the island’s military occupation in World War II. During the 1980s, iguanas from North Seymour were brought to the Charles Darwin Research Station as part of a breeding and repopulation project, and in the 1990s, land iguanas were reintroduced to Baltra. As of 1997, scientists counted 97 iguanas living on Baltra; 13 of which had hatched on the islands.