Champion Island Galapagos
Ecuador
368
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
HX Expeditions (184 Cruises)
MS Santa Cruz II
184 Cruises
Tauck Cruises (184 Cruises)
Santa Cruz II
184 Cruises
Frequently Asked Questions
No, never. Landing is prohibited without exception: the islet shelters the Floreana mockingbird, one of the rarest birds on earth, with only a few dozen individuals left here and on one neighbouring rock.
Because everything happens around the islet, not on it. The outing combines a dinghy circuit along the cliffs with a swim at what ranks among the finest snorkelling sites in the whole archipelago.
Off Floreana, in the southern Galápagos, Ecuador. It is an eroded volcanic cone topped with giant cactus and ringed by low cliffs. It takes its name from Andrew Champion, a nineteenth-century whaler.
Guides run along the cliffs and cut the engine beneath the ledges. Seabirds nest by the dozen in the crevices, marine iguanas cling to the black rock, and green turtles surface between waves. Good binoculars change everything.
Honestly, low. The local population numbers a few dozen birds and spotting it from a boat takes patience and luck. Many visitors leave without seeing it, and for most birders simply knowing it is there is enough.
For the colony of Galápagos sea lions, which is unusually playful. The young ones rush at swimmers, spin, blow strings of bubbles, nip at fins and come back for more. Parrotfish, moray eels and rays fill out the scene.
Yes, you may cross paths with a Galápagos shark, completely indifferent to swimmers. It is not a cause for concern: guides supervise every entry and these encounters are ordinary in the archipelago.
Cooler than you would expect on the equator, because of the Humboldt Current. A light wetsuit makes the snorkelling session much more comfortable; many ships provide one.
Usually a morning, often combined the same day with nearby Floreana sites. That makes it one of the fullest half days on a naturalist itinerary.
You need to be comfortable in water and willing to enter from the dinghy in open sea, with no beach and no bottom underfoot. Flotation vests are available on board, but the entry is offshore: less confident swimmers are better off staying in the panga, where the viewing remains excellent.
