Changes in 2012 itineraries and rates for Metropolitan Touring's vessels in the Galapagos We would like to bring you an update to the 2012 Galapagos itineraries for our vessels in the Galapagos Islands. These new itineraries are the result of the Galapagos National Park changing the regulations for all boats operating in the archipelago with the aim of distributing visitor numbers over more sites and enhancing guests' experience. Our new itineraries will begin operating on 20th January 2012. There have been some minor changes to the M/V Santa Cruz and the Isabela II visitor sites. More importantly, we have decided to divide one of Yacht La Pinta's 7-night itineraries into two - giving guests short on time the perfect opportunity to experience the yacht's unsurpassed levels of comfort, amenities and service. Please see a summary of these changes below. Don't forget that all our itineraries can be combined for 10-, 12- expeditions or even 15-day itineraries, without repeating any visitor sites. Expeditions at sea can also be combined with pre- or post-stays at Metropolitan's Finch Bay Eco Hotel on Santa Cruz Island. All our new itineraries have been carefully planned in conjunction with the National Park authorities. We are sure they will enhance our guests' sense of discovery and bonding with nature, magnified by the expertise and passion of our multi-lingual naturalist guides. We have prepared special PDF documents of the 2012 itineraries for each of our vessels. These will also be printed and sent to you, upon request. They contain FAQs about the changes in itineraries; departure dates; maps of each itinerary; day-by-day descriptions; and a summary of activities by island. M/V Santa Cruz           Yacht Isabela II           Yacht La Pinta For 2012 rates (with the new fuel surcharge rates included) please click here. Following is a brief summary of the changes to our vessels' itineraries since our last communication. We recommend you refer to the maps and summaries in the PDFs in order to understand better these changes. We kindly ask you to delete all previous information you may have saved in order to avoid any confusion - our B2B site has all the updated materials. Many thanks for taking the time to understand our new 2012 itineraries. We hope these materials will help you and your team to make the transition smoothly. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any feedback, doubts or questions. Yacht La Pinta to offer shorter expeditions! The Galapagos National Park has approved shorter three- and four-night expeditions aboard our Yacht La Pinta - an additional alternative to the week-long Friday to Friday expedition. Guests can now choose from three different La Pinta itineraries: Western Galapagos Full week, 8 days/7 nights, Friday to Friday, beginning in Baltra and ending in San Cristóbal. Eastern Galapagos 4 days/3 nights, Friday to Monday, beginning in San Cristobal and ending in Baltra. On the last day (Monday) guests disembark in Puerto Ayora (Santa Cruz Island) to visit the Charles Darwin Research Station and are then transferred overland to Baltra airport. Northern Galapagos 5 days/4 nights, Monday to Friday, beginning and ending in Baltra. On the arrival day (Monday), guests must be ready for the first excursion upon arrival. They visit the Tortoise Reserve of El Chato in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island, in order to observe Galapagos tortoises in their natural habitat.  This itinerary does not visit the Charles Darwin Research Station. Changes to the M/V Santa Cruz itineraries Eastern Galapagos 6 days/5 nights, Friday to Wednesday, beginning in San Cristobal and ending in Baltra. On the afternoon of the first day, guests will visit the Interpretation Centre at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and Tijeretas, instead of the Galapaguera at Cerro Colorado. Guests will observe the giant tortoises at the Charles Darwin Research Station. Western Galapagos 6 days/5 nights, Wednesday to Monday, beginning and ending in Baltra.  There are no changes in this itinerary.  Northern Galapagos 5 days/4 nights, Monday to Friday, beginning in Baltra and ending in San Cristobal. On Tuesday morning, the visit is now Buccaneer Cove (James Island) instead of Espumilla. On departure day (Friday), an early visit to the Galapaguera at Cerro Colorado on San Cristobal has been added before the transfer to the airport. Change to Yacht ISABELA II itinerary<