Your Galapagos adventure starts today, as you fly to Quito, the capital of Ecuador, where you will stay for the next two nights.

Take the time to relax and get used to the high altitude of Ecuador’s capital. A fascinating city, Quito’s old town is a captivating maze of narrow streets and what is perhaps the most incredible collection of Spanish colonial architecture in Latin America. Join your knowledgeable Local Guide on an included city tour, where you will have the opportunity to stand on the Equator.

After breakfast today, you’ll fly to Isla Baltra in the Galapagos, where you will step aboard Celebrity Xpedition and embark on your seven-night cruise. In the afternoon this specialist ship will cruise to Daphne Island, a small inactive volcanic island. During your cruise you will be able to take cruises aboard a Zodiac – an exceptionally buoyant rubber boat with an inflatable hull.

Celebrity Xpedition continues its journey around the islands made famous by Charles Darwin, stopping today at Gardner Bay on Isla Española, the most southerly as well as the oldest island in the Galapagos Archipelago, then on to Punta Suarez, where there is an incredible concentration of wildlife, including the red marine iguana, only found on this island.

Spend the day cruising around this former penal colony, with the option to land at Cormorant Point or the satellite island of Champion. Visit Bahia’s Post Office Bay, where you’ll see the legendary post barrel that whalers historically used to post their mail in.

Located on the extreme north coast of Isabela Island, between volcanoes Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul, Punta Moreno is dominated by jet-black pahoehoe lava that extends as far as the eye can see. Numerous tidal pools, some surrounded by mangroves, are a magnet for wildlife. You can walk to the edge of the lava to look straight down at the inhabitants of the crystal-clear pools, including the occasional green sea turtle, white-tipped reef sharks, and puffer fish. At Urvina Bay you can see large land iguanas, and there’s the possibility of spotting giant turtles, rare flightless cormorants, blue-footed boobies, penguins and huge marine iguanas.

The remains of an ancient volcano, dramatic cliffs and blue waters give Punta Vicente a spectacular setting. Search for sea turtles, penguins and fur seals during your visit.

Your cruise continues to South Plaza, a small volcanic island off the east coast of Isla Santa Cruz, which is home to many species of seabird including red-billed tropic birds and swallowtail gulls. This afternoon you will arrive at Isla Santa Cruz where a visit has been arranged to Dragon Hill, a nesting site for land iguanas. Alternatively, you can choose to take a stroll inland where you will discover a salt-water lagoon, which is a favourite spot for flamingos, common stilts, pintail ducks and many other types of bird.

Your cruise brings you to Puerto Ayora on Isla Santa Cruz, where you can visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, which is dedicated to the conservation of the Galapagos Islands’ unique ecosystem. This evening enjoy a farewell cocktail party and barbecue under the stars hosted by the ship’s Captain.

Your cruise of discovery comes to an end on Isla Baltra, where you will disembark Celebrity Xpedition and transfer to the airport for your flight to Quito, where you will stay tonight.

Transfer to the airport for your overnight flight to the UK.