Overview

We have taken Island hopping to its limits!

 We will visit most of the Galapagos Islands. Three of the inhabited islands, stay for three nights in comfortable hotels and make well-planned excursions to the highlights of each destination.  You will on this trip see most of the what Galapagos has to offer, excluding the smaller islands only visited on the cruises. 

Be an explorer with us and discover this once-in-a-lifetime archipelago, with our knowledgeable and professional naturalist tour guides. 

The main attraction of this tour is to get close to the tame creatures and the particular flora that are endemic to this place, among other things, the close contact with giant tortoises, land and marine iguanas, penguins, hawks, lizards, terns, and more will make this trip an experience of a lifetime. 

The rich aquatic life is a dream for divers and snorkelers. You will swim with sea turtles, penguins, sea lions, rays, reef sharks, and even hammerheads. There would also be plenty of beach time ideal for snorkeling and swimming. 

The main attraction of these islands is not the colorful wildlife, but the interaction and closeness to the animal species that have no fear of us. These encounters will stay in your head for the rest of your life. 

Discover the secrets of the mythical Galapagos with us.

9 Nights 10 Days Available on request
Inclusions/Exclusions
What we'll give. What we won't

What is included in the tour

  • Tourguide English/Spanish speaking
  • Hotel in Puerto Ayora (3n) 
  • Hotel in Puerto Villamil (3n)
  • Hotel in Puerto Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (3n)
  • Breakfast (8 mornings)
  • Tour to San Cristobal Highlands // Half day tour with guide
  • Hiking Cerro Tijeretas and Bay Snorkel // Half day tour with guide
  • Hike to Tortuga Bay // Half day tour with guide
  • Bay Tour by boat// Half day tour with guide
  • Walking tour to Flamingo Lake and Turtle Center / Half day tour with guide
  • Snorkeling Tour - Concha y Perla // Half day tour with guide
  • Boat tour to Tintoreras, Isabela// approx. 5 hours.
  • Speedboat: San Cristobal - Puerto Ayora - Isabela - Puerto Ayora
  • Transfer out to Baltra Airport
  • Transfer in from San Cristobal Airport
  • Ayora - Isabela - Puerto Ayora
  • Transfer in and out from Baltra

What is NOT included in the tour

  • Air Ticket Quito/Guayaquil to San Cristobal/Baltra, Galapagos (can be booked in stage 3)

  • Entrance fees Galapagos National Park 100.00 USD+ TRANSIT CARD 20.00 USD+ ISABELA Entrance fee 10.00 USD. To be paid upon arrival

  • Snorkeling Tour – Los Tuneles // Aprox. 6 hours, with guide, (can be booked in stage 3)
  • Any meals/services not mentioned in the inclusions
  • Alcohol, soft drinks, beverages, etc.
  • Personal expenses like tips, telephone calls, laundry, etc.
  • San Cristobal 360-degree Boat excursion (optional) can be booked beforehand
  • Boat trip to Floreana // Full day, with guide, (can be booked in stage 3)
Highlights
What makes this tour special
  • Stunning South Pacific Beaches
  • The worlds second largest volcano crater
  • Amazing snorkling
  • The most northern living penguins in the world
  • The most "modern" part of Galapagos
  • Wild land tortes on the way from the airport
  • The largest sweet water lake in the Galapagos
  • Best interaction with sea lions in Galapagos
Itinerary

Day 1. San Cristobal    Arrival and afternoon excursion 

AM: After landing in San Cristóbal we´ll take a short ride to the hotel in town. 

PM: Our tours will start with a slow walk through the small town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and continue to our half-day excursion to Cerro Tijeretas, ending the tour with snorkeling at the bay. 

North of the town of Puerto Baquerizo is Cerro Tijeretas and Playa Carola. The paved trail will lead us to the mountain that is known as Tijeretas. Amazing panoramic view where we can find frigate birds, both species, the magnificent and the minor frigate bird. Our walk continues down to the protected bay below us, where we get a chance to snorkel or swim if you prefer. After swimming, we follow the trails that lead us to the beach of Playa Carola, where we will have our first close encounters with the many sea lions that rest and live along the beach. We then slowly walk back to town to the hotel, thinking about the amazing experience we had on the first day in the Galapagos. 

Day 2. Excursion to the highlands 

AM: After breakfast at the hotel, the tour will take us up to the highlands of San Cristobal, the western realms at an altitude of around 700 meters above sea level. The excursion lasts about 4-5 hours, then we are back to the town. (Lunch not included). 

PM: We get into cars, the drivers are also tour guides (4 people per car), and drive up to the only large freshwater lake in the Galapagos Islands, the lake is called El Junco, here we will hike up to the crater edge and if lucky, we´ll observe frigate birds performing acrobatics very near to the surface. We then continue to “Galapaguera de Cerro Colorado”, a giant tortoise breeding center for the "Geochelone chatamensis" endemic to the island of San Cristobal. After this interesting stop, we continue to the southwestern coast and reach Puerto Chino, an isolated bay with one of San Cristobal's most beautiful beaches where we are welcome to swim. Here we might find blue-footed boobies (soles) nesting and sea lions resting, after a relaxing time we´ll return to Puerto Baquerizo.  

Day 3. Day off.  Optional 360-degree excursion (Must book in advance). 

We take the day off, Some might want to scuba dive, some might just go for a walk, and others may take to the beach. 

For adventurers, we offer an excursion known as “San Cristobal 360 degrees”, a boat trip that goes around the ENTIRE island. 

This amazing tour will literally take us around San Cristobal, with different stops along the way.

 1. Snorkeling at Leon Dormido, we will find schools of tropical fish, maybe eagle rays, and if very lucky a couple of species of sharks, Galapagos, and Hammerheads. Kicker Rock as the place is also known as one of the Galapagos´ absolute highlights. 

2. We continue to Punta Pitt. The only place in the southern Galapagos where we get the chance to see red-footed soles (bobbies). 

3. After lunch we follow the west coast on a voyage of discovery to find the beautiful Tropical bird. 

4. We also have several snorkeling opportunities during this period of the trip. 

5. Return to Puerto Baquerizo. (Lunch included) 

This is a very exciting and eventful excursion, worth every penny, but be prepared for a 10-12 hours long day with a lot of touring included, we guaranteed you come home fulfilled and tired

Day 4. Santa. Cruz      Boat Ride to Santa Cruz. Arrival and Afternoon excursion to Tortuga Bay 

AM: Early breakfast at the hotel. 08:00 departure, a short taxi ride to the dock to catch the speedboat that will take us to Santa Cruz Island, It’s a 2-hour bumpy ride to the town of Puerto Ayora where we will go to the hotel of your choice. 

PM: We walk the trail to Tortuga Bay, a footpath of cobbled trail through Cacti, Palo Santo, and Matasarno trees. A 45-minute walk is rewarded with a spectacular white sandy beach. At Tortuga Bay beach we can relax on the beach, swim or take a walk and look for the fearless wildlife near the shoreline. There is a lot to discover. The hike back to the city starts at 16:30, the park closes at 18:00. Once back, we relax at the hotel. (Optional boat ride back to town $10 USD). The evening is free to spend in town. 

Day 5. Santa Cruz day off.  Optional excursion

AM: Breakfast at the hotel. Free time to explore the town on your own.  Or why not tag along on an optional excursion in this amazing archipelago?  

Optional: Boat trip to Floreana (90 USD): Breakfast at the hotel, a short walk to the harbor to embark on a speedboat for a two-hour crossing over the open sea, to the mysterious island of Floreana. In Floreana, a Chiva bus will take us to the highlands. One of the very few springs of freshwater around the Galapagos. Our guide will tell us the thrilling story of the first inhabitants of Floreana. We return from the mountains to the village for lunch. After lunch, walk to La Loberia, for snorkeling and/or swim among turtles and sea lions. Quite often at this site, we have seen 15-20 sea turtles feeding.  After a lovely afternoon, we return to Puerto Ayora by speedboat, another 2-hour navigation back to town in Santa Cruz. 

Day 6. Bay tour by Boat 

AM: Breakfast at the hotel. Today's schedule includes a little bit of everything when it comes to Galapagos. This excursion in the bay near Puerto Ayora will be nice, easy, and interesting. 

This relaxing 4-hour tour will take us to different places in the bay of Puerto Ayora. Our first stop 2 miles out will be “La Loberia” where we can find friendly sea lions. We then slowly return to Santa Cruz and embark to make a small hike to Playa de Los Perros where we will find colonies of Marine Iguanas. The last stop will be a short hike to Las Grietas, where we can see finches, shorebirds, and endemic vegetation. At Las Grietas we have a chance to snorkel in the channels of the lava formations, the water here is less salty, a rare thing in the Galapagos. After an interesting visit, we walk back to the boat and get back to Puerto Ayora. The rest of the day is free to enjoy. 

Day 7. Isabela              Speedboat to Isabela 

AM: Breakfast at the hotel. Free time to explore the surroundings on your own. 

PM: 2 o clock we embark on a speedboat to continue with a 2-hour boat ride to Isabela. A short walk from the dock to the hotel. After check-in, our guide will take us for a walk around the village so we can identify shops and places to eat. Dinner in the village and then relax and sleep at your hotel. 

Note: There is a 1-dollar per boat-taxi ride to and from the marina to embark on the speedboats. Isabela charges a $10 US port tax to be paid upon arrival. Not included, have it ready in cash upon arrival. 

Day 7. Walking tour to the Giant Tortoise Breading Center. Snorkeling in the bay 

Breakfast at the hotel. Today we will do two half-day tours to make up an interesting full day. In the morning we go for a walk to find Flamingos. Giant Tortoise Breeding Center in the afternoon, end the day with a snorkel in the bay. 

AM: From the hotel, we walk along the picture-perfect beach over the paths and bridges to the marshlands, the locals call it Flamingo Lake. Along the way, we expect to see many seabirds, such as flamingos, ibis, shorebirds, and also marine iguanas resting in the brackish water. We later reach the "Centro de Crianza Tortugas Gigantes", a research station that breeds giant tortoises. Isabela is home to 5 different species of Tortoises, as we see them at different stages we will have a chance to learn how some of them are on the verge of extinction, after an interesting visit, we slowly walk back to the town where we can have lunch (not included) or maybe have a quick siesta. 

PM: Snorkeling day for beginners and tourists. We walk towards El Embarcadero, a beautiful walk through a mangrove area that takes us to a shallow bay perfect for swimming and/or snorkeling. In this bay, it is common to find schools of fish, playful sea lions, and the occasional Galapagos penguin. If lucky eagle rays are known to rest at this place.  We slowly return to the hotel in town, thinking once again about how interesting and full of life this place is.

Day 9. Boat tour to Tintoreras 

AM: Breakfast at the hotel. Today we have a half-day boat tour of one of the marine highlights of Isabela. We leave the port in a smaller boat to explore Tintoreras, a set of small islets within Villamil's bay. We first have a long ride along the coast where we will be looking for the Galapagos penguins, the only tropical penguin that nest in the northern hemisphere. The Galapagos Islands are the northernmost point where you can find wild penguins. After the ride, we disembark into an almost barren lava landscape to go back in time, to the early processes of how life really started on the planet.  Depending on the season the lava will be inhabited by big male marine iguanas that are displaying their beautiful colors to attract females. To end the tour, we get into the water for a long snorkel where we will encounter a very diverse set of marine wildlife, of course once again the playful sea lions, sea turtles, and various species of rays. Tintoreras is a much-appreciated trip, definitely a highlight. 

Day 10. Transfer out    

Transfer to Santa Cruz-Guayaquil-Quito 

AM: Early wake up to catch the speed boat and return to Santa Cruz, no time for breakfast, the hotels will provide lunch boxes to eat at the speedboat.  Our transport will pick up us at around 04:30 am to go to the pier. The boat trip takes about 2 hours and it’s still a bumpy ride. After a short rest in Puerto Ayora, we continue to the airport in Baltra depending on your flight times and programs. 

Transfers: Book them separately when you make your booking. Transfers from Guayaquil/Quito include airfare with one checked-in bag.

Hotels
Where will we stay?

On this tour you will stay in the following hotels:

STANDARD

P. Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristobal      Hotel Los Algarrobos 3n

Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz.      Hotel Ninfa Suites 3n

Puerto Vilamil, Isabela            Hotel Sao Vincente 3 n.

SUPERIOR

P. Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristobal.      Hotel Galapagos Planet 3n

Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz.      Hotel Ninfa Suites// Deluxe Suites 3n

Puerto Vilamil, Isabela            Hotel La Laguna  3 n.