After arrival, when you drive through the lush green highlands of Santa Cruz, depending on the season you could still the gentle giant tortoises roaming free. Puerto Ayora, around a 45-minute ride from the Itabaca Chanel, is a busy port town with lots of conveniences for visitors who can smell and see the ocean. From here we will visit Tortuga Bay, one of the finest beaches around the entire Galapagos, the walk to the beach itself becomes an adventure. We will also visit Academy Bay where we will get a taste of the birds and animals that Galapagos a special place.
Optional you can visit the mysterious island of Floreana, where the first Europeans settle and performed an interesting story of death, wealth, and romantic tales. After lunch, at the beach, we go for an amazing snorkel, many times with the playful sea lions, sea turtles, and rays.
Meanwhile, in Puerto Ayora we can enjoy time wandering around the nice coffee shops and restaurants. The fish market, right on the main street could be a fun stop and a wonderful opportunity to take pictures. As an option, we also offer a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Giant Tortoise breading Center, where you will learn how the tortoises where saved from going extintc.
Santa Cruz, estrategically located has become a must, most travelers visit it al least once.
What is included in the tour
- Tourguide English/Spanish speaking
- Hotel in Puerto Ayora (3n)
- Breakfast (3 mornings)
- Hike to Tortuga Bay // Half day tour with guide
- Bay Tour by boat// Half day tour with guide
- Transfer in & out to Baltra Airport
What is NOT included in the tour
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Air Ticket Quito/Guayaquil to San Cristobal/Baltra, Galapagos (can be booked in stage 3)
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Entrance fees Galapagos National Park 100.00 USD+ TRANSIT CARD 20.00 USD. To be paid upon arrival
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Any meals/services not mentioned in the inclusions
- Alcohol, soft drinks, beverages, etc.
- Personal expenses like tips, telephone calls, laundry, etc.
- Boat trip to Floreana // Full day, with guide, (can be booked in stage 3)
- The most "modern" part of Galapagos
- Wild land tortes on the way from the airport
- Charles Darwin station, It was here it all began!
- Amazing beaches
Day 1. Santa Cruz Arrival to Baltra and afternoon excursion
When you land in Baltra we will meet you and take you across this little island and take you to the main island, Santa Cruz, where we go by bus to the main city of Puerto Ayora. Here we will take you to your hotel of 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 4 Transfer to San Cristobal/Guayaquil/Quito
We wake up in the morning for breakfast. We have the morning free depending on the hour of our transport out of the Island. If you continue with speedboat to San Cristobal, it will leave at 08:00. The rest of us continues to the airport in Baltra, time at a later date.
Info: This program will connect with our San Cristobal and Isabela programs.
On this tour you will stay in the following hotels:
STANDARD
Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz. Hotel Ninfa Suites 3n
SUPERIOR
Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz. Hotel Ninfa Suites// Deluxe Suites 3n
Hotel Ninfa Suites (https://hotelninfa.com.ec) or similar
