Itinerary

Day 1 - Quito to Santa Cruz
Fly from Quito or Guayaquil to the Galapagos Islands, arriving around 11:30 - 1:30 depending of to flight schedule on Baltra Island. Upon arrival, travel by bus to the Itabaca Channel, followed by a 5 minute ferry ride to Santa Cruz Island. A private charter bus will take you south to the town of Puerto Ayora and the Aventura Lodge. Here, the group will be greeted by the Naturalist Guides and the tour escorts and have lunch at Aventura Lodge.

After lunch, depart to Garrapatero beach. Enjoy a 25 minute scenic bus ride to an easy trail that will lead you to the beautiful white sandy beach which is known for its flamingos and finches, for a chance to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

Accommodations: Red Mangrove Aventura Lodge
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 2 - Santa Cruz Highlands & Floreana
Early wake up call and breakfast before departing on our morning giant tortoise quest. Begin this tour with a trip to "Los Gemelos" (The Twins), two enormous collapsed lava chambers. The short, easy hike to each of the twins is teeming with endemic flora and fauna, including the remaining scalesia forest, large and small tree finches, the vermillion flycatcher and more. It's a wonderful introduction to the great biodiversity of the Santa Cruz Highlands. Afterwards, visit a 600-acre private reserve where the giant Galapagos tortoises freely roam, graze and sleep. After visiting the tortoises, take a 5-minute ride to the entrance of a 450 meter lava tunnel. With a ceiling nearly 20 feet high in most places, this is an incredible opportunity to ramble through the Galapagos most dynamic geological events, lava flows. Stalagmites, stalactites, sulfur and mineral colored walls and the rippled form of a floor of lava can all be experienced in this uniquely Galapagos hike.

Return to Aventura Lodge for lunch and departure for Floreana. Our navigation will take about 2 hours depending on sea conditions. Upon arrival, and before check in, visit La Loberia, a very beautiful location to swim, snorkel, or simply relax watching a colony of sea lions and great scenery. Walk back to the lodge and check in at Floreana Lodge. Dinner at Local Family House, briefing and overnight at the Lodge.

Accommodations: Floreana Lodge
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 3 - Floreana & Isabela
Breakfast at a local family's house followed by departure in an open-air bus (chiva) to the highlands of Floreana. During the 40min bus ride your Naturalist Guide will be pointing out the wildlife and filling you in with the colorful history of Floreana's first inhabitants and the legend of the "Floreana Mystery". At 450m high, "Asilo de la Paz" (Peace Asylum) has main attractions of an historic type: one is the cave of pirates and the other is the freshwater spring. The two sites are located at the base of the hill, where is still possible to find the endemic Scalesia, as well as a good number of Galapagos Petrel nests which were once at a border of extinction due to the predation of introduced cats and rats. Also, near Asilo de la Paz, the National Park Service built a special enclosure where you can see some Galapagos tortoises (from various islands) held in captivity for educational and scientific purposes. Head back to town in time for our trip to Isabela, which will take about 2 hours depending on sea conditions.

Upon arrival at Isabela Island check into the Red Mangrove Isabela Lodge and have a hot, wholesome lunch. After, depart to "Las Tintoreras" and enjoy a Bay Tour. Dock and take an intriguing walk through a jagged lava field, passing abundant colonies of marine iguanas and sea lions, to see a small canal of shallow waters, full of resting white-tipped reef sharks. The black, treacherous lava field, the emerald green sea, the green mangroves, and the cloud-capped volcanoes of Isla Isabela create an afternoon backdrop you are not likely to ever forget. After the walk, snorkel in this warm, shallow bay surrounded by mangroves, for an opportunity to see white-tipped reef sharks, sea lions, sea turtles, and, of course, the mystery of the mangrove below the surface. Don't worry, white-tipped reef sharks are not aggressive, but merely fascinating. Once we return to the lodge, have a bit of time to relax and shower before briefing and dinner.

Accommodations: Isabela del Mar Lodge
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 4 - Isabela
Breakfast at the lodge followed by departure to Sierra Negra Volcano. Vehicles of local providers will drive us up through the humid highlands of Isabela, to the slopes of Volcan Sierra Negra, considered the oldest of the volcanoes on Isabela. Then hike to arrive at the caldera (crater) of Sierra Negra for breathtaking views. After bordering the caldera, relax a bit and have a snack at a nice resting site under a jaboncillo tree. For the hardiest of the group, there is the option to continue on an especially difficult one-hour walk to Volcan Chico, just northwest of the caldera where fumarole activity is abundant, and again, the views are spectacular.

After returning from Sierra Negra, have lunch at Campo Duro - a beautiful organic farm whose owners prepare their food with vegetables and fruits grown locally at the farm. Prepared at a lava rock-grill, enjoy a delicious meal and after lunch take a walk among the fruit trails or just take a nap in one of their hammocks and breath the clean air above a big Mango tree. In liaison with the Galapagos National Park, this property also takes care of giants tortoises under a special 'patronage' program that your guides will carefully explain to you. Back to the lodge for time to discover Isabela on your own. Enjoy snorkeling, swimming or simply relax or walk the town to discover the typical Galapagos style of life. Briefing and dinner at the Lodge.

Accommodations: Isabela del Mar Lodge
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 5 - Isabela to Santa Cruz
Breakfast at the lodge, then departure to the "Humedales" (Wetlands) Tour. Begin with a drive out of town along the beautiful white sand palm lined beach of Vilamill, one of the most beautiful beaches in the entire Galapagos. This beach, straight from the cover of a travel magazine, stretches on for 3 kilometers before the National Park boundaries. Walk up the trail to the summit of Cerro Orchilla, for an astounding view from the top. Visit the "Muro de las Lagrimas" (Wall of Tears), a unique construction built by the backbreaking labor of prisoners of a penal colony centuries earlier.

Lunch at Isabela Lodge and depart to Santa Cruz. Our navigation will take about 1.5 to 2 hours depending on sea conditions. Arrival and check in at Santa Cruz Aventura Lodge, then enjoy a guided tour to the fascinating Charles Darwin Research Station where you can learn about one of the most successful reptile breeding programs in the world and perhaps, meet the most famous giant tortoise: Lonesome George, also known as the world's rarest creature. Dinner and overnight at Aventura Lodge.

Accommodations: Red Mangrove Aventura Lodge
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 6 - Baltra to Quito
Breakfast at the Lodge. Depart for your transfer to the airport of Baltra, on time for your flight back to the mainland. Transport and guide included from the hotel to the airport.

Accommodations: Hotel Patio Andaluz or similar
Included Meals: breakfast

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