Itinerary

DAY 1: ARRIVE QUITO
Airport pickup and transfer to hotel. We highly recommend adding an additional extra day in Quito before your program to accommodate potential flight delays and to enjoy historic Quito and its surroundings (contact us for more information).

DAY 2: QUITO - SAN CRISTOBAL (Hike Carola Beach)
We board a morning flight from Quito to San Cristobal Island. Once we arrive we have a welcome lunch and briefing before the adventure begins. We will hike out of town and visit the San Cristóbal Interpretation Center, for a general understanding about island formation, volcanoes, evolution and natural history. We continue on to explore a unique dry forest and will be able to identify cacti, acacia, palo santo, galapagos cotton and more as we hike towards Frigate Hill along trails of lava rock featuring splendid views of the coastline and Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. This will be a good time to enjoy our first encounters with local wildlife, since the hill is often visited by such Galapagos wildlife such as the magnificent and great frigate birds, blue footed boobies, brown pelicans, gulls, herons and lots of land birds including Darwin finches, warblers and mockingbirds. On our way back we can stop for a refreshing swim at Carola Beach. The rest of the evening is free to explore town. (B,L)

DAY 3: SAN CRISTOBAL (Sea Kayak Playa Ochoa, Snorkeling Leon Dormido)
We slip into our ocean kayaks and spend the morning paddling along the coast, going north exploring bays and coves full of local wildlife - including Darwin Bay, the site of the first landing of the HMS Beagle. The route is home to colonies of sea lions, marine turtles, blue-footed boobies, and frigate birds. Once we reach Playa Ochoa, we continue on to nearby Isla Lobos on the lookout for marine iguanas and sea lions. This is a fantastic snorkeling site where we are nearly guaranteed to enjoy one of the best sea lion encounters in the entire archipelago. We continue on to Leon Dormido, the jagged remains of an old tuff cone whose flanks are home to thousands of sea birds. At Leon Dormido, we enjoy excellent snorkeling; for certified divers, this is also one of the best dives in the islands (optional). There is a good chance of seeing Galápagos sharks, eagle and golden rays, as well as dozens of species of tropical fish, clams, starfish, and marine invertebrates. With a little lucky, we may also swim with hammerhead and white-tipped sharks. In the afternoon we return to our hotel for our last evening in San Cristobal. (B,L)

DAY 4: SAN CRISTOBAL - SANTA CRUZ (Hike Highlands)
In the morning we embark in a fast boat from San Cristobal to Santa Cruz Islands. Once we arrive, we transfer to El Chato reserve in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island which is the natural habitat of the incredible Galapagos tortoise. We hike in this reserve to learn about these lumbering giants. As we explore this area, we’ll also come across pintail ducks, egrets, flycatchers, finches and frigate birds bathing in freshwater lakes. We explore lava caves featuring incredible volcanic tunnel formations, and on a clear day we can see Media Luna, an old collapsed crater on top of Santa Cruz Island. In the afternoon, we drive to Cerro Mesa on the high side of Santa Cruz. As we walk in these underground geological formations we revive tales of buccaneers hiding Inca gold. We continue to Los Gemelos, two volcanic craters near the top of the Island. We walk around these deep craters through a beautiful Scalesia forest covered with epiphytes and ferns. In this habitat we may see the short-eared owl, one of the two owls that live in the Islands. Return to town. This evening is free to dine at any of the good selection of Island restaurants. (B,L)

DAY 5: SANTA CRUZ (Charles Darwin Station, Sea Kayak Divine Bay, Hike Tortuga Bay)
After breakfast, we visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn about conservation and management efforts in the archipelago. We also get to meet Lonesome George, the last giant tortoise of his species. Later this morning we put-in our kayaks and paddle around Divine Bay and Punta Estrada, through calm turquoise waters that wind through high-walled lava channels. Within the channels, white-tipped sharks and rays tour beneath the clear water, while colonies of blue-footed boobies, tropic birds, herons, crabs and marine iguanas perch along the jagged cliffs. In the afternoon, we hike to Tortuga Bay, a beautiful white sand beach area, nesting site to thousands of marine turtles. This trail is 3½ miles (6 kilometers) long and crosses through a dry forest lava habitat home to hundreds of iguanas. We return to Puerto Ayora to spend the evening at leisure in the Galapagos' most populous town. (B,L)

DAY 6: SANTA CRUZ - ISABELA ISLAND (Mountain Bike Puerto Villamil, El Muro, Tintoreras)
From Puerto Ayora, we board a fast boat for Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island. During our Island crossing we will be on the lookout for dolphins and whales (July to October) Isabela is the largest Island in the archipelago, formed by 6 shield volcanoes - Alcedo, Cerro Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra and Wolf.  All of these volcanoes except one remain active, making this island one of the most volcanically active places on earth. When we arrive we set up our mountain bikes to explore the beautiful coastline for its scenery and wildlife treasures. We begin with a visit to El Muro de las Lágrimas which means Wall of Tears, a historic site that dates back between 1946 and 1959 when Isabela Island was used as a penal colony. The wall was built with lava blocks and had no other purpose that of keeping prisoners busy from the madness of isolation. We explore the bay in search of the endemic Galapagos penguin, and follow a trail along the coastline to observe dramatic lava formations and meet a large colony of sea lions. We pass through mangroves and salty lagoons that are home to the mangrove finch, endemic to Isabela. We can also spot American oyster catchers, herons, flamingos, and many other shore species. In the afternoon we take our ocean kayaks and paddle out to Tintoreras, a set of small Islets within Isabela bay. The Islets are filled with wildlife and are home to the Galapagos Penguin, the only penguin that lives in equatorial region. We will also see sharks, marine turtles, sea lions and much more wildlife as we explore its many small coves and beaches. The evening is spent in the tranquil port town of Puerto Villamil. (B, L, D)

DAY 7: ISABELA ISLAND (Hike Sierra Negra Volcano)
From Puerto Villamil, we drive up to the highlands. Here we prepare our day packs and trek into a world of recent geological history to arrive at the rim of the Sierra Negra volcano. Sierra Negra is an active volcano which last erupted in October 2005. We explore along the rim of the huge 6x5 mile-wide (9x8 kilometer) lava-filled crater. We may also get views to the other Isabela volcanoes, the Perry Isthmus and beyond. Optionally, we can continue our hike all the way to Volcano Chico, an incredible area that offers puffing fumaroles and extraordinary lava formations.  These are great examples of the dramatic geological events that have forged the Galápagos Islands over millennia. In the afternoon, we return to Puerto Villamil for our last afternoon of relaxing on Isabela's white beaches. (B,L,D)

DAY 8: ISABELA - SANTA CRUZ - BALTRA - QUITO
In the morning we navigate by boat back to Santa Cruz Island (4 hrs). From there we transfer by bus to Baltra Island for our flight back to Quito. We will arrive in the late afternoon at the Quito airport and transfer to our comfortable Quito hotel. (B) Optional, one or more day diving tour extension is available upon request.

DAY 9: DEPART QUITO
Transfer to the airport for your international departure home (End of Services). Galapagos adventures, Trip Extensions to other regions or Extra Days in Quito can also be arranged. (B)

Key: (B)reakfast, (L)unch (D)inner

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