Active Galapagos Islands Explorer – 12 Days

Points of Interest : Tababela, Quito

Today you arrive in Quito, Ecuador’s high-altitude capital framed by snow-covered active volcanoes. Your driver meets you at the airport and drives you to your hotel in the modern part of the city. The rest of the day is free so you can rest from the long journey or take a first short walk in the surroundings.

Transfer from the airport to the hotel: around 1 hour with a Spanish-speaking driver.

• Meals included : None
• Accommodation : Ikala Quito Hotel, standard room

Points of Interest : Quito

In the morning you explore the historic and charming Old Town of Quito, considered one of South America’s most beautiful capitals. The city, whose name means “centre of the world”, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. You visit Independence Square, bordered by the Government Palace, the 16th‑century cathedral and the Bishop’s Palace, and continue to the richly decorated baroque church La Compañía de Jesús, famous for its interiors covered in gold leaf. The afternoon is free for your own discoveries or relaxation.

Activity: four‑hour city walking tour with an English-speaking guide.

• Meals included : Breakfast
• Accommodation : Ikala Quito Hotel, standard room

Points of Interest : Puerto Ayora, Baltra Island

Today you fly out to the Galapagos Islands, located about 1,000 km off mainland Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. After landing on Baltra Island, your driver picks you up and takes you across to Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island and your hotel. After lunch you visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, where you gain insights into the work of the National Park and the islands’ unique wildlife. You see giant tortoises from different islands and learn about the conservation programmes that help secure their survival.

Transfer to Quito airport: about 1 hour with an English-speaking guide.
Domestic flight: around 2.5 hours.
Crossing from Baltra to Puerto Ayora: about 1 hour with a Spanish-speaking driver.
Half‑day excursion: about 3 hours with an English-speaking naturalist guide.

• Meals included : Breakfast and lunch
• Accommodation : Hotel Galápagos Dreams, Santa Cruz

Points of Interest : North Seymour Island

Today you board a boat for a full‑day excursion to one of the fascinating uninhabited islands such as North Seymour or South Plazas. The trip includes a short hike and a snorkelling session.

On North Seymour you walk through an arid landscape dotted with endemic palo santo trees and prickly pear cacti. Here you can encounter colonies of blue-footed boobies and magnificent frigatebirds, often displaying their striking red throat pouches. Along the trail you may see land iguanas, while sea lions and marine iguanas rest on the beaches. In the afternoon you relax at Bachas Beach on Santa Cruz before returning to Puerto Ayora.

Full‑day boat excursion with an English‑speaking naturalist guide.

• Meals included : Breakfast and lunch
• Accommodation : Hotel Galápagos Dreams, Santa Cruz

Points of Interest : Puerto Ayora

The day begins with a must‑see: a visit to the lava tunnels of Santa Cruz. You walk through these natural formations created by ancient volcanic eruptions. Then you switch to bicycles to explore the Cerro Mesa reserve, where you frequently encounter free‑roaming giant tortoises along the way. From the lookout at the top of the hill you enjoy a 360‑degree panorama over the whole island of Santa Cruz. In the afternoon you relax at Garrapatero Beach, a stretch of white sand bordered by turquoise water, black lava rocks, pelicans and frigatebirds. The protected bay is calm and suitable for swimming for everyone.

Private cycling excursion: 6–7 hours with an English‑speaking naturalist guide.

• Meals included : Breakfast and picnic lunch
• Accommodation : Hotel Galápagos Dreams, Santa Cruz

Points of Interest : Puerto Villamil, Puerto Ayora

In the morning you explore the bay of Puerto Ayora on a half‑day kayaking tour. Paddling quietly along the coast, you approach the wildlife that lives on the shoreline and in the clear waters of the bay. There is a good chance to observe sea lions, sea turtles, reef sharks, rays and various seabirds from a completely different perspective. At your own pace and together with your guide you visit Punta Estrada, Playa de los Alemanes, the Canal del Amor and small offshore islets. After lunch you travel by public speedboat to Isabela Island, where you can independently discover the village of Puerto Villamil, the flamingo lagoons and the long sandy beach.

Private half‑day excursion: about 3 hours with an English‑speaking naturalist guide.
Boat transfer to Isabela: around 2.5 hours including hotel transfers.

• Meals included : Breakfast and lunch
• Accommodation : Hotel San Vicente, Isabela

Points of Interest : Volcán Sierra Negra

After breakfast you drive along a gravel road for about 40 minutes up into the humid highlands of Isabela Island, where you start a roughly four‑hour hike to the Sierra Negra volcano. At a comfortable pace you explore the vast crater landscape. The trail leads through lava fields of different colours and ages and past a few fumaroles—vents releasing hot steam from the caldera—which remind you that you are walking on an active volcano.

Private full‑day excursion: about 6 hours with an English‑speaking naturalist guide.

• Meals included : Breakfast and picnic lunch
• Accommodation : Hotel San Vicente, Isabela

Points of Interest : Cabo Rose

You have a full free day in Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island to enjoy the exceptional nature and relaxed island atmosphere of the Galapagos. Stroll along endless white‑sand beaches and swim in turquoise waters. With the bicycle provided you can independently explore Isabela’s volcanic landscapes; a particularly scenic route leads to the Wall of Tears and the flamingo lagoon. Along the way you can visit the giant tortoise breeding centre and the species‑rich wetlands. To discover the underwater world, head to the easily accessible snorkelling spot of Concha y Perla near the port, ideal for observing sea turtles, rays and many colourful fish species. Bicycles and snorkelling equipment are available for your use.

• Meals included : Breakfast
• Accommodation : Hotel San Vicente, Isabela

Points of Interest : Puerto Villamil

In the morning you visit the small Tintoreras islet in the harbour bay of Puerto Villamil. On a short walk across lava rock you may see Galapagos penguins, marine iguanas, sea lions and reef sharks that rest in a shallow lava channel. Afterwards you snorkel in the turquoise water alongside sea turtles, rays and, with luck, penguins. After lunch you take a small plane flight to San Cristóbal Island and are transferred to your hotel.

Half‑day excursion: about 3 hours with an English‑speaking naturalist guide in a small group.
Transfers: hotel – airport – hotel and inter‑island small plane flight, around 1.5 hours in total.

• Meals included : Breakfast and lunch
• Accommodation : Hotel Arena Blanca, San Cristóbal

Points of Interest : Chatham Island

Today you head out to Kicker Rock, a dramatic split tuff cone rising from the deep blue Pacific and one of the best snorkelling sites in the archipelago. In the channel between the rock walls you look for reef sharks, rays, sea turtles, large schools of fish and, with some luck, hammerhead sharks. Later you visit one of San Cristóbal’s beautiful beaches, where you can swim, relax on the sand and enjoy lunch before returning to the small port town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.

Full‑day excursion: about 6 hours with an English‑speaking naturalist guide.

• Meals included : Breakfast and lunch
• Accommodation : Hotel Arena Blanca, San Cristóbal

Points of Interest : Hood Island

An early start takes you by boat to remote Española Island. The crossing takes almost two hours. Your first stop is Punta Suarez, famous for its large colony of waved albatrosses. These impressive birds breed here between June and November, and some individuals can now be seen year‑round. The circular trail also leads to a spectacular blowhole where incoming waves are forced through a rock formation and shoot high into the air. Your second stop is Gardner Bay, a pristine white‑sand beach where you have the chance to snorkel with playful sea lions.

Full‑day excursion: about 8 hours with an English‑speaking naturalist guide.

• Meals included : Breakfast and lunch
• Accommodation : Hotel Arena Blanca, San Cristóbal

Points of Interest : Guayaquil

Your Galapagos adventure comes to an end today. You are transferred to San Cristóbal Airport for your domestic flight to Guayaquil or Quito. From there you either connect to your international flight home or continue your journey with an extension in the Andes or the Amazon rainforest.

Transfer to San Cristóbal airport: about 20 minutes.
Domestic flight: around 2 hours.

• Meals included : Breakfast
• Last day : Transfer to San Cristóbal airport and flight to the mainland