At your arrival at the airport of Baltra Island, our guide welcomes and arrange your transfer to the city of Puerto Ayora, the biggest on the Galapagos Archipelago. On the way, we should cross the beautiful Itabaca Channel which separate Baltra and Santa Cruz Islands. Once on the other side of the channel our private transport will take you up to the highlands of Santa Cruz island to visit el Manzanillo private farm where we will have our first Galapagos amazing experience observing the giant Galapagos Turtles on natural state. Tortoises are very sensitive and will typically withdraw into their carapaces as soon as they see you coming close. It is very important not to bother, touch or feed these beautiful animals. Here is a local restaurant where we will have lunch. Time permitting, perhaps we can also visit one of the lava tunnels of the area. Transport to the hotel in the town of Puerto Ayora and free time. Lunch included. Read more

Puerto Ayora

The day starts with breakfast in the hotel and then at 8 a.m. we make a walk to visit the Fausto Llerena Interpretation Center where we will learn about the Galapagos National Park work and observe turtles of different species. Walking further, we will find the Charles Darwin Station where we will able to observe the body of the world-famous turtle Lonesome George which now is in exhibition at the museum of the station. After enjoying this wonderful walk, we head back to town where you will have time for lunch (on your own) and prepare for the navigation towards Floreana Island. Early in the afternoon we walk to the pier where we board the shared speed boat which will take us to Puerto Velasco Ibarra, a small town located in the legendary Floreana Island. The navigation will last for about 2½ hours with chances to see dolphins, marine turtles. Upon arrival on Floreana, we will be allocated in houses of the local community inhabitants of Floreana (or in the Lava Lodge for the upper-class hotels). We will have time for a walk to Playa Lobos, a beautiful spot of this island where eventually we can see a colony of sea lions, perhaps some blue footed bobbies, marine iguanas and with luck marine turtles. Back to the lodge and time to enjoy a dinner (included) and enjoy a good rest. Note: Floreana is the most pristine inhabited Island on the Galapagos Archipelago and the less developed, so do not expect to find shops, big restaurants, etc. It is a very simple way of life as the local people live here. Breakfast and Dinner included. Read more

Floreana Island

The day starts at 6:30 a.m. with breakfast in a local small restaurant and then with a private “Chiva” transport, we will take you up to the highlands of Floreana Island for a walk to the place known as “Asilo de La Paz” (Peace Asylum). This is the historical place where the German Whitmer family settled when they arrived in 1932 in Floreana. Here we can observe the caves they used as home for a long time until they moved down to the place where now is Puerto Velasco Ibarra. The whole environment of the Asilo de La Paz is nice and calmly with a beautiful green lush. Perhaps we will observe some Galapagos turtles roaming freely among the trees. Transport back to town for an early lunch (on your own) and then we board the private speed boat which will navigate (2½ to 3 hours) towards our next point of visit: Isabela Island, the biggest of the Archipelago. We will arrive to Puerto Villamil, be transported to the hotel, and then after checking in, we will go for a walk to the place known as Los Humedales (Wet-Land). This awesome area is characterized by sandy beaches, rocky shores, and mangroves. During the walk along the main trail, you can see all four species of mangroves found in Galapagos and observe pink flamingos and migratory birds including whimbrel, short-billed dowitcher, Wilson’s phalarope, common tern, blue-winged teal, osprey, black-bellied and semipalmated plovers, greater and lesser yellowlegs to name a few. Continuing the path, we arrive to the Tortoise Breeding Center, where we can see tortoises from all sizes and from different subspecies. Our transport then, will take us back to the hotel and enjoy a free time in this scenic town. Breakfast and Dinner included. Read more

Puerto Villamil

Isabela is known for having the second largest crater in the world, the first being the Ngorongoro in Africa. In the morning, we will visit this massive natural formation, occurring from volcanic eruptions that created the young islands. After an early breakfast, in the morning our private transport will leave us at a Galapagos Park checkpoint, from where we will hike up to the rim of the crater from where, if weather permits, we will be able to see the whole diameter of the crater (6 miles/11 km.). Transport back to town where you will have a free time for lunch (on your own) and in the afternoon at 2 p.m., in our speed boat, we will start the navigation (2½ to 3 hours) heading to Santa Cruz Island, to the city of Puerto Ayora where we will be arriving at about 5 p.m. The possibilities to see dolphins on route is quite high, given that in this leg of water dolphins are generally found swimming happily next to boats. Transfer to the hotel and free time. Read more

Puerto Ayora

After an early breakfast in the hotel, we start our day hiking towards the shores of the Pacific Ocean, to one of the most beautiful beaches of the Galapagos, to the place known as Tortuga Bay. After some 40 minutes to 1-hour walk, we arrive to the heavenly spot, where the soft coral sand and nice scenery make this a special location for anyone visiting. The first part of the beach has strong waves so not recommended for swimming but walking west we will reach a beautiful bay of calm water. Here we can observe colonies of Marine iguanas, boobies and marine birds, as well as mangroves, cacti forest and interesting flora of the coast. Time to enjoy the beach and then we will return to the town. Free time for lunch and rest in the hotel and in the afternoon at 3 p.m. we will enjoy a walking tour to Las Grietas. For this we follow a nice 1.5 km trail to this scenic point of a huge lava crevasse, which is in fact a long narrow cool-water swimming hole among a jumble of small cliffs and tumbled boulders. It is a great place for swimming and on the way to Las Grietas, you might spot some interesting birdlife among the landlocked shallow water bodies around here. In the evening enjoy a farewell dinner in a local nice restaurant. Read more

Puerto Ayora

In the morning, we will transfer you to the airport on Baltra Island. The bus ride will take about 45 minutes until we reach the Itabaca Channel. From here using a local ferry we cross the channel to the side of Baltra from where the airport buses will take you to the airport. On the way, we will be stopping by the natural formation known as “The twins” (Los Gemelos) Craters, that lies on the route to the Itabaca Canal. Our guide will help us with our check in, and you will take your flight back to Guayaquil or Quito. Read more