In typical active style, we'll paddle, snorkel or dive, hike, cycle and sail around the multitude of stunning islands from in our boat "Christine"!
We start with a short flight to San Cristobal Island to snorkel with seals and tame reef sharks in crystal clear water, sea kayak through beautiful ocean channels and hike up an island volcano with the second largest crater in the world. We get up close to some of the most intriguing and fearless wildlife on the planet with a visit to Tortoise breeding grounds and Sea Lion colonies, and share our beach time with friendly iguanas. We explore amazing Lava tunnels, cycle to the local townships and visit the incredible Charles Darwin Research Station.
Your Itinerary
Day 1, Sunday Arrive Quito
Our trip begins in Ecuador's capital city - Quito. If you arrive in the morning you'll have time to explore this amazing city with its beautiful town squares, quaint cafes and lively street performers dotting the sidewalks. With a mild spring-like climate, Quito sits in a beautiful valley surrounded by towering volcanoes just 14 miles from the Equator. In the evening you'll meet your representative for a full briefing before our flight out to the Galapagos in the morning!
Accommodation: Reina Isabel, Quito. Included: (D).
Day 2, Monday - Cycling the highlands of San Cristobal
This morning we'll take a short flight to San Cristobal, the eastern most island of the Galapagos Islands chain. After lunch we'll take to our bikes for a ride through the lush highland cloudforest that blankets the top of San Crisobal Island. Along with stunning views of the coastline, we'll have the chance to ride all the way down to the beaches below where we'll stop at Mann Beach - one of the most beautiful white sand beaches in the Galapagos. Later, we'll stop at Frigate Hill Lookout to see the acrobatics of the local frigate birds as they dart around the cliff tops stealing the catch from other birds - it's quite a show!
Accommodation: Hotel Mar Azul. Included: (B), (L), (D)
Day 3, Tuesday - Snorkeling or diving with seals & Manta Rays at Kicker Rock
We'll make our way to Isla Lobos for a short hike to get our first look at Darwin finches and light foot crabs darting back and forth on the beach. Later we'll head back to our boat, don our wetsuits, snorkels and masks (and tanks for the divers) and explore underwater for a close up view of the sea lions as they fish for their dinner! (Dive 1)
After a swim with the sea lions we'll be back on our boat, headed for Kicker Rock where we'll either dive or snorkel around the remains of an underwater volcano with a rock face rising 500 feet above the surface of the water (Dive 2). Our guides will give us a full snorkeling briefing and then we'll take to the water to explore the walls of the volcano. Keep your eyes open for sea lions and Manta Rays as they skirt the edges of Kicker Rock - they're everywhere! We'll make our way to dry land again tonight and spend the night at Mar Azul on San Cristobal Island.
Accommodation: Hotel Mar Azul. Included: (B), (L)
Day 4, Wednesday - Dive or snorkel Floreana Island & Pink Flamingos
Our first stop today is the magnificent Floreana Island. After an early breakfast, our boat Christina will take us to Enderby Islet. This journey is often accompanied by friendly dolphins so keep an eye out! Here we'll be doing some more amazing snorkeling & diving, in an area that's home to eagle rays, moray eels, Galapagos sharks and thousands of tropical fish species (Dive 3). This is probably one of the most amazing dives you're likely to do anywhere in the world.
If there's time, and the sea conditions are looking favorable we'll sail to Floreana Island's "Post Office Bay". This is the home of an historic outdoor beach post office box used by the whalers in the 18th century to leave messages for their loved ones. The box is still in use today so you can send a postcard home! We'll spend the night on Isabela Island after a visit to a local flock of pink flamingos.
Accommodation: Hotel San Vicente. Included: (B), (L), (D)
Day 5, Thursday - Hiking to Sierra Negra Volcano
A morning hike will take us to the summit of the Sierra Negra Volcano, rising nearly a mile above the ocean. We'll see the lowland vegetation change before our eyes as we ascend into a lunar landscape on our way the top. It's quite a hike to the top of the volcano, but the views across the 7 mile wide caldera, and surrounding coastline are worth the climb! If you prefer you can simply enjoy the morning sun at the beach.
Accommodation: Hotel San Vicente. Included: (B), (L).
Day 6, Friday - Sea kayaking Isabela Island, Coastal hiking
This morning we'll hike a section of the pristine coastline of Isabela Island to the "Wall of Tears" - a fascinating remnant of the Galapagos Islands' convict past. En route we'll have the chance to see some of the Islands' most amazing wildlife up close. Marine Iguanas bask in the sun under our feet, Blue Footed Boobies sit in pairs on the rock tops, and Sally Lightfoot crabs scurry out of our way along the beach.
Later, we'll take to our sea kayaks and paddle the crystal clear waters off Isabela Island. Keep an eye out for the Galapagos Penguin, reef sharks and Manta Rays. Often the sea lions will become curious and accompany us for the entire journey!
Accommodation: Hotel San Vicente. Included: (B), (L), (D)
Day 7, Saturday - Hiking to Highlands of Santa Cruz Island & Lava Tunnels/Giant Tortoises, Tortuga Bay
We'll depart early this morning, bound for Santa Cruz Island where we'll hike into the amazing cloud forest highlands. On the way to the summit of Cerro Crocker we'll have another chance to see giant tortoises in their natural environment along with some intriguing vegetation like the vermillion flycatcher. If you're game we'll take a look inside the lava tunnels scattered throughout the highlands. The tunnels were formed by petrified lava flows that had dried on the earths surface but continued to flow underneath, carving out large cylindrical caves. Some are almost a mile long so bring your flashlight!
This afternoon we'll hike in to Tortuga Bay, one of the most stunning beaches in the Galapagos, where we'll try our hand at body boarding, or just lounge around on incredibly fine white sand. Tortuga Bay is accessible only by foot and is home to hundreds of prehistoric-looking marine iguanas, blue footed boobies, and pelicans.
Accommodation: Estrella del Mar. Included: (B), (L), (D)
Day 8, Sunday - Charles Darwin Research Station & Snorkel/dive Santa Fe Island
This morning we'll take a short walk to the Charles Darwin Research Station. Founded in 1959, this fascinating center is dedicated to the conservation of the Galapagos and its ecosystems. The Station has a team of over two hundred scientists, research students and support staff from all over the world. We'll learn the full life-cycle of the giant tortoise from the experts, walk through their enclosures and meet the Galapagos Giants face to face!
Our island hopping continues this afternoon as we make our way to Santa Fe Island where we'll have our final dive or snorkel of the trip (Dive 4). From the surface you'll have clear views of the most beautiful tropical fish species in the world. Our guides know these spots like the backs of their hands and will point out the subtleties of this amazing reef eco-system as we observe from the surface. Later we'll return to San Cristobal Island for our final dinner in the Islands.
Accommodation: Hotel Mar Azul. Included: (B), (L), (D)
Day 9, Monday - La Loberia & Return to Quito
Before our flight back to Quito today, we'll have time to check out La Loberia - a nearby beach littered with hundreds of sea lions. You're not likely to see this many sea lions in one place anywhere else in the world.
After a short flight back to Quito we'll have time in the afternoon to explore more of Quito or relax before dinner this evening.
Accommodation: Hotel Reina Isabela, Quito. Included: (B), (L), (D)
Day 10, Tuesday - Depart
Today is the last day of your trip around the Galapagos Islands. If you have a flight this evening, we'll make sure to get you back to the airport on time and you'll return relaxed and refreshed from all the great activities, fine food and friendly people you will have met while traveling with us in the Galapagos. Included: (B)
Important Details
Accommodations: The Tortuga is an active adventure trip that takes us to some wild areas of the Galapagos. We've chosen accommodations for their comfort, location and charm.
Fitness: You must have a reasonable level of fitness to enjoy yourself. You don't have to be young and extremely fit (although if you are, you won't be bored) but you should be in the habit of doing at least some exercise. Age and experience is not important. We've designed our trips to be as challenging as you want them to be. It's all about having fun!
Experience: You don't have to have any outdoor experience to do one of our trips. We offer trips that enable you to make the most of South America's awesome outdoor environment, culture and history. Our staff is highly trained and very experienced outdoor guides and we'll look after you! You don't need any experience in snorkeling or sea kayaking on the Tortuga. All you need is to be energetic and in reasonable shape - and we guarantee you'll have a wonderful time.
But if you like a challenge we will certainly give you one! We can offer activities to suit people who only do a little exercise and those who have a very high level of fitness and experience in all our activities. We manage the level of commitment to suit your experience, and we have an impeccable safety record.
Diving In The Galapagos: We dive at some of the best spots in the world on the Tortuga so if you have a PADI or SSI certification you'll really enjoy yourself. We've carefully selected all our dive sites for their water clarity, location and awesome underwater scenery. Our guides are all highly qualified dive guides who have years of dive experience under their belts. If you're a diver, and would like to dive on the trip, there is an additional fee of US$350 for up to 4 dives, including all the necessary safety gear.
Flexibility: Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands are in a developing part of the world, and we can't tell you that everything runs like clock work in South America. What we can tell you as that we are experienced adventure travel leaders, and we know how to keep things operating as smoothly as possible, even when conditions are challenging. Often, because of changing sea conditions, we may have to make small changes to our itinerary for safety reasons. If you bring flexibility and a sense of humor you'll find your trip goes even smoother!
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Included:
• All guiding services. We always have an experienced trip leader with every trip and will usually have a local guide on many of our excursions for extra local knowledge.
• Comfortable accommodation for the entire trip. We can also organize pre and post trip accommodation for you if you let us know.
• All your breakfast and lunches and dinners except Tuesday on San Cristobal & Thursday on Isabela Island. Alcohol is not included.
• All snorkeling, sea kayaking, hiking and biking as described in the itinerary, excluding optional activities, such as scuba diving. No activities are compulsory, and nor will your trip be less awesome if you chose to sit out any of the activities.
• The Ecuadorian Government charges every person who enters the Galapagos Islands a US$100 park entrance fee. This needs to be paid to the airport officials by each person upon arrival on San Cristobal Island.
Also see tour packages in:
South America
Ecuador
Outdoor: Water Drifter
Scuba Diving
Wildlife Viewing
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