Galapagos Island Adventure

12 days Adventure to Ecuador including 6 days 

Island Hopping Adventure in the Galapagos

Day-01 Baltra – Galapagos – Santa Cruz – Isabela Island
Arrive at Baltra airport and proceed through immigration. Look for your guide who will be waiting for you just outside in the arrival hall with an Off The Map Adventures sign. With a warm welcome, your guide will assist you with your transportation and will bring you to your hotel overnight. Early this morning, your guide will bring you back to the airport and will assist you with obtaining your Galapagos Immigration cards. For foreign tourists, this card costs US$20 per person. We advise that you bring cash with you. Once you are all set, it’s time to board your flight to Baltra. From the very moment, you step out of the aircraft you will start to notice the unique wildlife of the Galapagos Islands. Right away you may spot a variety of birds, including the many finches that reside on this island. You might even spot a massive Galapagos land iguana. Proceed through immigration where each tourist must pay the Galapagos National Parks fee currently set at US$ 100 per person. Both credit cards and cash are accepted. Your naturalist guide will greet you upon arrival and will assist you to the transfer bus that brings you to the port. To get to Santa Cruz you will board a ferry to cross the Itabaca Channel. During this twenty-minute boat ride, you may be able to spot a variety of wildlife, including blue-footed Boobies, frigate birds, marine iguanas, and sea lions. Once you arrive at Santa Cruz’s main port, your guide will assist you with your private transfer to Porto Ayora. Your ride will take you through the highland’s lush green landscape which is noticeably very different from the rugged and often dry coastal landscape. Once you arrive at Porto Ayora, you will be transferred to your speed boat which will take approximately two and a half hours to reach Isabela, the largest island of the Galapagos archipelago. Its stunning volcanic landscapes, diverse wildlife, and unique geological formations will fulfil any explorer’s sense of awe and wonder. Welcome to Puerto Villamil the main pier at Isabella Island. Your walk along the boardwalk will be dotted by many marine iguanas, seemingly oblivious and unruffled by the many tourists wandering by. Your guide will bring you to your hotel. Settle in and enjoy the evening walking along the sandy coast.

Day-02 Isabela – Excursion to the Lava Tunnels for snorkeling
Wake up to the sounds of birds and crashing waves. After breakfast, get ready to head to the dive shop to pick up your snorkel and fins and gear up with your wet suit. Once you are all set, your guide will bring you to the pier from where you take a speedboat to the famous Lava Tunnels off the island’s southeast coast. The boat ride will take about an hour and a half to bring you to “Los Tuneles”. At first sight, you will notice the dramatic rock formations, featuring a labyrinth of molten rock, forming many ponds that trap crystal clear water, frequented by giant sea turtles, iguanas and sea lions. You will have an excellent opportunity to snorkel and spot various marine life including rays and white-tip sharks. If you are lucky, you may be able to spot some curious Galapagos penguins playing around. After a wonderful visit and swim, return to Isabela. In the evening, free time to explore on your own.

Day-03 Isabela – Highlands
Breakfast at the hotel. Today you drive to the highlands of Isabela Island where you will hike up to the creator edge of Sierra Negra Volcano. With a height of about 1,500 meters and an outer diameter of approximately nine kilometres, it is the biggest and the most active volcano in the Galapagos Islands. You will hike along the cone to the resting place in the northeast. The volcanic lava terrain feels like a lunar landscape. Lunch will be served in a local finca (local country house or ranch).
You will have lunch at a local restaurant in the highlands surrounded by a beautiful organic farm. This delicious meal is made from fruits and vegetables grown locally at the farm, hence making it sustainable and delicious. The main course is prepared on a lava rock grill for a uniquely local experience. After lunch, you have some time to explore the farm. In the afternoon head back to the pier at Puerto Villamil. Get ready for a fun kayaking adventure on the bay where we can spot a variety of local wildlife. If you are lucky, you might see penguins, whereas blue-footed boobies, pelicans, iguanas, sea turtles and sea lions are common sightings. You might even spot some eagle rays and, sometimes, juvenile sharks. We can also make a quick visit to Concha De Perla reserve for a scenic walk through the mangroves. The boardwalk will lead to a spot with turquoise waters where local wildlife is abundant. If time permits you can snorkel here to see plenty of colourful fish, sea lions, sea turtles, mockingbirds, and marine iguanas. Return to your hotel to conclude today’s activities.

Day-04 Isabela – Santa Cruz
After breakfast, head to the pier to take your speedboat back to Santa Cruz. On this two- and half-hour journey, there is a chance to spot dolphins and whales, especially between the months of July and October. Once we arrive, we will head to the Charles Darwin Research Station, where we will learn about many endemic species of the Galapagos Islands. We will also learn about the ongoing conservation and sustainability efforts conducted by the centre. In the afternoon we will head to El Chato reserve in the highlands of Santa Cruz. This is the home of the famous Galapagos Giant Tortoise.
As you explore the beautiful trails at El Chato, you will notice what at first sight seems like peculiar-looking rocks. These are none other than the lumbering giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands. While visiting these highlands you can also visit a lava tunnel, also known as a lava tube. Such a tunnel is formed when lava flows underground and forms a hardened crust on its surface, while the molten lava continues to flow inside. Over time, the lava cools and solidifies, leaving behind a hollow tube that may be several meters in diameter. During the visit to the highlands, you will notice a variety of other wildlife such as pintail ducks, egrets, flycatchers, and a variety of finches.
Return to your hotel to conclude your excursions for the day.

Day-05 Choose your own adventure
Free Day at Santa Cruz
Today you have a free day to choose from the many options available. You can explore a nearby island, snorkel, scuba dive or try out a discovery dive or a guided dive to try out scuba diving. You could take time on your own and walk to Tortuga Bay to swim or snorkel on your own. This trail is free and does not require a guide. The hike is approximately 30 minutes and ends at Tortuga Laguna, where you can snorkel and swim.
For optional tours, you choose to go on a discovery adventure of a nearby uninhabited island, availability depends on the National Park regulations and the number of boats allowed to operate that day. You could choose from any of the following options (booking in advance is recommended):

Floreana Island : (boat ride is approximately 2 hours each way).
Just off the coast of Floreana, we’ll visit Enderville Islet to observe colonies of sea birds such as blue-footed boobies, masked boobies, and frigate birds. We’ll continue our trip to the nearby Champion islet, where we’ll snorkel with sharks, rays, sea lions, a variety of colourful fish, and other impressive marine fauna. In the afternoon we’ll enjoy lunch in Floreana’s port town, Puerto Velasco Ibarra. After lunch, we’ll visit the island’s highlands, to a visitor’s site called “Asilo de Paz” to observe giant tortoises and land birds, such as Darwin’s finches, and vermillion flycatchers, and learn about the island’s native vegetation. Later we’ll hike along a trail that will lead us to the famous caves of Floreana that were once used for shelter by the first colonists in the Galapagos. In the evening we’ll return to Puerto Ayora by speed boat.

Bartolome Island : (boat ride is approximately 2 hours each way).
Upon arriving on Bartolome Island, you will go up to a lookout point where you’ll be able to admire the spectacular panorama of Sullivan Bay and the famous “Pinnacle Rock.” The beaches at the foot of Pinnacle Rock boast some of the finest snorkelling spots, where you can discover a marvellous underwater world and will have a good chance of finding gently gliding turtles. On the beaches beneath Pinnacle Rock, it’s quite possible to spot one of the speedy little Galapagos Penguins — the second smallest penguin in the world, with heights of around 25 centimetres (10 inches) — as well as the white-tipped reef shark.

North Seymour Island
After a landing on North Seymour Island, you will take a short walk along the coast. Here you’ll encounter everything from swallow-tailed gulls to sea lions and cliff crabs. This part of Seymour Island is also known for being a major nesting site of blue-footed boobies and for possessing the largest colony of the magnificent frigatebird (a species different from the great frigatebird). You can also spot endemic species of both types of iguanas: marine iguanas and land iguanas. You’ll enjoy this relaxing hike around the nesting sites.
In the evening we’ll return to Puerto Ayora by speed boat. Stroll through the market in the evening to chat with locals at the restaurant of your choice near your hotel. Conclude this thrilling night at your hotel (overnight).

Day-06 Santa Cruze – Baltra – Departure
Breakfast at your hotel. Depending on your flight time, your guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel and bring you to Baltra Airport for your flight back to the mainland in Quito. Once you arrive, your guide from Quito will meet you at the airport and will bring you to your hotel in Quito city. The rest of the day (afternoon and evening) is free.

Cost includes:

1. Meals: Eighteen meals are included in the program including daily breakfasts.
2. Accommodation: Neat and clean accommodation with a unique local style.
3. All entry fees for sites included in the tour with the exception of the Galapagos national park fee: US$ 100 to be paid in cash at the Park and Tourist Immigration Card US$ to be paid at the airport in Quito *.
4. All transfers and sightseeing as mentioned with the tour.
5. Ground transportation throughout the tour (as per sightseeing program and hotel transfers).
6. English-speaking local naturalist guides in the Galapagos and mainland Ecuador.

Cost does not include:

1. International and regional flights.
2. Flights from the mainland to Ecuador. (you can make it part of your international flight, ask us how to do that).
3. Customs and baggage handling during overseas travel.
4. Expenses of a personal nature such as phone calls, personal drinks, use of mini-bar at the hotels, laundry, or personal medication.
5. Any expenses that may arise due to unforeseen natural or political situations.
6. Personal travel insurance, including Medical+Cancllation+Interruption, (we strongly recommended).
7. Park fee for Galapagos National Park (approximately US$ 110).
8. Tips and gratuities to guides and drivers.

NOTE:

• Ask us to check if there is a minimum number of people required to operate this trip.
• Our prices are guaranteed not to change unless the currency devalues by more than 7%.
• *Park fees may change by the Ecuador Government and Galapagos Authorities sometimes at very short notice.