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Itinerary (8-days /
7-nights):
(NOTE: Nights are spent
in local hotels - travel to next destination early the
following mornings.)
Day 1:
Fly to San Cristobal island. Upon arrival, our guide will pick you up and take you to the hotel. In Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, we will have Lunch in a local restaurant. Then we will navigate to Kicker Rock-León dormido, an old tuff cone eroded by the ocean, which is a magnificent volcanic formation. It now serves as a nesting place for frigate birds, blue footed boobies nazca (ex masked) boobies, and tropic birds. Kayaking around Kicker Rock-León dormido will complete our visit. Back in Mann Beach, we will enjoy a moment of leisure before going back to the hotel. Have dinner and overnight at a hotel, and enjoy free time to explore Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.
Hotels used: Teclas , Miconia or similar
(subject to availability)
Day 2:
Have breakfast at your hotel and navigate to Santa Fe Island, a perfect site for snorkeling among sea lions, rays, marine turtles, white tip reef sharks, and colorful surgeon fish. Back on board, we will have lunch and a sightseeing journey along the cliffs of Santa Fe to observe blue footed bobbies, iguanas, and frigate birds as we continue to Puerto Ayora. After a quick stop in Puerto Ayora, we will move on to Punta Estrada and Bahia Divine, a calm shallow water place. Rays, mullets and sharks can be seen while you are kayaking along the rocky coast line. Back in Puerto Ayora, have dinner and overnight at a hotel. We will meet at dawn.
Hotels used: Fernandina , Silberstein , or similar
(subject to availability)
Day 3:
Have breakfast at your hotel and yacht ride to Floreana Island. Visit Puerto Velasco Ibarra, the smallest town in the Galapagos, with a population of around 60 people. Enjoy a box lunch and travel by car to the highlands of Floreana where pirates and whalers used volcanic caves as hiding places. Back on board, have a snack and complete our navigation to Puerto Ayora. Later, have dinner and overnight at a hotel.
Hotels used: Fernandina , Silberstein , or similar
(subject to availability)
Day 4:
After an early wake up call, have breakfast on board and navigate to Isabela Island, the largest and one of the youngest islands in the Galapagos. Upon arrival, we will take a bus ride to the Sierra Negra volcano which is still active. In October 2005, it showed us the most recent volcanic eruption in the archipelago. A horse back-riding adventure along the crater of the volcano will fulfill every expectation. Normally we find giant tortoises on the way. On this day we will have a box lunch on the volcano rim and then we start trekking on a trail of lava to "volcán Chico", a smaller crater of Sierra Negra. We will walk on a large lava flow and hopefully see fumaroles and an incredible landscape from the top. Late in the afternoon we will go to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Hotels used: Casa de Marita, Ballena Azul or similar
(subject to availability)
Day 5:
Have breakfast at your hotel in Puerto Villamil, Isabela island, which has the second smallest population in Galapagos Islands. With around 1,500 inhabitants, it is still pristine and untouched.
"Tintoreras" grotto is a delightful place which will be reached by a Zodiac ride. There are small shallow channels in between lava flows with sandy bottom in which we usually find white tiped reef sharks. Isabela also has penguin populations and normally we find them along the coast. After this we return to the hotel. Have lunch at the hotel and in the afternoon we will have a 30-minute walk to the
"muro de las lagrimas", a wall of lava rocks made by inmates from an old penal colony established on the island. To finish our day we can relax on the miles-long white sandy beach right in town with many kinds of shore birds and marine life. Have dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Hotels used: Casa de Marita, Ballena Azul or similar
(subject to availability)
Day 6:
After an early wake up call and breakfast on board, we navigate our way to Santa Cruz Island. With a population of about 15,000, Isabela Island has a large variety of sites to visit. Our first stop will be the world famous Charles Darwin Research Center, where all the efforts to protect and preserve the native and endemic animals are developed. We will also find Giant tortoise breeding programs, and of course Lonesome George. After this visit, you will have some time to walk around town and have lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon we will have a 30-minute hike to Tortuga Bay beach. This path goes through a dry zone of the island where the most common vegetation is the tallest variety of Opuntia cactus trees. At the end of the walk, we will arrive at a white sandy beach that serves as nesting areas for green sea turtles. Now it is time to relax and enjoy the beach Back in Puerto Ayora, then have dinner and overnight at hotel.
Hotels used: Fernandina , Silberstein , or similar
(subject to availability)
Day 7:
Have breakfast at the hotel and travel by bus to Los Gemelos, a pair of craters (sink holes) in the middle of the Scalesia zone. Scalesias are endemic trees only found in Galapagos and they create a great nesting area for Darwin’s finches as well as many other land birds such as flycatchers, doves etc. Bike downhill to a local farm in the highlands. We must walk across the farm to its border with the national park areas called El
Chato. Here is where we find giant tortoises in the wild. After having lunch in a local restaurant in the highlands, we will continue biking to Puerto Ayora, where we will join the yacht to depart to Puerto
Baquerizo: the sunset will be the main attraction. Dinner and overnight at hotel. You can also enjoy the nightlife of this charming town.
Hotels used: Teclas , Miconia or similar
(subject to availability)
Day 8:
In San Cristobal we will have breakfast and visit "La Lobería". A sandy/rocky beach with a large colony of sea lions and marine iguanas will complete this Galapagos Nature and Culture adventure. Right after this visit, we go to the airport to take the flight back to Quito.
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