Galapagos Island Hopping for San Cristobal,Isabela, Floreana and Santa Cruz

Lobería Beach and Sea Lion Colony on San Cristobal Island

Upon arrival from your voyage from Quito or Guayaquil, you will land by midday at the airport on San Cristobal—the small town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Here, our Naturalist Guide will be present for your welcome. One of our crew members will assure your luggage is well-taken care of and delivered to your hotel. In the meantime, you will hop aboard our bus transfer and head for your hotel with refreshing welcome drink prior to checking into your room.

During lunch, your guide will provide a very brief overview of what afternoon adventure will entail. Approximately at 2 PM, we will head to La Lobería, a 2.5 km beach from the town, along the southwest part of the island. La Lobería the name of the beach comes; it is where there is an abundance of sea lions, where you will often see them lounging on the sandy beach or swimming in the vicinity. Galapagos National Park also has a guard stationed here to prevent any of the animals being disturbed by visitors.

Also an engaging snorkeling beach, the outer ring of rocks creates calms and clear water for snorkelers to swim. This is a great to swim with baby playful sea lions, marine turtles and schools of fish.

After such a memorable afternoon on the beach, we will return to the hotel for you to unwind and have some free time roaming the island.

A.M.: San Cristobal Highlands (El Progreso – Tortoise Breeding Center – Puerto Chino)
P.M.: Frigate Bird Hill & Punta Carola

Breakfast in the hotel. We will head up into the highlands of San Cristobal Island for our first destination, El Junco Lagoon, a lagoon formed in the crater of an extinct volcano that exists solely from rainwater and condensation that has been serving as the island’s supply of freshwater for hundreds of years. Frigate birds are also known to frequent this lagoon, and hiking the rim of the lagoon will provide panoramic views across the island including the San Joaquin Hill, which is the highest point on San Cristobal. Next, we will visit the Cerro Colorado Tortoise Breeding Center, where scientists work to protect and repopulate the massive Galapagos tortoises. Trails here allow you to see the tortoises at multiple ages, from hatchlings to enormous tortoises that are several centuries old, in a natural habitat.

We will then proceed to the southeast coast to take a short, 15 minute walk to Puerto Chino Beach, which is an incredibly beautiful and secluded beach. Here, you might see marine turtles swimming in the waves, blue-footed boobies diving for fish, frigate birds flying overhead, and Galapagos pelicans on the beach. After head back to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno for a free lunch (on your own).

In the afternoon, at about 2 PM, we will start a walk from the San Cristobal Interpretation Center. Your guide will provide a fascinating introductory overview of the islands includes their natural and human history, along with conservation efforts that sustain this fragile ecosystem today.

We will then proceed to hike for about 20 minutes to Frigate Bird Hill, where the views can’t be beat: long stretches of white-sand beaches with the famed Kicker Rock juts magnificently from the Pacific Ocean. And as the name indicates, it is also a nesting area of both Magnificent and Great frigate birds, if you look closely, you might see one!

We will then descend to Punta Carola, an inviting lagoon where you can watch an adorable colony of sea lions welcoming guests. Watching them sunbathe on the sand and playfully jumping in the water is a perfect way to finish your busy day of exploration. After spending a little bit of time at the beach, we will then walk to the hotel.

Dinner will be a group dinner, which will give us the opportunity to relax and share and hear each other’s stories, all while enjoying a good meal.

A.M.: Crossing from San Cristobal to Floreana

P.M.: La Loberia

We will kick off the day with breakfast at 6:30 a.m. and immediately set sail on a 2.5-hour navigation to Floreana. The island of Floreana, covering 173 square kilometers (67 sq mi) in total, as with much of the archipelago, is the result of volcanic eruption, culminating in peak, Cerro Pajas, at 640 meters (2,100 ft) in elevation, and located in the southern sector of the Galapagos archipelago, with life centered in the small town of Puerto Velasco Ibarra (population under 120). Life here is wonderfully simple and slow-paced, an inviting escape from the hectic pace of modern life.

Upon arrival at Puerto Velasco Ibarra, we will embark in a local ‘marine taxi’ to the pier then board a traditional “open-air” chiva bus, which will take us into the highlands to our main destination, Asilo de La Paz (Haven of Peace), related to the very interesting history of the islands. Originally, this site was a location of one of the earliest settlements, famously owned by the Wittmer family from Germany, who you will learn about during the visit. We will enjoy the dense landscape with native flora, and hopefully see some giant Galapagos tortoises roaming free in the woods, and even check out the caves where the Wittmer family sheltered in their time on Floreana! We will return to the main town for a family style lunch at a small restaurant.

In the afternoon, we will visit La Loberia, a terrific beach where a colony of sea lions reside. The bay is quiet and a wonderful location to snorkel, and you may swim beside sea turtles, if lucky! After some time in a relaxing or activity on the water and beach, we will return to relax, enjoy the ambiance of the island, watch the sunset and later have a group dinner.

A.M: Floreana - Isabela Navigating

P.M: Los Humedales

Following breakfast, we are going to depart by 8:00 a.m. for our journey to Isabela Island. At over 4,640 square kilometers in area (annotated as about 100 km in length), Isabela is the largest of the Galápagos islands. Puerto Villamil, our destination, is home to around 2,000 souls and maintains a lazy island atmosphere that is hard to resist. The navigation lasts around 2.5 hours, and keep watch to the water along the way; you may spot dolphins, manta rays, multicolored fish, and lots of seabirds.

Upon our arrival to the beautiful bay of Puerto Villamil, we will board a local water taxi to take us from the yacht to the pier, then travel by bus to our hotel for check in. The hotel will enjoy some time on the beautiful beach and included lunch!

Around 3:00 pm, our guided walk to Los Humedales (very important in Spanish) will begin. Los Humedales is a fascinating spot with sandy and rocky shores, featuring four species of mangroves, and is considered to be a highly desirable site for birds. You will see fabulous pink flamingos and migratory birds, such as whimbrel, short-billed dowitchers, Wilson’s phalarope, common terns, blue-winged teal, ospreys, and plovers to name a few.

Then we will go to the Tortoise Breeding Center, which is captivating and all about giant Galápagos tortoises or giant tortoises, which are native to Galápagos. You can spend some time seeing tortoises of various sizes and learning about the hundreds of subspecies.

After finishing our afternoon adventures, our transportation service will take us back to the hotel and continue at our lovely beach in Puerto Villamil until dinner.

A.M.: Tintoreras
P.M.: Optional Sierra Negra Volcano Tour

This morning, at roughly 8:00 a.m., we will visit the beautiful area of Tintoreras. The clear, turquoise waters of the small bay make it a perfect spot for exploring sea lions, sea turtles, rays, marine iguanas, and a range of other ocean wildlife. A shallow crevice of crystal-clear water, which is closed off at low tide, makes for a great resting area for white-tip sharks and a dazzling variety of fish.

The first beach is where the fun sea lions hang out and marine iguanas nesting. You can spot the Nolana galapageia, a rare variety of plant endemic to the area that is rare in Ecuador, but more commonly found in coastal Chile and Peru. The second beach is lined with button mangroves (Conocarpus erecta) and white mangroves (Laguncularia racemosa). Along the path of the trail, you find more marine iguanas resting under rocks or the shade of the mangroves. Las Tintoreras is one of the few safe breeding sites for marine iguanas due to the absence of non-native breeding predators so extra caution is necessary during nesting. Once finished, we will return to the hotel for lunch (on your own).

This afternoon is open for you to relax and enjoy Isabela Island’s beautiful beach, or join the optional Sierra Negra Volcano tour. The Sierra Negra is a large shield volcano that sits on the southeastern side of Isabela, at its summit, it measures 1,124 meters. Sierra Negra sits between Cerro Azul to the west and Alcedo to the north and is one of Galapagos’ most active volcanoes (last eruption in June 2018). The tour starts with a short 30-minute drive from Puerto Villamil to reach the trailhead for a 1–1.5 hour walk around the eastern rim of the massive caldera. The caldera measures 7.2 x 9.3 km, and is the second largest caldera in the world only after Ngorongoro in Tanzania. From the lookout point, you can view the inside of the crater and the lava flow from the 2005 eruption. After that we will return to Puerto Villamil for dinner and free time at the beach.

Other optional afternoon activities involve a bike tour to the historic Muro de los Lamentos, a visit to the stunning Concha Perla Bay, or simply lounging about on Villamil Beach’s soft sand.

A.M.: Navigation Isabela to Santa Cruz
P.M.: Charles Darwin Research Station & Fausto Llerena Breeding Center

After breakfast at 8:00 a.m., we will proceed to the pier in Puerto Villamil to board our vessel to begin the journey to Santa Cruz Island. We should make it to Santa Cruz by approx. 10:30 a.m. From there we will have a brief transfer to our hotel. After check-in, we will enjoy an included lunch and a brief recharge.

In the afternoon, we will go to the well-known Charles Darwin Research Station and Fausto Llerena Tortoise Breeding Center with our guide. The breeding center is a quick 15-minute walk from our hotel. At this location, we will receive a history and overview of the conservation effort of the Galapagos National Park and observe tortoises of all sizes and species, as well as colorful land iguanas. We will also have a stop at the exhibit of the most famous tortoise “Lonesome George,” which we will find in a temperature-controlled chamber, located at the interpretation center museum.

We will continue our walk to the main Charles Darwin Research Station, which scientists do their essential work to protect the unique wildlife found within the Galapagos. In the small museum at the research station you will have an overview of their work and the history of conservation of the islands.

After our visit, you will have some time to walk the quaint malecon, shop for souvenirs and explore the various dinner options on your own.

A.M.: Tortuga Bay Beach
P.M.: Galapagos Coffee and Tasty Ceviche.

After breakfast, we’ll depart around 8:00 a.m. for a scenic walk of around 1.5 miles (2.5 km) toward the Pacific Ocean for one of the best beaches in the Galapagos: Tortuga Bay. After about a 45–60 minute easy walk, we reach the amazing Tortuga Bay. Its soft coral sand and stunning views make this a special place to be.

The initial part of the beach has large waves and is not a good area for swimming. However, if you walk 10-minutes down this beach, you come to a gentle area of the bay to snorkel or kayak. Here we will see marine iguanas, blue-footed booby, and other coastal birds. You will see mangroves, cactus trees, and plants that are endemic to the Galapagos coastline. You will have a good amount of time to relax, enjoy, and check out the natural beauty.

Around 2:00 p.m. we will walk to a local coffee farm (where they grow Galapagos Coffee which is world famous for its taste) and be able to try some specialty coffee. After sampling some coffee we will visit some family living in the Galapagos. You will have locally sourced fish, tomatoes, onion, and other fresh locals and make ceviche. The ceviche will be served with a beer or some white wine. You will be able to interact with the family and walk around their home that is a small museum with interesting info about their family and life in Galapagos.

A.M.: Puerto Ayora – Los Gemelos – Baltra Island Airport

Our hotel breakfast will end when our private transportation arrives to drive us 30 minutes into Santa Cruz highlands for a Los Gemelos (The Twin Craters) tour. The volcanic formations show no signs of being craters because they formed from lava dome collapses. The lava formed a hard crust on its outer surface while the molten core kept moving which resulted in the formation of massive underground spaces that collapsed to form the current pit-like craters.

The environment shows abundant vegetation which includes Scalesia plants because these plants grow only in the Galapagos. The plants in this location thrive as shrubs and trees which enhance the enchanting atmosphere. We will start by taking a short walk along the crater rim to see the stunning views and diverse plant life. Watch out for wildlife which includes Galapagos Short-eared Owl and Galapagos Doves and Darwin’s Finches and Vermilion Flycatchers and other native animals.

The first stop on our tour will be Los Gemelos before we proceed to the Itabaca Channel to cross it and then catch a public airport bus which will take us to Baltra Island Airport. Our guide will help you with the check-in process so you can board your flight smoothly for your return to either Guayaquil or Quito.