Land-Based Galapagos Adventure
6 (+1) Days

[Group 1]-_DSC5054__DSC5060-4 images.jpg

Dates: January 6 - 12, 2020 (SOLD OUT)
January 14 - 20, 2020
February 7 - 13, 2020
March 19 - 25, 2020
Destination: The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Giveback: TBD
Difficulty: Active, all levels supported
Gender: All

Ecuador's most famous destination - the Galapagos Islands - offers discovery and adventure. During your visit, you will explore the islands where you will see an array of incredible wildlife, from the iconic giant tortoises to rays and penguins. You will experience all of the best ways to see the Galapagos - hiking, boat travel, kayaking, snorkeling and stand up paddleboarding. It's an adventure you'll never forget!

Day 1

Arrival in Quito

Upon arrival, we will be met at the airport and transferred to the selected hotel, typically the Hotel Patio Andaluz.

Day 2

Quito - Baltra Island - Santa Cruz Island - Isabela Island

Transfer to the Quito airport for your flight to Baltra Island, the gateway to the Galapagos. This tiny island was a military base during the Second World War and hosts the Islands’ principal airport. The airport was built using the most advanced environmental techniques to reduce emissions and energy use, some of which you’ll notice as you walk through the facility. This was the first ecological airport in the world.

From the Itabaca Channel we head up to the Santa Cruz highlands to a private reserve that borders the National Park, where we can see the famous Giant Tortoises roaming in the wild.

We drive to our exclusive giant tortoise reserve where our tented camp is located. Perched high on a hillside overlooking the ocean, Magic Galapagos Tented Camp will be our home for the next two nights. The sounds of nature will serenade us in the evenings, and the Milky Way will be our night light. We’ll be able to feast our eyes on the mountains and forests surrounding the Camp, and enjoy the peace of having the entire hillside to ourselves, with the exception of seasonal resident giant tortoises.

Watching the colorful sunset from Magic’s western perch is the perfect segue into evening. Dinners are sumptuous three course affairs, prepared by expert chefs in an open-air kitchen in the main lodge. A favorite post-dinner activity is a short walk to the reserve’s natural lava tubes, for a night cap in the one-of-a-kind ‘Lava Lounge!’ It’s the perfect spot to relax around the fire and share stories from the day’s adventures.

Optional Excursion

We will have a chance to kayak, snorkel and stand up paddle board (SUP), as well as encountering some of the most famous Galapagos wildlife such as blue-footed boobies, sea lions, brown pelicans, a variety of herons and white-tipped reef sharks. There’s no better introduction to the Galapagos than to get on the water as soon as possible! We will glide through beautiful red mangrove forests and along lava rock cliffs on water so clear we can see the marine life in the shallows. Our ocean (sit on top) kayaks come in doubles or singles, and life jackets are provided. A support boat will escort us throughout our water activities to ensure safety and to provide water, snacks and towels between activities.

Day 3

Navigable Tour to the Neighboring Islands

Volcanic eruptions created all of the islands in the Galapagos, and you will get to see this geologic process first-hand as we explore Isabela, one of the youngest and most volcanically active islands of the archipelago.

We can visit North Seymour and Bachas, South Plazas, Santa Fe Island or Bartolome, and Sullivan Bay. Along the way, we might see leaping rays or other sea life, while enjoying the vastness of the Pacific. The yacht tour lets you see the Islands and their wildlife in their most pristine state. Island visited may vary according to National Park regulations.

Day 4

Isabela Island

Today we have multiple choices of activities available (organized at additional cost or self guided) or if you feel like unplugging from the world and relaxing completely at our iconic Galapagos hotel situated right on the waterfront — surrounded by both Galapagos wildlife and mangroves that give a delightful sense of seclusion in the town of Puerto Ayora — on Santa Cruz Island, in the heart of the Galapagos Islands.

Optional Excursions:

WALK TO LAS GRIETAS & Kayak at Tortuga Bay
From Puerto Ayora main pier we take a water taxi to the “Other Side Pier”. At this point we start an easy walk for about 1 Km (~0.6 mile) until we reach Las Grietas. This is a stunning geological formation named as fissure where we can see two impressive rock walls with an elongated crystal clear water pond ideal for snorkeling. ied. The Research Center offers a brand new Interpretation Center with some of the most important samples of the Center Collection. Later, visit to Tortuga Bay. After walking through a deciduous forest for 2.5 Km (~1.5 miles) we will reach one of the most beautiful beaches in the archipelago. We will continue walking along this white sand beach for another 1 Km (~0.6 mile) until we reach the Playa Mansa where we can enjoy a special kayaking ride around the Bay.

CERRO MEZA & Kayak at Garrapatero
Visit Cerro Mesa viewpoint from where we can admire the whole southern shore of Santa Cruz. Continue towards one of the iconic formations in Galapagos resembling a crater from where we will start a hike downhill for about 30 minutes to the bottom of this collapsed crater. Explore the area, recover energies and start the hike uphill for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Excellent opportunities to find endemic species such as the Wood-pecker Finch and being very lucky giant tortoises. Later, kayaks at Garrapatero. Walk for about 500 mts (~0.3 mile) on a flat and easy terrain through a deciduous forest until we reach El Garrapatero beach. Kayaking activity takes place from the beach along the bay for about 45 minutes. We can make a short walk to the brackish lagoon where we have high possibilities to find pink flamingos.

Day 5

Isabela Island

The day starts with a visit to Roca Unión, a small island full of life, where we’ll snorkel amid clouds of brightly-colored fish and watch sea lions and blue footed boobies from the surface. At Turtle Cove, a secret spot used by fishermen, that today is considered one of the island’s major attractions, there are plenty of opportunities to snorkel through a maze of small islands and arches (and for the experts, tunnels!) in the company of fish, sea turtles and the occasional white tipped shark and rays. There are more opportunities to snorkel with sea turtles at Finado, and from our boat out on the open water, the chance to watch sea turtles and manta rays against a background of varied coastal beaches and rocky shores where sea turtles nest. Overnight at Isamar Hotel.

Day 6

Isabela Island - Santa Cruz Island

Today we say goodbye to Isabela very early via speed boat towards Puerto Ayora. We visit Cerro Mesa viewpoint from where we can admire the whole southern shore of Santa Cruz. Continue towards one of the iconic formations in Galapagos resembling a crater, from where we will start a hike downhill for about 30 minutes to the bottom of this collapsed crater. Explore the area, recover energies and start the hike uphill for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Excellent opportunities to find endemic species such as the Wood-pecker Finch and being very lucky giant tortoises. We then walk for about 500 mts (~0.3 mile) on flat and easy terrain through a deciduous forest until we reach El Garrapatero beach. Kayaking takes place from the beach along the bay for about 45 minutes. We can then make a short walk to the brackish lagoon where we have high possibilities to find pink flamingos. Overnight at the Fich Bay Eco Hotel.

Day 7

Bartolome Island

We embark our motor yacht and enjoy our daily excursion with welcoming crew members and knowledgeable naturalist guides, and experience the remote islands in comfort and style. Our daily excursions will take you to experience the Galapagos Islands in a safe and comfortable manner.

Today after breakfast we will head back to Itabaca Channel to continue our National Park and Marine Reserve exploration. Our yacht will deliver us to Bartolome Island, which offers one of the most dramatic views in the Galapagos Islands. A 600 – meter pathway takes visitors to the highest point of the island, where you will learn from our expert naturalist guide about the volcanic origins of the Galapagos. After the walk, a dingy ride along the coastline will give you the opportunity to see the Galapagos penguin. This curious bird nests amongst fissured lava flows and ventures into the crystal-clear waters of Bartolome. Overnight at the Fich Bay Eco Hotel.

Day 8

Santa Fe Island

Santa Fé offers a beautiful bay where the yacht anchors and where the visit of the island begins. You will disembark on a small sandy beach where you will see a colony of sea lions and the possibility of seeing the Galapagos hawk. Following the trail, the endemic species of land iguanas from the island of Santa Fé wait beneath the large opuntia cactus to eat its fallen pads or flowers. After the visit on land you will be taken to enjoy snorkeling in the clear waters of the anchoring site. You will see a variety of tropical fish and even sea lions underwater. Overnight at the Fich Bay Eco Hotel.

DAY 9

Santa Cruz Island - Baltra Island

Los Gemelos (the twins) on Santa Cruz Island are two large craters that were once underground magma chambers. When the magma chambers caved in they left two huge impressive looking craters. Transfer to Baltra airport.

Included:

Accommodations as detailed
Meals as detailed
English speaking guide
Transfers & ground transportation as detailed
Boat excursions with snorkeling on a sharing basis
Speed boat transfer on a sharing basis
Kayak, SUP and snorkeling equipment
Activities and visits detailed in the itinerary

Not Included:

Flights to/from Galapagos
Galapagos National Park entrance fee (US $100 per adult/$50 per child under 12)
tourist transit card (US $20 per person)
Alcoholic beverages
Laundry service
Insurance (prior to your journey please ensure your travel insurance is valid in your country of origin)
Gratuities