Galapagos Island Hopping

On arrival into Baltra Airport, you will be met by your guide who will brief you and help you with anything you need. You will then drive to the El Manzanillo Tortoise Reserve for lunch in their lovely open-air dining room before visiting the reserve. The Galapagos Giant Tortoises roam freely in the reserve and there are numerous trails for you to walk and watch these incredible animals. You will then continue to your hotel in Puerto Ayora, the largest town in the Galapagos and located on the shore of Santa Cruz Island.

One of the benefits of a land-based itinerary is that you can choose which islands you visit.

Today we suggest you join a boat tour out to one of the uninhabited islands surrounding Santa Cruz. You can visit North Seymore, Bartolome or Santa Fe, different tours go on different days of the week to control visitor numbers. Santa Fe is knowing for its prickly pear forests, sea lions and iguanas. Bartolome is regarded as one of the most beautiful islands and has a thriving community of Galapagos Penguins. North Seymour has wonderful birdlife including frigate birds, blue footed boobies and guls.

Today you will explore Santa Cruz Island starting with a visit to the highlands to the Cerro Mesa Reserve and follow the hiking trail for wonderful views of the islands. Your guide will then take you to a local trapiche farm to see how the local liquor is produced and try some at the end of the tour. You will have lunch at a local restaurant before returning to Puerto Ayora. The afternoon is free to explore Tortuga Bay Beach with its white sand beach where turtles make their nests at night. The beach is great for swimming and snorkelling in and at the end of the beach is a marine iguana nesting area.

This morning you will be up early for the 7 am ferry to Isabela Islands, on arrival you will be met by your guide and taken to your hotel to drop off your bags. Your guide will be waiting for you with bikes ready to explore the island. You will stop at lagoons to see flamingos, visit land tortoise breeding centres and finish your day with a swim in Concha de Perla which is a pool that has formed in a mangrove forest which is a great place to snorkel with sea lions, turtles and penguins.

Today you will have a short drive to the active Sierra Negra Volcano, one of five active volcanoes on the island. It last erupted in 2018 and you will hike up to the second-largest volcanic crater in the world. The trek starts in lush green terrain filled with wildlife, you will trek up to the rim of the caldera which is an impressive 6 miles wide, before continuing to the area where the lava flows and the steam comes out of thermal vents. It is a 16km hike and takes 5-6 hours.

You will board a boat this morning to Las Tintoreras which is a group of small lava rock islets off the coast of Isabela Island. These rocks are very popular with the local wildlife and are home to Marine Iguanas, Galapagos penguins, Blue-footed Boobies, Galapagos Sea Lions and marine turtles. The captain will decide the best spot to stop for you to go snorkelling in this wildlife haven. The area is also known for its rays, reef fish and octopus. You will return to town in time for lunch and the afternoon is free to relax on the beach or maybe rent a surfboard or bike if you are feeling active.

After breakfast, you will check out and your guide will transfer you to the airport for a light aircraft flight to San Cristóbal Island. On arrival, you will be met and taken to your hotel where you can have lunch. In the afternoon you have some free time to explore the island, we recommend a trip to the Interpretation Center to learn about the history of the islands or do one of the many hiking trails. The town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno has a busy sea lion colony and is a great place to watch these sociable animals.

Today you will take a boat trip around the island of San Cristobel. Your first stop is Rosa Blanca with its beautiful beaches and it is a good place to spot turtles, sharks and rays while snorkelling, you can also try your hand at fishing. The second spot is at Punta Pitt which is one of only two locations in the Galapagos where all three species of boobies live in the same place. The boat will then sail to Sardin Bay where you will have another opportunity to snorkel with the amazing sea life in the area. Sardin Bay is known for its sea turtles and playful sea lions.

The boat will then come to Punta Pucuna where you will disembark for a 45-minute hike for amazing views over Cerro Brujo with its lava formations and white sand beach. You will then return to the boat to cruise around the rock formations including Kicker Rock. You will stop to snorkel in the channel next to Kicker Rock where black and white tip reef sharks and eagle rays are often found. After a whole day out exploring you will return to San Cristobel for the evening.

You have a free morning to relax or explore the town of San Cristobal before an afternoon visit to El Junco Lagoon. The lagoon is actual a crater lake and is the only permanent freshwater lake in the Galapagos. You will then visit a local farm where they grow local fruits and you can walk through the bamboo forest trails before heading to a tortoise breeding center to walk with the giant tortoises. The day finishes with a trip to the picturesque beach of Puerto Chino.

This morning you will have breakfast before you are met by your guide and transferred to the airport for your onward flight connection.