Galapagos Island Hopping

  • Duration9 Nights
  • StylePrivate Tour
  • When to GoYear round
  • Price GuideFrom $7,214 Per Person
This 10-day island hopping tour is perfect for people who do not want to sleep on board a boat. You will stay in hotels on three of the islands and explore the areas around them. Land-based highlights include the giant tortoises on Santa Cruz, hiking up the Sierra Negra Volcano, exploring uninhabited islands and walking with iguanas. The snorkelling in the Galapagos is incredible due to the great visibility, you can swim with sea lions, penguins, rays and marine iguanas. There are plenty of opportunities to relax on idyllic beaches or take a kayak along the coastline to spot the many birds nesting on the shore. In the evenings you can walk through the small towns and have dinner at a local restaurant.

At a Glance

  • Days 1 - 3
    • Santa Cruz Island

      • Private Transfer from Baltra Airport to your hotel with a stop at El Manzanillo Tortoise Reserve for lunch enroute
      • OPTIONAL: Shared Boat Tours of North Seymore, Bartolome or Santa Fe
      • Shared Island Tour including the Cerro Mesa Reserve
      • Spend an afternoon at your leisure at Tortuga Bay Beach
  • Days 4 - 6
    • Isabela Island

      • Private Transfer from your Santa Cruz Hotel to the port for a 7am Ferry to Isabela Island
      • Shared Island Cycling tour including a visit to a Tortoise Breeding Center and a swim at Concha de Perla
      • Shared Hike to Sierra Negra Volcano, one of five active volcanoes on Isabela Island
      • Shared Boat of Las Tintoreras including Wildlife spotting
  • Days 7 - 10
    • San Cristobal Island

      • Private Transfer to Isabela Islands airstrip
      • Shared Scenic flight from Isabela Island to San Cristobal Island
      • Private Transfer to your San Cristobal hotel with the afternoon to explore at your leisure
      • Shared San Cristobal Boat Tour including wildlife spotting at Rosa Blanca, Punta Pitt & Punta Pucuna
      • Shared Island Tour including El Junco Lagoon & a visit to a local farm
      • Private transfer back to San Cristobal Airport for your onward flight
  • Meet Our Expert

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    Maite Paz

    Latin America Specialist

    I have been designing trips to my home country of Ecuador for over 20 years. Traveling itself has always felt like magic to me: my mind is always on travel, but my heart is forever in the Galapagos.

    CALL US ON: +1 844 879 7838
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    What's Included

    • 9 nights in 4 star accommodation
    • Daily breakfast at all hotels
    • All mentioned airport transfers and road transport on a private basis in Air Conditioned vehicles
    • Pre-booked Ferry between Santa Cruz & Isabela Islands
    • Scenic Flight between Isabela & San Cristobal Islands
    • All mentioned airport transfers and road transport on a private basis in Air Conditioned vehicles
    • All mentioned tours and sightseeing on a shared basis with English-speaking local guides
    • Entrance fees for any mentioned sightseeing, permits, local taxes, etc
    • 24/7 support from our dedicated staff
    • Flexible, personalized itinerary based on your interests

    What's not Included

    • International flights from your country of origin
    • Tips or gratuities to guides, drivers, hotel staff
    • Any meals, tours, or activities other than those specifically mentioned in itinerary
    • Incidental local expenses - souvenirs, laundry, taxis, etc
    • Visas for Ecuador. Your consultant will advise of any required visas and how to obtain them.
    • Travel insurance - we strongly recommend you purchase travel insurance as soon as you have booked your trip.

    Day by Day Itinerary

    • Day 1

      Arrive Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos

      Puerto Ayora Santa Cruz IslandGalapagos giant tortoise 1

      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.

      Accommodation Options:

      • enchanted galapagos lodge 300x200 1

        Enchanted Galapagos Lodge

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    • Day 2

      Boat trip to uninhabited islands

      500 x 333 Bartolome Island500 x 333 Galapagos Prickly Pears

      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.

    • Day 3

      Cerro Mesa Reserve and Tortuga Bay

      Tortuga Bay Santa Cruz Galapagos500 x 333 Santa Cruz Highlands

      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.

    • Day 4

      To Isabela Island

      Galapagos Tortoises500 x 333 Galapagos Penguins on Isabela Island

      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.

      Accommodation Options:

      • Hotel Isamar Exterior

        Hotel Isamar

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    • Day 5

      Sierra Negra Volcano

      Sierra Negra Volcano Galapagos500 x 333 Sierra Negra Volcano on Isabela Island

      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.

    • Day 6

      Snorkelling at Tintoreras

      Turtle GalapagosSeals Galapagos

      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.

    • Day 7

      Scenic flight to San Cristóbal Island

      500 x 333 Lava rock San Cristobals shore lineGalapagos sea lion

      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.

      Accommodation Options:

      • Casa Play Mann Exterior

        Casa Playa Mann

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    • Day 8

      Full day boat tour around San Cristobal

      Blue Footed Booby500 x 333 Sun Setton on Kicker Rock San Cristobal

      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.

    • Day 9

      El Junco Lagoon

      El Junco Lagoon Galapagos500 x 333 Puerto Chino Beach San Cristobal

      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.

    • Day 10

      Depart

      500 x 333 Flamingo feeding on on Santa Cruz500 x 333 Colourful signs on San Cristobal

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

    Let’s make this itinerary yours.

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