Day 1 Arrival in Quito – Private Transfer to Your Hotel Welcome to Quito, the capital of Ecuador! Arrive at the Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO), where your driver will meet you to transfer you to your accommodation. The entire city of Quito is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, standing at an altitude of 9,350ft (2,850m). It welcomes visitors with its picturesque plazas situated between mountain peaks. The city has an abundance of market stands, shamanistic healers, fourth-generation hat makers, and a vibrant and sophisticated culinary and nightlife scene.
Overnight: Quito
Suggested Hotel: Hotel Wyndham (or similar)
Day 2 Flight to San Cristobal Island & Visit the Interpretation Center and Tijeretas Hill Early this morning, you will take an early flight from Quito to San Cristobal Island. Upon arrival, your private guide will be waiting for you to greet you and help you with your luggage. Later on, you will embark on an exciting tour of the island, beginning with a visit to the Interpretation Center with your guide. Here, you'll learn about the history of the Galapagos and future planned projects that concern the surrounding collection of islands. Later, take a short walk to Tijeretas Hill, where you'll see frigate birds nesting and get a spectacular panoramic view over the island.
Overnight: San Cristobal Island
Accommodation: Hotel Casa Opuntia (or similar)
Meals: B/L/-
Day 3 Day Trip to Lobos Island On this day, you will visit Isla Lobos, known as a small islet located approximately 40 minutes from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Is it home to various Galapagos birds, such as Blue-Footed Boobies, Nazca Boobies, and Frigate Birds, as well as a colony of Sea Lions and numerous Marine Iguanas. On this half-day trip, you will disembark on the islet for an hour-long interpreted walk around the island. Afterward, you will be able to snorkel in the protected bay nearby.
Free afternoon.
Overnight: San Cristobal Island
Accommodation: Hotel Casa Opuntia (or similar)
Meals: B/BL/-
Day 4 Speedboat to Santa Cruz – Visit the Highlands and Charles Darwin Station This morning, you will take a speedboat to Santa Cruz Island. Upon arriving, your guide will already be waiting for you and take you to Santa Cruz Island. Enjoy lunch at a local farm in the highlands, followed by the observation of giant turtles in the wild. Then continue to the port in Puerto Ayora to check into the hotel. In the afternoon, visit the Charles Darwin Station, where scientists from all over the world meet and work together on environmental projects such as water analysis, animal protection, effects of tourism on nature, etc. Here you can visit the turtle rearing station, where animals are raised before being released into nature. Land iguanas can be observed here too.
Overnight: Santa Cruz Island
Accommodation: Hotel Ikala Galapagos (or similar)
Meals: B/L/-
Day 5 Speedboat to Isabela Island & Wildlife in las Tintoreras Islet Start your morning with a delicious breakfast and take a speedboat to Isabela Island. After arriving, make your way to the Flamingo Lagoon or the Giant Tortoise Breeding Station to learn about the local wildlife.
After lunch, join a group tour for a visit to the Tintoreras Islet for a short hike and some snorkeling. See Humboldt penguins, marine iguanas, sea lions, and sharks, which rest in the natural channels formed by lava flows.
Afterward, snorkel in the turquoise water and spot different fish, sea turtles, rays, and penguins. The evening is free.
Overnight: Isabela Island
Accommodation: Hotel Casita de La Playa (or similar)
Meals: B/-/-
Day 6 Sierra Negra Volcano Hike – Free Afternoon Sierra Negra is Isabela Island’s biggest and most active volcano. It is also the second-largest volcanic caldera in the world while being the largest volcanic caldera in the tropics. In the eastern region of the Galapagos, Isabela Island is the only place that allows guests to see an island resulting from the explosion of various volcanoes which gradually saw their lava flows connect to form one of the biggest islands in the Galapagos.
If you want to be among one the few that have witnessed such a unique place, then, you will on this day.
Overnight: Isabela Island
Accommodation: Hotel Casita de La Playa (or similar)
Meals: B/BL/-
Day 7 Speedboat to Santa Cruz – Free Afternoon On this day you´ll get a speedboat back to Santa Cruz Island. Your guide will be waiting for you to take you to your hotel. After checking in, you may enjoy the afternoon on your own (unguided) visiting the many gorgeous spots and beaches Puerto Ayora offers.
Overnight: Santa Cruz Island
Accommodation: Hotel Ikala Galapagos (or similar)
Meals: B/-/-
Day 8 Day Trip to Floreana Island: Wildlife and History Get ready to enjoy Isla Floreana, one of the four islands inhabited (by humans) in the Galapagos archipelago. The population is only 150. Huddled along the dock, the minuscule Puerto Velasco Ibarra is still one of the smallest and most isolated towns in the world.
The island’s history includes tales of murder, romance, pirates, and paradise.
Overnight: Santa Cruz Island
Accommodation: Hotel Ikala Galapagos (or similar)
Meals: B/BL/-
Day 9 Private Transfer to Baltra Airport – Flight to Quito If there is enough free time before your transfer to the airport, do some last-minute souvenir shopping or take a last stroll through Puerto Ayora.
At the designated time, your driver will pick you up at your hotel and take you to the Itabaca Channel, which you will cross on a ferry. For the last part of your trip to the airport, take the public shuttle bus to the terminal, where your program ends with your return flight to the mainland.
Upon arrival from the Galapagos Islands to Ecuador's mainland airport, you may connect on the same day with your international flight so you can return home.
Overnight: Quito
Suggested Hotel: Hotel Wyndham (or similar)
Meals: B/-/-
Day 10 Private Transportation to the Airport – Departure This is the last day of your beautiful voyage. Your private guide will take you to the airport. Get ready for your international flight so you can return home with some everlasting memories. See you next time!
Meals: B/-/-
Ecuador.10 days $2,900.00
