Galapagos Islands Trekking

Itinerary:

Day 01: Arrival
Arrive in Quito. Assistance and transfer from the airport to the hotel Mercure Alameda in which you will be a guest for the next two nights. Accommodations at the hotel. -/-/-

Day 02: Quito City Tour
Today you explore the colonial centre of Quito starting with a visit of the St. Augustine Convent, its Colonial patio, cloisters, coffered ceilings and the vast collection of paintings showing the life of St. Augustine. Visit Independence Plaza and its old Cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the Municipal Building and the Archbishop’s Palace. Continue to the Church of San Francisco, one of the greatest and most opulent religious buildings of Ecuador. Later you drive to the north and more modern part of Quito and visit the botanical garden in the activity playground of Carolina Park. The botanical garden offers a wonderful impression of Ecuador’s diverse flora. Return to hotel in the late afternoon. B/L/-

Day 03: San Cristobal Island
From the national airport in Quito or Guayaquil you fly to the Galapagos island of San Cristobal. You will go immediately to the Galapagos immigration area. Here you will need to present your passport and pay the USD 100,- Galapagos National Park fees. This payment must be made in cash. The National Park Service does not accept Traveller’s Cheques or credit cards. The Park officials will then inspect your carry-on luggage to ensure that you have not inadvertently brought in prohibited plant or animal products (see the Galapagos National Park rules). The formalities over with, your guide will welcome you and accompany you to your hotel, located directly in the romantic port basin of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. In the afternoon you hike through a typical dry forest to frigate bird hill where you can observe frigate birds and pelicans. Along the way you will encounter the famous Darwin finches and lava lizards lazing about in the heat. Later you will have your first opportunity to explore the colourful underwater world of the Galapagos, snorkelling along the shores of the island. Overnight at the Hotel Orca or similar. -/L/-

Day 04: Walk in the highlands and snorkel in the Pacific Ocean
In the morning you drive to the east of the prairie like highlands of San Cristobal to the Galapaguera, a project to introduce the local endemic Giant Tortoise back into the wild. Here you can observe these giants and get to know the typical flora of the island during your walk through this little reserve. After lunch you will walk from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno through the typical dry forest of the area to the beach “la Loberia” where you can observe sea iguanas and swim in the deep blue Pacific Ocean. In the afternoon we will head back to the hotel. B/L/-

Day 05: Island Santa Cruz – Charles Darwin Station – Academy Bay
In the morning you board one of the small speedboats (lanchas) that will make the transfers between the islands of the archipelago and drive to the island Santa Cruz. After a three hour cruise you reach “Puerto Ayora”, a little harbor that is quite popular with sailors as well as with sea lions and pelicans! After walking from the pier along the promenade to your hotel you will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station. The station is also a tortoise breeding and rearing centre, where tortoises of different subspecies are prepared for reintroduction into their natural habitats. The most popular inhabitant of this island is probably Lonesome George, the only survivor of his specific tortoise species. After lunch you start a half-day trip in a small boat through the wide Academy Bay. During the trip you can observe the diversity of the underwater world and with a little bit of luck see some of the bigger inhabitants of the ocean, like marine turtles, white tipped reef sharks or manta rays. You will visit the “Lovers Channel”, the beach “Playa de los Perros” and the bay “Bahia de Franklin”. A little walk leads you to “Las Grietas”, a natural basin between high rocky walls. To round off a packed day of activities, a swim with the sea lions at “la loberia” will almost certainly be the highlight of this excursion. Accommodation at the hotel Silberstein or similar. B/L/-

Day 06: Santa Cruz Island / Highlands
In the morning we will visit the highlands and the double crater Caldera de los Gemelos, which is known for its diversity of around 300 different fern species and the close by “forest” of sunflowers. Exploring the highlands of Santa Cruz we pass through different vegetation zones, from the dry lower region full of cacti to the Scalesia forests in the humid highlands. In the highlands we will investigate one of the labyrinth-like lava tunnels; some of them can be as long as 2km.
Also we will take a walk through the natural habitat of the giant tortoises, seeing these reptiles in their natural habitat, and then visit the Chato lagoon which is frequented by frigate birds and other seabirds, which come here to wash the sea salt from their feathers. For lunch we return to Puerto Ayora and in the afternoon we will hike from the hotel to the long sandy beach Playa Tortuga. Here you have the opportunity to swim and snorkel in the wide protected bay and observe the birds in the surrounding mangroves. We will spend the night again in the Hotel Silberstein or similar. B/L/-

Day 07: Santa Cruz / Baltra / Mainland
In the morning you drive across Santa Cruz Island to the north. Here you cross the Itabaca canal in a ferry to Baltra Island. On Baltra you drive to the little airport to fly back to the mainland (Quito or Guayaquil), after a last glance back at the “enchanted islands”, a unique paradise that will surely have enchanted you too. After the transfer to the hotel your afternoon is free to fill, as you like. B
Day 08: Return home
In the morning we will accompany you to Quito International Airport and say goodbye - until the next time! B/-/-

B: Breakfast / L: Lunch or packed lunch / D: Dinner

Translator on request with an additional cost

Included in the price:
All transfers (Bus, Boat) arrival to departure, all activities mentioned in the program, accommodation in the mentioned hotels or hotels of the same category (double room with private bath), all meals mentioned in the program, flight Quito-Galapagos-Quito, bilingual guide (English – Spanish).

Not included in the price:
International flight, beverages, snorkelling equipment, single supplement, Galapagos national park entrance fee USD 100,-, migration card USD 10.- international airport charge Quito (USD 41.-), personal expenses, tips, travel insurance

Note: The guide can change The Itinerary of the Galapagos tour or the boat captain due to security reasons as well as by the national park administration due to changed national park rules. Nevertheless the security and the interest of the passengers always have first priority.

If you need any additional information please write us:

Name:
Email:
Country:
Other Details We Should Know About Your Preferences:
Insert the chain of charactes displayed on the graphic email required

Top

Home   Ecuado Tours Galapagos Cruises Incentives South America Tours About us Travel info
Photogallery Contact us FAQ Site Map Reservation Form Ecuador News Links to Ecuador