ITINERARY
Please note that itineraries can be changed last minute for the following reasons:
DAY 1: San Cristobal – 3 dives
Arrival at San Cristobal Island and pick-up by our staff. You will be transferred to the hotel and have lunch. Then, you will get your dive gear and go for your first dive, at Tijeretas Bay in a shallow and calm site. The perfect place for a refresher. Afterward, your second immersion will be at Caragua wreck. In the evening, you will go for a night dive, a great and safe experience, this is the only place in Galapagos where you can do a night dive! For dinner, you have several options in town to choose as the Descanso Marinero for delicious seafood, the Midori famous for its sushis, the Guiseppe’s for pizzas and the Rincon de Sebas for its excellent empanadas and local meals.
Shared tour max 12 on board
Non-diver: free afternoon, snorkel gear provided, you can go to the Interpretation Center, Carola beach
Meals included: breakfast and lunch
DAY 2: San Cristobal – The Kicker Rock – 2 dives
You will visit the famous Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido – Sleeping Lion), a volcanic formation in the middle of the ocean. There you will dive along with sharks, rays, turtles and if you are lucky also with hammerhead sharks! After lunch on the boat, you will go to a beautiful, pristine beach, where you will have time to relax. In the afternoon, you will return to the port. The rest of the day is at your leisure. You can watch the sunset on Playa Mann or go to Loberia (about $5 each way by taxi). There you can walk the Barranco Cliff Trail.
Shared tour max 12 on board
Non-diver: same tour but snorkeling
Meals included: breakfast and lunch
DAY 3: To Santa Cruz – meet the giant tortoises – no dive
At 6:30 am we will pick you up at your hotel and accompany you to the harbor where you will take at 7:00 am and share with other passengers the speedboat to Santa Cruz (approx. 2-hour ride). Your private local guide will receive you at the harbor and take you to the hotel. After check-in, you and your guide will drive to a ranch in the highlands to see giant tortoises in their native environment! After lunch, you will continue to Garrapatero Beach where you will have the opportunity to swim. In the evening, you will be free to wander around Santa Cruz. You can choose among a lot of restaurants in town for dinner. The Kioskos are a great option as well to enjoy a delicious typical meal. Every night, a street in the center of Puerto Ayora is closed to traffic where restaurants put tables and chairs so the guests can eat outside. We recommend you a walk at night along the pier where you can often spot juvenile blacktip sharks swimming!
Shared boat to Santa Cruz (max 30 people) and then visits with a private guide
Non-diver: Same program
Meals included: breakfast and lunch
DAY 4: Dives around Santa Cruz – 2 dives
You will go by boat for 2 dives around Santa Cruz (the sites will be confirmed with your booking according to availability and also according to your experience, as some sites are more technical than others). Typical underwater life in Galapagos is sting and eagle rays, white tipped reef sharks, black-tipped sharks, hammerhead sharks, sea lions, Pacific green turtles, garden eels, and a large variety of tropical fishes. Example of dive sites: Seymour, Floreana, Bartolome, Gordon Rocks… The second dive will be done at approx 3 PM and then you will be navigation back to port so you will have at least 18 hours between the last dive and your flight (if you do not want to dive the day before your flight, we can offer you a land tour instead of diving). You will not go deeper than 20 or 25 meters – in case of Gordon Rocks dive (for experienced divers only).
Shared tour max 12 on board
Non- diver: tour to Seymour, Bartolomé, Plazas or Santa Fé (max 20 people on board)
Meals included: breakfast and lunch
DAY 6: Transfer to Baltra airport
If there is enough free time until your transfer to the airport we suggest that you visit the Charles Darwin Station (entrance free). 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, you will take the public bus. Your driver will accompany you to the check-in point where your program ends with your return flight to the mainland. Baltra is the world’s first green airport!
Private transfer to the airport
Non-diver: same program
Meals included: breakfast
ACCOMODATION:
Accomodation is a huge part of the success of a trip.We offer 3 categories of hotels/price. We use the hotels listed below OR SIMILAR, according to the availability. We will always give you the names of the hotels as soon as you book so you can check them. If you want to mix accomodation or include hotels you have spotted on your own just let us know so we can customize your tour!
