5 days / 4 nights Island Hopping – San Cristobal and Santa Cruz

You will be picked up at the airport by your private certified guide who will take you to the hotel. After your lunch with the guide, you will visit the Interpretation Center, where he will explain to you about the formation, colonization and actual situation of the islands. You will then follow the trail to the Frigate bird hill, a viewpoint from which you have a beautiful view over the island. You will be able to snorkel in the shallow waters of Tijeretas Bay or Carola Beach (according to the tide your guide will take you to the best spot), where you can see sea lions, various tropical fish, and turtles. Your small hike will finish at Carola Beach from where you will go back to the hotel and have your evening free.
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.

Tour with a private guide
Meal included: Lunch

Today we give you the option of going to one of these 2 excursions: (please let us know your preference when booking)

Tour 1 – Lobos Island (mostly hiking):
On a 30 min boat ride from the port you arrive on Lobos Island; as its name implies, home to a large sea lion colony. But that’s not the only thing you’ll find while you’ll hike and snorkel at the island on this half day tour. During the hike, you hopefully spot blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas and frigate birds, while during snorkeling you can often see the marine iguanas eating, as well as rays and turtles in the sandy bottom that separates Lobos Island from the mainland of San Cristobal. This tour includes a stop at Playa Ochoa. In the early afternoon, you will be back at the port and have free time for the rest of the afternoon.

Boat tour shared with max 16 people
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

Tour 2 – Kicker Rock (mostly snorkeling):
You will visit the famous Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido – Sleeping Lion), a volcanic formation amid the ocean. There you will be able to snor-kel 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
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

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 stop at the Twin Craters, where you can observe a huge crater, a remnant of the time when Santa Cruz was still a volcanic active is-land. 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. 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
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

You will participate in a yacht tour to an uninhabited island. That will either be Santa Fé, Plazas, Bartolomé or Seymour. The destination will depend on availability, weekday and program of the National Park. We will let you know immediately which island is available when you book the tour. On Santa Fé and Plazas you can spot endemic land iguanas. Bartolomé is known for beautiful lava sceneries and on Seymour you can see frigate birds, land iguanas, and blue-footed boobies.

Shared tour max 20 on board
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

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 air-port, 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 airport
Meals included: Breakfast