We will pick you up on arrival at the airport of San Cristobal Island and take you to the hotel. After a nice Ecuadorian lunch with the guide, you will visit Loberia: a beautiful beach with a great snorkeling spot! During the snorkel you may find sea turtles, rays, sea lions and many species of colorful fishes. After that you will do a nice hike to a cliff where you can observe many marine iguanas and birds such as blue footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls and frigate birds. In the afternoon you go back to the hotel and get ready for dinner.
Meals included: lunch and dinner
Difficulty: EASY
. Today we give you the option of going to one of these 2 excursions: (please let us know at booking your preference)
Option 1 – LOBOS ISLAND (more hiking):
On a 30 min boat ride from the port, you arrive on Lobos Island, as its name implies a 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 are back at the port.
Difficulty: EASY
Option 2 – KICKER ROCK (more snorkeling):
You will visit the famous Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido – sleeping Lion), a volcanic formation amid the ocean. There you will be able to snorkel 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 be back at the port.
Difficulty: MEDIUM (snorkeling in open water)
The rest of the afternoon is free until dinner. You can use it for shopping or go and visit the interpretation center (entrance free), Tijeretas, Playa Carola, and Playa Mann. You will meet with the whole group for dinner where the guide will give you the details for the next day.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Departure by boat to Española island. The boat ride takes 1h30 each way approx. At arrival you will disembark at Punta Suarez where you will begin a hike, looking for Nazca and blue-footed boobies… After the hike, you will go back on board for lunch and then reach a snorkel spot where those who want can enjoy a snorkel session and look for tropical fishes, rays..back to San Cristobal port at the end of the afternoon.
Please note: Albatrosses are not on the island from late December to the beginning of April approx. Still, you have a lot of wildlife to see). After the tour, you have a bit of free time and then you will meet with the whole group for dinner where the guide will give you the details for the next day.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and, dinner
DIFFICULTY: EASY
Breakfast will be served in your hotel. Then you will be picked-up to go to the pier where you depart around 7AM to Floreana island. The private boat ride lasts for about 2,5 hours. Upon arrival, you will visit the highlands, a place called “Peace Asylum”, where the first colonists of the islands settled – the guide will tell you all about the mysteries. During the short hike you will be able to spot Galapagos giant tortoises. After lunch in the small village “Puerto Velasco Ibarra” you will go snorkeling at a beautiful, black sanded beach nearby the pier. Afterwards you will continue on the boat to Isabela Island (approximately 1,5 hour ride). Isabela is one of the youngest islands which still has moderate volcanic activity. It’s a beautiful island with a long white sandy beach and a clear bay located near to the pier. Upon arrival you will be driven in a taxi,bus or chiva to the flamingo lagoon to spotthese beautiful animals (if time allows, otherwise it will be re-scheduled throughout the stay in Isabela). After that, you will get a transfer to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Difficulty: EASY
Today you must choose upon booking between the Volcano (trekking tour) and Cabo Rosa (snorkeling tour as a supplement)!
Option 1 – VOLCANO HIKE (included in the price)
Early in the morning you will be picked-up and driven towards the highlands: You will start a 16km trekking (6 hours!) to the Sierra Negra and Chico volcano. The first stop on the hike is the Sierra Negra Volcano, which has the second largest active crater in the world of 10km diameter. The second part of the hike takes you to Chico, a cone of Sierra Negra with moon-like sceneries. This gives you an idea of how the islands looked at their creation. After you’re returned from the volcano, you will be transported to a local farm where lunch will be served. Back at the hotel around 3:30 PM.
Difficulty: MEDIUM
Option 2 – CABO ROSA TUNNELS: THIS OPTION HAS AN EXTRA COST!
If you prefer snorkeling over hiking this is a great opportunity. You can take the excursion to Cabo Rosa (45 mn boat ride each way), where lava has flowed into the ocean and formed beautiful lava tunnels. There you may see penguins, blue-footed boobies, and sea turtles. However, the highlight is snorkeling. You have the chance to see sharks, sea turtles, sea lions, rays, seahorses, and many tropical fishes. The tour to Cabo Rosa takes about 5 hours.
Difficulty: EASY
The rest of the day is at leisure. You can enjoy the beautiful beach in Isabela or you can snorkel in the Concha de Perla Lagoon.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
In the morning you will visit the Tintoreras Islet near the pier, where you have a short hike and snorkel. There you can spot small Galapagos penguins, sea lions, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies and often you can even spot white-tipped sharks in one of the channels. Afterwards you will continue with our private boat to Santa Cruz (2 hours). Upon arrival you will be transferred to the hotel to get ready for lunch and change for the afternoon program. Once finished with lunch you will take a boat to the Tortuga Bay beach (20min ride), where spot a huge marine iguana colony andenjoy a last swim into the Galapagos waters . On the return from Tortuga Bay you will walk 3 km back to Puerto Ayora, passing through a giant endemic cactus forest.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Difficulty: EASY TO MEDIUM
In the morning you will reach the airport with a stop to visit a lava tunnel. You will be accompanied until the check-in point where your program ends with your return flight to the mainland. Baltra is the world’s first green airport!
Meals included: Breakfast
Supplement for the Cabo Rosa Tunnels option on Day 5
+ 149 USD
My wife and I had a marvelous trip, partly because of the complex beauty of the islands, but also because we were so lucky to have Jorge as our guide. He was passionate about the islands, and he was a vast storehouse of information about their geology, human history, and unique complexity of plant and animal life. He was an excellent communicator, even though English was obviously his 2nd language. He presented information to us through stories, anecdotes, and observations, and he did it all with a marvelous sense of humor. He knew people on every island we visited, which proved helpful in learning about things like snorkeling conditions or specific locations of recent animal sightings. The tour was very well organized with the right amount of activities, exercise and great local food. Everything was glitch-free, including the boat trips, equipment rentals, meals, tours, and hotel stays. I appreciate Sharksky’s professionalism, and I absolutely loved Jorge our tour leader. We also had wonderful support from everyone else who supported various parts of the trip. I highly recommend a Sharksky tour as a was to get to know one of the most incredible places on Earth.
