Adventure Multi-Sport Tour
ITINERARY
This multisport program is designed for active travelers and includes hiking, snorkeling, biking and kayaking. You will explore and stay on the three inhabited islands San Cristobal, Santa Cruz and Isabela.
There are no specific departure dates, the tour can start any day.
Day 1 – Welcome to Galapagos (San Cristobal Island)
This morning you fly from the Ecuadorian mainland to San Cristobal Island (flight not included). Your guide will be waiting for you at the arrival hall of San Cristobal airport and take you to the hotel in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno to check in to your rooms and leave your luggage. Before starting with the activities, you have lunch in a local restaurant (served menu, not a la carte).
After lunch, you visit the San Cristobal Interpretation Center where your guide will tell you about the origin of the Galapagos Islands and the human settlements of the archipelago.
From the Interpretation Centre you walk to Cerro Tijeretas where you can enjoy the clear water and practice snorkeling to see sea stars and colorful fish. Afterwards, you continue to a beautiful beach called Playa Carola to enjoy the rest of the afternoon before heading back to the hotel. Dinner will be served at a specified local restaurant.
Accommodation in the hotel of the category of your choice.
Day 2 – Exploring San Cristobal Island
On day two, the standard program is to visit the highlands of San Cristobal Island. However, you can also pick one of the two alternative excursions that include yacht navigation and snorkeling. The alternative activities are subject to availability and last minute changes. An additional cost applies for alternative number 2.
Standard Program: Highlands El Progreso
After breakfast, a truck or bus (depending on the group size) takes you to the Highlands of San Cristobal. On the way, you stop at the Mirador de la Soledad viewpoint where you can take beautiful pictures of the island’s landscape. You continue to the only freshwater lake on San Cristobal Island Laguna El Junco. This is where frigate birds come to wash their wings.
After a short stop at Puerto Chino beach, you have lunch in the highlands.
On the way back to the town, we pass by cultivated land where locals grow their food and the famous Galapagos coffee.
Back in the hotel, you have time to rest before dinner is served in a specified local restaurant.
Accommodation in the hotel of the category of your choice.
Alternative 1: Lobos Islet and Ochoa Beach
The program starts after breakfast at about 9 AM with a short navigation to Isla Lobos. This small islet is only separated from San Cristobal Island by a small channel. Lobos Islet is named after the large colony of sea lions (span.: lobos marinos) that rest and play on the rocky shores of the islet. Many sea and coastal birds like brown pelicans, frigates and lava gulls inhabit the islet. According to the season, you can also observe blue-footed boobies nesting. The channel with its clear water is one of the best places to snorkel with sea lions.
Before returning to the town, you stop at Playa Ochoa to enjoy the great view and relax on the beach.
You will be back in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno around 2:30 PM and have some free time to rest at the hotel or walk around the town. Dinner is served in the specified local restaurant.
Accommodation in the hotel of the category of your choice.
Alternative 2: Kicker Rock and beach time (additional cost)
The navigation to Kicker Rock takes one hour. This special rock formations in the middle of the sea is also know as León Dormido, which is Spanish for sleeping lion. During this excursion, you will do two snorkel immersions, one in the morning and one after lunch. The first immersion will be just before Kicker Rock and after that, a box lunch is served on the boat.
Kicker Rock is considered one of the most distinguished snorkeling and diving sites in Galapagos. If you are lucky, you might even see hammerhead sharks.
After the second snorkeling session, you head to a secluded beach to relax and observe some wildlife.
At around 4 PM, you will be back in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Dinner will be served at the designated restaurant.
Accommodation in the hotel of the category of your choice.
Day 3 – Giant Tortoises on Santa Cruz Island
Today you have to get up early because the public speedboat to Santa Cruz Island leaves at 7 AM. The trip to Puerto Ayora takes about two hours depending on the sea condition.
Upon arrival, you have breakfast and some time to rest. Later on in the morning, you visit the Charles Darwin Research Station where your guide will tell you about the ongoing conservation efforts to protect endangered animal and plant species. The station is also home to different species of giant tortoises that are also known as Galapagos and are the reason why this archipelago is called the Galapagos Islands.
On the way back to the center of the town, you pay a short visit to the Art Galleries of Puerto Ayora and then eat lunch.
In the afternoon, you head up to the highlands of Santa Cruz where you can admire the giant tortoises in their natural habitat. The highlands are also home to Galapagos finches and the endemic Scalesia forest. Back in Puerto Ayora, you have dinner in the local restaurant specified by your guide.
Accommodation in the hotel of the category of your choice.
Day 4 – Tortuga Bay Beach and Speedboat to Isabela Island
After breakfast, you leave the hotel to hike to Tortuga Bay, which takes about 45 minutes. The beach of Tortuga Bay with its white sand and crystal clear and calm water is one of the most beautiful beaches in Ecuador. Mangroves surround the beach and you can observe many animals like marine iguanas, herons, sand pipers, fish and more. Return to the town for lunch.
At 2 PM, you take the speedboat to Puerto Villamil in the South of Isabela Island. The ride takes about two and a half hours depending on the sea condition.
After checking in to your hotel, you have a little time to rest and then go to visit Galapagos’ largest coastal lake the Flamingo Lagoon in Puerto Villamil. As the name already leads you to assume, flamingos frequent this place. After the visit, you head back to have dinner in the designated restaurant.
Accommodation in the hotel of the category of your choice.
Day 5 – Sierra Negra Volcano OR Cabo Rosa (Isabela Island)
On the fifth day of the adventure, you can choose between a visit to the highlands and its volcanoes or a half-day tour to the scenic site of Cabo Rosa (Los Tuneles). An additional cost applies for the half-day tour to Cabo Rosa.
Option 1: Sierra Negra Volcano Hike and Chico Volcano (Isabela Island)
For this itinerary, it is important that you be prepared for sun and rain because the weather in the highland is quite unpredictable. Before heading out, you prepare your own box lunch at the hotel. A truck or bus will take you on a 45-minute ride to the highlands where you start your hike. The hike is 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) long and takes approximately 4 hours. However, ascending and downward slopes are gentle and therefore, the hike is not very difficult. The crater of Sierra Negra Volcano is the second largest in the world and the caldera measures 7 x 10.5 km.
For an additional cost, it is possible to ride horses. If you are interested in this activity, please let us know in advance.
Arriving to Chico Volcano, you should have a breathtaking view of the surrounding moonlike landscape.
You return to the hotel to rest before heading to Concha Perla for your afternoon activities. Concha Perla is a bay with shallow, clear and calm water. Here you can swim with sea lions and practice snorkeling to see colorful fish and maybe even turtles and rays.
Return to the hotel and in the evening, dinner at the designated restaurant.
Accommodation in the hotel of the category of your choice.
Option 2: Cabo Rosa (additional cost)
The site Cabo Rosais also known as Los Tuneles because of the tunnel-like lava formations that were formed through continuous volcanic eruptions and the lava flows petrifying on the outside but in the inside lava continued circulating. These lava tunnels lie in the sea and are surrounded by turquoise water and marine vegetation, which contributes to the spectacular scenery of the site.
The tour will start at either 8 or 11 AM and lasts five hours. Your guide will confirm the departure time the night before.
The speedboat ride to Cabo Rosa takes approximately two hours and on the way you make two stops to observe wildlife like pelicans, blue-footed boobies, sea lions and do some snorkeling. At Cabo Rosa, the speedboat will pass various spots in and around the lava tunnels. You have the opportunity to practice some more snorkeling and do a short walk to enjoy the wildlife and landscape of the area. During the tour, a box lunch is served.
In the evening, you have dinner at the restaurant specified by your guide.
Accommodation in the hotel of the category of your choice.
Day 6 – Snorkel at Tintoreras and Biking to the Humedales Complex
A short speedboat ride of approximately twenty minutes will take you to the Tintoreras Islet. The white-tip reef sharks who are called tintoreras in Spanish gave this islet its name. Besides the reef sharks, you can also observe marine iguanas, sally lightfoot crabs, turtles, sea lions and maybe some penguins in the waters surrounding the islet. After hiking around the islet where you can see blue-footed boobies and pelicans, you get back on board the speedboat to get to a snorkeling spot nearby the islet. With some luck, you can swim with manta rays, sharks and playful sea lions. Return to the hotel for lunch.
In the afternoon, you bike to the Humedales Trail Complex. On the way, you visit the Arnaldo Tupiza breeding center for giant tortoises where you see different species of tortoises in captivity and learn about the breeding center’s fight to preserve endangered species. On your bike, you continue to the lava tunnels and afterwards to the Orchilla viewpoint, the Isabela estuary with its mangroves and the beach Playa del Amor. After parking your bike, a short hike leads you to the Wall of Tears (span.: muro de lágrimas) which was built out of the hard and sharp volcanic rocks by prisoners between 1946 and 1959. During this time, the Ecuadorian government had a penal colony settled on Isabela Island. The wall is 100 meter (330 feet) long and seven meters (23 feet) tall and its name represents the arduous conditions under which it was built.
Bike ride back to the hotel to rest and then go have dinner.
Accommodation in the hotel of the category of your choice.
Day 7 – Kayaking along the Coast
When the tide is right, you head to the dock to start your kayaking adventure. You paddle towards the Tintoreras Islet and then continue to El Faro before returning to the shore. The kayak excursion takes roughly two hours and while navigating around the Southern coast of Isabela Island, you will enjoy the scenery and observe the flora and fauna.
After lunch, you will visit and hike at Campo Duro in the highlands where approximately 40 giant tortoises live in a semi-natural habitat. On the way back to the town, you stop at the El Mango viewpoint and the Sucre Cove, a lava tunnel in the midst of tropical forest.
In the evening, you have dinner at the local restaurant specified by your guide.
Accommodation in the hotel of the category of your choice.
Day 8 – Return to Santa Cruz and Bye-bye Galapagos
On the last day of your Galapagos adventure, you should get up early to have enough time to get ready and transfer to the public speedboat that takes you to Santa Cruz Island. After the two- to three-hour boat ride, you have breakfast in Puerto Ayora and then continue to Baltra Island from where you take your flight back to Quito or Guayaquil (flight not included).
RATES
| 2020 Rates per Person | ||
| Hotel Category | Double/Triple Accommodation | Single Accommodation |
| Economy Class | US $1,890 | US $2,140 |
| Tourist Class | US $2,020 | US $2,310 |
| Tourist Superior Class | US $2,350 | US $2,690 |
| First Class | US $2,840 | US $3,240 |
The rates above apply for couples and small groups. Please contact us to receive the rates for solo travelers and groups.
Rates Include:
- Accommodation in hotels of the selected category
- All meals during the tour (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
- All land and maritime transportation during the program
- Bilingual (English/Spanish) naturalist guide certified by the Galapagos National Park for all activities
- Excursions, visits and activities according to the itinerary
- Snorkeling equipment (mask, tube, fins)
- Airport transfers on the first (San Cristobal) and last day (Baltra)
- Inter-island speedboat tickets (San Cristobal – Santa Cruz – Isabela – Santa Cruz)
Rates Do Not Include:
- Airfare (Quito – Galapagos – Quito approx. $500)
- Galapagos National Park fees (subject to change)
- Entrance fee $100
- Migratory control card INGALA $20
- Isabela port fee $20
- Additional cost for optional activities (San Cristobal: Kicker Rock, Isabela Island: horse-back riding or Cabo Rosa)
- Water taxi to the speedboats (only if necessary, USD 1 per person per ride)
- Any additional transportation (e.g. transportation between hotels and restaurants)
- Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages
- Tips
- Medical and travel insurance
IMPORTANT NOTES
Itinerary Changes
The tour itinerary is subject to change without prior notice depending on weather conditions, seasonal changes, adjustments in the Galapagos National Park policies, and other unforeseen circumstances that may occur.
Flight to Galapagos
The tour rate does not include airfares but we are happy to help you with any flight arrangement. The Galapagos Islands can only be reached by flight and there are three airlines (Latam, Tame and Avianca) that fly to Galapagos. Flights to Galapagos are available from Quito and Guayaquil.
If you choose to book your own Galapagos flights, please reconfirm with us if the arrival airport, the departure airport and the flight times fit the tour program.
Hotels
The hotel selection during your program depends on the hotel class that you choose. In the moment that you tell us, what accommodation class you are interested in, we will confirm the hotels that are available for your travel dates. You can choose between the following categories: economy, tourist, tourist superior and first class.
Meals
Some meals are served in the hotel and some in local restaurants. This depends on the hotel where you are staying as some hotel feature a restaurant and others do not.
All meals are served as a daily menu and not a la carte. In some special occasions when you are on excursion during lunchtime, lunch is served as box lunch.
Transportation to the restaurants is not included but all restaurants lie in walking distance.
Many ingredients are brought to Galapagos from the mainland and therefore, food variety is sometimes limited. If you need any special catering (vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, etc.) please let us know in advance.
Guides
A local bilingual guide certified by the Galapagos National Park will accompany you on all excursions. Guides change from island to island and sometimes even for each activity.
The guide will explain the wildlife of the islands and coordinate the activities of each day. The guide will tell you at what restaurant your daily meals are served but he/she will not accompany you. Nor will the guide escort you on the speedboat rides between the islands.
The guide’s activities start and end with the excursions.
If the guide does not meet your expectations, please let us know and/or feel free to leave a complaint at the National Park Direction to help improve the services in Galapagos.
Inter-Island Speedboats
The speedboats you take between San Cristobal, Santa Cruz and Isabela Islands are public and therefore this service is out of our control. Depending on the tide, it is sometimes necessary to take a water taxi to the speedboat. The ride costs 1 USD per person and must be paid in cash.
Guides will not accompany you on the speedboat rides but upon arrival to the next island, a new local guide will be waiting for you.
For people prone to seasickness, we recommend you take a seasickness pill before each speedboat ride and bring plastic bags just in case.
Make sure that all valuable objects and electronics are safely stored in plastic bags, as the speedboats are not entirely covered. There are no services on board the speedboats because the rides are relatively short and the space on board is very limited.
