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10 Day itinerary in Ecuador, South America

Full Galapagos Program

There are destinations that remain forever in the heart, famous for their culture, for their people, for their biodiversity. Places that awaken your senses with colors, smells and flavors, peculiar cities full of music, nightlife and Ecuador that has it all. This small country is located in South Am... Read More

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By Karem and Responsible

Overview

Physical Difficulty

Light
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Recommended Age

Everyone

Operated in

English, Spanish

GUIDANCE

starting point

San Cristóbal Island

trip type

Private

trip attributes

Hiking

Snorkeling/Diving

Nature & Wildlife

Start

Night

End

Highlights

1

Kicker Rock

2

Giant Tortoises

3

Uninhabited Island excursion

4

Trekking and snorkeling time

Itinerary

TOURIST CLASS expand_more

Day 1

place TRANSFER IN SAN CRISTOBAL – HIGHLANDS

Transfer to Quito Airport for Galapagos Flight (4 hours) Transfer from Quito to Mariscal Sucre International Airport for your departure. San Cristobal Island - Interpretation Center - Tijeretas Hill - La Lobería Welcome to the beautiful Galapagos Islands! After checking in to your hotel in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, you will first visit the Interpretation Center with your guide where you will learn everything about the history and future of Galapagos. Afterward, you will take a short walk to Tijeretas Hill where frigate birds are nesting and from where you have a spectacular view over the island. To top off this day, you will have the chance to visit La Lobería, a beach which is home to a colony of sea lions. For the evening and overnight stay you return to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.

Guide: Included for the day

Day 2

place KICKER ROCK

Today you'll visit the famous Kicker Rock (also known as Leon Dormido—the sleeping lion), a volcanic formation that protrudes from the ocean waves. Here, you can snorkel with sea lion, colorful fish, rays, and turtles. If you're lucky, you may also see hammerhead sharks. Currents at Kicker Rock are strong and usually cold, but the marine wonders are worth it. After lunch on the boat, head to a beautiful, pristine beach, where you can relax and defrost in the sunshine. In the afternoon, return to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Snacks

Day 3

place SPEED BOAT TO SANTA CRUZ – HIGHLANDS - CHARLES DARWIN STATION

Speedboat from San Cristobal to Santa Cruz (3 hours) You will catch a speedboat from San Cristobal Island to Santa Cruz Island. Speedboat to Santa Cruz Island, Highlands Tortoises & Charles Darwin Station (4 hours) Get an early start this morning to take the public speedboat to Santa Cruz Island, roughly 2-2.5 hours away. Meet your guide at the dock, then head to the highlands to see giant tortoises in the wild. Enjoy lunch at a local farm, then continue to Puerto Ayora to check in to your hotel. In the afternoon, visit the Charles Darwin Station, where scientists from all over the world meet and work together. Environmental projects include water analysis, protection of endemic wildlife, effects of tourism on nature, and other pressing issues. Visit the turtle rearing station to see where animals are raised before being released into nature. Keep an eye out for land iguanas, who live around the station.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4

place TORTUGA BAY- BAY TOUR

Today, your guide will pick you up at your hotel and take you on a tour where you start a 45-minute walk through a beautiful cacti forest until reaching one of Galapagos' most beautiful beaches: Tortuga Bay. Admire the marine iguanas lying around everywhere, swim a bit or just relax on the beach. In the afternoon you will be taken on a bay tour. In a small boat, you will visit the most beautiful bays and beaches of Santa Cruz Island. Swim with playful sea lion cubs, explore the diversity of fish snorkeling or just sunbath on the beach. Enjoy! Late afternoon you will return to Puerto Ayora and taken to your hotel, where you will spend the night.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Day 5

place UNINHABITED ISLAND

Ride a yacht to an uninhabited island around Santa Cruz. Depending on the weather, scheduling, and permissions by the National Park, you'll visit one of the following islands: Santa Fé, South Plazas, Bartolome, or North Seymour. Each island is unique, offering spectacular scenery and opportunities to see rare wildlife up-close. Santa FE and South Plazas are home to endemic land iguanas, while Bartolome is known for its beautiful lava sceneries. On North Seymour, look for frigate birds, land iguanas, and blue-footed boobies. OPTION 1: NORTH SEYMOUR We will leave from the Itabaca channel towards North Seymour. North Seymour is a small island with endemic populations of flora and fauna species like the royal frigate and the blue-footed booby. If we are lucky, we will observe the interesting mating rituals of these species; the frigate puffs up its red jacket at its throat, and the blue-footed booby performs a kind of unique dance. North Seymour also has a thriving colony of land iguanas and sea lions near the coast. We will walk along different trails for 1 hour and 30 minutes and will admire the wildlife. Later we will enjoy a box lunch. After lunch, we will have the option to practice snorkeling. We will swim near hammerhead sharks, turtles and a wide variety of reef fish. OPTION 2: SOUTH PLAZAS We will go to the Itabaca channel towards Plazas Sur. Our navigation will last approximately 2 hours. When we disembark, we will be able to observe one of the largest sea lion colonies in the archipelago. Throughout our hike, we will encounter land iguanas and birds as blue-footed boobies, forked nesting gulls, frigates, and pelicans. As a curious date, the vegetation on the island changes its color according to the season; it is dark green in the rainy season and orange or purple in the dry season. OPTION 3: BARTOLOME We will navigate from Itabaca Channel to Bartolome. Once in Bartolome, we will walk along a volcanic path of lunar appearance until we reach the highest

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 6

place SPEED BOAT TO ISABELA - TINTORERAS

Speedboat to Isabela Island & Wildlife on Las Tintoreras Islet (6 hours) Start your morning with a public speed boat trip to Isabela Island, a 2-hour trip. After arriving, make your way to the Flamingo Lagoon or the Giant Tortoise Breeding Station to learn about the local wildlife. After lunch, join a group tour for a visit to the Tintoreras Islet for a short hike and some snorkeling. See Humboldt penguins, marine iguanas, sea lions and sharks, which rest in the natural channels formed by lava flows. Afterward, snorkel in the turquoise water and spot different fish, sea turtles, rays, and penguins. The evening is free, with an overnight stay on Isabela Island.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Day 7

place VOLCAN SIERRA NEGRA

Today the Sierra Negra volcano is on your agenda. You can walk through spectacular lava landscapes and have views of the northern volcanoes of Isabela and Fernandina Island. The hike to the Sierra Negra Volcano will take place together with other visitors. The views are definitely worth the effort. You will see the second largest volcanic crater in the world and you will explore different vegetation zones. You will receive a lunch box for the hike.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Snacks

Day 8

place CABO ROSA – SPEED BOAT TO SANTA CRUZ

Get ready for more wildlife encounters with a thrilling excursion to Los Tunnels, a perfect snorkeling spot. A series of lava flows have produced unique geological formations, like arcs and tunnels underneath and above the water, which makes the area a truly excellent place to swim around. In the shallow waters, you can find tropical fish, rays, turtles, sea horses, and white-tipped reef sharks! Keep your eyes open for penguins sitting on the rocks and prepare yourself for the possibility of swimming with majestic sea turtles. In the afternoon you will take a speed boat to Santa Cruz.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Snacks

Day 9

place FREE DAY TO SANTA CRUZ

Today you will have a free day to explore this island on your own.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 10

place TRANSFER OUT GALAPAGOS – QUITO

We end our program with the transfer to the airport.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

What’s Included

Meals expand_less

  • Breakfast (9)
  • Snacks (3)
  • Lunch (2)

Transport expand_less

  • Ground transportation
  • Speed boat between San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, and Isabela Islands (public service)

Activities expand_less

  • Certified and bilingual Heritage Guide (Spanish - English)
  • Navigable excursions and land visits according to the itinerary

Extras expand_less

  • Snorkeling equipment (mask, tube; fins)

Not Included expand_less

  • Air Ticket to Galapagos Islands
  • Entrance to the Galápagos National Park (100 USD)
  • Transit Card (20 USD)
  • Extra meals and beverages
  • Personal expenses
  • Tips
  • Items not specified in the program

About Karem

TEAM LEAD

+1 Local experts

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star_outline 4.95 (22 reviews)

Expertise: 

Hiking

Snorkeling/Diving

Visit markets

Meet local people

Indigenous culture

Rafting

Kayak & Canoe

Nature & Wildlife

Hi, I am Karem, your local expert for your next adventure in South America! I´ve worked and lived in various locations in Ecuador including Galapagos and the Amazon Jungle. Lately, I enjoy connecting with Nature by peaceful trekking in the mountains

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