san cristobal - santa cruz - 5days

Your guide will pick you up at the airport on San Cristobal Island. The capital of the Galapagos Islands, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, is located here. About 5,500 permanent inhabitants live here, who mainly work for the government or earn their money with fishing. The city lies very close to the ocean. So feel welcome to enjoy the extremely white beach and the beautiful sunsets in the evening while watching the sea lions.

Hotel: Tourist Superior in double room accommodation

Meals included: –

Get ready for 1 1/2-hour navigation towards your Kicker Rock Galapagos snorkeling adventure. The day-tour will have two visiting sites. The first one will be underwater at the Kicker Rock lava formations, which is one of the most outstanding snorkeling sites in the Galapagos. On the surface, you may catch sight of some of the many birds inhabiting the towers emerging from the ocean floor. You can spot Nazca boobies, blue-footed boobies, frigate birds and tropicbirds.

It is the underwater world, which will really amaze you. Get ready to swim alongside the most iconic Galapagos wildlife: hammerhead sharks, sea turtles and Galapagos sharks inhabit the area.  The view is also one to remember. The walls are connected below the surface through a 60ft deep channel running between them. On a good day, you can see the sandy-looking bottom of the channel formed by the two towering Kicker Rock walls.

This day trip also has an add-on activity. Depending on the day, the tour will be complemented either with a visit to Cerro Tijeretas Bay for some snorkeling or a visit to a deserted beach (Manglecito, Puerto Grande or similar) to observe wildlife and relax in the pristine sand. 

A box lunch will be served on the boat. Return time to San Cristobal is scheduled around 4pm.

Hotel: Tourist Superior in double room accommodation

Meals included:Breakfast | Lunch 

Early in the morning, you take the public boat to Santa Cruz and the guide will be waiting for you.  You will visit the highlands of this island (please have your shoes and rain jacket ready). En route, you will stop at the Twin Crater. These two large pit craters along the road from Puerto Ayora to Baltra were caused by the collapse of empty magma chambers. A circular trail to the larger crater passes through the beautiful Scalesia forest, which is an excellent place to observe terrestrial birds, including Vermilion Flycatchers, Short-eared Owls, the Galapagos Dove, and several finch species. Afterwards you will visit one of the reserves, which are known as roaming grounds for the Galapagos Giant tortoises. They cross the reserve on their permanent migrations from the coast to the highlands, making it one of the very few places where is possible to see these enigmatic animals in their natural habitat. You will also have a chance to walk through lava tunnels before having lunch at the restaurant. 
In the afternoon, you head back to Puerto Ayora for your check-in at the hotel.

Hotel: Tourist Superior in double room accommodation

Meals included:Breakfast | Lunch 

Today, you take a boat to one of the following islands: Bartholomew, South Plaza,  North Seymour or Santa Fe Island. The uninhabited islands are what makes Galapagos so special: animals that can only be found on these specific islands, endemic plant species, birds that get so close you can almost touch them (please do not though…), and sea lions sleeping in the sun. You will see vast selection of wildlife including blue footed boobies, marine turtles and marine iguanas as well as white-tip reef sharks or Galapagos sharks.

Hotel: Tourist Superior in double room accommodation

Meals included:Breakfast | Lunch

* Please note that the actual island visited depends on the schedule authorized by the national park authorities and availability.

After breakfast at the hotel, your private transfer takes you to the airport on Baltra Island to fly to Guayaquil or Quito, from where you leave for your international flight, or for an optional extension.

Meals included: Breakfast