Galapagos with kids

Landing at around midday at the small airport on Baltra island, meet your naturalist guide who will transfer you to your hotel in the small town of Puerto Ayora. From the airport you go by bus for a short distance to the Itabaca Channel. This Channel separates Baltra from the larger island of Santa Cruz. Crossing it by ferry takes about 5 minutes. Now you are on the northern tip of Santa Cruz and have to cross the island by car to reach Puerto Ayora, in the South. On the way, you will go on your first exciting expedition: You will venture to the higher part of Santa Cruz to observe giant tortoises roaming free amid thick, green vegetation. Your kids will especially love the photo ops with these famous gentle giants! After lunch at the ranch and exploring the lava tunnels, where legend says the pirates hid their gold, you will head to Puerto Ayora to check-in at the hotel.

In the morning, you go to the Cerro Mesa Ecological Reserve, walk along its trails exploring the flora and fauna and enjoy the spectacular views of the island! During your visit to El Trapiche you learn about the processing of sugar cane with a mule-driven press and observe how coffee is roasted on the Galápagos Islands. In the afternoon, you visit one of Galápagos´ the largest beaches of white sand – Tortuga Bay. It’s an ideal place for swimming, snorkeling or just walking and observing migratory birds. Along a small trail you can see marine iguanas, sharks and sea turtles.

Meals: Breakfast/Lunch

Punta Estrada is a small and quiet beach. In the bay you can find ideal snorkeling and kayaking conditions. During the kayak tour you may observe shorebirds at the cliff like Brown Noddy Tern and Blue-footed Boobies while sea turtles and marine Iguanas are swimming in the water next to you.

Meals: Breakfast

Early in the morning, you take the speedboat from Santa Cruz to San Cristobal. Afterwards, you visit the Interpretation Center. It explains the origin and development of the population of giant turtles on the island and the relationship between the turtles of the San Cristobal area and other turtles in the archipelago. There is also information on the current status of the giant turtle population and why this area is essential to ensure the survival of this species. Then you walk to Tijeretas Hill, a perfect place to observe Frigate birds and learn how to distinguish the males from the females! In the Tijeretas Bay you have great snorkel possibilities.

Meals: Breakfast

Today you will see the largest sea lion colony of San Cristóbal on the island of Lobos. By speedboat it is only 30 minutes away from the harbor. You disembark on the small island to walk around and be surprised by the great amount of life on the island. You can see Lava lizards and marine iguanas heating up before diving again to collect their food. This unique reptile is the only type of iguana on the planet that has adapted to dive in the sea to recover its food. Seasonally, you can also see some seabirds. On the beaches, you see the cute sea lion puppies playing or just sunbathing and waiting for their parents to feed them. You can snorkel in the Pacific waters around this incredible island. While diving here, you may be able to see marine iguanas that feed on seaweed and magnificent stingrays that gallantly float through the ocean. During this tour, you also visit the nearby Ochoa beach with its beautiful landscape. Afterwards you return to the small town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and you can enjoy the afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast and depending on your flight time, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to the continent.

Meals: Breakfast