Your Travel Experience with chilepro
Day 1
Arrival on Baltra island
You will be met at the airport on Baltra Island by your tour guide and transportation. From here, you will take a small ferry to Santa Cruz Island to cross the Itabaca Channel. Once on Santa Cruz Island, you will go directly to the highlands of Santa Cruz.
Highlands, Santa Cruz island
As the only island that makes all vegetation zones accessible to visitors, it is an excellent place for a little trip to the highlands. From the beach, you will be greeted by incredible flora and fauna that will follow you up to the island's highest point. The bus trip will take you along the island's agriculture and smoothly transition into the green, mist-covered forests. Here you will experience a stark contrast to the other islands, which have less altitude and more aridity. With your guide, visit different places here in the highlands, such as the giant tortoise reserve and the famous lava tubes. Look forward to a breathtaking landscape and a short walk with unique phenomena.
Optional: Pan Animalia veterinary clinic and sanctuary
After visiting the highlands, you will have the opportunity to visit Pan Animalia in Puerto Ayora. As a sanctuary and veterinary practice, they have made it their mission to educate about the health and well-being of animals. One of their main focuses is to reduce the number of strays on Santa Cruz Island.
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Overnight stay in La Casa de Judy on Santa Cruz island.
Day 2
Academy Bay, Santa Cruz island
After breakfast, you will take a half-day tour of Academy Bay. On this tour, you will go by boat to the bay, and you can swim or snorkel here. Snorkelling equipment is provided free of charge. Surrounded by exotic fish and a wide variety of marine life, you will dive under the surface of the archipelago. In addition, curious sea lions will watch you anxiously in the water and swim around. On land, blue-footed boobies and other shorebirds can be spotted. Afterwards, you will climb to a viewpoint that will give you a fantastic view of the bay and perhaps the Galapagos reef sharks.
Charles Darwin Station, Santa Cruz island
Visit the Galapagos Giant Tortoises and Land Iguana Breeding Program, where the famous Lonesome George (the last preserved specimen from Pinta Island) lived for decades. The centre is managed by Galapagos National Park (GNP) staff in collaboration with scientists from Charles Darwin Station (CDS). Here, eggs from Pinzon, Santiago and Santa Cruz Islands hatch without the threat of introduced species. After artificial incubation, the "galapaguitos" (newborn turtles) are bred until they are five years old so that when they are released into their native habitats, they have enough skills to survive on their own. Since the 1970s, more than 2,000 specimens have returned to their native islands. In addition, Darwin Station works on several scientific projects and botanical research and provides environmental education to local communities, schools and tourists. If there is still time, you can stroll through the small town of Puerto Ayora.
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Overnight stay in La Casa de Judy on Santa Cruz island.
Day 3
Transfer to the island of Isabela
After breakfast, we will go by speedboat to the island of Isabela to the harbour town of Puerto Villamil. The trip takes about 3 hours, and then we go directly to turtle breeding.
Breedingcentre Arnaldo Tupiza & Flamingo Lagoon, Isabela island
After a short walk from the port town of Puerto Villamil, you can already reach the Arnaldo Tupiza Interpretation and Hatchery Center for Tortoise. A boardwalk forms the path to the centre and leads through the impressive surrounding wetland, a wonder. There are five different species of land tortoises for you to see at the centre! They are all endemic to Isabela Island, but various influences, such as volcanic eruptions and imported animals, have destroyed their natural environment. Here at the turtle hatchery, the eggs are protected and incubated in warmth while the adult turtles spend their time outside on the vast property. This program was created to increase the population of turtles again, as they are an essential part of the island's ecology. Afterwards, head to the Flamingo Lagoon for a short visit. Here you can see the magnificent pink birds up close.
Tintoreras islets
Just off the port of Puerto Villamil, on the largest island of Isabela, a group of islands juts out of the ocean. The jagged black formations, dotted with mangroves and candelabra cacti, are the remains of a lava flow that entered the ocean thousands of years ago. The waves have since eroded this, and today, a collapsed lava tube forms a channel that fills during high tide and closes off the channel during low tide. Marine life is retained in the pipeline, including the spectacular whitetip reef sharks (called "tintoreras" in Spanish). This shark species is quite common in the archipelago and is usually spotted snorkelling on the seabed as they recover from their nocturnal hunts. But in this unique place, you can comfortably observe the various animals in the crystal clear turquoise waters from the shore. Sometimes you can see turtles, elegant white-spotted eagles, golden rays gliding through the calm channel, and smaller fish and Galapagos sea lions. With its tidal habitat, the rocky coastline also attracts red cliff crabs, lava herons and Galapagos penguins.
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Overnight stay in the Hotel Isamar on Isabela island.
Day 4
Vulcano Sierra Negra, Isabela island
Sierra Negra is the third-highest volcano on Isabela Island and the fifth-highest in the Galapagos. (1124 m). It erupted seven times in the 20th century, most recently in October 2005, and is the only volcano on Isabela whose crater region is open to tourism. A half-day hike through the cloud forests brings you to a viewpoint on the rim of the crater, offering fantastic views of the caldera (clear weather is required, although unpredictable; thanks to prevailing winds, most clouds dissipate at the viewpoint). The caldera measures about 7 x 9 km and is the largest in the archipelago. A somewhat muddy path along the rim takes you through an evergreen cloud forest that exists only in the highlands of the main islands. The dense and rich vegetation includes ferns, tree ferns and endemic scalesias loaded with epiphytes such as lichens, orchids and bromeliads. The fog and drizzle - frequent during the cool Garúa season (June-December) - add to the mysterious atmosphere. Along the way, you may also spot striking songbirds such as the Vermilion Finch, Golden Warbler, and Woodpecker Finch (among six other species of Darwin's Finches); this particular species hammers branches like a woodpecker and uses twigs as tools to catch insects!
Concha de Perla, Isabela island
An incredible place to snorkel and discover the underwater world of the archipelago. The crystal clear waters teem with various marine life, and shorebirds circle above you in the skies.
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Overnight stay in the Hotel Isamar on Isabela island.
Day 5
Lava Tunnels, Isabela island
Discover the incredible lava formations created in the last eruption of the coastal volcano. This magical place is often part of documentaries on BBY and National Geographic. The aquatic labyrinth of lava arches is teeming with marine life, including sea turtles, rays, sea lions, sharks and many more. You can observe the hustle and bustle below you through the crystal-clear water and snorkel and see everything up close. In addition, you can take a bike ride or relax on the island's white beach.
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Overnight stay in the Hotel Isamar on Isabela island.
Day 6
Return to Baltra island
After breakfast, you will be transferred back to Baltra Island by speedboat for your return flight to Quito/Guayaquil or continue your journey in the archipelago.
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