EXPLORING THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS I 9 DAYS / 8 NIGHTS | FROM $2221
Duration
Tour Type
Explore Tours
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Reservations are subject to availability and may change without prior notice UNTIL YOUR RESERVATION IS CONFIRMED
- To make a reservation, 50% of the fare per passenger must be paid, NON-REFUNDABLE
- Rate applies with a minimum of 2 passengers
- Please inquire about the supplement when traveling alone
- Please inquire about rates for groups
- Itinerary subject to changes due to: weather problems, operational inconveniences, or situations that may endanger the passenger
- The operator is obliged to change to a hotel of the same category assigned to the client in case of emergencies.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
- The quotation is valid for 24 hours after the date of submission
- The price may vary after this date if there is no prior confirmation
- The total amount must be paid in full 30 days before the reservation entry date.
Included/Exclude
- Transfer for international flights AIRPORT – HOTEL – AIRPORT.
- Transfer for domestic flights HOTEL – AIRPORT – HOTEL
- Certified Galapagos National Park English/Spanish-speaking guide
- 8 nights of accommodation, 4-star Hotel in Quito, Superior Tourist Hotels in Galapagos, staying in a community in Floreana.
- Meals according to the itinerary: 7 breakfasts, 1 set menu lunch and 2 set menu dinners.
- Visits according to the itinerary
- Snorkeling equipment for boat tours
- Shared maritime transportation
- GALÁPAGOS NATIONAL PARK Fee: $200.00 USD per person, cash only.
- INGALA transit card: $20.00 USD per person, cash only.
- Isabela entry tax: $10.00 USD per passenger.
- Santa Cruz dock entry and exit tax: $1.00 USD per way, per person.
- Water taxis.
- International flights and airport taxes.
- Domestic flights QUITO – GALÁPAGOS – QUITO (Estimated cost: $550.00 USD per person).
- Personal expenses and tips for guides, drivers and hotels (Estimated budget $240 USD).
- Any activity not detailed in the itinerary.
- Meals and drinks not specified in the itinerary (Estimated cost: $240.00 USD per person).
- Entrance fees to tourist attractions not specified in the itinerary.
- Alcoholic beverages
- Wetsuit and fins (Estimated cost: $30.00 USD per person).
- My own room supplement estimated budget: $390.00 USD.
- Medical and travel Insurance (MANDATORY)
This departure requires a minimum of 2 passengers.
Arrival in Quito.
Welcome to Quito! It is the most visited city in Ecuador due to its cultural richness, being considered the "Reliquary of Art in America," and it was the first city to be declared a UNESCO "Cultural Heritage of Humanity." The city is surrounded by the Pichincha, Antisana, Cotopaxi, and Cayambe volcanoes, which form the Andean contour.
Depending on your arrival time, you may spend the day exploring Quito's old town and its surroundings. We can help organize a day excursion (request in advance).
In the evening, one of our guides will welcome you in the hotel lobby for a briefing session at 6:00 PM. We will discuss details and answer any questions you may have about the adventure. Our first day is for acclimatization and information.
Included: accommodation: Hotel Mercure or similar in double occupancy.
Not included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Quito - Galapagos - Transfer in - Charles Darwin Station.
In the morning, after a delicious breakfast, we will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn more about many of the endemic species seen in the wild, as well as ongoing conservation and management efforts in the Galapagos Islands.
After this tour, you will continue by private vehicle to your hotel. Here you will meet your local guide, who will explain the next day's itinerary.
Enjoy the rest of the afternoon free to relax and explore this beautiful island.
Include: accommodation: Hotel Native or similar in double occupancy, breakfast.
Not included: Lunch and dinner
Hike to Las Grietas - Transfer to Floreana Island.
After a delicious breakfast, we will visit Las Grietas, formed by lava fissures that create two giant walls crossed by a brackish water arm filtered from the highlands, mixing with seawater and forming three natural pools where you can enjoy the local marine life.
Las Grietas has two types of water: the surface is fresh from filtration, and the deeper is saltwater from the sea. The mix is called brackish water. Thanks to its clear waters, it's a popular area for swimmers, snorkelers, and freed divers.
In the afternoon, we will take a ferry to Floreana Island, the sixth largest island in the Galapagos archipelago. It has fantastic beaches, semi-natural tortoise reserves, viewpoints, and the best diving spots. We will stay with a local family and enjoy a delicious dinner with our host family.
Included: accommodation: Family home on Floreana Island, breakfast, and dinner.
Not included: Lunch.
Playa La Loberia - Snorkeling
After breakfast, we will visit La Loberia on Floreana Island, a rocky formation with white sand, arid vegetation, and a water entrance with a sandy bottom that crosses the entrance to La Loberia, separating it from the rest of the island at high tide. The trail to La Loberia offers beautiful views of Playa Prieta Bay and abundant endemic vegetation, white sand beaches, rocks housing large marine iguanas, colorful crabs, sea turtles, a variety of birds, and, of course, sea lions!
La Lobería has a 900-meter-long (2,952 ft.) trail within the Galapagos National Park.
We will enjoy a delicious lunch and have the afternoon free to explore this beautiful island. Dinner included.
Included: accommodation: Family home on Floreana Island, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Transfer from Floreana Island to Santa Cruz - Free morning - Transfer from Santa Cruz to Isabela.
After breakfast, we will take the ferry to Santa Cruz Island, where we will have a free morning to explore the island.
In the afternoon, we will take the ferry to Isabela Island.
Included: accommodation: Hotel Iguana or similar in double occupancy, breakfast.
Not included: Lunch and dinner.
Sierra Negra Volcano - Flamingo Lagoon.
After breakfast, we will drive from Puerto Villamil to the trailhead, prepare our backpacks for a hike into a young forest ecosystem, and a world of recent geological history. Our destination is the Sierra Negra crater rim, an active volcano that last erupted in June 2018. Upon arrival, we enjoy stunning views and explore the circumference of the huge lava-filled crater, a caldera over six miles wide at its widest point.
In the afternoon, we will visit the giant tortoise breeding center and the flamingo lagoon to admire these incredible species in their natural habitat. The island offers a great diversity of birds, including the famous blue-footed booby, Galapagos penguin, flightless cormorants, short-tailed albatross, and many other species that nest and feed on the island. However, the star species here is the flamingo. The Flamingo Lagoon is located at the southern end of the small town of Puerto Villamil.
It is a natural habitat for Galapagos flamingos and an excellent opportunity to observe these majestic birds in their natural environment, feeding in the shallow waters where they find their primary food, such as small crustaceans and insect larvae.
Included: accommodation: Hotel Iguana or similar in double occupancy, breakfast.
Not included: lunch and dinner.
Transfer from Isabela - Santa Cruz - Hike to Tortuga Bay - Kayak
After breakfast, we will head to Tortuga Bay, an excellent place to relax and enjoy typical beach activities, surrounded by fascinating Galapagos wildlife. It is a great place to sunbathe, swim, snorkel, or take a walk. Bird watching is another popular activity at Tortuga Bay due to the interesting variety of birds residing here, including pelicans and finches.
Included: accommodation: Hotel Native or similar in double occupancy, breakfast.
Not included: lunch and dinner.
Santa Cruz - Transfer out - Quito.
After our final breakfast on the Galapagos Island and the last photos taken of the sea lions, we will transfer to Baltra airport in time for the flight back to the mainland.
Upon arrival in Quito, you will be greeted at the airport and transferred to your hotel for one more free night before farewell.
Included: accommodation: Hotel Mercure or similar in double occupancy, breakfast.
Not included: lunch and dinner.
Departure
Today our journey will end, and you will have your international departures. Take your memories and photographs with you, and leave a piece of your heart, as you will soon want to return to Ecuador to experience more of this enchanted land.
We wish you a “bon voyage”!
Included: Breakfast.
Not included: lunch and dinner.
This departure requires a minimum of 2 passengers.
