*Note:
The 6-day itinerary is the same as the 5-day itinerary with
an extra night on Isabela Island and a tour of the Isabela
Highlands.
Flight from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra
Island. Then Santa Cruz Highlands and 'Los
Gemelos'. |
|
Darwin Research Center |
Santa
Cruz & Floreana Islands - tour of Academy
Bay and the 'La Loberia'. Motorboat trip to 'Tortuga
Bay. Swimming on the beach, Marine Iguana nesting
site. |
Lunch on the beach
and then back to the hotel to shower and depart to Floreana
Island |
Floreana Island highlands and Peace
Asylum. |
Lunch at Lodge before
departure to Isabela
Island |
Isabela Highlands - Horseback and hike
to Sierra Negra Volcano. |
Lunch and visit Volcan
Chico and 'Mina de Azufre'. |
Isabela to Santa
Cruz Island, 'Tintoreras' Reef Shark resting
site. Then visit penguin colony in Puerto Villamil. |
Puerto Ayora and
overnight at Red Mangrove. |
Baltra Island to Ecuador
Mainland |
Day 1: Morning
flight from either Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra Island
Upon
arrival at Baltra Island you will be met by a representative
of the Red
Mangrove Adventura Lodge. You will board a ferry for
a 10-minute crossing to Santa Cruz Island, followed by a
bus ride to the Santa Cruz Highlands. Here you will get
a chance to see 'Los Gemelos' (The Twins) which are twin
volcanic pit craters. You can walk in one of the few remaining
forests of scalesia trees and perhaps see a vermilion flycatcher
(left), or small and large tree finches. After lunch you
will hike to the natural habitat of the particular species
of giant tortoises that live in the highlands. Lunch is
provided on the tour and then it's a two-hour transfer to
the town of Puerto Ayora. You will have time to get settled
into your hotel, and then in the afternoon you will walk
through the village to the Darwin Research Center for a
tour. Back at the hotel you will have a welcome cocktail,
dinner, a briefing on your program and overnight. (B, L,
D)
Day
2: Santa Cruz & Floreana Islands
This morning you will have a tour
of Academy Bay and the 'La Loberia'. You can even snorkel
with sea lions (optional) before a 40-minute motorboat trip
to 'Tortuga Bay'. As you land on the white sandy beach you
will have a chance to observe different marine species of
sting rays and baby reef sharks in the shallow waters of
the Mangrove ecosystem. After swimming on the beach you
will take a short hike to the Marine Iguana nesting site.
(4 hours) Lunch on the beach and then back to the hotel
to shower and depart to Floreana Island, which is located
40 nautical miles south of Santa Cruz. Along the way you
will have the opportunity to see dolphins and whales. Overnight
at the Red
Mangrove Floreana Lodge
with a briefing and BBQ dinner. (B, L, D)
Degree of difficulty for this day: 2 of 5
Day 3: Floreana
and Isabela Islands
After breakfast you drive up to
the Highlands through the agricultural zone. The Peace Asylum
is a visitor site that tells us about the human history
of 'The Enchanted Islands.' Floreana was the first island
to be colonized and this is also the only opportunity to
see the medium tree finch. (3 hours) Lunch at the Lodge
before your departure to Isabela Island located 57 nautical
miles northwest of Floreana Island. Overnight at the Red
Mangrove Isabela Sierra Negra Lodge
with a briefing and dinner. (B, L, D)
Degree of difficulty for this day: 3 of 5
Day 4: Isabela
Highlands
After breakfast you take
a bus ride to the Isabela Highlands where you will be taking
horses for a ride and hike
to Sierra Negra Volcano (left), one
of the active volcanoes of the Galapagos Lunch at the crater
which is known as the largest caldera in the islands with
a diameter of 9-10 kms and offers volcanic activity and
spectacular geology and vegetation. 'Volcan Chico' on the
northwest side of the caldera is an area of fumaroles and
the 'Mina de Azufre' west of Volcan Chico is a sulphur deposit
site, with more fumaroles activity. (4 hours). Return to
the lodge with the afternoon free for relaxing on the beach.
Dinner and overnight at the lodge. (B, L, D)
Degree of difficulty for this day: 2 of 5
Day 5, Isabela
to Santa Cruz
After breakfast you will take
a dinghy ride to do visit in 'Tintoreras' (Reef Shark resting
site) where the sharks spend the night in the bottom of
the crevices. The trail will take you to see one of the
few marine iguana colonies in town that have not been disturbed
by introduced species. Opportunity to see the colony of
penguins that are recently getting established in Puerto
Villamil. (2 hours) Lunch at the lodge and then return to
Puerto Ayora in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at the
Red
Mangrove Adventura Lodge. (B, L, D)
Degree of difficulty for this day: 1 of 5
Day 6: Baltra
Island to Ecuador Mainland
After breakfast, transfer out
to Baltra's Airport in order to catch your flight back to
the mainland. Check out time will be depending on the scheduled
flight. (B)