Ecuador · Wildlife

4 Days Galapagos Extreme

4 Days Round trip from EC Easy pace

The journey

Trip highlights
  • 01 4-day Galapagos adventure based in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz
  • 02 Visit the Charles Darwin Scientific Station and Santa Cruz highlands
  • 03 Choose 1 excursion: Floreana, Santa Fe or Pinzón
  • 04 Snorkel in sites known for sea lions and endemic marine life
  • 05 Explore Tortuga Bay on a self-guided visit
  • 06 Enjoy the Half Bay Tour with birdwatching and coastal scenery
  • 07 3 nights of accommodation included
  • 08 Airport transfers and bilingual guides included

Discover the wild beauty of Santa Cruz Island on this 4-day Galapagos adventure based in Puerto Ayora. Combining wildlife encounters, island landscapes, boat excursions and snorkeling, this itinerary is designed for travellers who want to experience some of the archipelago’s most iconic natural highlights in a short stay.

Visit the Charles Darwin Scientific Station, explore the highlands of Santa Cruz, and enjoy time at Tortuga Bay. During your trip, you’ll also choose one full-day excursion to Floreana, Santa Fe or Pinzón, each offering a different perspective on the Galapagos through hiking, boating and marine life observation.

With accommodation, transfers, breakfasts, lunches during activities, and bilingual guides included, this package offers a convenient way to experience the Galapagos while staying immersed in its remarkable landscapes and wildlife.

Discover the wild beauty of Santa Cruz Island on this 4-day Galapagos adventure based in Puerto Ayora.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 4 Days
Tour type Shared
Activity level Easy
Accommodation Included
Transport Included
Wheelchair access No
Cities Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island
Languages English, Spanish

Day by day

The itinerary

1
Day 01

Transfer in + High Land + Charles Darwin Scientific Station

Transfer in: personalized welcome (Poster with names and guide waiting for you at the airport)

High Land:.- Upper part Santa Cruz Island Entrance and personalized welcome (Poster with names and guide waiting).

Charles Darwin Scientific Station: is an Interpretation Center open to the public and you can also learn about the breeding program for giant tortoises in captivity and their repatriation.

At the end of the activities you will be taken to the Hotel in which where you will be hosted

Accommodation: 1 night at the Hotel in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz

2
Day 02

Select 1 Option of Tour ( Floreana Tour - Santa Fe Tour - Pinzon Tour )

We plan the tour according to your selection:

A ) Floreana Tour: We will hike around natural rock formations in the Asilo de la Paz. A hill that shows us a good view of the island. Its main attractions are historical: one is the cave of pirates and the other is the freshwater stream. The two sites are at the base of the hill.

B ) Santa Fe Tour: Once at the site, we do a panga ride in the bay to make sightings of colonies of sea lions with their young. Likewise we will have the iconic presence of Opuntia cacti and on many occasions seabirds such as the blue-footed booby. As a second activity we do two snorkeling times around the reef area (45 minutes per snorkeling), where you can make an impressive appreciation of a marine fauna stocked by a number of endemic species. Lunch on board takes place between these activities.

C ) Pinzon Tour: We board the boat and travel to Pinzón Island in a journey of approximately an hour and a half. At the site we can do a snorkeling time or two depending on the situation at the previous visit point.

Accommodation: 1 night at the Hotel in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz

3
Day 03

Half Bay Tour & Turtle Bay Tour Self Visit

Half Bay Tour: he pick up will be at 08H45 AM in the lobby of your hotel.

We will go to La Lobería (small islet located 10 minutes away from the port), site where we carry out the snorkeling activity in which there is the possibility of swimming with sea lions.

Then we moved to Punta Estrada to watch birds such as: blue-footed boobies, seagulls and pelicans.

Our third activity consists of an excursion to the Playa de los dogs where we can find iguanas in quantity around an area of volcanic rocks and sesuvium.

Likewise, we continue towards the Channel of Love and the Shark Channel (in the latter we can make sightings of blue sharks).

Turtle Bay Tour Self Visit: Located on Santa Cruz Island. It is an almost very difficult place to miss. Its beauty and flora invite us to recognize it as a site at the level of what nature offers us in the beautiful archipelago, 10 minutes from the port of the island we find a path (2,500 meters long) that will guide us to Tortuga Bay.

A highly recommended beach among locals.

It is perfectly preserved and with the presence of wild animals such as iguanas, beach crabs. Swimming is only allowed in the mangrove swamp that is separated from the beach. The sand is completely soft and white, the largest on the island. In the mangroves it is very common to find walking multicolored crabs, brown pelicans, marine iguanas, white tip reef sharks and Galapagos tortoises.

Another way to access the site is through water taxis in the form of a tour which can be offered as a tour

Accommodation: 1 night at the Hotel in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz

4
Day 04

Transfer out

After the breakfast the driver will be at the lobby of the hotel to pick up you and then we will go to the airport.

(Pick up time according to your flight information)

End of services

The route

Where you'll travel

Tour route map
Round trip from EC 2 cities · 4 Days

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • 3 nights of accommodation in selected class hotel
  • Transfer in / out according your flight time
  • Bilingual and specialized guides during the activities
  • Excursions and visits during the program as itinerary
  • All land and sea transportation within the Galapagos during the program
  • Snorkel equipment as specified by the itinerary ( Mask and Fins)

What's Not Included

  • Air tickets from/to Galapagos
  • Lunch and Dinner
  • Other services not specified in the program
  • Nothing non specified in the program

Know before you go

  • PASSPORT REQUIRED
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Not stroller accessible
  • Not suitable for pets
  • No public transportation nearby
  • Infants must not sit on laps
  • Infant seats unavailable
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
  • Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all participants
  • A delay with the flight could change the itinerary
  • Every room (hotel/hostal) includes air conditioner, amenities and private bathrooms.
  • In Ecuador the name hotel or hostal depends of the number of rooms but not of the quality of service
  • Wet suits is not included you must rent by yourself if you decide
  • Any extra payment like entrance to the national park, taxes or sea taxis must be paid by each customer in person
  • The guide will pick you up at the airport with a sign of your name.

Logistics

Meeting & route

Meeting point
EC
Tour start
EC
Tour ends at the same location as the start point.
End of the journey

Your 4 days finish where they began, in EC.

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