7-Day Galapagos Wildlife Expedition with Sierra Negra and Isabela

Welcome to Quito! The largest and best-preserved colonial city in America was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. The city is considered the Cultural Capital of South America and is located on the equator in a valley at the foothills of the Pichincha volcano.

Depending on your arrival time, you can spend your day exploring the old town of Quito and the surrounding area. We can help you organize a day trip if requested in advance. In the evening, one of our trip leaders will meet you in the hotel lobby for a welcome briefing at 18:00. At this time, we will discuss the details of the adventure and answer any questions you may have. Our first day is an acclimation and information day.

Accommodation: Sheraton Quito Hotel or similar

Meals Included: In-flight

Today, you will be transferred to the airport to catch your flight to Baltra Airport in the Galapagos Islands. Upon arrival, you will be picked up and transferred to Santa Cruz, a nearby island, crossing the narrow Itabaca Channel by ferry.

From here, we will continue by car to our first stop in the highlands of Santa Cruz. The highlands are home to the iconic giant Galapagos tortoises. Here, you will visit a private ranch where you will enjoy lunch before heading out for a walk in search of the giant tortoises. During this visit, you will also explore some lava tubes, which are formed when the surface of a lava stream solidifies.

After this tour, you will continue to your hotel by private vehicle. Here, you will have a meet and greet with your local guide, who will explain the following day's itinerary to you. Enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure to relax and introduce yourself to this beautiful island.

Accommodation: La Isla Hotel or similar

Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch

After breakfast, you will enjoy a half-day tour of Academy Bay. Be sure to pack everything you need for this trip. Snorkel equipment will be provided free of charge to anyone who wishes to use it.

During the tour, you will take a boat to Academy Bay, where you can swim and snorkel with all kinds of exotic fish and marine life, as well as the famous sea lions. They are very curious animals and like to swim next to you underwater. Here, you can also see the sought-after blue-footed boobies. Afterwards, climb to a nearby viewpoint, and if you are lucky, you may see white-tipped reef sharks swimming in the ocean below.

In the afternoon, we will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn more about many of the endemic species seen in the wild, as well as the ongoing conservation and management efforts on the Galapagos Islands.

Accommodation: La Isla Hotel or similar

Meals Included: Breakfast

We will take a quick boat to the largest island in the archipelago, where most of the volcanic activity in the Galapagos is reported. The island was formed by six shield volcanoes - Alcedo, Cerra Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra, and Wolf. Five are still active, making the island one of the most volcanically active places on Earth.

Upon arrival, we will visit the giant tortoise breeding center and the flamingo lagoon to admire this incredible species in their natural habitat.

In the afternoon, we will visit Tintoreras Islet, located a short distance from Puerto Villamil and home to a great variety of wildlife. White-tipped reef sharks, Galapagos penguins, marine turtles, and sea lions inhabit its turquoise, crystalline waters. One of its beaches, surrounded by mangroves, is one of the few sites where marine iguanas can reproduce successfully.

Accommodation: Albemarle Boutique Hotel or similar

Meals Included: Breakfast

After driving up from Puerto Villamil to the trailhead, we will prepare our backpacks for the hike into a young forest ecosystem, a world of recent geological history. Our destination is the rim of Sierra Negra Crater, an active volcano that last erupted in June 2018.

Upon arrival, we take in breathtaking views and explore the circumference of the massive, lava-filled crater, a caldera over six miles across at its widest point. We can continue our hike to Volcan Chico if we feel energetic enough. This secondary crater has a wild landscape of puffing fumaroles and colorful lava formations, great examples of the dramatic geological events that have formed the Galapagos Islands over millennia.

In the afternoon, you will have time to enjoy the crystalline water of Concha Perla and practice some snorkelling to observe marine wildlife.

Accommodation: Albemarle Boutique Hotel or similar

Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch

After our final breakfast on the Galapagos Islands and the last photos taken of sea lions, we will transfer to Baltra Airport in time to catch the flight back to the mainland.

Accommodation: Sheraton Quito Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast

Our trip will end today, and you will have your international departures. Take your memories and photos with you and leave a piece of your heart, as you will want to return to Ecuador soon to experience more of this enchanted land. We wish you a "Buen viaje"!

Meals Included: Breakfast