7-Day Galápagos Island Adventure with Sierra Negra or Los Tuneles

• Travel by air three hours west from Quito to San Cristóbal Island to begin your Galápagos adventure.
• Check in to your Puerto Baquerizo Moreno hotel and visit an interpretation center to learn about the island's wildlife and conservation efforts.
• In a natural history room, see a presentation on the island's origins and, in another, its human history since the discovery of Galápagos.
• Finish the day at La Lobería, a beach home to sea lions and marine iguanas.

Meals included: Lunch.

• Lobos Island:
  • Famous for its population of sea lions and fur sea lions.
  • Nesting grounds for the great frigatebird and a small number of blue-footed boobies.
  • Visit the breeding center, where the natural phenomena that created the Galápagos Islands will be explained in a simple manner.
  • Learn about the geology and the series of natural processes, such as volcanic eruptions and marine currents, that have led to the amazing islands you will be visiting.
• There is no landing at Kicker Rock:
  • Also known as León Dormido, these rocks are located off the coast of San Cristóbal.
  • The remains of a lava cone eroded by the sea, the two vertical rocks rise 500 feet from the ocean and form a small channel navigable by small boats.
  • This natural monument has become a favorite sight for cruises due to the many tropicbirds, frigates, and boobies that fill the surrounding air.
  • Beneath the sea, the near-crystal waters offer a brilliant show of colorful tropical fish and invertebrates.

Meals included: Breakfast, Box Lunch.

• Get an early start this morning to take the public speedboat to Santa Cruz Island, roughly 2-2.5 hours away.
• Meet your guide at the dock.
• Head to the highlands to see giant tortoises in the wild.
• Enjoy lunch at a local farm, then continue to Puerto Ayora to check in to your hotel.
• This afternoon, visit the Charles Darwin Research Station.
• Stay overnight in Puerto Ayora.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch.

Group type: Private group.

• South Plaza, Bartolomé, and North Seymour are among the uninhabited Galápagos islands that you might visit today, depending on the permit granted by the National Park authorities.
• This allows you to see the archipelago's untouched natural habitats.
• After a boat ride, hike with your guide to see more wildlife and relax on the beach.
• Take a lunch break on deck. At the end of your tour, return to Puerto Ayora.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch.

• Start your morning with a two-hour public speedboat trip to Isabela Island.
• After lunch, join a group tour for a visit to Las Tintoreras Islet for a short hike and some snorkeling.
  • Here you can see Humboldt penguins, marine iguanas, sea lions, and sharks resting in the natural channels formed by lava flows.
• Afterward, snorkel in the turquoise water and spot different fish, sea turtles, rays, and penguins.
• The rest of your evening is free, with an overnight stay on Isabela Island.

Meals included: Breakfast.

• Sierra Negra:

  • Start the adventure with a journey from Puerto Villamil to the beginning of the trail.
  • Prepare your backpacks and begin walking through relatively young woods, which undergo constant geological changes.
  • Engage in a six-hour round-trip hike to the summit, offering a view of the second-largest volcanic crater in the world.
  • Explore spectacular lava landscapes and observe the northern volcanoes on Isabela and Fernandina Islands.
  • Reach the edge of the active Sierra Negra Volcano crater for spectacular views.
  • The circumference of the crater is almost 10 km wide at its widest point.
  • Enjoy some free time after returning to Isabela Island.

• Tuneles:

  • Board a speedboat at the dock in Puerto Villamil for an approximate one-hour journey to Los Tuneles.
  • Notice unique geological formations created by lava flows, including arcs and tunnels both underwater and above. Los Tuneles is an exceptional snorkeling spot due to its geological formations.
  • Encounter a diverse range of marine life, including tropical fish, rays, turtles, sea horses, and white-tipped reef sharks.
  • Keep an eye out for penguins on the rocks and the possibility of swimming with majestic sea turtles.

Meals included: Breakfast, Box Lunch.

• Get an early start this morning to take the public speedboat to Santa Cruz Island, roughly 2-2.5 hours away.
• At the designated time, your driver will pick you up at the Puerto Ayora dock.
• Travel to the Itabaca Channel, which you will cross by ferry.
• For the last part of your trip to the airport, take the public shuttle bus to the terminal.
• Your program ends with your return flight to the mainland.

Meals included: Breakfast.