An island-hopping holiday exploring the scenery and wildlife of the Galapagos Islands.
Departures: Daily
Length: 9 days / 8 nights
Destinations: Quito / Galapagos Islands / Guayaquil
Highlights: Ecuador's historic capital city of Quito, and on the Galapagos islands Charles Darwin Research Station, Tintoreras Islet, Sierra Negra volcano hike, Floreana Island and Tortuga Bay beach.
Tailor Made: This is a suggested holiday that can be booked exactly as described if you wish or that can be used to help inspire you on the fascinating journeys and destinations in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. Like all our holidays this itinerary can be tailored, customised and crafted by our friendly experts to suit your own travel style, personal requirements, wishes, budget and interests. Simply get in touch to discuss, and we would be delighted to create a truly personalised holiday for you.
Holiday Itinerary
At the start of your Ecuador and Galapagos Island-hopping holiday adventure you can arrive in Quito airport at anytime, and we will meet you and escort you to your hotel for the evening so you can recover and relax following your long flight to South America.
Meals: None
Overnight: Hotel in Quito
Today you will enjoy a free day in Quito, the ancient historical capital city of Ecuador. The city of Quito is also known as "The Face of God" in Ecuador due to the fantastic selection of beautiful and ornate colonial churches that can be found within the old-town city centre, and we recommend you spend some time exploring this UNESCO World Heritage centre to visit places including the stunningly ornate Compañia de Jesús (Church of the Society of Jesus) and the Church and Convent of St. Francis. If you wish to explore further afield you may consider an optional tour to visit Cotopaxi volcano or the incredible Otavalo market famous for its traditional artesan crafts.
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Hotel in Quito
This morning we will meet you at your hotel and escort you to Quito airport from where you will fly to Baltra in the Galapagos Islands. On arrival in Baltra you will be met by your Galapagos tour guide and your Galapagos Island-hopping adventure will begin! The journey begins with a visit to the rich green highland region of Santa Cruz island, a part of the Galapagos islands that is home to native giant tortoises living in the wild. You will visit El Chato Tortoise Reserve where tortoises live in a protected environment and will spend time exploring the reserve searching for the tortoises which may be feeding or baking near muddy pools. It is also possible to spot a variety of birdlife in the reserve including the infamous Darwin's finches. Afterwards you will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, an important and iconic place in the islands where you will learn about the research and conservation the station performs to help protect the tortoises and other animals in the Galapagos Islands. You will spend the night in the delightful town of Puerto Ayora.
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Hotel Fiesta, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands
This morning you will depart Santa Cruz island to take the public speedboat to Isabela Island in the western region of the Galapagos archipelago. Your destination is the picturesque seaside town of Puerto Villamil and on arrival at the harbour you will transfer to your hotel where you can check-in and enjoy some lunch. This afternoon you will journey a short distance by dinghy boat from Puerto Villamil to the incredible location of Tintoreras, consisting of small rocky outcrops that are home to a fascinating selection of sealife. From the boats you can spot for a variety of species including white-tipped reef sharks, sea lions, blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas, penguins and turtles. You will also enjoy time swimming and snorkelling in the waters around the island.
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: La Laguna, Isabela Island, Galapagos Islands
Today you will rise early to prepare for the fantastic Sierra Negra volcano hike in the south of Isabela Island. This 12 kilometre hike covers relatively easy terrain as you explore the island, trek through different ecological zones, spot for wildlife and admire the fantastic views and rich geography and geology of this impressively large volcanic crater. Following the trek you will transfer back to Puerto Villamil harbour to transfer back to Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island by public speed boat.
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Hotel Fiesta, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands
This morning you will enjoy a bay tour around Santa Cruz island, a fantastic opportunity for you to visit a variety of locations on the island and combine a variety of activities including snorkelling and hiking. The Aqua View boat is your vessel for this excursion and it contains a glass bottom so you are able to observe the fantastic sealife with ease with the possibility to spot reef sharks, turtles rays and other fabulous sea creatures. The bay tour visits the stunning La Loberia, as well as the geologically beautiful Las Grietas which is a great place for swimming and snorkelling. After returning to Puerto Ayora where you can have some lunch in the afternoon you will journey on a short walk across the island to the beautiful white sand of Turtle Bay beach, a stunning location in the islands where you may spot basking sea lions resting on the beach.
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Hotel Fiesta, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands
Floreana Island island is located in the south of the Galapagos archipelago, and this morning you will travel by speed boat from Santa Cruz island to this stunning region of the island chain. On Floreana Island you will visit Luz del Dia point where you will snorkel in the waters popular with sea lions and other marine wildlife. After swimming with the sea lions you will travel up the island to visit the Floreana highlands visiting caves created by pirates hundreds of years ago as well as admiring the stunning views of this stunning island. In late afternoon you will return to Santa Cruz island by speed boat.
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Hotel Fiesta, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands
On your final morning in the Galapagos Islands you will visit the Gemelos (also known as the Twins) which resemble craters but are in fact sunken earth holes created by lava flowing underneath. Here you can admire these geological structures and also watch for the bird life active in the region including finches. Afterwards you will transfer to the airport at Baltra from where you will fly to the city of Guayaquil on the Ecuador mainland. In Guayaquil we will meet you on arrival and escort you to your hotel for the evening. The city of Guayaquil is famous for the Malecon 2000 riverside walkway which is worth exploring.
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Central hotel in Guayaquil
At the appropriate time we will meet you at your hotel and will escort you to Guayaquil airport for your international flight home.
Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: N/A
Included
- Two domestic flights within Ecuador (Quito - Galapagos Islands / Galapagos Islands - Guayaquil)
- All excursions
- English-speaking guides for all excursions
- INGALA Galapagos control card
- Entry fees to all sites included in the itinerary (with the exception of the Galapagos National Park Entry Fee which needs to be paid on arrival in the Galapagos)
- Accommodation
- All meals detailed
- Transfers to / from airports or hotels
- All transport and travel within Ecuador
Not Included
- International flights to/from South America. We exclude international flights to give the option to compare flight pricing or use air miles, however we can include and provide international flights as part of your holiday and any international flights booked through us would be ATOL-protected as part of your package with us. Depending on time of year, departure airport and airline preference flight prices start from around £500pp economy for return flights. If you would like us to include international flights or provide a quote just let us know your preferred departure airport when you enquire.
- The Galapagos National Park Entry Fee (payable on arrival in the Galapagos).
ATOL PROTECTION
This is a flight-inclusive package holiday. All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed on it. Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/atolcertificate.
Contact Us if you want more information or want to book this holiday. One of our Galapagos holiday specialists will be more than willing to help.
