Endemic Program

Day 1: Arrive at Baltra Airport, Transfer In, and Visit El Chato Tortoise Ranch

• Your Naturalist Guide will greet you at the airport and accompany you to your hotel in Puerto Ayora (total transit time 1h45m).
• Lunch in a local restaurant
• In the afternoon we travel to the highlands of Santa Cruz where you will walk among giant tortoises in their natural environment and traverse a lava tunnel.
• Return to your hotel in Puerto Ayora
• Briefing for tomorrow's activities

Day 2: Day Tour to North Seymour and Bachas Beach

• 07:00 Your Naturalist Guide will pick you up from your hotel and you will travel 35 minutes by bus to the Itabaca Canal. There you will board the yacht and navigate approximately 45 minutes to North Seymour Island.
• On North Seymour you will enjoy a one hour walk to observe nesting frigate birds, blue-footed boobies, and land iguanas.
• Lunch aboard the yacht
• In the afternoon we disembark at Bachas Beach, a beautiful place to snorkel and relax on the beach. Here we can swim with sea lions and sea turtles, which may also be observed on the beach during the nesting season (Nov to Feb). We’ll also walk to a small lagoon where we can see flamingos and some endemic birds of the islands.
• From here we navigate back to the canal and return by bus to Puerto Ayora.
• 17:30 Return to your hotel in Puerto Ayora
• Briefing for tomorrow's activities

Day 3: Day Tour to Bartolome Island and Sullivan Bay

• 07:00 A Galapagos National Park Naturalist Guide will pick you up from your hotel in Puerto Ayora and you will travel 35 minutes by bus to the Itabaca Canal. There we will board the yacht that will be waiting for us with breakfast ready and we will navigate two hours to Bartolome Island. On the way we can observe endemic birds and dolphins in season (Dec to Mar).
• Thanks to its beautiful scenery, Bartolome, located in the northwest of the archipelago, is a Galapagos icon. We’ll hike to the top of the island to observe the diverse landscape where we can see several types of volcanic cones plus lava lizards and marine iguanas. Then we’ll take a panga ride around the Pinnacle, a rock formation of more than 100 meters high where we may see Galapagos penguins nesting around the base. We’ll also look for sea lions and crabs.
• After enjoying lunch on board the yacht we’ll visit Sullivan Bay which is part of Santiago Island. Here we’ll take a short walk to observe different flows of lava that originated very recently. We may also see Galapagos penguins and enjoy time on the beach.
• From here we navigate back to the canal and return by bus to Puerto Ayora.
• 18:00 Return to your hotel
• Briefing for tomorrow's activities

Day 4: Snorkel Tour to Pinzon Island

• 08:00 A Galapagos National Park Naturalist Guide will pick you up from your hotel in Puerto Ayora and you will go to the Municipal Pier. You’ll board the yacht and sail 50 minutes to Pinzón Island.
• Upon arrival at Pinzon we’ll have our first snorkeling activity during which we may encounter white-tipped reef sharks, Galapagos sharks, sea turtles, sea lions and a variety of fish.
• After enjoying lunch on board the yacht we’ll navigate to La Fe or Las Palmitas. Here we’ll snorkel, offering another chance to swim with white-tipped reef sharks, rays and sea lions. Here we can also relax on the beach.
• We navigate back to the pier in Puerto Ayora.
• 16:30 Return to hotel
• Briefing for tomorrow's activities

Day 5: Santa Cruz to Isabela; Visit Giant Tortoise Breeding Center, Wetlands, and Tintoreras

• 06:30 A Galapagos National Park Naturalist Guide will pick you up from your hotel in Puerto Ayora and take you to the Municipal Pier. There you will board a speedboat to Isabela Island which requires two hours of navigation.
• Upon arrival at the dock in Isabela you must pay a $10 per person entrance fee, so please carry sufficient cash. We’ll board another boat for a quick ride to Tintoreras Island where we’ll take a 45-minute walk to observe nesting marine iguanas, white-tipped reef sharks and sea lions.
• After the walk we will snorkel in the bay of Tintoreras with the possibility of swimming with sea turtles, white-tipped reef sharks, and sea lions. After snorkeling we’ll take a short boat ride to look for Galapagos penguins and blue-footed boobies, then we’ll return to the dock.
• After enjoying lunch at a local restaurant in Puerto Villamil, we’ll visit the Arnaldo Tupiza Giant Tortoise Breeding Center where you can see the different native tortoise species of Isabela Island. Then we’ll walk on a trail through the wetlands and visit a lagoon which is home to a large population of flamingos and endemic birds; we’ll also observe endemic vegetation of the island and may see marine iguanas swimming.
• 16:00 Arrive at hotel in Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island
• Briefing for tomorrow's activities

Day 6: Visit Sierra Negra Volcano, Chico Volcano and Snorkel at Concha y Perla

• 07:30 A Galapagos National Park Naturalist Guide will pick you up from your hotel in Puerto Villamil and we will take a bus to the base of Sierra Negra Volcano where we will begin to climb to the caldera of the volcano. During one hour and 45 minutes of walking we will be able to see beautiful landscapes including the western part of Isabela Island, Fernandina Island, and the Bolivar Channel.
• After enjoying a box lunch at a scenic viewpoint we will continue walking until we reach Chico Volcano. During this walk we will be able to observe some fumaroles, different types of lava, and more diverse landscapes.
• We return to the starting point of our hike by walking another two hours and then transfer by bus to Puerto Villamil where you will be dropped off at your hotel.
• 13:00 Return to hotel
• 14:30 We will depart the hotel and walk for 10 minutes to Concha y Perla, a natural pool in a mangrove forest. Here we will have the opportunity to swim with sea lions and sea turtles. We can also observe the large marine iguanas that are on the volcanic rocks.
• 17:30 Return to hotel
• Briefing for tomorrow’s activities

Day 7: Snorkel Tour to Cabo Rosa - Los Túneles and El Finado

• 07:30 Your Naturalist Guide will meet you at your hotel in Puerto Villamil and take you to the yacht that will be waiting for you. After sailing for 1.5 hours we’ll arrive at El Finado. Here we will snorkel through small volcanic tubes that were formed thousands of years ago. The water is crystal clear and not very deep. We may see white fin sharks, Galapagos sharks, sea lions and seahorses.
• 12:00 Lunch aboard the yacht
• In the afternoon we will snorkel at Los Túneles. Here we can swim around small islets that are nesting sites for sharks and sea turtles. We may be accompanied by Galapagos penguins and sea lions. This site is ideal for swimming with children since the waters are very calm.
• After snorkeling, we will walk for about 20 minutes to observe blue-footed boobies nesting and see the tube-shaped formations that make this place unique.
• During our 50 minute return navigation to Puerto Villamil, we may see whales and dolphins that come to the Bolivar Channel to feed in the cold water season - June, July, August.
• 14:00 Return to your Puerto Villamil hotel
• 15:00 Departure by speedboat to Santa Cruz Island
• 17:00 Arrive at Puerto Ayora and transfer to your hotel
• Briefing for next day’s activities

Day 8: Fly to San Cristóbal; Visit Playa Mann and Punta Carola Beach

• Morning free time
• 11:30 Transfer to Isabela Airport
• 13:00 Flight from Isabela to San Cristobal Island (45 minutes)
• 14:30 Land on San Cristobal Island. Our staff will be waiting for you at the airport and will take you to your hotel in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.
• 14:45 Lunch in a local restaurant
• 16:00 Visit Playa Mann and Punta Carola, beaches full of sea lions. We will be able to observe sea turtles and sea lions, marine iguanas, Time for swimming and snorkeling if you’d like.
• 18:00 Return to hotel
• Briefing for tomorrow’s activities

Day 9: Day Tour to Kicker Rock and Manglecito Beach

• 08:00 A Galapagos National Park Naturalist Guide will pick you up from your hotel in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and take you to the tourist pier. There we will board the yacht and navigate 45 minutes to Leon Dormido (Kicker Rock), which is an eroded tuff cone that serves as the habitat of several seabirds such as blue-footed boobies and masked boobies. In season (May-Dec) we may also see waved albatross.
• Formed millions of years ago, Kicker Rock is one of the best places in Galapagos to snorkel and dive. Thanks to the depth and the ocean currents there is a very interesting mix of marine life such as hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks, whitetip reef sharks, rays, sea turtles, sea lions, and many fish. We will snorkel here for approximately one hour.
• After enjoying lunch on board the yacht we’ll sail to Manglecito Beach. Here we’ll take a walk to observe some endemic vegetation of the island and we can also swim and relax on the beach.
• From here we navigate back to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.
• 16:00 Return to hotel

Day 10: Visit Playa La Lobería; Transfer to Airport

• 08:00 A Galapagos National Park Naturalist Guide will pick you up from your hotel in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and take you to Lobería Beach, an excellent place to observe the marine iguanas nesting. We can see a large colony of female sea lions.
• 10:30 Transfer to San Cristobal Airport