Native 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. In the hot season (Dec to Mar), we can usually find the tortoises cooling off in pools of water; we may also see them on the road between Puerto Ayora and the Itabaca Canal.
• 17:30 Return to your hotel in Puerto Ayora

Day 2 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

Day 3 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

Day 4 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
• 19:00 Briefing of next day’s activities

Day 5 Snorkel Tour to Cabo Rosa - Los Túneles and El Finado; Isabela to Santa Cruz

• 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 to change clothes
• 15:00 Departure by speedboat to Santa Cruz Island
• 17:30 Transfer to your Puerto Ayora hotel
• 19:00 Briefing of next day’s activities

Day 6 Visit Tortuga Bay Beach and Charles Darwin Station

• 08:30 Your Naturalist Guide will pick you up from your hotel and we will walk for 45 minutes to Tortuga Bay. Along the way we can observe Galapagos finches, mockingbirds, endemic vegetation and marine iguanas. We can relax on the beach and swim in the bay with the possibility of seeing whitetip reef sharks. We’ll return via the same trail requiring another 45 minutes of walking.
• 12:30 Lunch in a local restaurant
• 14:30 We will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station founded in 1964. Here we will walk around the corrals observing the Galapagos tortoises in captivity. Some of them were pets of the first inhabitants that arrived to the islands and, after the National Park was founded, they were taken to the Charles Darwin Station.
• We will also have the opportunity to see the famous Solitary George. This embalmed tortoise was one of the last of his species that was found on Pinta Island in 1971 by a park ranger. He was taken to the Charles Darwin Research Station where the scientists tried to encourage him to mate but the attempts never worked. He died on June 24, 2012.
• 17:30 Return to your Puerto Ayora hotel

Day 7 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

Day 8 Transfer to Baltra and Visit Los Gemelos

• 08:30 Depart from your hotel and, on your way to the Itabaca Canal, you’ll stop at Los Gemelos, two collapsed volcanic craters. You will have the opportunity to see some endemic vegetation of the island, Galapagos finches feeding, and beautiful scenery.
• 09:30 Travel the remaining distance to the canal and continue onward to Baltra
• 10:30 Check in for your flight at Baltra Airport

END OF PROGRAM