Welcome to Quito! The biggest, 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 the second most important city of the old Inca Empire. Depending on your arrival time, you can spend your day exploring the old town of Quito and the surrounding area. Adventure Journeys can help you to organize a day trip. In the evening, one of our trip leaders will meet you at the hotel for a welcome briefing and there will be plenty of time to discuss details and answer any questions you may have regarding the adventure. Our first day is an informational and acclimation day.

Today we get ready to explore the most amazing archipelago in the Pacific coast and the place where Charles Darwin based his theory of the evolution of species. We boarded a morning flight from Quito to the island of San Cristóbal. Once we arrive, we will have a transfer to the hotel in the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and a short briefing about the next few days, before the adventure begins.

In the afternoon we will head to “La Loberia”, which is both home beach and nursery for large Galapagos sea lions. We can spot them launching over rocks or just lazy dozing in the sand. We also get to see yellow warbler birds, frigate birds, and several species of Darwin finches along the beach. In between the rocks we can find marine iguanas, which you can only see in Galapagos. We will also have the time to go for a refreshing swim, explore the waters with our snorkel equipment and enjoy the beach.

In the morning, we will take a speed boat to Kicker Rock, also known as the Sleeping Lion (Leon Dormido) because of its resemblance. This site is located off the coast of San Cristobal. The remains of a lava cone eroded by the sea, two vertical rocks rising 500 feet above the ocean, form a small channel that is navigable by small boats. This Galapagos Islands natural monument has become a favorite sight due to the many tropicbirds, frigate birds and boobies that fill the sky in this area. Beneath the sea, the crystal waters offer a brilliant show of colorful tropical fish, such as rainbow fish, and sharks, like hammerhead-, reef- and white tip sharks. After lunch, we visited Cerro Brujo, this island is ripe with noisy, frolicking, jolly sea lions who will welcome us to their home with open fins. This island also offers great snorkeling opportunities as well as the chance to see blue-footed and Nazca boobies.

In the morning, we will take a short flight to Isabela Island, the largest island in the archipelago and the place where the most volcanic activity in the Galapagos is reported. The island is formed by six shield volcanoes, Alcedo, Cerra Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra and Wolf, five of them still active, and therefore the island is one of the most volcanically active places on earth.

In the afternoon, we explore the incredible ecosystem and wildlife of the island, enjoying great views of flamingos and marine iguanas in the salt water lagoons, white sand beaches and mangrove forests. This area is filled with birdlife, including American oystercatchers, herons, flamingos, finches and many shore birds, as well as the ubiquitous sea lions and marine iguanas.

One of the highlights of today is the Tortoise Breeding Centre, where we will see the giant tortoises in the various stages of development, from eggs to small hatchlings, to juveniles to sub adults. We will also visit the Wall of Tears, a massive wall built with lava rocks. This site dates back to the ’50s, when Isabela was used as a penal colony and prisoners were forced to build the wall to keep them from going mad, because of the isolation they experienced.

After dinner we can enjoy a breathtaking sunset on the beach of Puerto Villamil.

Today we will visit Tintoreras Islet, located at a short distance from Puerto Villamil and home to a great variety of wildlife. We will have a fantastic snorkeling experience in its turquoise, crystalline waters, inhabited by white-tipped reef sharks, galapagos penguins, marine turtles and sea lions.

Later, we will take a walk to explore the islet beaches, surrounded by mangroves. This is one of the few sites where marine iguanas can reproduce successfully.

Today, we explore the amazing formations of lava created by the last eruptions of the Volcanic Island along the seashore. This magical place has been used by the staff of BBC /National Geographic for their documentaries. It is a labyrinth of lava arches inside the breakers with crystal clear water full of huge sea turtles, eagle rays, sea lions, fish, white tipped reef sharks and more. Turtles navigate their own highway from the mangroves to the open sea through “Los Tuneles”. Over here, we will have the best snorkeling opportunity with all these beautiful animals, including the curious Galapagos penguin playing around.

After the trip, you can enjoy some optional activities such as snorkeling at “Concha de Perla” or just relax on the exotic white-sand beaches of Isabela Island.

Today you will be picked up and transferred to Santa Cruz and will enjoy a half-day tour of Academy Bay. Be sure to pack everything you need for this trip. Optional 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 can see white-tipped reef sharks swimming in the ocean below. Afterwards, take a walk along the Playa de los Perros, where many sea iguanas are found basking in the sun. The enormous cacti, the deep, red color of the rocks and the turquoise, sparkling ocean make for great photo opportunities.

In the morning 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.

After our final breakfast on the Galapagos Island and the last photos taken of sea lions, we will have a transfer to Baltra’s airport in time to catch the flight back to the mainland.

Today our trip will end and you will have your International departures. Take with you your memories and photos 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”!