Welcome to Quito! The largest, best-preserved colonial city of America – declared a UNESCO World Heritage Sitein 1978. The city is considered the Cultural Capital of South America and is located on the equator in a valley at the foothills of the Pichincha volcano. 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 (please request in advance). In the evening, one of our trip leaders will meet you at the hotel’s lobby for a welcome briefing at 18:00 hours. At this time, we will discuss the details and questions you may have regarding the adventure. Our first day is an acclimation and information day.

In the morning, we will take a boat to Kicker Rock, located off the coast of San Cristóbal, also known as the Sleeping Lion (Leon Dormido) because of some resemblance. This is the remains of a lava cone eroded by the sea, two vertical rocks rising 500 ft (150 m) above the ocean form a small channel that is navigable by small boats. This Galapagos Island’s natural monument has become a spectacular site due to the many tropical birds, frigate birds and boobies that fill the sky in this area. Beneath the sea, the crystal waters offer a brilliant show of colorful fish, such as rainbow fish and sharks, like the hammerhead and white tip. After lunch, we will spend some time on the beach and travel back to the hotel.

In the morning, hop to Isabela Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and where the most of the volcanic activity in the Galapagos is reported. The island was formed by six shield volcanoes, Alcedo, Cerra Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra, and Wolf; five of them are still active which makes the island one of the most volcanically active places on earth. In the afternoon, we will explore the beautiful coastline on an exclusive trail on our bikes, taking us through an incredible ecosystem with a wide variety of wildlife including flamingos, marine iguanas, and giant tortoises. We start with a visit to the Wall of Tears, a massive wall built with lava rocks. This site dates back to the 1950s 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. As we continue our ride along the coast, we will explore pristine, white sand beaches, mangrove forests, and lagoons. This area is filled with a plethora of birdlife, including American oystercatchers, herons, flamingos, finches, and many other shorebirds, as well as the ubiquitous sea lions and marine iguanas.

Explore the amazing formations of lava created by the last eruptions of the volcanic island along the seashore. This magical place has historically been filmed by BBC and National Geographic for their documentaries. It is a labyrinth of lava arches made of crystal clear water full of sea turtles, eagle rays, sea lions, sharks and more. The turtles navigate their own highway from the mangroves to the open sea through “Los Tuneles”. Here, we will have the best snorkeling opportunity with all these beautiful animals, including the curious Galapagos penguins playing around. Before or after the trip, you can enjoy some optional activities such as snorkeling at “Concha de Perla”, biking or just relaxing on the exotic white-sand beaches of Isabela Island. We recommend you take some time to visit the giant tortoise breeding center located within local distance from the hotel.

After breakfast, at around 08h00, you will depart to Sierra Negra Volcano. You will drive to the highlands of Isabela where you would normally start hiking. The volcano, with its height of around 1,500 meters and an outer diameter of approximately nine kilometers, is the second biggest lava dome in the world. 

You will have lunch at a local restaurant in the highlands at around 13h00, a beautiful organic farm whose owners prepare their food with vegetables and fruits grown locally at the farm. Prepared at a lava rock-grill, enjoy a delicious meal and after lunch take a walk among the fruit trails or just take a nap in one of their hammocks and breathe the clean air above a big Mango tree.

We then make our way back to the pier, arriving at 14h30, where, after a short briefing we will start kayaking at the bay where we can enjoy the local wildlife. On the way we can observe penguins, blue-footed boobies, pelicans, iguanas Marinas, sea turtles, sea lions, eagle rays and sometimes Sharks “Tintoreras” juveniles. To finish this day, at 16h30 we will have a short visit to Concha & Perla, a small beach in Puerto Villamil where we will snorkel. A short beautiful walk through the mangroves on a boardwalk will lead you to the spot with turquoise waters and wildlife galore! You can expect to see plenty of other tourists alongside colorful fish, sea lions, sea turtles, pelicans, mockingbirds and maybe even marine iguanas!

Hiking time: 4 hours both ways

Hiking distance: 6 miles (9.6 km) (10 miles -16 km- optional to Volcán Chico)

Hiking elevation gain: 950 feet (289.5 meters) 

Maximum elevation while hiking: 3687 feet (1124 meters) 

Kayaking time: 2 hours

Snorkeling   time:  1 hour

What to wear today for hiking: shorts, t-shirt, tennis shoes, rain jacket, hat, buff, sun cream, mosquito repellent.

What to wear today for kayaking and snorkeling: sandals, shorts, water long sleeve t-shirt, bathing suit, hat, sun cream, mosquito repellent

In the morning, traverse from Isabela to Santa Cruz Island to visit the Charles Darwin Research Station. Once we arrive, we will check in at the hotel. We will then 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. Later, we will continue by car to our first stop in the highlands of Santa Cruz. The highlands are home to the iconic giant Galapagos tortoises. Here you will visit a private ranch where you will enjoy lunch before heading out for a walk in search of the giant tortoises. During this visit, you will also visit some lava tubes, which are formed when the surface of a lava stream solidifies. Afterward, we will continue on bikes to the other side of the island to Garrapateros beach, in route, we will stop at the Trapiche to learn about the process of making sugarcane liquor. Finally, we will return to Puerto Ayora to spend the evening in Galapagos’ most populous town.

Today, you can experience the Galapagos at your own desire, whether that be scuba diving (request in advance) or just time to relax on the beach! As an option, you can go on a self-guided exploration walk through a dry forest to Tortuga Bay (3.5 mi/ 5.6 km), a beautiful white sand beach and a nesting site to thousands of marine turtles. This beautiful place invites swimming or snorkeling. Alternatively, you can join any of the optional activities (at an extra cost), such as a trip to Floreana Island, Bartolome Island or a scuba-diving day trip, just to mention a few.

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