Welcome to Quito! The largest, best-preserved colonial city of America – declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 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 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.

Today you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to the Island of Baltra in the Galapagos Islands. On arrival you will be picked up and transferred to Santa Cruz, a nearby island, crossing the narrow Itabaca channel by ferry. From here 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. After this tour, you will continue by private vehicle to your hotel. Here you will have a meet and greet with your local guide who will explain the following day’s itinerary to you. Enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure to relax and introduce yourself to this beautiful Island.

In the evening we will prepare the gear for you at our dive shop and get ready for the next day for our first diving stop in the beautiful waters of the Galapagos.

The North Seymour topography consists of gradual steps off the island shoreline declining 8 meters to a beautiful rock reef, before reaching the sandy bottom at 16 – 18 meters. Diving at Seymour provides the opportunity to swim with many white and black tip reef sharks, as well as being a favorite resting place for large numbers of green sea turtles. Though Seymour does not have the notoriety for hammerhead sharks, it is still possible to see small schools at both Seymour sites, swimming through the channel and around the point through the current. Large schools of barracuda, snapper and other reef fish are also in abundance, and the rock reef is an excellent place to search for the well-camouflaged octopi. A personal favorite however, are the schools of spotted eagle rays that glide through the channel along the sand, occasionally joined by devil and manta rays.

Travel Time: Approx 1 hour car and boat travel from Puerto Ayora.

Dive Difficulty: Seymour is a good place for beginners and experienced divers alike. Though the currents can be moderate to strong on occasion, it is on the whole suitable for people with limited experience. Drift dive.

MOSQUERA

Mosquera is located off the northern coast of Baltra and is very diverse. It is a wall dive with little current. The main attractions to this site are the frequent visits by Manta Rays. There is always plankton in the water, so the visibility is not fantastic, but they come so close it is not a problem. Juvenile Galapagos sharks, white tipped reef sharks and eagle rays are also common.

Travel Time: 45 min – 1 hour from Puerto Ayora by car and 30 Minutes by diving boat.

Dive Difficulty: Easy to intermediate due to the wall. The dive isn’t deep, but you have to watch your depth.

Gordon Rocks is an extinct volcanic crater with a sandy bottom at 32 meters, and a wall drop off around the outside of around 65 meters. It has 3 exposed rocks that surround the crater and 3 pinnacles ranging from 5-6 meters under the surface along the northern edge of the crater, with one larger pinnacle approximately 21 meters below the surface in the center. The strong currents that frequent Gordon Rocks make it the most accessible home to schools of the famous hammerhead sharks. Schools of up to 50 sharks (or more if you are lucky) can be found circling the rocks through the current giving repeated views of the amazing creatures. White and black tip reef sharks also frequent the area as well as green sea turtles, sea lions, sting rays, eagle rays, large schools of barracuda and snapper and the occasional majestic manta ray or Mola Mola.

Travel Time: 45 min – 1 hour from Puerto Ayora.

Dive Difficulty: Though Gordon Rocks can be a calm and easy dive at times, it is famous for its currents that carry the hammerhead sharks. Therefore, it is best suited to advanced divers. Please ask for advice on booking if you have less than 30 dives experience.

In the morning, you will travel by speedboat to San Cristobal Island. Once we arrive, we will check in at the hotel.
You will have this day at leisure to enjoy this amazing island at your own peace.

Leon Dormido is one of the well-known attractions not only local but also international, if you come to Galapagos you have to pass through Leon Dormido or popular with its scientific name Kicker Rock. 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. It has some of the greatest diversity of marine life, located just one hour from the port. It has a depth in the channel of 14 meters to 18 meters. And to its sides, is it more than 40 meters. A very ideal place for diving with different kinds of sharks, including hammer heads, many kinds of fish, sea lions, rays, turtles and other marine life etc.

Travel Time: 40 min – from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. 

Dive Difficulty: Easy to intermediate due to the walls of Kicker Rock, The dive is not too deep, but you have to watch your depth. Sometimes there can be a bit of current, but most of the time there is good visibility.

This morning, after breakfast, you will be met and transferred to a dock where you will take a quick boat ride to the nearby Isla Lobos. During this boat trip, you will observe a lot of sea life before even setting foot on the island. Upon arrival, enjoy a guided tour where you will have the chance to observe frigate birds, blue-footed boobies, manta rays, sea lions and sometimes sharks that all inhabit the island. The white coral beaches of San Cristobal are great to walk around, relax and swim in the shallow waters before you come back to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.

Enjoy some more free time this morning before transferring to the airport of San Cristobal. From here, you will take a flight back to Ecuador’s mainland. Upon arrival in Quito, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel for one more evening at leisure before saying goodbye.

International departures, end of services. Take with you 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”!