Galatrails – Mapping your adventure

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Glide Through Galapagos

Did you know? The oil of giant tortoises was used as fuel to light street lamps in cities such as Quito and Guayaquil before the industries of petroleum and vegetable oils began to develop commercially.

5D /4N
739 USD (PER PERSON IN TWIN SHARE)
Single supplement
$ 257
Accommodation
Start & finish
Baltra to Baltra Island
Daily departures on request
5D /4N
869 USD (PER PERSON IN TWIN SHARE)
Single supplement
$ 495
Accommodation
Start & finish
Baltra to Baltra Island
Daily departures on request

Baltra / Santa Cruz Island - welcome to galapagos!

Upon arrival to Baltra Island you naturalist guide will wait for you in the arrivals hall and take you to your first visit on Santa Cruz Island. You will be transferred from Seymour airport by an airport bus (10 min ride) and a ferry ride (5min) to the northside of Santa Cruz where will take our transportation to  LOS GEMELOS: two pit-craters located on each side of the road over 30 meter deep which were formed by the collapse of the roof of some magma chamber.

A few trails wander around the craters, many land birds seen such as;  the vermilion flycatcher, the short eared owl, the Galapagos dove, and a great number of Darwin’s finches, including the carpenter finch, which uses a stick as a tool to help extract larvae from old stumps.

Galatrails - Mapping your adventure IMG_0281 Glide Through Galapagos
Day 1

Santa Cruz Island

We then continue to the highlands of Santa Cruz where we will have a great opportunity to get close to giant tortoises roaming in their natural habitat. Explore a cavernous underground Lava Tunnel where you can view one of the geological wonders of our volcanic islands.

The rest of the afternoon you are free to enjoy the island by yourself (depending of your flight time arrival).

Included activities

    • Los Gemelos (Volcanic twin craters)
    • Santa Cruz Highlands (giant tortoises)
    • Lava tunel
Day 1
Galatrails - Mapping your adventure IMG_6224-1 Glide Through Galapagos
Day 2

Santa Fe Island (B,L)

AM: Santa Fé offers a beautiful bay, In the middle of a sunny day the lagoon turns into an eye-catching turquoise blue. The white Sandy bottom is only a few meters below the Surface.

This excursion is based on bird watching along the Cliff, such as: Blue Footed Boobies Frigate Birds, Swallow tail gull, brown noddy terns, pelicans. all this with a combination of various snorkeling opportunities follow with some beach time. Snorkeling to interact with sea lions colony basking lazily in the sun and other sea life like sea turtles.

After snorkeling, and a yummy lunch we are departing to our next stop “Playa Escondida” or hidden beach named because the beach disappears during high tide. It will take approximately 25 minutes to get there. Here you can find mangroves, a beautiful white sand beach and the famous Galapagos Marine Iguanas. Prefect place to relax on the beach before your return in the late afternoon to Puerto Ayora.

On the trip back we will sail near the island shore to look again for boobies, frigates and other sea birds among the beautiful Opuntia cactus and lava island vista.

IMPORTANT NOTES: This daily tour don't includes to disembark on the beach on Santa Fe island or do the walking tour. If you are interested to do the whole visit please refer to the other programs in the website. ​

Depending on the boat and the circumstances during the certain parts of the navigation the crew will instruct you in the sustainable fishing style used here on the islands and skills permitting, we will all have a taste of a yellow fin tuna or wahoo, if you catch some this will be part of the lunch this day.
Day 2
Galatrails - Mapping your adventure IMG_1561 Glide Through Galapagos
Day 3

Santa Cruz Island (B) / Free day

Enjoy a full free day with different options to explore such as:

    • Charles Darwin Station
    • Tortuga Bay beach
    • Playa de los Alemanes- Swimming and snorkeling beach
    • Las Grietas-Swimming and snorkeling rocky point
    • Diving
    • Biking
    • Kayaking
    • Shopping
Day 3
Galatrails - Mapping your adventure 6e90e2fb-914d-42b3-b3f3-10a8fd4b5f70-1 Glide Through Galapagos
Day 4

Pinzon (B,L,D)

* You will enjoy a day tour that combines various snorkeling opportunities follow with some beach time.

Depending on the day and the itinerary of the boat this day you can go neither to Penguin Bay, or Dumb Islet

Penguin Bay, has a calm, clear, shallow water protected cove at the eastern side of the island. Dumb Islet, at Pinzon’s North Shore, has a steep wall, perfect for free diving. These waters are home to mantas and a large variety of pelagic fish

Both places are unique, between the sea life is posible to see and other of course the luck to have encounters with penguins. Young green sea turtles, several types of rays, Galapagos sharks or small groups of lazy reef sharks relaxing on the ocean floor, along with large tropical and sub-tropical reef fish such as the common and colorful parrot fish, marine iguanas feeding, with lucky also Galapagos Bat fish, sea lions, marine turtles, sea stars, Galapagos sharks

One last stop at La Fe or Las Palmas before a relaxing evening in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island. Both places have beautiful forests of Mangroves and Opuntia cacti growing near the picturesque shoreline.

On the way back we surround Nameless Rock, located to the west of Santa Cruz and offers us opportunities to see colonies of sea lions, marine iguanas, blue footed and masked boobies, frigate birds, pelicans and other sea birds. On occasions, large groups of Bottle Nose Dolphins or whales swim by the area so we will have to keep our eyes peeled!

Depending on the boat and the circumstances during the certain part of the navigation the crew will instruct you in the sustainable fishing style used here on the islands and skills permitting, we will all have a taste of a yellow fin tuna or wahoo, if you catch some this will be part of the lunch this day.
Day 4
Galatrails - Mapping your adventure salida Glide Through Galapagos
Day 5

DEPARTURE DAY (B)

This morning you are transferred back to Baltra airport where you catch your plane back to Ecuador mainland (flight is not included).

Please advise 15 days prior to the tour your arrival and departure flight details.

Day 5

Check our multiple hotel locations available pending availability.

Touristic or similar / Santa Cruz Island

https://www.hoteldejavugalapagos.com/ https://lobodemar.com.ec/

Touristic Superior or similar / Santa Cruz Island

https://www.laislahotel.com.ec https://www.hotelmainao.com

For your information this trip is not a group tour. You will be guided during activities by various naturalist guides from the Galapagos National Park. During the activities you will meet other passengers from other tour companies which makes a great chance to meet other travelers. Transiting in the speedboats from island to island you will be on your own but your well looked after as we take the hassle out of all the logistics. Tour Operations in Galápagos, are subject to space availability and itineraries may change, due to weather conditions, operational and logistical matters, so the number of excursions and visits are limited, so not specific excursion can be guaranteed.

INCLUSIONS

EXCLUSIONS