Ecuador Tours and TRavel

 

Hotel-Based Galapagos Island Hopping Tours

Red Mangrove Hotels

Daily Departure Tours

 

10 DAY ISLAND HOPPING PACKAGE (DAILY)

Departure: Every day of the week
Minimum: 2 passengers
Maxim: 12 passengers

Day 1: Arrival in Quito or Guayaquil - Pick up at the airport. Our guide will welcome you and take you to the hotel. Check-in.

Day 2: Quito - San Cristóbal Island - Transfer to the airport for the flight to San Cristóbal. Today our local guide will receive you and begin the excursion towards the high part of the island where we will have the opportunity to visit the Center where giant Galapagos turtles are raised. After this visit, we will enjoy a wonderful barbecue at a nearby farm. Then we will continue our excursion to the Junco Lake -the only sweet water lake- where we will see marine birds. Just a few minutes from this place, we will stop at a lookout where we there is a beautiful view of the Puerto Baquerizo Moreno Bay. Return to the hotel and lodging. L/…..

Day 3: San Cristobal Island Lobos Island - Leon Dormido - Puerto Grande - We will navigate to Lobos Island where we will walk around. Here we will observe colonies of sea lions and then continue on to the famous Leon Dormido (Kicker Rock) where we can watch the high-flying boobies and frigate birds. Our main recreation here will be snorkeling and we will have the opportunity to swimming with rays, seals, iguanas, multicolored fish, and much more. The same day we will continue on to Puerto Grande with its beautiful white sand beach to enjoy a well-deserved rest and a box lunch. In the evening we will enjoy a dinner at a local fisherman house. Return to the hotel and lodging. B/L/D

Day 4: San Cristobal Island - Santa Cruz Island - Charles Darwin Station - Departure in a public speed boat to Santa Cruz Island, one of the most important islands in the Archipelago because this is where most of the hotels and tourist accommodations are located. After arrival, we will have lunch at the village. In the afternoon, we will visit the important Charles Darwin Research Station where we will watch some of the largest breeding centers for Galapagos tortoises and land iguanas. Here the guide will give us a detailed explanation regarding the evolution of the Islands. Finally we will take a long but easy walk to one of the most beautiful white sand beaches of the islands. Tortuga Bay Beach. Return to the hotel and lodging. B/L/…

Day 5: Santa Cruz Island - Highlands - Garrapatero Beach - Leave for the high part of the island and go to Primicias Ranch where we will walk into the brush to look for giant Galapagos tortoises. Then after a moderate walk, we will visit the lava tunnels and have lunch in a typical restaurant there. We will continue on that same day and go to Garrapatero Beach, one of the beautiful white sand beaches where the water is turquoise and the sea is tranquil. Here we can go surface diving and watch flamingos and other sea birds. Return to the hotel and lodging. B/L/..

Day 6: Santa Cruz Island - Bay Tour - Isabela Island - In the morning, we will tour the bay and visit Punta Estrada, the Germans' Beach, Channels of Love and the Grietas. During this tour, we will watch marine birds and sea lions and be able to surface dive. Lunch in Puerto Ayora. In the afternoon, a fast speed boat will take us to Isabela Island, one of the most beautiful islands in the Archipelago. After 2 to 3 hours of navigating, we will reach this corner of paradise where a local transfer will take us to the hotel. In the late afternoon, you can visit the Muro de las Lagrimas (Wall of Tears). This historical place was build by prisoners from Ecuador's first jail. As we walk to our destination, we will, visit the areas of mangrove trees, and a lookout from which we will be able to see the southern part of the island and the sea where it meets the immense blue sky. (Orchidea Viewpoint) Alter returning, we will stop for a well-deserved swim on the enchanting beach of Puerto Villamil. Accommodations at the hotel. B/L/..

Day 7: Isabela Island - Sierra Negra Volcano - Chico Volcano - Today will be very special because our guide will meet you at the hotel and take you to one of the most beautiful volcanoes in the world. The crater of this volcano called "Sierra Negra" is approximately 7 kilometers in diameter. We will go slowly hiking (5 -6 hours) in order to enjoy the wonderful scenery and then have a box lunch. The day will continue with a moderate walk to Chico Volcano where we will walk through the fumaroles of this active volcano and look down on the sea. Return to the hotel and lodging. B/Box Lunch/…

Day 8: Isabela Island - The Tunnels of Cape Rose - Isabela Breeding Center - Prepare yourself for one of the best days of your trip! After navigation aboard a typical fisherman boat for an hour and a half from Puerto Villamil, we will reach Cape Rosa or Finado Bay on the western side of the island. This is one of the most beautiful places nature has bestowed upon humankind. Here we can walk over the connected lava tunnels situated in the blue sea waters. From the surface, we will very easily be able to see dozens of sea turtles, penguins and rays and we will also be able to do snorkeling and swimming alongside this rich marine fauna. Box lunch. As we navigate to and from Isabela, we will see manta rays of different sizes that will make this trip different, and if it is the mating season, we will see them diving upside-down on the surface, waiting to have their pictures taken. In the afternoon we will visit the Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre where you will be able to observe tortoises of all ages and sizes. You will also learn about the reproduction and rearing of giant tortoises and see all the work that is being carried out to help recover the wild populations of these species. There is also a visitor's centre and a gift shop where local handmade products are sold. Finally we will walk to see the Flamingo Lake and a lookout from which we will be able to see the southern part of the island and the sea where it meets the immense blue sky. Return to the hotel and lodging. B/Box Lunch/..

Day 9: Isabela Island - Santa Cruz Island - Baltra - Quito - Early departure to take the public speed boat to Puerto Ayora. We will immediately take a private taxi across Santa Cruz Island to the Baltra Airport where we will check in for our flights to the Continent. Before take we will take a short stop at The Twins Craters. Those who want can take an inter-island flight in a 5 to 9 capacity plane. The flight from Isabela to the Baltra Airport is 30 minutes and connects to the flight to the continent (no flights on Sundays). This service is optional and is charged extra but can be canceled at any time. In Quito or Guayaquil our people in charge of transfer will be waiting to take you to the hotel. B/L/..

Day 10: Departure from Quito or Guayaquil - Transportation from the hotel to the airport. International flight. Happy return home!
B/….

2009 price per person in US$:

Hotel Level	2-3 people	4-5 people	6-7 people	single supp.
tourist	$1994	$1524	$1418	$253
tourist superior	$2177	$1698	$1586	$437
first	$2664	$2185	$2075	$596

BOOKING REQUEST

The package includes: Accommodations every day, breakfasts and lunches as detailed in the program, public speed boat for navigating, bilingual English-speaking naturalist guide (Spanish - English), for groups of 12 persons or more a tour leader or permanent guide, private land transportation, snorkel equipment, assistance at the Quito airport.

The package does not include: Round trip airfare, entrance fee to Galapagos National Park (US$ 100), transit control card (US$10), Isabela Island dock tax (US$ 5), dinners (except for the one on the 3rd day), wet suit, personal expenses, tips. (If you take an intra-insular flight, you have to pay a tax of US$ 15 to the Isabela Airport.)

Flexibility of the programs
- The programs start every day of the year.
- The packages can be offered with tourist, superior tourist and first class hotel. This depends on the correspondent island and on the availability of rooms in the hotels.
- For small groups of up to 11 passengers we can offer a bilingual guide that permanently stays with the group instead of having a new local guide on every island. This depends on how exclusive you would like the service to be.
- We can offer private speed boats for long navigations. This depends on your requirements and on how exclusive you want the service to be.
- Our passengers receive an individual service. We do not share activities with other local operators or with other groups of our company.
- If you would like to get a cheaper price, it is possible to share services with other local operators. However, normally our packages are basically private.
- We offer you to visit special and interesting places which usually are neither part of our cruises nor offered by other local operators.
- If you would like to add diving tours, we will be pleased to offer you tours starting from Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristobal Islands with a minimum of 4 dives on each excursion.
- If you wish to reduce the number of days and only stay 4, 5 or 6 days, we can shorten up our program to the island which you would like to see the most.
- In our programs, we operate the best places to achieve the best customer satisfaction!

See 7 day package to Santa Cruz and Isabella Islands

Important Information
* The months of agitated sea are from July 15 to September 15. The rest of the year the sea is calm. It is recommended to take this into account when planning your trip.
* Bring health or medical insurance. We recommend you to conclude a travel and accident insurance as this is an active adventure program which requires precautions.
* We suggest taking a 20 kg suitcase and a carry-on bag since these are allowed by continental airlines.
* In public speed boats, only one suitcase of 20 kg and a carry-on bag per person are allowed.
* In light aircrafts, one suitcase of 10 kg and a carry-on bag per person are allowed.

Clothing and accessories to take with you to Galápagos:
For the hot months (December - May) we recommend a bathing suit, T-shirts, shorts, sunglasses, cap or hat, insect repellent, sunscreen, sport shoes good for walking in lava and through rocks, and sandals. For the cooler months (June- November), a waterproof jacket or poncho and lightweight pants are necessary. Other important items are lip balm, eye drops, plastic bags for electronic equipment, binoculars, patches or pills for seasickness, a photo or video camera and sufficient film, and medicine normally taken. Wet suits are available for rent, but please check in advance as these have an extra cost.