Giant tortoise on Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos

8 days · 7 nights

Darwin’s First Landfall

Quito · San Cristóbal · Santa Cruz

Start on San Cristóbal, where Darwin first landed, then cross by speedboat to Santa Cruz.

What’s included

  • Hotels7 nights, double or twin room
  • Galápagos entryPark fee and transit card
  • Island crossingSpeedboat to Santa Cruz
  • GuidesBilingual guide and Park naturalists
  • Transfers and entrancesAll of them, mainland and islands
  • Snorkel gearSnorkel and wetsuit
  • MealsBreakfast daily, lunch Days 2 to 7

Itinerary

Your trip, day by day

Everything listed for each day is included. Gold boxes mark what you can choose, and you pick yours further down this page.

  1. El Panecillo hill above Quito, Ecuador Day 1 Overnight Quito

    Arrival in Quito

    Your guide meets you at arrivals, and the evening is free to let the altitude settle.

    Easyno walking

    Day 1

    Arrival in Quito

    The day, step by step

    1. Arrival

      A licensed guide from our team meets you in the arrivals hall, with your name on a sign.

    2. Drive

      About 45 minutes into the city, with time to go over the week ahead.

    3. Evening

      Free. Quito sits at 2,850 m (9,350 ft), so the first night is for letting the altitude settle.

  2. Day 2 Overnight Quito

    A full day in Quito

    A morning in the old town and lunch in town. The afternoon is yours to shape.

    • Included
    • Plaza Grande
    • La Compañía
    • San Francisco
    Pick one or two

    You can choose between these options

    • Middle of the World
    • Pichincha
    • Botanical garden

    Moderateabout 3 hours on foot, at altitude

    Day 2

    A full day in Quito

    The day, step by step

    1. Morning

      The old town on foot: Plaza Grande, La Compañía under gold leaf and San Francisco.

    2. Lunch

      In town, included.

    3. Afternoon You can choose

      Take one option below, or two. Your guide shapes the afternoon around your pick.

    You can choose between these optionsPick one or two

    These are only to look at for now. You pick yours further down on this page.

    • The Middle of the World monument near Quito

      Middle of the World

      The equator line, north of Quito

      The monument that marks the equator, and the Intiñán museum, set on the equator line.

    • The Pichincha cable car above Quito

      Pichincha cable car

      A ride above the city

      A cable car up the slopes of Pichincha, with Quito spread out below and the Andes around you.

    • The Quito botanical garden

      Botanical garden

      Orchids and greenhouses

      The orchid houses, a calm and colourful end to the day.

  3. Day 3 Overnight Quito

    A day beyond Quito

    One full day outside the city, picked when you book. Guide, transport, entrances and lunch are the same on all four.

    Choose 1 of 4

    You can choose between these options

    • Mindo
    • Otavalo
    • Cotopaxi
    • Antisana

    Easy to demandingdepends on your pick

    Day 3

    A day beyond Quito

    The day, step by step

    1. Same in all four

      Guide, transport, site fees and lunch.

    2. Your destination You can choose

      One of four, picked when you book. You can look at each one below.

    You can choose between these optionsChoose 1 of 4

    These are only to look at for now. You pick yours further down on this page.

    • Cloud forest in Mindo, Ecuador

      Mindo

      Cloud forest, 2 hours northwest of Quito

      A private reserve 1,400 m below Quito: hummingbird feeders, a cable car over the Nambillo valley to the waterfalls, a butterfly house, and coffee or chocolate made in front of you. The waterfall walk is the demanding part.

      • Moderate
      • Migrant birds, Oct to Mar
    • The Otavalo market in the Ecuadorian Andes

      Otavalo

      Highland market, 2 hours north of Quito

      Fresh bizcochos in Cayambe, views over Lake San Pablo, the Otavalo market and weaving workshops in Peguche. The day ends at Cuicocha, a crater lake at 3,100 m, with as much of the rim walk as you like. Mostly level ground; the market is biggest on Saturdays.

      • Easy to moderate
    • Cotopaxi volcano, Ecuador

      Cotopaxi

      Volcano and high grassland, at 3,800 m

      Limpiopungo lagoon with the cone reflected in it on clear mornings, wild horses on the páramo, the Owls’ Cave lava tube and the cold springs at Salitre. An optional trail climbs from the 4,600 m car park to the José Rivas refuge, about 45 minutes at altitude.

      • Moderate to demanding
    • The Antisana reserve, Ecuador

      Antisana

      High moorland, 1¼ hours from Quito

      The condor viewpoint at Peñón del Cóndor, then La Mica lagoon at 4,050 m, with white-tailed deer and curiquingues along the road. Walk the full 4 km circuit (1½ to 2 hours) or a short, almost flat stroll of 45 to 60 minutes. We start early.

      • Demanding
      • Best Nov to Feb
  4. Day 4 Overnight Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

    Flight to San Cristóbal and the highlands

    A morning flight, then up to the highlands for a crater lake, giant tortoises and lunch on a local farm.

    • Included
    • El Junco crater lake
    • David Rodríguez reserve

    Moderatelongest walk about an hour

    Day 4

    Flight to San Cristóbal and the highlands

    The day, step by step

    1. Early start

      A morning flight to San Cristóbal. Galápagos flights leave early, so the day starts early.

    2. Arrival

      Your island guide is waiting at the airport.

    3. Highlands

      El Junco, a crater lake where frigatebirds wash the salt from their wings, and the David Rodríguez reserve, with giant tortoises on the trail.

    4. Lunch

      On a local farm.

  5. Day 5 Overnight Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

    A full day at sea from San Cristóbal

    A full day on a licensed yacht with a Park naturalist: a guided walk ashore, snorkelling and lunch on board.

    Choose 1 of 3

    You can choose between these options

    • 360° tour
    • Kicker Rock
    • Española

    Moderate to demandingdeep water at Kicker Rock and Española

    Day 5

    A full day at sea from San Cristóbal

    The day, step by step

    1. Departure

      You board a licensed yacht in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, with a Park naturalist.

    2. On the route

      A guided walk ashore and one or two snorkelling stops. Snorkel gear and wetsuit are included.

    3. Lunch

      On board.

    4. Your route You can choose

      One of three routes. You can look at each one below.

    You can choose between these optionsChoose 1 of 3

    These are only to look at for now. You pick yours further down on this page.

    • The coast of San Cristóbal, Galápagos

      360° Island Tour

      A loop around the whole island

      A guided walk ashore and snorkelling from the beach at Bahía Sardina or Bahía Rosa Blanca.

    • Kicker Rock off San Cristóbal

      Kicker Rock (León Dormido)

      A rock split in two by a channel

      Deep-water snorkelling in the channel that splits the rock, a walk ashore and a beach landing at Cerro Brujo or Manglecito.

      • Deep-water snorkelling
    • Española Island, Galápagos

      Española

      A longer crossing, April to December

      Timed to the nesting of waved albatrosses. Deep-water snorkelling and a walk among the seabird colonies.

      • Deep-water snorkelling
      • April to December

    Your route is confirmed in writing before you travel.

  6. Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos Day 6 Overnight Santa Cruz

    Across to Santa Cruz

    A two-hour speedboat crossing, then a day on land with your Santa Cruz guide, from the town up to the highlands.

    • Included
    • Charles Darwin Station
    • Lava tunnels, 500 m
    • Highland lunch
    • El Trapiche farm

    Prefer to fly? Ask us for the 30-minute flight.

    Moderateuneven stone inside the tunnels

    Day 6

    Across to Santa Cruz

    The day, step by step

    1. Crossing

      Two hours by speedboat, with motion-sickness tablets. Then the biosecurity check at the Academy Bay pier.

    2. Santa Cruz

      Your Santa Cruz guide meets you. Bags go to the hotel, then you visit the Charles Darwin Research Station.

    3. Highlands

      Half a kilometre of lava tunnels, with lunch at a highland venue.

    4. Afternoon

      El Trapiche.

  7. Day 7 Overnight Santa Cruz

    A full day at sea from Santa Cruz

    A day yacht from Puerto Ayora with a Park naturalist takes you to a different island: a guided walk ashore, snorkelling and lunch on board.

    Choose 1 of 4

    You can choose between these options

    • North Seymour
    • Bartolomé
    • Santa Fe
    • South Plaza

    Moderate2 to 3 hours of navigation; some swell is normal

    Day 7

    A full day at sea from Santa Cruz

    The day, step by step

    1. Departure

      A licensed yacht leaves Puerto Ayora with a Park naturalist, bound for a different island.

    2. On the island

      A guided walk ashore and one or two snorkelling stops. Snorkel gear and wetsuit are included.

    3. Lunch

      On board.

    4. Your island You can choose

      One of four. You can look at each one below.

    You can choose between these optionsChoose 1 of 4

    These are only to look at for now. You pick yours further down on this page.

    • North Seymour Island, Galápagos

      North Seymour

      A small island of seabird colonies

      Blue-footed boobies dancing on the trail and the largest frigatebird colony in the archipelago.

    • Bartolomé Island, Galápagos

      Bartolomé

      A volcanic island, home of Pinnacle Rock

      The climb to the viewpoint over Pinnacle Rock, then snorkelling with penguins at its foot.

    • Santa Fe Island, Galápagos

      Santa Fe

      A small island with its own land iguanas

      Land iguanas found nowhere else, under a forest of giant Opuntia cactus.

    • South Plaza Island, Galápagos

      South Plaza with Las Bachas

      A cliff-edged island and a beach landing

      Cliff colonies above, sesuvium turning scarlet in the dry season, and a beach landing to finish.

    The National Park assigns sites by boat and by day. We show you the authorised boats for your dates, so you choose and secure your route before you pay.

  8. An iguana on North Seymour Island, Galápagos Day 8

    Departure

    Transfer to Baltra, timed to your flight.

    Easy

Free time ideas

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

  • Playa Lobos and Playa MannA few minutes on foot from your hotel, with sea lions on the sand at both.
  • La LoberíaTen minutes by taxi. A self-guided trail along the lava rocks and a sheltered bay where you can snorkel with sea lions.

Puerto Ayora

  • Fish marketOn the waterfront at the end of the morning: pelicans and sea lions queue for scraps beside the customers.
  • Calle Charles BinfordFills with kitchen tables after dark. It is where the town eats.
  • Laguna de las NinfasTen minutes on foot. A mangrove lagoon with a boardwalk and almost nobody on it.
  • Playa de los AlemanesA water taxi across the bay, then three minutes on foot. Calm, shallow and usually quiet.

Flight times and highland weather can change the order of visits. What the programme contains does not change, and we confirm the running order when your tickets are issued.

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