6 Day Galapagos Complete Island Hopping

After a nice Ecuadorian lunch, you have time to visit many highlights of the island on your own, at your leisure. You can choose from Playa Mann, Las Tijeretas, or La Loberia where sea lions sometimes gather and at each visit you can swim, hike, and snorkel.

Today you will visit the highlands of San Cristobal. Your driver will take you to your first stop in about 30 minutes: El Junco Crater Lake, the only freshwater lake on the Galapagos Islands. Then you continue to Puerto Chino, a beautiful white sanded beach (lookout for horseflies). Follow a path that leads you along the cacti of the Opuntia until you reach the white sandy beach of Puerto Chino. Here you can take a short walk along the lazy sea lions that lie on the beach, towards the blue footed boobies on the rocks. You walk back to the car so you can continue to La Galapaguera, a breeding ground with very nice wooden walkways and clear indications.

In the morning you will take a flight from San Cristóbal to Isabela Island. The flight can take about 45 minutes. After you have been to your hotel, you will have the opportunity to take a bike and visit the Arnaldo Tupiza Giant Tortoise Breeding Center and other highlights like the Wall of Tears and the wetlands complex with mangroves and native species. In the afternoon, you will be accompanied by a guide who will accompany you on a relaxing and beautiful kayak excursion in Puerto Villamil. You’ll be able to see endemic species like marine iguanas, sea lions, and perhaps even Galapagos penguins.

Today you will be picked up in the morning to begin a drive into the highlands for your trek to Sierra Negra Volcano. It has the second-largest crater in the world with a diameter of 10 km. The hike will take you to the rim and also to Volcano Chico, a cone of the Sierra Negra with moonlike landscapes. The experience allows you to imagine how these islands once formed and how they were created. The rest of the afternoon after the hike is free for you to enjoy at your leisure.

You will be picked up in time to board the speedboat leaving Isabela at 6:00 in the morning for the return to Santa Cruz Island. You will be provided a boxed breakfast for the departure. Later in the morning you will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station. It is an incredible visit known for its efforts in conservation and park interpretation of the islands. Later, you’ll be taken to the Santa Cruz highlands where you can view Giant tortoises in their natural habitat as you walk the trails on the ranch.

You will be taken to the Itabacca Channel, assisted with crossing, and taking the bus back to the airport. Once you arrive at the airport, you have reached the end of the tour.