Student Tour of Galapagos and Ecuador

Arriving at Baltra Airport is the first step towards an incredible adventure in the Galapagos Islands. With a specialized guide of Galapagos National Park accompanying you, you'll be in the best hands to discover all the natural treasures of the region. Once you arrive at the hotel, you'll be able to settle in and relax after a long trip, getting you ready for the excursions the following day

You’ll learn about the conservation problems that have been aggravating the natural habitat and how the institution is dealing with it. Top of the agenda is the giant tortoise restoration projects that are underway. This is the scientific establishment where Lonesome George lived and the only place you can observe the extraordinarily shaped saddle-backed tortoises.

You’ll also go for your first snorkel today. A great beach with some nice fish and always a possibility of rays and sea turtles.

You will venture into the highlands, learning about the change in vegetation zones and observe how the arid flora transitions into the humid, cloud forest. In Los Gemelos you’ll come in contact with some of the fascinating remnants of the volcanism of Santa Cruz in the form of two very large craters. Among the rare endemic Scalesia forest abundant here, we find some of the small endemic land birds including several species of Darwin Finch! The main highlights of the highlands are the giant tortoises. You will get up close and have a very personal experience with these prehistoric beasts and will be learning about their physiology, migration patterns and status. Finally, the visit to the Coffee Plantation. You’ll see how growing this is helping in the conservation of Galapagos. You’ll also be able to taste it and once you discover how delicious it is, you’ll have the chance to buy some to take home.

The navigation from the north of Santa Cruz is short, taking about 30 minutes to sail to the north of Baltra Island, where the islet of North Seymour is situated. You will see nesting frigates including the inflated red pouches of males and chicks. There are land iguanas on this island, which are often found shading under the cacti. Blue-footed boobies are often sited at some stage of their nesting, including courtship and the famous booby dance. With sealions, marine iguanas and swallow-tailed gulls, greeting you at the landing site, you should enjoy the activity on this island. Other activities include a snorkel along the cliffs of North Seymour which can be really abundant with fish and maybe some larger marine creatures.

Bartolome is the jewel in the crown of Galapagos. Its majestic volcanic scenery is unrivaled and is the image of Galapagos. Galapagos penguins can be observed along the coastline and are often seen during the snorkel too. The immense lava flow of Sullivan bay, on the main island of Santiago, just a couple of hundred meters from Bartolome, looks as though the eruption happened yesterday. A short walk on this flow, where the starkness of the barren inland sharply contrasts with the richer immediate coastline. At the edge of the lava, one can catch sight of Sally lightfoot crabs, herons, blue-footed boobies and on many occasions, Galapagos Penguins. A hike to the top of the magnificent Bartolome tuff cone, with the views and geological formations getting more spectacular as you climb. The grand finale affords the best and most famous view in Galapagos: Pinnacle Rock with the two beaches and the backdrop of Sullivan Bay.

After an early pick and overland transfer by bus to northern Santa Cruz, to board a yacht, you’ll embark on a short launch ride to this tiny islet on the east of Santa Cruz. The landing is dry. As your eyes get used to the glare, you’ll spot the land iguanas under the shadows of the prickly pear cacti or Opuntia. These are one of the smallest subspecies of land iguanas and the most numerous. The trail heads up a gentle incline to a steep cliff where we’ll learn about and observe a bachelor colony of sealions. The vegetation here belongs to the arid and littoral zones. This is a good place to get started on recognition of Darwin’s finches. Snorkeling will take place in nearby Punta Carrion and should reveal many kinds of fish and, if lucky, manta rays, turtles and sharks!

Here we’ll see the arid zone vegetation. The beach itself is great for surfing in one part and snorkeling and bathing in another. Marine iguanas, sea turtles, sharks and rays may all be a part of this visit. The only way to reach there is by taking a well-built brick path for 2 miles, then walking along a perfect sandy beach.

You’ll walk through different vegetation zones and will aim to reach a little volcano with stunning views of the islands from the top.

Organized almost on the day, areas of work could include restoration projects in the highlands of Santa Cruz, concentrating on reducing the introduced plants and assisting the endangered native plants; basic assistance in one of the local schools we are involved with

Today, you’ll take the launch to Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island, about two hours navigation to the west. Upon arrival you will be transported to your hotel and shown to your rooms. The remainder of the day will be spent relaxing and enjoying the new setting: a small town on a sandy shore.

Today you’ll ride to the top of Sierra Negra Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in Galapagos and the second largest active crater in the world at 6-miles diameter. A walk will take you along the caldera rim and to the site of a recent eruption surrounded by majestic lava flows, sulphur and steam vents with a backdrop of dramatic views of out-lying islands.

Upon reaching port in mid-afternoon, you’ll visit the giant tortoise breeding center, run by the national park and the biggest of its kind in the islands.

An evening relaxing on the empty beaches that surround this town is a perfect end to a perfect day.

Today, we will take you to an islet a few minutes away from Puerto Villamil. The island is known as “Las Tintoreras”, the Spanish name for White-tipped Reef Sharks, often seen sleeping in the local pools from the walk. Penguins, sea turtles and in abundance, marine iguanas will be spotted among many others. This will be followed by the first snorkel in the waters of Villamil where we’ll have an introduction to the turtles, sealions, rays, sharks and tropical fish.

spot the Galapagos flamingos in lagoons nearby.

Over the remainder of today and tomorrow, we’ll explore the land and sea of Floreana. In the highlands, there is a captive tortoise enclosure that we shall investigate. There is a walk where we look for the endemic medium-tree finch and finally see some old pirate caves.

The black sand beach boasts waters with bountiful sealions and turtles among many other surprises. The beauty of this place is its rustic and sparse population of 140. It is a true reminder of how the islands used to be.

Morning Launch: Floreana – San Cristobal. We aim to arrive before lunch after a 3-hour launch ride to San Cristobal Island. A short distance away from the dock is the hostel, the Casa de Nelly, your home in San Cristobal. After settling in, dinner will be served. The remainder of the day will be spent relaxing and enjoying the new setting.

A great snorkel site, the majestic Kicker Rock, can be reached within an hour’s navigation from port. Part of an eroded tuff cone, it stands on its own a couple of miles off the coast of San Cristobal. Circumnavigating the rock, you’ll be able to admire Nazca boobies and magnificent frigates nesting on the rock, as well as the fabulous geology of the rock itself

After breakfast, you’ll take a bus to the highlands of San Cristobal. You’ll visit El Junco and the Galapaguera, a “semi-natural” habitat with a different subspecies of giant tortoise from San Cristobal. Lunch will be in the highlands

Upon reaching port, you will engage in a snorkel at La Loberia, a popular site for sealions and marine iguanas.

to the airport, ensuring a smooth and pleasant end to this unforgettable adventure