GALAPAGOS ISLANDS AND COLONIAL QUITO CRUISE

Transfer in Quito (airport – hotel). Welcome to Quito. A representative will meet you and take you to your hotel. You will have free time to explore the city and relax.

Tour of Colonial Quito and the Middle of the World. Walk through the streets and squares of the most important historic center in America: a vibrant, multiethnic place full of art and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then, the tour continues to the Middle of the World complex, located exactly at latitude 0º0. At the end, return to the hotel.

MORNING:

The flight from Quito to Baltra Island takes 2 and a half hours (flight not included). Upon arrival in Galápagos, our expert guides will welcome you at the airport and accompany you on a short 10-minute bus ride to the dock, where you will board the Galapagos Legend.

AFTERNOON:

Black Turtle Cove (Santa Cruz Island). On the north coast of Santa Cruz Island, accessible only by sea, four species of mangroves form an inner lagoon. Turtles visit its calm waters, raising their heads above the surface, while fish and rays swim beneath. White-tip reef sharks can be seen under the boat, along with seabirds such as pelicans, herons, and egrets. This cove has been declared a turtle sanctuary.

• Difficulty level: Easy

• Terrain type: No landing

• Duration: 1-hour boat ride

• Landing: None

MORNING:

Prince Philip’s Steps (Genovesa Island). Be amazed by the variety of marine life that uses the cracks of the lava cliffs as shelter. Red-billed tropicbirds fly overhead, and a small colony of sea lions can be found near the landing site. You will be dropped off at a steep staircase starting from rocks at the base of a trail that leads through a seabird colony filled with Nazca boobies and red-footed boobies.

• Difficulty level: Moderate

• Terrain type: Volcanic rocky

• Duration: 1 hour 45 minutes hike, 1 hour snorkeling, 30 minutes kayaking or 45 minutes glass-bottom boat ride

• Landing: Dry

AFTERNOON:

Darwin Bay (Genovesa Island). From inside the flooded caldera of Tower Island, we step onto a sandy beach to be welcomed by swallow-tailed gulls, often considered the most beautiful in the world. Along the trail, we can see red-footed boobies nesting and great frigatebirds.

• Difficulty level: Easy

• Terrain type: Sandy

• Duration: 1 hour snorkeling, 1 hour 15 minutes hike, 45 minutes kayaking or 45 minutes glass-bottom boat ride

• Landing: Wet

MORNING:

Sea lions, swallow-tailed gulls, and land iguanas are present at the landing site. The small island is covered by a carpet of red succulent plants dotted with Opuntia cacti. Along the cliff edge, we spend time observing birds such as frigatebirds, flocks of Galápagos shearwaters, and especially red-billed tropicbirds.

• Difficulty level: Moderate

• Terrain type: Volcanic rocky

• Duration: 2-hour hike

• Landing: Dry

AFTERNOON:

Santa Fe Island. After fabulous snorkeling in the turquoise waters of the protected bay, we may have enjoyed time with sea lions, turtles, reef sharks, and spotted eagle rays. Landing on a sandy beach, we spend time observing the abundant sea lions present there.

• Difficulty level: Moderate

• Terrain type: Rocky/sandy

• Duration: 1 hour hike of 45 minutes, 1 hour snorkeling, 30 minutes kayaking or 45 minutes glass-bottom boat ride

• Landing: Wet

Highlands (Santa Cruz Island). In the central highlands of Santa Cruz Island, we have the best opportunity to closely interact with completely wild Galápagos giant tortoises. A short walk among these enormous 600-pound reptiles also offers the chance to see more highland species, especially several species of the famous finches.

• Difficulty level: Easy

• Terrain type: Flat/muddy

• Duration: 1-hour hike / 45-minute round trip by bicycle

• Landing: Dry

✈ Baltra Island Airport. After the visit, passengers will be transferred to the airport to take their return flight to Quito (flight not included).

PM Accommodation: At the 5-star GO Quito Hotel / Premium Room

After a buffet breakfast at the GO Quito Hotel, transfer to Quito airport to take your flight back home. Or, if you prefer, you can extend your stay in Ecuador with one of the tours we offer.