7 Day Galapagos Island Hopping Budget

It is recommended to book flights with an early arrival time to Baltra Airport to make sure you can enjoy all of the activities of the tour.

Option 1: Itinerary for flights arriving at Baltra before 12:00 PM
At Baltra Airport, an English speaking guide will pick you up to go to Puerto Ayora to enjoy your lunch. After lunch, you will take the speedboat to Isabela Island. This can be a bumpy ride, so provide yourself a waterproof jacket and motion sickness medication, if necessary. Upon arrival on Isabela Island, a driver will pick you up to go for a short visit to the Flamingo Lagoon. After that, you will be dropped off at your hotel.

Option 2: Itinerary for flights arriving at Baltra after 12:00 PM
If your flight is scheduled to arrive after 12:00 PM, you will stay at Santa Cruz Island on the first day because the last speedboat to Isabela Island leaves around 03:00 PM. *You won’t have lunch in this case. If you have time, you will have an activity, either a visit to Tortuga Bay or Charles Darwin Station. The rest of the tour usually looks like this: Day 2: Santa Fe; Day 3: Bahia half day tour & Tortuga Bay / Charles Darwin Station; Day 4: Santa Cruz highlands, afternoon boat to Isabela; Day 5: Wetlands & Tintoreras; Day 6: Los Tuneles; Day 7: morning boat to Santa Cruz and transfer out to airport.

• ActivitySightseeing, Wildlife Watching.
• TransportBoat, Bus, Car.
• Meal*Lunch.
• AccommodationsHotel San Vicente or similar (option 1). Hotel Deja Vu or similar (option 2).

In the morning, you will have a tour to The Wetlands. You will visit first the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center, and spot small and giant tortoises in their natural habitat. The next activity will be a visit to The Wall of Tears, followed by a visit to a small lava tunnel. Above the tunnel, you can see the intertidal landscape that offers a tapestry of Galapagos Sesuvium between El Túnel del Estero and Love Beach. Please have in mind that the total length of the walk in The Wetlands area is approximately 3 to 4 hours.

After lunch, you will have a little break and then you will visit Tintoreras Islet. Here you will find  white-tip sharks, known as Tintoreras, which come daily to rest at the bottom. To reach this place, you will go to the pier of Puerto Villamil, to board a boat to cross to the islet which is located across the bay. It will be necessary for passengers to use walking shoes or sneakers (closed shoes) to cross the volcanic rocks.

• ActivityExploring, Hiking, Sightseeing, Wildlife Watching.
• TransportBoat, Car.
• MealBreakfast, Lunch.
• AccommodationsHotel San Vicente or similar.

Early in the morning, you will go on boat ride from Puerto Villamil. You will explore the brilliant scenery in Los Tuneles which is considered one of the most beautiful places to snorkel in Isabela Island. Around Los Tuneles, you will find a highly contrasted color for snorkeling with clear, calm water. You will get the chance to spot large quantities of seabirds and species feeding, such as tortoises, marine iguanas, sea lions, manta rays, Galapagos penguins, and more. This exciting activity takes approximately about 6 hours, including the boat rides and a snack before a short hike.

• ActivityExploring, Snorkeling, Wildlife Watching.
• TransportBoat.
• MealBreakfast, Snack.
• AccommodationsHotel San Vicente or similar.

At 06:00 AM, you will take the speedboat to Santa Cruz Island, where you will have breakfast. Then, you will go to the Charles Darwin Research Station, where the guides will explain more about the famous giant tortoises. After lunch at a local restaurant, you will visit Tortuga Bay. Think, enjoying the white sand, captivating blue water while observing marine iguanas, pelicans and flamingos. You can also swim here. To reach Tortuga Bay, there is a 2.5 km (30-45 minutes) walk over a paved path from Puerto Ayora. It is also possible to return from Tortuga Bay to Puerto Ayora by boat. This costs $ 10 p.p. + $ 10 for the boat ride of the guide. The departure time is at 05:30 PM.

• ActivityExploring, Sightseeing, Swimming, Wildlife Watching.
• TransportBoat.
• MealBreakfast, Lunch.
• AccommodationsHotel Deja Vu or similar.

After breakfast, you will travel to Santa Fe Island, which is a small island that lies in the center of the Galapagos archipelago. Among animals, Santa Fe is home to endemic species including the Barrington Land Iguana (Conolophus pallidus). After a 45 minute boat ride, you will arrive to the bay of Santa Fe. There, you will have a very nice snorkeling activity, and if you are lucky, you can spot some birds on the rocks. After snorkeling, you will go to Playa Escondida or Garrapatero in Santa Cruz Island, and have a wet landing there. Here, you will have some time to discover the beach.

* Today you will have an activity called ‘Pesca Vivencial’ which means that you might be able to experience a fishing demonstration according to weather and park regulations.

* Wet landing means that the boat will get close to the beach, and from there, you will disembark in the sea. It is recommended that you bring extra clothing, as you might get wet.

• ActivityHiking, Snorkeling, Wildlife Watching.
• TransportBoat.
• MealBreakfast, Box Lunch.
• AccommodationsHotel Deja Vu or similar.

With the Bay Tour, you will visit the highlights around Puerto Ayora by boat. The first destination you will visit is La Loberia, where you find many sea lions. Next, you will go to Punta Camaño Islet. Here you will snorkel with more sea lions and a large variety of fish. Your next activity will be a visit to the Channel of Love, a formation by fissure that results in a beautiful sleepy water channel with a scenic beauty. Finally, to end the Bay Tour, you will go to Playa de Los Perros.

In the afternoon, you will visit the highlands of Santa Cruz with its famous Galapagos giant tortoises. You will do a small hike on a privately owned ranch, and you can see the big tortoises in their natural habitat.

• ActivityHiking, Sightseeing, Snorkeling, Wildlife Watching.
• TransportBoat.
• MealBreakfast, Lunch.
• AccommodationsHotel Deja Vu or similar.

Your Galapagos Island Hopping Budget tour is coming to an end today. After breakfast, you will travel to Baltra Airport with a Spanish speaking driver, where you will depart to Quito or Guayaquil.

• TransportBoat, Bus, Car.
• MealBreakfast.