Galápagos — Central, South & East Islands (Yolita)

Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer included.

There are no planned activities, so check into the hotel and enjoy the city. A representative will greet you at the hotel and brief the group on the various aspects of the tour.

Take an early flight to the Galapagos Islands. In the afternoon, visit North Seymour Island to look out for blue-footed boobies.

Plane

Mariscal Sucre International Airport – Seymour Airport 2h

Flights from Quito to Baltra depart between 6:40am and 9:40am depending on the day of the week. These will arrive into the Galapagos between 9:30am and 12:30pm with a short refuelling stop in Guayaquil (you will not disembark the plane). You will generally arrive at the boat in time for lunch on Day 2 before the afternoon activity.

North Seymour Island Visit

North SeymourAfternoon

Have an amazing wildlife experience visiting North Seymour Island – this island is teeming with life! Follow trails to see all the action (you may need to give way to a passing sea lion or marine iguana while walking). Depending on the season, see blue-footed booby nests where mating pairs perform their courtship dance. Head to a rocky shore to see flocks of pelicans having lunch in a dive bomb feeding frenzy, then turn inland to a large nesting site of magnificent frigatebirds. These huge, dark acrobats have two-metre (6.5 ft) wingspans, and males, with their puffed-up scarlet throat sacks, sit precariously perched in low bushes to watch over their equally large chicks.

Yolita

North Seymour – San Cristobal Island

Yolita is an attractive 16-passenger ship boasting surprisingly spacious cabins for its size, and the large upper deck allows you to soak up as much of the Ecuadorian sun as you need.

Travel to the dramatic Kicker Rock in the morning to witness the steep vertical stone walls rising from the ocean. Continue to Cerro Brujo on San Cristobal to observe sea lions, marine iguanas, and seabirds along the beach. In the afternoon, head to Isla Lobos known for its friendly sea lions. Here, there will be an opportunity to snorkel if you choose.

Cerro Brujo Visit

Cerro Brujo 1h-3hAfternoon

Visit Cerro Brujo to explore its coastline, and look for wildlife on the beach, in the water, and in the air. Learn about the human and natural history of the area from the Galapagos CEO/Naturalist Guide.

Snorkelling (Isla Lobos)

Isla Lobos

Snorkel the waters of peaceful Isla Lobos, amid the families of sea lions and their inquisitive pups looking to play. Spot nesting frigatebirds and the famous blue-footed boobies resting on the shore. Be sure to bring your camera to catch some snaps at this prime wildlife watching haven.

Isla Lobos Visit

Isla Lobos Afternoon

Explore this tiny island for great wildlife encounters. Either by foot or by panga, view the sea and shore birds nesting and feeding. Spot a small colony of blue-footed boobies as well as two species of sea lions.

Yolita

San Cristobal Island – Española Island

Yolita is an attractive 16-passenger ship boasting surprisingly spacious cabins for its size, and the large upper deck allows you to soak up as much of the Ecuadorian sun as you need.

Sail in to Gardner Bay, an excellent swimming and snorkelling site. Head to Punta Suarez on Espanola Island. The southernmost island in the Galapagos archipelago is home to several wildlife species, including masked and blue-footed boobies. A hike to the top of the cliff makes for spectacular photo opportunities.

Punta Suarez on the western side of Espanola Island (also called Hood) is spectacular.
Follow the trail through a rookery and learn the geological history of the island from the naturalist, including its dramatic volcanic features, climate, flora, and fauna.

Gardner Bay Visit

Bahía Gardner 1h-3hMorning

Visit Gardner Bay's magnificent white sandy beach and spectacular landscapes. This incredible place is home to sea lions, hood mockingbirds, Nazca boobies, waved albatross, red-billed tropic birds, lava lizards, Galapagos hawks, and blue-footed boobies. Be sure to explore the beautiful turquoise water and its incredible sea life.

Snorkelling (Gardner Bay)

Española Island 45m-1h

Strap on your snorkel and if conditions allow, see an abundance of sea life including; young sea lions and large schools of surprisingly big tropical fish, including yellow-tailed surgeonfish, king angelfish, and bump-head parrot fish.

Punta Suarez Excursion

Punta Suarez Afternoon

Head to Punta Suarez on Espanola Island, the southernmost island in the Galapagos archipelago and home to several wildlife species. Hike to the top of the cliff for spectacular photo opportunities, and explore the island's untamed natural beauty.

Yolita

Espanola Island – Santa Fe Island

Yolita is an attractive 16-passenger ship boasting surprisingly spacious cabins for its size, and the large upper deck allows you to soak up as much of the Ecuadorian sun as you need.

Visit Santa Fe island for a chance to mingle with the iguanas. Continue to South Plaza for some great bird watching opportunities. Here, you will also have the opportunity to snorkel should you choose.

Santa Fe Island Visit

Santa Fe IslandMorning

Visit Santa Fe for amazing wildlife watching and snorkelling opportunities. Hike towards the cliffs along the island's northern shore to view the forest of giant prickly pear cactus (Opuntia), which is home to endemic land iguanas. It is also one of the best locations to see sea turtles, sea lions, and maybe even get a glimpse of a whitetip reef shark from the panga.

South Plaza Island Visit

South Plaza Afternoon

Visit South Plaza, one of the smallest islands in the Galapagos, which has one of the largest populations of land iguanas. Walk along a path through a cactus forest and view a combination of dry and coastal vegetation on this lively island, home to a wide range of fauna, including incredible birdlife. Spot red-billed tropicbirds and indigenous swallow-tailed gulls resting on the cliffs, and sea lions playing in the waters.

Yolita

Santa Fe Island – Santa Cruz Island

Yolita is an attractive 16-passenger ship boasting surprisingly spacious cabins for its size, and the large upper deck allows you to soak up as much of the Ecuadorian sun as you need.

Visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to see the giant Galápagos tortoises and go on an excursion to the Santa Cruz Highlands. Free time for shopping or exploration of Puerto Ayora.

In the morning, arrive in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. Santa Cruz is the second biggest island in the Galapagos, and has the largest population. Puerto Ayora is its main town. In the afternoon, there may be the opportunity to visit the highlands and see giant land tortoises in the wild.

Highlands Giant Tortoises Visit

Santa Cruz Island

Head to Santa Cruz’s verdant highlands. This is a perfect place to hike through the grounds and see giant tortoises in their natural environment, before savouring an included lunch.

Free Time

Puerto Ayora

The tiny town of Puerto Ayora offers some unique shopping opportunities and a fish market to checkout.

Fausto Llerena Breeding Center & Charles Darwin Research Station Visit

Puerto Ayora 45m

Visit Fausto Llerena Breeding Center a great place to observe many species of tortoises. Brought back from the brink of extinction, see the famous Galapagos tortoise up close – a corral houses adult tortoises, and a nursery cares for the young until around age three when their shells have hardened.

This area also houses the Charles Darwin Research Station, a scientific organization initiated in 1964, which works to preserve the Galapagos ecosystem through the conservation efforts of scientists, researchers, and volunteers. While the offices themselves are not open to visitors, the research station provides a study location for international scientists and environmental education for the local community.

Yolita

Santa Cruz Island – Punta Cormorant

Yolita is an attractive 16-passenger ship boasting surprisingly spacious cabins for its size, and the large upper deck allows you to soak up as much of the Ecuadorian sun as you need.

This morning, snorkel at Devil's Crown, a coral reef surrounded by an eroded volcanic crater, the perfect home for marine life. Look out for small sharks, rays and schools of tropical fish. In the afternoon, make sure you have a postcard to leave behind on a visit to Post Office Bay.

Snorkelling (Corona del Diablo)

Punta Cormorant 45m-1h

Enjoy an amazing snorkelling experience at the ‘Devil's Crown’, an old underwater volcanic cone just north of the Punta Cormorant. Spot large schools of tropical fish, rays, reef sharks, and sea turtles that make their home among the coral reef. Be sure you're a strong swimmer; the currents can be intense.

Post Office Bay Visit

Floreana Island Afternoon

Visit Post Office Bay and learn about its unique history. In the late 18th century, English whaling vessels placed a barrel here to be used as a post office. Today, the box is used mainly by tourists, who may drop off and pick up unstamped letters to be carried to far destinations. Continue the tradition – leave a letter and take one to deliver (be sure it makes it to the correct location)!

Yolita

Punta Cormorant – Floreana Island

Yolita is an attractive 16-passenger ship boasting surprisingly spacious cabins for its size, and the large upper deck allows you to soak up as much of the Ecuadorian sun as you need.

Visit the white sand beach at Chinese Hat in the morning, before an afternoon at Cerro Dragon for an opportunity to break out the binoculars and do some excellent birdwatching.

Chinese Hat Visit

Chinese Hat 1h-2h Morning 1-2km

Explore Chinese Hat’s beautiful landscape and view many geological formations such as lava tubes and lava flows. Don't forget to bring your snorkel gear!

Cerro Dragon Visit

Cerro Dragon 1h-3h Afternoon 1-2km

Visit Cerro Dragon (Dragon Hill) for some prime birdwatching. Take a short walk from the beach to a hypersalinic (saltier than the ocean) lagoon frequented by pink flamingos, common stilts, pintail ducks, and other species of birds. Pass through a Palo Santo tree forest; endemic to the area, there are only 400 specimens of Scalesia trees left in the world.

Yolita

Chinese Hat – Cerro Dragon

Yolita is an attractive 16-passenger ship boasting surprisingly spacious cabins for its size, and the large upper deck allows you to soak up as much of the Ecuadorian sun as you need.

In the early morning, explore the mangrove lagoon at Black Turtle Cove before transferring to the airport for a flight back to Quito. Enjoy a final night out on the town.

Black Turtle Cove Excursion

Black Turtle Cove Morning

Explore the mangroves by panga to find rich marine wildlife between the fresh and salt waters. Keep any eye out for sting rays and sea turtles in this tranquil ecosystem. Whitetip reef sharks can also be seen gliding by.

Depart at any time.

While it is our intention to adhere to the route described, there is a certain amount of flexibility built into the itinerary and on occasion it may be necessary, or desirable to make alterations.