Arrive at any time.

There are no planned activities until an evening welcome meeting.

【Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting with G Representative】

The adventure begins today. Feel free to explore, but make sure you're back in time to meet the group. Your G Representative will review the details of your tour.

Transfer to the Quito airport and catch a flight to the Galápagos. Arrive at Baltra and travel to the hotel in Santa Cruz. Later, visit the Charles Darwin Research Station for an introduction to some of the unique wildlife and history of the area before an evening welcome meeting to meet up with any travellers joining the group.

【Welcome Meeting】

Meet fellow travellers and learn more details about the upcoming itinerary from the CEO.

【Plane】

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.

【Fausto Llerena Breeding Center & Charles Darwin Research Station Visit】

Visit Fausto Llerena Breeding Center a great place to observe many species of tortoises. Brought back from the brink of extinction, see the famous Galápagos 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 Galápagos' 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.

In the morning, walk to "Las Grietas" located across Academy Bay, walk through a rugged cactus forest on the way to this stunning lagoon. In the afternoon, hop on a speedboat to nearby Floreana Island. Stay in the its supported community guesthouses and eat meals in the community restaurants and help to support community tourism on the island.

【Swimming at Las Grietas】

Cross a cactus forest looking for Darwin finches and lava lizards on the way to Las Grietas, a local swimming hole. The cool, bright turquoise water separates two volcanic cliffs. Fed by the ocean from one end and a river from the other this unique brackish pool is perfect for swimming.

【Speedboat】

Keep an eye out for dolphins and birds along the way.

【Your G for Good Moment: Floreana Community Restaurants】

To further benefit the community on Floreana island G has provided training to residents for all aspects of tourism, including food preparation and service. The community will provide your meals while staying on this small island. The meals are rotated amongst different community members in order to spread out the benefits of tourism. While eating at the community restaurants you will be contributing to the self-sufficiency of the first community tourism operator in the Galápagos.

【Your G for Good Moment: Floreana Community Guesthouse】

Floreana Island is a small, isolated, inhabited island part of the Galápagos Archipelago. Many of its residents have been living there for the past three generations since the islands were first colonized. Its 150 residents have tried to benefit from the tourism boom, but since most tourism is marine-based and the boats don't stop in the village, they have struggled to find any opportunities. We are investing in community training and infrastructure to develop the first ecological, community tourism program in the Galápagos Islands that sees both the islands small entrepreneurs and its unique wildlife as the primary beneficiaries of this project.

Walk along the black-sand beach until Loberia, and enjoy beach snorkelling or swimming. Head up to the seldom-visited highlands of Floreana. Enjoy guided walks to observe birds and other wildlife and learn about the area's natural history.

【Loberia Snorkelling Excursion】

Snorkel straight off the beach at Loberia, and get up close to the diverse wildlife in the waters around the Galápagos. Please be sure you are a strong swimmer; the water here can be rough and the currents are strong.

【Floreana Highlands Excursion】

Head up to the seldom-visited highlands of Floreana. Hear the tales about the pirates, whalers, seal hunters and buccaneers who once lived in this isolated and unique landscape.

【Your G for Good Moment: Floreana Community Restaurants】

To further benefit the community on Floreana island G has provided training to residents for all aspects of tourism, including food preparation and service. The community will provide your meals while staying on this small island. The meals are rotated amongst different community members in order to spread out the benefits of tourism. While eating at the community restaurants you will be contributing to the self-sufficiency of the first community tourism operator in the Galápagos.

【Your G for Good Moment: Floreana Community Guesthouse】

Floreana Island is a small, isolated, inhabited island part of the Galápagos Archipelago. Many of its residents have been living there for the past three generations since the islands were first colonized. Its 150 residents have tried to benefit from the tourism boom, but since most tourism is marine-based and the boats don't stop in the village, they have struggled to find any opportunities. We are investing in community training and infrastructure to develop the first ecological, community tourism program in the Galápagos Islands that sees both the islands small entrepreneurs and its unique wildlife as the primary beneficiaries of this project.

Travel to Isabela Island. Hike up the active Sierra Negra Volcano and walk around the rim of the largest volcanic crater in the archipelago.

Hike to the summit to experience a bird's-eye view of this magical landscape of the surrounding volcanoes and islands.

【Speedboat】

Cut swiftly through the water en route to the next stop (and hang on to your hat).

【Sierra Negra Volcano Excursion】

Lace up your hiking boots to explore Sierra Negra Volcano, which has the largest basaltic caldera in the Galápagos. The volcano last erupted in June 2018, making it the most recent eruption in the Galápagos.

Enjoy free time in the morning, opt to take a wildlife boat excursion to 'Islote Tintoreras' to view breeding white-tip reef sharks, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, rays, and penguins. Later, visit the Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre.

Explore the surroundings with a short walk to observe pink flamingos in the wetlands and catch a stunning Isabela sunset on the beach. Along the way, stop at a lookout point, and visit natural pools, beaches, and mangrove swamps. In the evening, relax at the bar or on the beach and opt to enjoy a drink at sunset.

【Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre Visit】

Walk through the town's wetlands to visit the Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre. With the giant tortoise on its way to extinction in the late 1950s, this program was established to protect these noble creatures.

Travel by speedboat back to Santa Cruz Island. Later, enjoy a walk to Tortuga Bay, opt for a kayak, surf lessons or swim in the turquoise water.

In the evening, enjoy free time to explore this bustling little town and sample some of the local restaurants and bars, or do a little last minute shopping.

【Speedboat】

Cut swiftly through the water en route to the next stop (and hang on to your hat).

【Tortuga Bay Hike】

Enjoy a walk along a lava stone pathway to the beautiful white beach of Tortuga Bay. Relax on the beach, walk along the mangroves looking for marine iguanas and birdlife, or rent a kayak and explore this marine wonderland. Look for Tintoreras sharks, sea turtles, and manta rays in the water's shallow areas.

Travel back to Baltra to catch the flight to Quito. Transfer to the hotel and enjoy the evening in the capital city.

Retrace your footsteps to return to Baltra Island for the flight to Quito. Upon arrival in Quito, transfer to the hotel for one last night in town. The G Adventures representative in Quito will be able to arrange many of the available day tours in and around Quito if you have time to spare. We highly recommend booking post-accommodation in this lively city.

【Plane】

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.

Depart at any time.