Included:

• Round-trip airfare from Quito to Galapagos ($500pp).

• Guided birding – 8 days of guided birding and adventures.

• Lodging – One night in Quito, two nights at Hotel Indigo on San Cristobal Island, three nights at Hotel De Javu on Santa Cruz Island, and two nights at Hotel Casa Marita on Isabella Island.

• High-speed boats between islands

• Meals – all meals from January 24 to lunch on January 31.

• All fees including Galapagos Tourism Fee ($200pp), activity fees and park entrance fees.

• Airport pickups and drop-offs in UIO.

NOT Included:

• Flights to Quito (UIO).

• Lodging/Meals before or after the tour dates: January 23 to January 31.

• Personal items such as alcohol with meals, laundry, etc.

Thurs. Jan 23 – Arrive UIO and transfer to Holiday Inn Quito. We may have a late dinner or just turn in as we have an early morning departure.

Fri. Jan 24 – San Cristobal Island

After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we’ll return to the airport for our flights to San Cristobal that depart at 8:05AM. Then we’ll check into the Hotel Indigo, where we’ll spend two nights, and have lunch then pick up or snorkel equipment.

In the afternoon we’ll visit La Loberia Beach and Cliffs, a nice place to snorkel that has a large Galapagos Sea Lion colony. Sea birds including Blue-footed Boobies nest on the cliffs and we should see Galapagos Finches in the area. We’ll look for the endemic San Cristobal Mockingbird, Small Tree-Finch, Woodpecker Finch and Grey Warbler-Finch. Galapagos Petrels and Red-footed Boobies nest on the island.

We’ll enjoy our fist dinner together here and then return to the hotel.

Sat. Jan 25 – Espanola Island and Waved Albatross colony

After breakfast, we’ll head to the pier to board the Samy Sol for our voyage to Punta Suarez on Espanola Island. We’ll walk a trail that will take us through colonies of Blue-footed and Nazca Boobies before reaching the Waved Albatross colony. We’ll also keep an eye out for Galapagos Hawk, Espanola Mockingbird, Espanola Ground-Finch, Grey Warbler-Finch and Large Cactus Finch.

We’ll return to the boat and enjoy a boxed lunch en route to Gardener Bay where we can snorkel near Turtle Rock and relax on the beautiful white sand beach before dinner.

Sun. Jan 26 – El Junco Lagoon and Galapaguera

This morning we’ll visit the San Cristobal highlands and El Junco Lagoon, the only freshwater lake in the Galapagos. Situated in a remnant caldera, the lake if formed from collected rainwater and is a magnet for birds and wildlife. We should see frigatebirds dipping to drink or just wash the salt from their wings plus White-cheeked Pintail, Common Gallinule, Cattle Egret, Pied-billed Grebe, San Cristobal Mockingbird, Galapagos Flycatcher and several “Darwin’s” Finches.

The Cerro Colorado Tortoise Reserve raises Giant San Cristobal Tortoises (Geochelone chathamensis).

In the afternoon, we’ll take the high-speed boat to Santa Cruz Island and check into the Hotel Deja Vu.

Mon. Jan 27 – North Seymour Island and Bachas Beach

After breakfast, we’ll drive to the north end of the island and board a boat for the short trip to North Seymour Island, home to the largest nesting colony of Great and Magnificent Frigatebirds in the archipelago. We’ll see Blue-footed Boobies performing their courtship dance. Lava Herons are often seen on the rocks and Swallow-tailed and Lava Gulls are here, and we should see Small and Medium Ground-Finches. We’ll see Land Iguanas here, and maybe even the endemic Galapagos Snake.

We’ll return to the boat for lunch and a relaxing sail to Bachas Beach, a major nesting site for Galapagos Green Sea Turtles. The nearby lagoon often has American Flamingos, and we may see Galapagos Flycatcher. It’s a great place to relax, explore and swim! The mangroves on Santa Cruz Island are home to the illusive Dark-billed Cuckoo!

Tues. Jan 28 – Santa Cruz Island and Isabela Island

We’ll start the day back in the highlands where we may find some of the more difficult targets like the Galapagos subspecies of Short-eared Owl, Galapagos Rail or Paint-billed Crake. Other birds to look for include Peregrine Falcon, Galapagos Dove, Green Warbler-Finch, Small Tree-Finch and Woodpecker Finch.

We’ll visit El Chato Ranch where Giant Tortoises are extremely photogenic. Los Gemelos are the twin craters in the highlands that formed when lava tubes collapsed. Covered in thick vegetation that, as Sir David Attenborough noted, are descended from the daisy!

After lunch at the Ranch, we’ll return to the hotel to pack our bags and board a boat to Isabela where we’ll check into Hotel Casa Marita for two nights.

Wed. Jan 29 – Playa Negra, Flightless Cormorants and the Cabo Rosa Tunnels

Isabela is the largest island in the Galapagos and is still volcanically active. This morning we’ll visit the area where Flightless Cormorants are found, keeping an eye out for Galapagos Penguins too! The endangered Mangrove Finch can be found here.

The Cabo Rosa Tunnels are a marine paradise offering amazing snorkeling in the clear water surrounded by colorful lava formations. White-tipped Reef Sharks, Manta Rays, seahorses, sea turtles and perhaps Galapagos Penguins!

Thurs. Jan 30 – Isabela Island

Today we’ll visit the newly renovated Arnaldo Tupiza Giant Tortoise Breeding Center where five different subspecies of Galapagos Giant Tortiose can be seen. We may find the unique pink iguanas here along with several Darwin’s Finches. Afterwards we’ll make our way to the Flamingo Lagoon followed by lunch.

In the afternoon we’ll return to Santa Cruz Island in time for dinner. From the boat we can look for Galapagos Petrel, Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel and Band-rumped Storm-Petrel.

Fri. Jan 31 – Darwin Research Station and Departures

Our final day in paradise! After breakfast at the Hotel Deja Vu, we’ll squeeze in a quick visit to the Darwin Research Station before we make our way to the airport for our afternoon flights to Quito.

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