Galápagos Island Hopping
9 days, Quito to Quito
Itinerary
Day 1Quito
Arrive at any time.
There are no planned activities until an evening welcome meeting.
Booking pre- or post-trip accommodation is highly recommended to fully experience the city and take advantage of the many optional activities available.
Opt to pre-book the "Quito City Tour & Equator Line" activity on the checkout page ahead of time to include this optional on your tour.
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.
Optional Activities - Day 1 HideShow
Quito City Tour & Equator Line
Enjoy a city tour of Quito. Visit the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with stops at the Basilica del Voto Nacional, La Compañia Church, San Francisco Square, Plaza Grande and the Panecillo, a towering statue of the virgin of Quito who looks out over a stunning view of the city. Drive 25km (16 mi) north of Quito to the Middle of the World, latitude 0º. Stand with one foot in each hemisphere.
Please note that this tour starts at 8 a.m. and ends around 5 p.m.
Cotopaxi Volcano - Full Day
Enjoy a spectacular 2 hour drive to Cotopaxi Volcano National Park to see the highest active volcano in the world (5,897m/ 19,347 ft). Visit a museum in the park and hike around a lagoon at the bottom of the volcano to learn about the flora and fauna found at this altitude. Continue by car up the volcano to the parking lot, at over 4,500m/14,763 ft. Walk for an hour and a half to the refuge and after a short break, continue to the glacier (if the weather holds out). Return to Quito in the early evening. **Park entrance fee is not included and is split among the number of travellers in the group**
Day 2Quito/Puerto Ayora
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.
The flight from Quito to Baltra is unaccompanied. You will have G Adventures representatives assisting on both sides to ensure everything goes smoothly.
Welcome Meeting
Meet fellow travellers and learn more details about the upcoming itinerary from the CEO.
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.
Plane
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 3Puerto Ayora/Floreana Island
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 G Adventures-supported community guesthouses and eat meals in the community restaurants and help to support community tourism on the island.
Please note that travel between islands is done by speedboat. The ride can be quite rough, especially from July to December. Make sure to bring sea sickness medication if you are prone to sea sickness.
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.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 4Floreana Island
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.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 5Floreana Island/Isabela Island
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. Continue to the lava fields of Volcano Chico admiring views 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 Crater Viewpoint Excursion
Lace up your hiking boots to explore the landscape around the 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.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 6Isabela Island
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.
Please note that space may be limited for optional activities during high season, these activities are operated by third-party operators and will be subject to availability.
Free Time
Enjoy free time to enjoy the largest Island in the archipelago.
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.
Optional Activities - Day 6 HideShow
Islote Tintoreras Boat Excursion
45USD per personTake a boat excursion to 'Islote Tintoreras', a large crevice with clear, calm waters where whitetip sharks (tintoreras) rest daily on the bottom. Spot pelicans, frigatebirds, and diving blue-footed boobies, and keep an eye out for manta rays and rare Galápagos penguins (only 800 pairs of these lovable birds exist). Opt to snorkel to see Isabela's underwater world up close.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 7Isabela Island/Puerto Ayora
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.
Free Time
Enjoy free time to explore this little town. Head to the lively fish market where sea lions, pelicans and other birds drop by to see the daily catch.
Optional Activities - Day 7 HideShow
Tortuga Bay Kayaking
15USD per personGrab a life jacket and go for a kayak adventure in the mangroves of Tortuga Bay. Keep an eye out for a wide variety of marine life, including colorful reef fish, rays, and sea turtles, as you paddle the blue waters. Relax after on a beautiful fine white sand beach, and soak up some sun – you may spot some iguanas also trying to catch some rays on the shore.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 8Puerto Ayora/Quito
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.
G Adventures strongly recommends not booking departure flights on the day the group returns to Quito. Local flight times are often subject to change and could potentially cause issues if delayed. We recommend booking flights on the last day of the tour as noted on the Full itinerary page.
Plane
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 9Quito
Depart at any time.
Optional Activities - Day 9 HideShow
Quito City Tour & Equator Line
Enjoy a city tour of Quito. Visit the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with stops at the Basilica del Voto Nacional, La Compañia Church, San Francisco Square, Plaza Grande and the Panecillo, a towering statue of the virgin of Quito who looks out over a stunning view of the city. Drive 25km (16 mi) north of Quito to the Middle of the World, latitude 0º. Stand with one foot in each hemisphere.
Please note that this tour starts at 8 a.m. and ends around 5 p.m.
Teleférico
9USD per personEnjoy spectacular views of Quito from this sky tram up Volcán Pichincha. Choose to go for a hike at the top, or just come along for the ride.
Cotopaxi Volcano - Full Day
Enjoy a spectacular 2 hour drive to Cotopaxi Volcano National Park to see the highest active volcano in the world (5,897m/ 19,347 ft). Visit a museum in the park and hike around a lagoon at the bottom of the volcano to learn about the flora and fauna found at this altitude. Continue by car up the volcano to the parking lot, at over 4,500m/14,763 ft. Walk for an hour and a half to the refuge and after a short break, continue to the glacier (if the weather holds out). Return to Quito in the early evening. **Park entrance fee is not included and is split among the number of travellers in the group**