Galapagos Southern Islands Multisport Adventure, 9 Days

DAY 1: TRANSFER AND HIKE IN SAN CRISTOBAL
We pick you up in the morning to board your flight to San Cristobal Island. Once we arrive and after our welcome briefing and lunch at a local restaurant, the adventure begins. We will hike out of town and visit the San Cristóbal Interpretation Center, for general knowledge about island formation, volcanoes, evolution and natural history. Today we will explore dry forest and will be able to observe cacti, acacia, palo santo, galapagos cotton and more as we hike towards Frigate Hill along trails of lava rock featuring splendid views of the coastline and Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. This will be a good time to enjoy our first encounters with local wildlife, since the hill is often visited by such Galapagos wildlife such as the magnificent and great frigate birds, blue footed boobies, brown pelicans, gulls, herons and lots of land birds including Darwin finches, warblers and mockingbirds. On our way back we can stop for a refreshing swim at Carola Beach or Mann Beach. In the evening we can explore town and dine at a restaurant of our election. (B, L)

DAY 2: SEA KAYAK PLAYA OCHOA AND SNORKEL AT LEON DORMIDO
We slip into our ocean kayaks and spend the morning paddling along the coast, going north exploring bays and coves with lots of wildlife. Darwin Bay is a very interesting site where the Beagle landed for the first time. This route is filled with sea lions, marine turtles, blue footed boobies and frigate birds. Once we reach Playa Ochoa we continue on to nearby Isla Lobos on the look-out for marine iguanas and where we swim to enjoy the best sea lion encounters in the entire archipelago. Our final challenge for the day is to reach Leon Dormido, the jagged remains of an old tuff cone whose flanks are home to thousands of sea birds. Leon Dormido offers excellent snorkelling, and for certified divers, one of the best dives in the Islands. There is a good chance of seeing hammerhead and white tipped sharks, eagle and golden rays, as well as dozens of species of tropical fish, clams, starfish and marine invertebrates. In the afternoon we return to our hotel for our last evening in San Cristobal. (B, L)

DAY 3: SNORKEL IN DEVIL’S CROWN AND HIKE IN FLOREANA
We transfer from San Cristobal to Floreana, before we land we stop at Devil’s Crown which is an incredible site for snorkelling, an underwater tuff cone full of marine life corals, anemones, barnacles, sponges and many other animals and colourful schools. After this swim, we will arrive to Puerto Velasco Ibarra to check in at our beachfront hotel that belongs to the notable Wittmer family. The Wittmer residence offers a very interesting museum about the first colonizers in Floreana. In the afternoon, we explore the beaches and lava rock areas by foot in search of endemic species, bird life and colonies of sea lions. (B, L, D)

DAY 4: HIKE IN FLOREANA HIGHLANDS AND TRANSFER TO ISABELA
This morning we will explore Floreana’s highlands and including the remains or ruins of the first inhabitants of the island, where we find rooms carved on sedimentary formations. The highlands also offer beautiful landscapes and forest, the only place where you can see the Medium Tree Finch and endemic flowers and plants such as the Floreana Scalesia. We will also visit a small tortoise reserve at the end of this scenic hike. After lunch, we will travel by boat to Isabela Island which is the largest Island in the archipelago, formed by 6 shield volcanoes - Alcedo, Cerro Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra and Wolf. All of these volcanoes except one remain active, making this island one of the most volcanically active places on earth. In the afternoon, we will hike around the bracken lakes in search of shore birds and the greater flamingo that is one of the outstanding birds of the islands. After our walk, we return to our hotel for dinner and beach front relaxation. (B, L, D)

DAY 5: HIKE AND SHORELINE EXPLORATION IN ISABELA
This day we explore the many lakes and wildlife in Isabela Island, we use the scenic road that leads us to “The Wall of Tears”, the remains of the prisoners that once inhabited the Island. We will also visit the giant tortoise breading center to learn about the conservation efforts of the Cerro Azul and Sierra Negra species. We also explore the bay in search of the endemic Galapagos penguin and follow a trail along the coastline to observe dramatic lava formations and several colonies of sea lions. The local mangroves and salty lagoons feature the mangrove finch, endemic to Isabela. We can also spot American oyster catchers, herons, flamingos and many other shore species. In the afternoon, we will snorkel in the bay and have time to relax on this exotic white sand beach. The evening is spent in the tranquil port town of Puerto Villamil. (B, L, D)

DAY 6: HORSEBACK RIDING AND HIKING IN THE ISABELA HIGHLANDS
From Puerto Villamil, we head up to the highlands where our horses will be saddled to begin a 6 miles (9 km) ride until we reach the rim of the Sierra Negra volcano. Sierra Negra is the second largest caldera in the world. From this point, you will have fantastic views of the 6 x 5 mile-wide caldera, as well as the other Isabela volcanoes and the Perry Isthmus and beyond. From here we hike to the Chico Volcano, which offers puffing fumaroles and out-of-this-world lava formations, examples of the dramatic geological events that have forged the Galapagos Islands over millennia. In the late afternoon, we return to Puerto Villamil. (B, L, D)

DAY 7: HIKE AND MOUNTAIN BIKE IN THE SANTA CRUZ HIGHLANDS
After breakfast, we board a fast boat to Santa Cruz and continue on to El Chato reserve in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island, here we find the Galapagos tortoise in its natural habitat. As we explore this area, we’ll also come across pintail ducks, egrets, flycatchers, finches and frigate birds bathing in fresh water lakes. We explore lava caves featuring incredible volcanic tunnel formations, and on a clear day we will also visit Media Luna, an old collapsed crater on the highest part of Santa Cruz Island. In the afternoon we will drive to Cerro Mesa where we begin our mountain bike adventure. After a safety briefing, we mountain bike - mostly downhill - through highland farmlands, the Bellavista village and on until we reach Puerto Ayora. This ride is about 20 kilometers on dirt and paved roads. In the late afternoon, we transfer back to our hotel. (B, L)

DAY 8: SEA KAYAK AND HIKE IN SANTA CRUZ
After breakfast, we pick up our kayaks and head out to paddle around Divine Bay and Punta Estrada, through multiple lava channels of calm, turquoise waters. Within the channels, white tipped sharks and rays patrol beneath the waves, while colonies of blue footed-boobies, tropic birds, herons and marine iguanas perch above the jagged cliffs. Later, we visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, the most important in the Island, to learn about other conservation and management efforts in the archipelago. In the afternoon, we hike to Tortuga Bay (optional), one of the most beautiful white sand beaches in the Archipelago, reached through a dry forest trail. We return to Puerto Ayora to spend the evening at leisure, to explore dinning alternatives, or the local night life (on weekends) in the Galapagos’ most populous town. (B, L)

DAY 9: SANTA CRUZ, TRANSFER OUT
In the morning transfer by bus to Baltra Island for our flight back to the continent.
Diving tour extensions are recommended. (B)