Galapagos Safari

Welcome to the Galapagos! After leaving the VIP airport lounge you will meet your bilingual naturalist guide who will be with you for the duration of your stay (according to the level of privacy chosen). To maximize your first day in the Galapagos Islands, you will be taken to a number of visiting sites on the way to Galapagos Safari Camp.

The first stop is Los Gemelos (The Twin Craters); two colossal, volcanic sinkholes. On a gentle hike around the rim, your guide will point out the birds of the endemic Scalesia forest such as Galapagos doves and Darwin’s finches. From Los Gemelos you continue to a reserve for giant tortoises. Your tour of the reserve will follow a gentle circuit trail where you get within meters of these iconic Galapagos creatures. Keep a look out too for short-eared owls, as they are occasionally spotted in the trees. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.

The tortoise reserve also contains a network of underground lava tubes, formed centuries ago when lava flows cooled at the edges but kept flowing in the middle, leaving cave-like tunnels in their wake. To fully appreciate the uniqueness of the Galapagos Islands, and its wildlife, it’s important to first understand the archipelago’s geology and volcanic history.

End the day at Galapagos Safari Camp, enjoying uninterrupted views of the National Park and the shimmering blues of the Pacific Ocean, without another human in sight.

On Day 2 and Day 3 you will enjoy day cruises by motor boat to one of the neighboring, uninhabited islands close to Santa Cruz Island (where Safari Camp is located): North Seymour, Bartolomé, South Plaza or Santa Fe. Each of the islands’ tours include a guided walk and a guided snorkel in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. Lunch is served onboard the boat (food is not permitted in the National Park).

These boat navigations are often a good opportunity to chat with your guide and to learn more about these extraordinary islands and the creatures that inhabit them. Alternatively, guests often use this time to quietly reflect on their Safari by jotting down their thoughts or elaborating on sketches.

At the end of each day, you return to Galapagos Safari Camp in time for an evening stroll or a dip in the pool, followed by a sunset cocktail and dinner.

Note that these boat tours can either be fully private (chartered boat and private guide) or semi-private (with shared boat and shared guide, or shared boat and private guide). Destinations will be given upon confirmation of your dates.

Bartolomé
Start the day with a hike up a nearly-2000-foot wooden boardwalk and stairway across ancient red, black and orange lava fields to the highest point on the island. The panoramic view from the lookout surveys the iconic Pinnacle Rock in the foreground, Sullivan Bay in the distance, and Daphne Major and Minor on the horizon. Following the hike, enjoy a dinghy ride around the coastline, looking for Galápagos penguins and hawks resting on the cliffs. In the afternoon explore the shore and be greeted by sea lions, Sally Light-Foot crabs and marine iguanas. This is a great place to snorkel, discovering the colorful underwater world of the islands amongst playful Galápagos sea lions, penguins, reef sharks and rays.

Santa Fé
This island is among the oldest in the archipelago, with underwater lava formations dating back 3.9 million years. Its visitor trails are bursting with animal activity. Santa Fe is home to a healthy population of terrestrial iguanas including the Santa Fe yellow iguana, as well as the inky-black marine iguanas. Other residents include Galápagos hawks and blue-footed boobies. Friendly sea lions line the shores and swim besides you when snorkeling, while marine iguanas bask in the sunshine on shoreline rocks, or dart quickly past under the waves. Also hope to observe sharks, rays and colorful schools of fish.

North Seymour
This island, brimming with life across its rocky surface, hosts blue-footed booby and frigate mating colonies. Land iguanas also frequent the area, seen along the 2-mile trail that loops around the southern section of the island. Begin the walk beside nests of comic-looking blue-footed boobies. Galápagos mockingbirds and yellow warblers are often spotted. Nearing the frigate colony, the remarkable birds seem to be nesting in every surrounding tree. Males inflate their red, basketball-sized pouches to attract mates. Back in the dinghy, head to Mosquera islet in the channel between Baltra and North Seymour, to find a large sea lion colony full of pups, bulls and females of different ages.

South Plaza
While en-route to Plaza, stop at Punta Carrión. The shallow waters of the sheltered cove make a fun place to snorkel with schools of fish, rays and possibly reef sharks. Maneuver around the sea lions on the dock at South Plaza and start walking along the trail that winds its way past yellow land iguanas resting in the shade of groves of prickly pear cactus trees. The landscape is vibrant, the black lava outcrops and ground carpeted with the reds and yellows of sesuvium cactus. At the island’s southern cliff edge, observe all sorts of birds swirling in the currents, including dazzling red-billed tropic birds. Following the trail round to the west, we come to a busy sea lion colony.  South Plaza’s other residents include land and marine iguanas, Nazca and blue-footed boobies and swallow-tailed gulls and other species of birds.

Your Safari will begin at Cerro Mesa, a private reserve on the eastern side of Santa Cruz Island that is rich in endemic flora and bird life, including the elusive vermillion flycatcher and seven unique subspecies of finch. Explore the various trails with your guide, ending the circuit at a viewpoint where, on a clear day, you can survey the lush landscape of Santa Cruz as well as nearby islands.

Afterwards, make your way to Garrapatero Beach, either by car or by bicycle. In contrast to the thick, green vegetation of the highlands, the coastal terrain is made up of black lava, white sands, turquoise waters and dense mangroves. The picturesque, white-sanded beach of Garrapatero is an ideal spot for a picnic and secluded swimming, set far away from the cruise ship crowds and visiting sites. Kayaking can also be arranged here and is a fun way to explore the coastline and its wildlife. Set behind the beach is a small lagoon where flamingoes are occasionally spotted.

On your way back to Safari Camp, visit a working farm in the highlands that produces sugar cane liqueur and Galapagos coffee. Learn about the different methods used to refine sugar cane, including the use of a mule-driven press (note: the mule may be off-duty during your visit). There is also a demonstration of how artisan coffee is produced, from picking the berries to roasting the bean.

This morning, enjoy the serene nature and peace that Galapagos Safari Camp has to offer. Relax, walk, swim or enjoy the sunrise from the camp’s viewpoint before departure to the airport and your next destination.

Welcome to the Galapagos! An English-speaking naturalist guide meets you at the VIP lounge at Baltra Airport to escort you on your excursion of the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. Enjoy a delicious, locally-sourced lunch at a farm in the western hills. Take in the area’s natural beauty, pit craters, lava tunnels, and learn more about the scalesia and guayabillo forests. At the Tortoise Reserve, share some time in the giant tortoises’ natural habitat, surrounded by the abundant bird life of the area. End the day at Galapagos Safari Camp with a sunset cocktail followed by dinner.

Spend three days, with two submersions each, to dive at the following possible sites:

Floreana Island
One of the older volcanic islands, Floreana has an excellent selection of diverse dive sites. Most of the interesting activity takes place in the shallows where the current strikes the reefs. Galapagos sharks, white tip reef sharks, turtles, sting rays, eagle rays, barracudas, sea lions and reef fish have all been spotted here.

Gordon Rocks*
An eroded crater at the top of a tuff cone, Gordon Rocks is one of the best dive sites in the central islands. Hope to see hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks, white tip reef sharks, rays, green turtles, sea lions, Galapagos eels, barracudas and reef fish. *A minimum of 25 logged dives and evaluation by dive guides at another dive site required.

North Seymour Island
Created by seismic uplift rather than volcanic origin, North Seymour is teeming with life. It is home to many species of shark, including Galapagos white tip and black tip, eagle rays, green turtles, Galapagos eels, barracudas and more.

Cousins Rock
This is a triangular-shaped rock formation with a breath-taking vertical wall of black coral, invertebrates and mollusks. It offers a combination of shoal and wall diving, in the company of Pacific seahorses, frogfish, Galapagos sharks, white tip reef sharks, turtles, stingrays, spotted eagle rays, barracudas, sea lions and reef fish.

Bartolomé Island
Despite being one of the younger islands, Bartolomé’s underwater world is stunning—with penguins as a highlight! There is a 33-foot-deep platform with an enormous variety of reef fish; and on the edge of the platform a 49-foot-deep submarine canyon, home to white tip reef sharks, mobula rays, stingrays, barracudas, turtles, and a variety of invertebrates and mollusks.

Mosquera Islet
This rocky islet is a popular gathering place for sea lions and an enormous colony of garden eels. The 69-foot-drop-off is ideal for schools of eagle rays, hammerhead sharks, manta rays and black tip reef sharks.

Daphne Islet
This site offers a drift dive along an impressive drop-off at the top of a sloping wall. Close to the islet, discover coral areas bursting with sea urchins, starfish and a plethora of cardinal fishes. The area is frequently visited by manta rays, green turtles, sea lions, grunts, snappers, sharks and eagle rays.

This morning, enjoy the serene nature and peace that Galapagos Safari Camp has to offer. Relax, walk, swim or enjoy the sunrise from the camp’s viewpoint before departure to the airport and your next destination.

Welcome to the Galapagos! After leaving the VIP airport lounge you will meet your English-speaking naturalist guide who will be with your family for the duration of your stay (according to the level of privacy chosen). To maximize your first day in the Galapagos Islands, you will be taken to a number of visiting sites on the way to Galapagos Safari Camp. On the short drive from the airport to the ferry terminal on Baltra Island, who in the family will be the first to spot a land iguana?

After crossing the narrow corridor of water that separates Baltra Island from Santa Cruz, you continue by car to the highlands of Santa Cruz, stopping at Los Gemelos (The Twin Craters); two colossal, volcanic sinkholes. On a gentle hike around the rim, your guide will point out the birds of the endemic Scalesia forest such as Galapagos doves and Darwin’s finches.

From Los Gemelos you continue to a reserve for giant tortoises. Your tour of the reserve will follow a gentle circuit trail where you get within meters of these iconic Galapagos creatures. The tortoise reserve also contains a network of underground lava tubes, formed centuries ago when lava flows cooled at the edges but kept flowing in the middle, leaving cave-like tunnels in their wake. To fully appreciate the uniqueness of the Galapagos Islands, and its wildlife, it’s important to first understand the archipelago’s geology and volcanic history. Keep a look out too for short-eared owls, as they are occasionally spotted in the trees.

End the day at Galapagos Safari Camp, where children can explore the 50-hectare farm on foot or bike, pick tropical fruit, harvest cacao or enjoy a dip in Safari Camp’s little pool. Parents may prefer to order a cocktail on the observation deck and watch the sun set over the National Park and distant islands in the Pacific Ocean.

This morning, drive to the enormous Cerro Mesa crater for a short walk in the wetlands. The Cerro Mesa reserve is home to a wonderful variety of birds and the occasional bathing tortoise. Your tour will end at a viewpoint where, on a clear day, you can survey the lush landscape of Santa Cruz Island as well as some of its neighboring islands.

Afterwards, jump on bikes for a downhill ride to Garrapatero, a white-sanded beach that is set far away from the cruise ship crowds, making it an idea spot for a picnic. Kayaking can also be arranged here and is a fun way for families to explore the coastal mangroves and their wildlife. Set just behind the beach is a small lagoon where flamingos are occasionally spotted.

On the way back to camp, you can visit an organic coffee plantation where children have the chance to pick coffee beans (if the season allows) and learn about responsible small-scale family in the Galapagos. In the evening, back at Safari Camp, parents can relax while the children take a private art class with a local artist.

Today you will enjoy a day cruise by motor boat to one of the neighbouring, uninhabited islands close to our island of Santa Cruz: North Seymour, Bartolomé, South Plaza or Santa Fe (destination will depend on your dates). Below are more details on these islands. Each of the islands’ tours include a guided walk and a guided snorkel in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. Lunch is served onboard the boat (food is not permitted in the National Park).

At the end of the day return to Galapagos Safari Camp in time for an evening stroll, family bike ride or a dip in the pool, followed by a sunset drink and dinner.

Note that these boat tours are usually arranged as shared excursions (shared boat and shared guide). However, we can also arrange for your private guide to accompany you on. On a 100% private tour (inquire for details), a boat can be chartered for your family.

Bartolomé
Start the day with a hike up a nearly-2000-foot wooden boardwalk and stairway across ancient red, black and orange lava fields to the highest point on the island. The panoramic view from the lookout surveys the iconic Pinnacle Rock in the foreground, Sullivan Bay in the distance, and Daphne Major and Minor on the horizon. Following the hike, enjoy a dinghy ride around the coastline, looking for Galápagos penguins and hawks resting on the cliffs. In the afternoon explore the shore and be greeted by sea lions, Sally Light-Foot crabs and marine iguanas. This is a great place to snorkel, discovering the colorful underwater world of the islands amongst playful Galápagos sea lions, penguins, reef sharks and rays.

Santa Fé
This island is among the oldest in the archipelago, with underwater lava formations dating back 3.9 million years. Its visitor trails are bursting with animal activity. Santa Fe is home to a healthy population of terrestrial iguanas including the Santa Fe yellow iguana, as well as the inky-black marine iguanas. Other residents include Galápagos hawks and blue-footed boobies. Friendly sea lions line the shores and swim besides you when snorkeling, while marine iguanas bask in the sunshine on shoreline rocks, or dart quickly past under the waves. Also hope to observe sharks, rays and colorful schools of fish.

North Seymour
This island, brimming with life across its rocky surface, hosts blue-footed booby and frigate mating colonies. Land iguanas also frequent the area, seen along the 2-mile trail that loops around the southern section of the island. Begin the walk beside nests of comic-looking blue-footed boobies. Galápagos mockingbirds and yellow warblers are often spotted. Nearing the frigate colony, the remarkable birds seem to be nesting in every surrounding tree. Males inflate their red, basketball-sized pouches to attract mates. Back in the dinghy, head to Mosquera islet in the channel between Baltra and North Seymour, to find a large sea lion colony full of pups, bulls and females of different ages.

South Plaza
While en-route to Plaza, stop at Punta Carrión. The shallow waters of the sheltered cove make a fun place to snorkel with schools of fish, rays and possibly reef sharks. Maneuver around the sea lions on the dock at South Plaza and start walking along the trail that winds its way past yellow land iguanas resting in the shade of groves of prickly pear cactus trees. The landscape is vibrant, the black lava outcrops and ground carpeted with the reds and yellows of sesuvium cactus. At the island’s southern cliff edge, observe all sorts of birds swirling in the currents, including dazzling red-billed tropic birds. Following the trail round to the west, we come to a busy sea lion colony.  South Plaza’s other residents include land and marine iguanas, Nazca and blue-footed boobies and swallow-tailed gulls and other species of birds.

This private fishing experience is both a wildlife adventure and cultural exchange opportunity, making it a a firm favorite among families.

The fishermen have very safe, modern speedboats, which are chartered for the day. With your guide acting as translator, the fishermen share anecdotes from a lifetime at sea, and the children learn local fishing tricks. If you’re lucky you may even catch a tuna, and the fisherman can prepare sashimi for your lunch.

With your guide acting as translator, the fishermen share anecdotes from a lifetime at sea, and the children learn local fishing tricks. After fishing, land on a deserted beach and consider snorkeling in a spot known only to locals. Your guide can adapt the day to limit fishing and enhance the snorkeling or beach experience, if desired.

The day also includes a guided snorkeling trip and some time to explore a secluded bay. Here, you can stroll along a deserted beach, or snorkel in the bay’s clear, turquoise waters. If you prefer to limit fishing and enhance the snorkeling or beach experience, your guide is there to adapt the day to your preferences.

Back at Safari Camp in the afternoon, there’s time to go for a walk, enjoy the pool and relax before dinner.

After a leisurely breakfast, visit the famous Charles Darwin Research Station and the Tortoise Breeding Center to learn about conservation efforts and scientific research on the islands.

The children will have an up-close experience with the tortoises that are the islands’ namesake. Parents can enjoy free time to wander around Puerto Ayora, while your guide takes the children to a local playground or on a tour of the local fish market on the waterfront.

After lunch, walk or take a speedboat to Tortuga Bay, a white sandy beach with basking marine iguanas, and shallow turquoise waters teeming with white-tip reef sharks and fish. Or you can join a snorkeling boat that will take you to frolic with sea lions.

This morning, enjoy the serene nature and peace that Galapagos Safari Camp has to offer. Relax, walk, swim or enjoy the sunrise from the camp’s viewpoint before departure to the airport and your next destination.

Welcome to the Galapagos! An English-speaking naturalist guide meets you at the VIP lounge at Baltra Airport to escort you on your excursion of the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. Enjoy a delicious, locally-sourced lunch at a farm in the western hills. Take in the area’s natural beauty, pit craters, lava tunnels, and learn more about the scalesia and guayabillo forests. At the Tortoise Reserve, share some time in the giant tortoises’ natural habitat, surrounded by the abundant bird life of the area. End the day at Galapagos Safari Camp with a sunset cocktail followed by dinner.

With your onsite guide, select from a variety of exciting activities on the island, including biking, snorkeling, kayaking, a tour of the farm or local coffee plantation, a visit to the giant tortoise reserve, a walk among the Twin Craters, a trip to Puerto Ayora and the Charles Darwin Station, a naturalist walk, or an exploration of Tortuga Bay or Garrapatero Beach. Surfing and scuba lessons are also available, at added cost.

This morning, enjoy the serene nature and peace that Galapagos Safari Camp has to offer. Relax, walk, swim or enjoy the sunrise from the camp’s viewpoint before departure to the airport and your next destination.

Welcome to the Galapagos! An English-speaking naturalist guide meets you at the VIP lounge at Baltra Airport to escort you on your excursion of the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. Enjoy a delicious, locally-sourced lunch at a farm in the western hills. Take in the area’s natural beauty, pit craters, lava tunnels, and learn more about the scalesia and guayabillo forests. At the Tortoise Reserve, share some time in the giant tortoises’ natural habitat, surrounded by the abundant bird life of the area. End the day at Galapagos Safari Camp with a sunset cocktail followed by dinner.

Take time to rest and relax at Galapagos Safari Camp. Enjoy the Infinity pool, Viewpoint Terrace with panoramic views, and inviting indoor common areas. Or spend private moments tucked among the foliage on the deck of your safari-style tent. This farm property offers opportunities to watch finches, warblers, mockingbirds, Galapagos doves, egrets, owls and even roaming giant tortoise. Should you feel the need to explore, you can enjoy Santa Cruz independently or the staff can assist you with organizing added-cost activities.

This morning, enjoy the serene nature and peace that Galapagos Safari Camp has to offer. Relax, walk, swim or enjoy the sunrise from the camp’s viewpoint before departure to the airport and your next destination.