8-Day Galapagos Island Hopping
In this 8-day itinerary, you will visit 4 islands: San Cristobal, Isabela, Santa Cruz Islands plus 1 uninhabited island.
Island hopping allows visitors to experience much of the best areas of the islands while sleeping in well-appointed lodges and transferring between islands during the day on a smaller boat and a flight from San Cristobal to Isabela.
You can start on any day of the year, and you can buy your own Galapagos flights. We offer itineraries for any length of time. Island hopping itineraries are also great choices for visitors who wish to combine diving days with classic wildlife tours.
NOTES:
- Dinner is on your own during your tour. There are a number of restaurants in town, and they are all within walking distance of the hotels.
- For your free time, you can explore town, most hotels have bicycles to rent, there may be kayaks in town to rent, and there are beaches to visit within walking distance.
- You will need an afternoon flight out of the Baltra Airport.
- In general, winter is rougher/rainy, summer is calmer.
- You will have a separate guide on each island. Some tours are private and some are in a small group.
Full Itinerary
Day 1: 8-DAY GALAPAGOS ISLAND HOPPING / Arrive Galapagos (San Cristobal Airport), Interpretation Center, Tijeretas Bay, Carola Beach (Hiking, Snorkeling) (L)
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You will be picked-up at the San Cristobal Airport by your private certified guide, who will take you to the hotel. After you collect your luggage, look for someone with a sign with your name on it. It is a 5-minute drive to the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.
You will have lunch with your guide. They will get snorkeling equipment for you. You will have to carry this for the afternoon tour, so you may want a pack or bag for carrying.
You will visit the Interpretation Center, where the guide will tell you about the formation, colonization, and future of the islands. Then, you will follow the trail to Frigate Bird Hill, a viewpoint from which you can admire beautiful view over the island. You will be able to snorkel in the shallow waters of Tijeretas Bay, where you can see sea lions, various tropical fish, and turtles. Your hike will finish at Carola beach from where you will walk back to the hotel.
NOTE: Private Tour. Lunch with guide at restaurant.
*** BRING: Hat, sunscreen, water, swimsuit, towel.
Dinner is not included, but you have several options in town: Muyu, Post Office, Umami, Midori.
Meals included: Lunch
Mid-Range Accommodations: Casa Playa Mann (San Cristobal)
Luxury Accommodations: Sunset Hotel (San Cristobal)
Accommodations: Golden Bay (San Cristobal)
Day 2: San Cristobal: Kicker Rock (Snorkeling, Beach) (BL)
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After breakfast, you will do a bay tour to visit the famous Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido - sleeping lion) and Isla Lobos, a volcanic formation amid the ocean. There you will be able to snorkel with sharks, rays, turtles and with luck also with hammerhead sharks.
After lunch on the boat, you will go to a beautiful, pristine beach at Cerro Brujo, where you will have time to relax and swim. Around 3pm, you will be back at the port.
NOTE: Shared Tour with maximum 12 people/boat. Lunch on boat.
*** BRING: Hat, sunscreen, water, swimsuit, towel.
The rest of the day is free at your leisure. You can watch the sunset on Playa Mann, or you can go to Loberia (about $4 each way by taxi). This is a coral beach with a sea lion colony. You will walk along the beach and Barranco cliff trail to see the sea lions, frigates, marine iguanas, and mangroves.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Mid-Range Accommodations: Casa Playa Mann (San Cristobal)
Luxury Accommodations: Sunset Hotel (San Cristobal)
Accommodations: Golden Bay (San Cristobal)
Day 3: Fly to Isabela Island: Tintoreras Island (Hiking, Snorkeling) (BL)
In the morning we will pick you up at the hotel and accompany you to the airport, where you will do your check-in for the flight to Isabela (ETD 7:15am, ETA 8:00am, estimated flight time: 45 minutes).
NOTE: There is a luggage weight limit on this flight of 35 pounds including hand luggage, so let us know if you have overweight luggage so that we can make arrangements.
Our staff will welcome you on Isabela and accompany you to your hotel for check-in. You are free until your afternoon tour. We recommend a visit of the Flamingo Lagoon or Galapaguera, a breeding center for the Galapagos Tortoises. Flamingo Lagoon ("Poza de los Flamingo") is a principal breeding ground for the Flamingos. This is a 10-minute walk from town.
In the afternoon, you will take a local boat to nearby Tintoreras Islet for a short hike and snorkeling. You can discover penguins, marine iguanas, sea lions, and sharks ("tintoreras"), which are resting there in the lava channel. Snorkel then in turquoise water and spot different fishes, sea turtles, rays, and penguins.
NOTE: Shared Tour with maximum 16 people/boat. Lunch with local staff at restaurant.
*** BRING: Hat, sunscreen, water, swimsuit, towel, bug repellent.
Your evening is free. For dinner, we recommend Iguana Crossing Hotel, El Cafetal, Endemic.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Mid-Range Accommodations: Hotel Isamar Galapagos (Isabela)
Luxury Accommodations: Albermarle Hotel (Isabela)
Accommodations: Iguana Crossing (Isabela)
Day 4: Isabela Island: Sierra Negra Volcano (Hiking) (BL)
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Today the Sierra Negra Volcano is on the agenda - a 9-mile hike round-trip. This is the 2nd largest and most active volcano in the world (last eruption on October 22, 2005). You will also see steam rising from nearby Volcan Chico. You walk through spectacular lava landscapes and have views of the northern volcanoes of Isabela and Fernandina. The hike to the Sierra Negra Volcano and the Chico Volcano is about 16km long (2-3 hour hike up), but worth the effort. You see the second largest volcanic crater in the world and discover different vegetation zones. You get a lunchbox for the hike. It is a 40-minute drive to the base of the volcano hike.
The rest of the day is at leisure. You can enjoy the beautiful beach in Isabela or you can snorkel in the Concha de Perla lagoon (snorkel equipment is not included in the free time but can be hired locally).
NOTE: Shared Tour with maximum 16 people. Box lunch.
*** BRING: Hat, sunscreen, water, hiking shoes, raincoat.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Mid-Range Accommodations: Hotel Isamar Galapagos (Isabela)
Luxury Accommodations: Albermarle Hotel (Isabela)
Accommodations: Iguana Crossing (Isabela)
Day 5: Isabela: Los Tuneles/Cabo Rosa (Snorkeling) (BL)
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You will head to the pier in Puerto Villamil, where you will board a speedboat for an approximate one-hour journey to reach the Cabo Rosa lava tunnels, locally known as "The Tunnels." These lava tunnels were formed millions of years ago when the lava flows from the volcanoes on the island were solidified on the outside thanks to their contact with the water, while remaining liquid on the inside, leaving the lava tunnels which have been eroded by the elements over thousands of years. You will snorkel and admire the lava and coral formations and the animal life present, which includes Galapagos sharks, Galapagos penguins, sea lions, blue-footed bobbies, sea turtles and a great variety of tropical fish.
After the snorkeling activity you will visit another site to spot blue-footed boobies and other wildlife that inhabits the area.
NOTE: Shared Tour with maximum 16 people. Box lunch.
*** BRING: Hat, sunscreen, water, swimsuit, towel, bug repellent.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Mid-Range Accommodations: Hotel Isamar Galapagos (Isabela)
Luxury Accommodations: Albermarle Hotel (Isabela)
Accommodations: Iguana Crossing (Isabela)
Day 6: Boat transfer to Santa Cruz: Giant Tortoises in Highlands, Garrapatero Beach (Hiking, Snorkeling) (BL)
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Your guide will pick you up at the hotel and accompany you to the harbor, where you will take the 6:00am speed boat ferry to Santa Cruz (2.5-3.5 hours).
*** You will need to pay $2/person for a water taxi to get to the speed boat ferry. Both on Isabela and when you arrive in Santa Cruz.
At the pier, our staff welcomes you and accompanies you for breakfast. Afterwards you will go to the hotel for check-in and to meet your private local guide.
Your guide will drive you to a ranch in the Santa Cruz Highlands to see the giant tortoises in their native environment. After lunch, you will stop at Cerro Mesa Reserve where you can see a huge crater, a remnant of the time when Santa Cruz was still a volcanic active island. Then you will continue to Garrapatero Beach where you will have time to swim and snorkel (snorkeling equipment will be provided).
NOTE: Private Tour. Lunch with guide at restaurant.
*** BRING: Hat, sunscreen, water, swimsuit, towel, bug repellent, walking shoes.
The evening is at your leisure. You can choose from many restaurants in town for dinner. The "Kiosks" are a great option -- every night one street in the center of Puerto Ayora is closed to traffic and restaurants put tables and chairs in the street where you can enjoy a typical meal among locals.
Other options for dinner: Caffe 1865, Almar, El Muelle de Darwin, Frafre, Midori.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Mid-Range Accommodations: Acacia Galapagos Boutique Hotel (Santa Cruz)
Luxury Accommodations: Angermeyer Waterfront Inn (Santa Cruz)
Accommodations: Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel (Santa Cruz)
Day 7: Day trip to an uninhabited island: Seymour, Santa Fe, Plazas, or Bartolome (Hiking) (BL)
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Today you will participate in a boat tour to an uninhabited island. That will be either Seymour, Santa Fe, Plazas, or Bartolome. The destination will depend on availability, day of the week, and program of the National Park. We will let you know immediately at booking which island is available.
On Santa Fe and Plazas, you can spot endemic land iguanas. Bartolome is known for beautiful lava scenery. On Seymour, you can see frigate birds, land iguanas, and blue footed boobies.
NOTE: Shared Tour with maximum 20 people/boat. Lunch on boat.
*** BRING: Hat, sunscreen, water, swimsuit, towel, bug repellent.
The evening in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island is free time.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Mid-Range Accommodations: Acacia Galapagos Boutique Hotel (Santa Cruz)
Luxury Accommodations: Angermeyer Waterfront Inn (Santa Cruz)
Accommodations: Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel (Santa Cruz)
Day 8: Transfer to Baltra Airport for flight to Quito or Guayaquil (B)
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The time until the airport transport is at your leisure. You can visit the Charles Darwin Station (free entrance) or do some souvenir shopping.
Your driver will accompany you on the transfer to the Baltra Airport. The transfer includes a private vehicle across the island to the dock for Baltra Island (40-60 minutes), taking a boat across the Itabaca Channel, and the public bus to the Baltra Airport (5 minutes). Your driver will accompany you until the check-in where your program ends with your return flight to the mainland.
Meals included: Breakfast
Pricing
8-Day Galapagos Island HoppingPrices are Per Person and Valid for Trips through December 31, 2026
| # People in Group: | 2-3 | 4+ |
| Budget Lodging: | $3995 | $3895 |
| Mid-Range Lodging: | $4595 | $4395 |
| 4-Star Luxury Lodging: | $5495 | $5295 |
*** Contact Us for other itinerary and lodging options! ***
NOTE: Prices are per person in U.S. dollars based on double/triple occupancy. All quotations are based on the current rates of park fees, VAT, other government taxes, and current exchange rates. Should any of these be increased or a new tax introduced, these increases will be added on even if your trip has already been paid for.
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