After an early flight to San Cristobal Island, you are picked you up at the airport and head to Casa Opuntia Hotel, where you share a quick briefing over lunch. Casa Opuntia is a cozy hotel with a prime waterfront location overlooking the boardwalk and some of the best seafood in San Cristobal. Before heading into the wild, you stop to visit the Interpretation Center, where you will learn about the unique natural history, human history, and social dynamics of the Galapagos.

After learning about the natural history of the Galapagos, and how San Cristobal fits in, it’s time for your first hike! You set out toward Frigate Hill along trails of lava rock. Along the way, your guides will teach you about the Galapagos cotton, palo santo, acacia, and cacti surrounding the trail, as well as blue-footed boobies, pelicans, herons, gulls, warblers, mockingbirds, finches, and the frigate birds that lend Frigate Hill its name. As you gain elevation, you will take in postcard-worthy views of the rocky coastline and the tranquil town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.

After your hike, you stop at beautiful Carola Beach to cool off in the calm water. Here you can swim and snorkel with sea turtles, sea lions, and marine iguanas and take in a beautiful sunset. As evening sets, you return to Casa Opuntia for a delicious seafood dinner in the oceanfront dining room. After dinner, you take a short stroll from the hotel down the boardwalk to visit the local colony of endemic Galapagos sea lions.

Overnight on San Cristobal Island
Comfort Hotel: Casa Opuntia or similar
Premium Hotel: Golden Bay or Casa Opuntia
Meals: Lunch, Dinner

DAY 2: Highland Volcano Hike & North Coast Snorkeling

You start your second day with a morning exploration of the coastal bays and coves of San Cristobal’s north coast, full of blue footed boobies, frigate birds, sea lions, and sea turtles. You may visit Leon Dormido (Kicker Rock), Punta Pitt or Cerro Brujo. The visiting site will depend on the week day and Galapagos National Park regulations.

In the afternoon, you will go on a short hike to the only permanent freshwater lake in the Galapagos. Fresh water is necessary for the local frigate birds to survive, as they must wash the salt from their feathers in order to remain light enough to fly. The lake lies in an extinct volcanic crater and is home to a host of bird life, including gallinules, white-cheeked pintail ducks, and magnificent frigate birds. The walk provides superb views as well as an introduction to the Galapagos highland ecosystem and its endemic plant species. After a full day of hiking and snorkeling, you head back to Casa Opuntia for dinner and a well-earned rest.

Overnight on San Cristobal Island
Comfort Hotel: Casa Opuntia or similar
Premium Hotel: Golden Bay or Casa Opuntia
Meals: Lunch, Dinner

DAY 3: Fly to Isabela. Hike the Coastline & Explore Tintoreras

Today you take a short small aircraft flight on to Isabela, the largest island in the Galapagos. Isabela is one of the most volcanically active spots on the planet, with six active volcanoes continually forming the island. After a quick flight over, you embark on what is perhaps the most scenically varied hike in the Galapagos. The trail will take us along white sand beaches, shady mangroves, brackish lagoons, and a cavernous lava tube. Along the way, you’ll see giant tortoises, flamingos, and other wildlife, and you’ll stop for a visit at El Muro de las Lagrimas (the Wall of Tears). When Isabela was used as a penal colony, prisoners were forced to construct this imposing wall of lava rock for no other reason than to keep them distracted from their solitude.

Your next stop is Tintoreras, a group of small, rocky islets that conceal many hidden coves and beaches. The main attraction of Tintoreras is the peculiar, endemic Galapagos penguin, and you’ll also see reef sharks, sea turtles, and sea lions. At the end of the day, you’ll retire to the stylish Iguana Crossing Hotel, where you can relax in the modern infinity pool, stroll down the neighboring white sand beach, and wander the sand streets of Puerto Villamil, a charming beach town.

Overnight on Isabela Island
Comfort Hotel: Casita de la Playa or similar
Premium Hotel: Iguana Crossing Hotel or similar
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 4: Active Volcano Trek in Isabela’s Highlands

Today you head into Isabela’s volcanic highlands on one of the most impressive hikes in the Galapagos. After driving up until the road ends, you don our daypacks and hike into a surreal world of volcanic terrain and endemic plants. As we hike up, airy views of the surrounding volcanoes and sea are revealed. When you arrive at the rim of Volcan Sierra Negra, you are rewarded with a truly one-of-a-kind vista. This is the second largest active caldera on the planet, six miles across at its widest point. You’ll continue your hike along the rim of this enormous crater, taking in the view.

The next leg of your hike continues on to the otherworldly landscape of Volcan Chico, where spectacular lava formations are painted in vibrant hues by sulfur deposits and puffing fumaroles vent volcanic gases. As you head back, you stop for lunch at an idyllic restaurant on the slopes of Sierra Negra that also acts as a private giant tortoise reserve. After spending your day in this volcanic terrain, you return to paradise on earth to spend your last afternoon on Isabela soaking up the island atmosphere of Puerto Villamil and relaxing on the beach.

Overnight on Isabela Island
Comfort Hotel: Casita de la Playa or similar
Premium Hotel: Iguana Crossing Hotel or similar
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 5: Speedboat to Santa Cruz. El Chato, Lava Tunnels & Volcanic Sinkholes

After an early breakfast, you will go to Santa Cruz Island. Along the way, you keep a lookout for whales and dolphins. After arriving at the beautiful Angermeyer Waterfront Inn’s private dock and checking in, you head to El Chato nature reserve in the Santa Cruz highlands to find the giant tortoise in its natural habitat. It is truly an honor to hike alongside these fascinating giants, who can live to be over 175 years old. You will also see pintail ducks, finches, frigate birds, egrets, and the dazzling vermillion flycatcher.

Next, you continue on to some incredible lava tunnels, and as you walk into their depths, your guides regale you with stories of the pirates who once used these caves to hide from Spanish ships and stash their booty of Inca gold. You then carry on to Los Gemelos, two deep volcanic sinkholes at the high point of the island, created by the collapse of huge pockets of magma. Along the way, you will hike through a forest of endemic Scalesia trees, home to the elusive short-eared owl. The Scalesia trees are covered with ferns and epiphytes, and the quiet forest exudes an eerie feel.

In the late afternoon, you retire to your hotel.

Overnight on Santa Cruz Island
Comfort Hotel: Hotel Fernandina or similar
Premium Hotel: Angermeyer Waterfront Inn or similar
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 6: Hike Cerro Crocker & Tortuga Bay

This morning, you set out on a hike into the incredible cloud forests of Santa Cruz. Your objective is Cerro Crocker, the highest point on the island at 864 meters (2,834 feet). On the way up, you will pass through another endemic forest, this one of Miconia trees, keeping an eye out for giant tortoises and vermillion flycatchers. The cloud forest is a particularly unique ecosystem that has a mysterious feeling and lush greenery due the humidity that forms dense clouds of mist. As you arrive at the summit, you can admire the picturesque coastline far below. After enjoying the view, you move on and attempt to summit the tiny but steep Volcan Puntudo, a peculiar, symmetrical cinder cone that provides for a strenuous but very enjoyable climb. As you hike, you get a magnificent view of the Media Luna crater.

After a nourishing lunch, you continue your adventure to Tortuga Bay, one of the most beautiful beaches in the Galapagos. Its calm waters and soft, fine sand make Tortuga Bay a preferred nesting site for the black turtle, hence its name. The hike there takes you through a unique dry forest, where you will find flocks of birds and many interesting plants. You enjoy the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the white sand beach.

Overnight on Santa Cruz Island
Comfort Hotel: Hotel Fernandina or similar
Premium Hotel: Angermeyer Waterfront Inn or similar
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 7: Charles Darwin Station & Depart Galapagos

Before you leave, you stop for a final visit at the Charles Darwin Research Station. Scientists at the Research Station rear endemic plants, land iguanas, and giant Galapagos tortoises for scientific, educational, and conservation purposes. Here, you learn more about ongoing efforts to conserve the natural environment of the Galapagos, as well as interesting details about the evolutionary history of many of the Islands’ endemic animals. After your visit, it’s time to say goodbye to these enchanted islands as you are transferred to Baltra for your flight back to the mainland. Meals: Breakfast