8 Day Discover the Galapagos Highlands FAM (FOR TRAVEL PROFESSIONALS) - 8 Days

You are met by our representative at the airport in Quito and provide transfers at Grand Hotel Alameda Mercure or similar in Quito. + Buffet Breakfast

After breakfast, we will go back in time a couple of hundred years while driving around the colonial section of Quito and admire architectural monuments, la Basilica church, Independence Square, with the Presidential Palace and the colonial Churches. Visit the toy workshop, you will find wooden toys, like spin toys. Visit the Api Real store, they produces products such as soaps, creams and shampoos, based on honey and its merger with essential oils and extracts 100% natural.

You will learn how to do it and you will take home the secret recipe and drive up to the “Middle of the World City” (entrance included) where the monument that divides the Northern from the Southern Hemisphere will be visited. It was built during the XVII century when a French Expedition defined the precise location of the equatorial line. The “Intiñan Museum”, known as the Equinox solar Museum, can also be visited (entrance is not included)

Overnight at Grand Hotel Alameda Mercure or similar in Quito + Buffet Breakfast

Early in the morning, after breakfast, you will have the transfer to Quito airport to take Galapagos flight – not included. When you arrive at the Galapagos in the Baltra airport, our staff will meet you. They will transfer you to Hotel, located on Santa Cruz Island. After lunch we will Visit the The highlands of Santa Cruz Island offer important attractions thanks to its climate and vegetation. This tropical rain forest has a very different landscape than the lowlands.
In the Santa Rosa sector, we will visit the El Chato Reserve where the famous “Galapagos” giant tortoises live in the wild. You can watch the tortoises relaxing and bathing in El Chato lagoon. Also, this is nesting grounds for many of the island’s wild birds, such as finches, Vermilion Flycatcher, Cattle Egret and sometimes Galapagos Crake.

Our journey lets you see the huge Galapagos tortoises in their natural state. During the visit to this reserve we’ll also visit a natural lava tunnel, which you can go through thanks to the soft lighting installed by the owners of the ranch.

Dinner and overnight at Hotel + American Breakfast

At 7 a.m., a bus will pick us up at our hotels and take us to the dock at Itabaca Canal where we’ll board the boat that will take us to Plazas Islands. After navigating two hours, and just upon landing, we can see one of the largest colonies of sea lions in the archipelago. A few meters beyond the landing dock, a group of land iguanas are always observed. The trail then leads to the other side of the island, which is very small and rectangular. We walk along a cliff, where you can observe land iguanas, some marine iguanas, and birds – such as blue-footed and masked boobies, nesting swallow-tailed gulls, Galapagos’ shearwaters and tropicbirds – on the cliff or soaring above it. As well, frigate birds and pelicans often fly over the bluff.

Despite its small size, this is home to a large number of species and is famous for its extraordinary flora. This island is very popular with domestic and foreign visitors because of its attractive, beautiful thorn trees, cacti and of course the large colony of Galapagos land iguanas. Depending on the season, the vegetation changes color from intense green in the rainy season to orange and purple in the dry season!

Dinner in local restaurant and overnight at Hotel in Santa Cruz + American Breakfast

After breakfast, we sail an hour to Santa Fe Island. From the yacht, we see on its huge cliffs a forest of giant cacti endemic to this island. In the calm, turquoise waters of the bay are colonies of sea birds, such as pelicans, boobies and gulls, and many sea lions. Snorkeling is fantastic. We will swim with manta rays and tropical fish, and sometimes see sea turtles. We will have lunch on board and then land on a beautiful, white-sand beach. There we will relax, take photos and enjoy the Galapagos sun, before returning to the hotel.

In addition you can enjoy a Experiential fishing in the island.

Dinner in local restaurant and overnight at Hotel in Santa Cruz + American Breakfast

Pick up hotel. 0800. Navigation to different places suchs as:: CHANNEL OF SHARKS, an arm of the crystal clear sea where sharks found in the surrounding area can see sea lions and frigates. IGUANA BEACH :with a large concentration of marine iguanas, can observe blue-footed boobies; LOVE CANAL crystalline waters, is a very private and romantic place. GRIETAS in this unique place we will have the chance to snorkel into a canyon formed by the sea water into the land, in this area we will also have the chance to see blue footed boobies, red crabs, frigate birds, and other bird species Finally enjoy the BEACH PUNTA ESTRADA.

After breakfast, we will take a bus or taxi back to the airport. On the way, we will make a last stop to visit the Gemelos Craters, twin geological depressions amidst a forest of scalesia (native vegetation) on the highest part of the island.

When you arrive Quito or Guayaquil, you are met by our Representative and provide transfer at Grand Hotel Alameda Mercure + BB

After breakfast, transfer out