Tour: 6-Day Galapagos SUP Tour

Lunch and Dinner Provided.

This morning, you’ll fly to Santa Cruz or Baltra to be exact. This little island off the coast of Santa Cruz is home to the airport. Your guide will be waiting for you and the adventure will begin right away! As you make your way to Puerto Ayora, the capital of Santa Cruz, you’ll have time to get to know some of your fellow travelers.

After a quick check-in at your hotel, get suited up and ready for your first Galapagos SUP experience! We will head out to Tortuga Bay or Devine Bay, depending on sea conditions. Tortuga Bay has a sheltered area where you can paddle along some mangroves, looking for sea turtles or even baby sharks! Plenty of Marine iguanas are found here as well. Devine Bay offers a fun paddle across some mangrove and prickly pear areas where marine iguanas may also be found. There is even a small shipwreck to discover. Don’t forget your waterproof cameras, as we never know what wildlife may join us on our SUP excursions!

After returning from the paddle board adventure, your guide will lead you to the Calle de los Kioskos (Kiosks Street). This little back street is closed down each night as the small stall restaurants set up table and chairs in the middle of the street for open-air dining. If you’re looking for where the locals eat, look no further!

Breakfast and Lunch Provided.

We’ll head to the edge of town this morning for a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station. We’ll learn about the stations successes in repopulating the islands with the once endangered land iguana and several species of giant tortoise. From the collection of the eggs to the age of release, we’ll observe how the giant tortoises are raised and readied for life on their own. Lonesome George, the famous tortoise that died in 2012 is also found here in a special climate controlled room.

After learning about the tortoises at the CDRS, head up to the highlands to see them in the wild! We will stop at a private giant tortoise reserve. You’ll be able to see these massive creatures in their natural habitat cooling off in a watering hole or munching away on some tasty greens. You’ll also have the chance to explore some nearby lava tunnels and gain a better appreciation of the natural forces that created these islands.

After a nice lunch in the highlands, we’ll hop on board for our boat ride to Isabela Island – the largest island in the Archipelago. The ride will take around 2 hours, and sometimes we will spot whales or dolphins along the way. After arrival and check-in, go for a stroll through the picturesque town of Puerto Villamil. Along it’s white sand beach we’re sure to find the perfect spot to toast in our first Isabela sunset, arguably the most beautiful of all the islands.

Breakfast and Lunch Included.

Lace up your hiking boots – we’re hiking up a volcano! Sierra Negra is one of the most active volcanoes in Galapagos; its last eruption was in October 2005. As we hike to the perimeter of the caldera, we’ll be on the lookout for bird species found only in the highlands like the bright red Vermillion Flycatcher and the elusive short-eared owl. Once we reach the rim, we’ll be met with a 9km view that stretches across one of the most active calderas in the world.

We’ll make our way back to town for a local lunch and a quick rest before heading back to the water.  This afternoon we will take a leisurely SUP around the sheltered bay area of Puerto Villamil. Galapagos penguins, sea turtles and rays frequent these shallow waters and blue-footed boobies, frigate birds and pelicans may be seen resting along the shore and in some nearby mangrove trees.

Breakfast and Lunch Included.

After breakfast, prepare yourself for more marine iguanas than you can imagine! A hike at Tintoreras takes us along some marine iguana breeding areas. You will likely see many juveniles plus some very big, colorful males. The lava landscape here is also quite interesting. Depending on tides, the Tintoreras excursion includes a snorkel before or after the hike. Colorful fish, sea birds, and perhaps some sleeping sharks may be seen. Sea stars, octopus and many other creatures are in this area too!

In the afternoon, after we’re dried off and have had lunch, an inter-island flight takes us to San Cristobal, the oldest and eastern-most island of the Galapagos archipelago. The flight takes about 30-40 minutes - hope for clear skies to get some good photos of the islands below!

The airport in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is only a 5 minute drive from town, so it is a quick and easy transfer to your hotel. After all the hiking and paddling, let’s try something different this afternoon - biking! We start from a look out in the highlands and cycle down, at a leisurely pace, to La “Loberia”. This is an area frequented by sea lions. There we’ll be able to watch sea lions sunbathing and vying for our attention. They play, they nap and sometimes, they pose for pictures! If you’re keen for a swim, hop on in.

On the way back to town, your guide will point out their favorite spots to dine.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included.

Kicker Rock or Leon Dormido as it’s known by the locals, is the remains of a volcanic tuff cone rising over 143 meters out of the ocean. If Kicker Rock were a building, it would have almost 50 floors! Snorkeling along the edge and through a channel of this drastic compact ash formation, we’ll be on the hunt for sea turtles, spotted eagle rays, chocolate chip starfish, and, with any luck, a Galapagos Shark or two. Don’t worry: they won’t be as interested in you as you are in them!

After what is surely to be a thrilling snorkel, we head back towards the coast by boat. There are a few beaches and bays that we like to explore. Enjoy lunch on board the boat, before we head back to town.

Time to get back on your SUP! By now you’re probably quite comfortable on your board, so we’ve saved the longest (and potentially most challenging) stand up paddle boarding adventure for today. From town, head out along the coast, passing beaches and cliffs until you get to Darwin Bay. This is where Charles Darwin made his first landing in the Galapagos! Rising high above the bay is Tijeretas, or Frigatebird Hill. Many frigate birds nest here, as do some other birds such as boobies. It is also a popular place for sea lions and marine iguanas to be seen swimming around. Soak up the wildlife, maybe jump in for a refreshing swim. 

Tonight, we head to one of our favorite spots for some dining. It’ll be a well-deserved farewell feast as this is the last night in the Enchanted Islands!

Breakfast Included.

Today is the last day of your tour and you get to choose how you’d like to spend your morning. Squeeze in some souvenir shopping, head to the beach for one last swim, or visit the Interpretation Center to learn about the history and mystery of the archipelago. This educational center explains how the islands were discovered and what makes them so special. You can learn about Charles Darwin’s visit and the present day efforts to protect this amazing World Heritage site. There’s a short hike to Tijeretas, a panoramic lookout over the town and Kicker Rock, for those who are interested.