• Darwin’s Triangle

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  • Duration

    6 Days (depart any day)

  • Destinations
    • Galápagos Islands
      • Santa Cruz
      • Floreana
      • Isabela
  • Price

    starting at $

Explore the three volcanic islands of the Galapagos in this unique adventure that will take you to Santa Cruz, Isabela and Floreana. Visit various splendid places where the wildlife does not know fear of human visitors. This adventure will show you Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution first-hand. At the end of this trip, you will leave the islands with special memories of this remote place of exquisite volcanic formations and extraordinary flora and fauna.

Highlights

  • Discover the majestic power of nature and the great biodiversity of the Santa Cruz Highlands.
  • See white tip sharks, Galápagos sharks manta rays, and colorful tropical fish.
  • Enjoy the breathtaking views of the black, treacherous lava field, the emerald green sea, the green mangroves, and the cloud-capped volcanoes of Isabela.
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Good to Know:

  • The Galápagos Islands see great weather year-round so there is never a bad time to visit.
  • Sometimes it’s a bit muddy on the Santa Cruz Highlands, so before setting out, we will provide a selection of field boots (Wellington boots) to choose from, including large sizes for men.

  • For your daily excursions, make sure to bring sunscreen, a cap/hat, bathing suit, long-sleeved shirts, camera and appropriate shoes for wet landing and hikes on lava terrain (sneakers or similar with thick soles).
  • Don’t worry while snorkeling with white-tipped reef sharks: they are not aggressive, but merely fascinating.

  • The Galápagos is the only place in the world where you can snorkel with penguins and sea lions in the same place.
  • With 4 miles across, the crater of Volcan Sierra Negra is the second largest in the world.

Picture by: Michael R Perry

Day 1: Quito or Guayaquil to Santa Cruz Island.

After arriving in Baltra from Quito or Guayaquil, you will be transferred by bus to the Itabaca Channel and by ferry to Santa Cruz Island. A private charter bus will then take you south to the town of Puerto Ayora and the Aventura Lodge. Here, you will be greeted by the Naturalist Guides and the tour escorts.
After lunch at the lodge, you will head to Garrapatero Beach to relax and take in the stunning scenery. Surrounded by beautiful mangrove trees, the beach is home to an incredible array of birds, most notably, flamingos and mockingbirds. You can also find marine iguanas, shrimp, Galapagos penguins, oystercatchers, and patillos amongst the white sands and clear blue water. Return to the lodge for dinner.

Day 2: Los Gemelos. Transfer to Floreana Island. Relax at La Loberia.

Your adventure this morning starts with a trip to Los Gemelos (The Twins), two enormous collapsed lava chambers, a wonderful introduction to the majestic power of the forces of nature and the great biodiversity of the Santa Cruz Highlands. This short, easy hike to each of the twins is swarming with endemic flora and fauna, including a remnant of Scalesia Forest, draped in liverwort, lichens and mosses. A short bus ride will then take us to a 600-acre private reserve where the giant Galapagos tortoises freely roam, graze, and sleep. We will end the morning with a trip to the island’s fascinating lava tunnels. After lunch at the lodge, we will depart for Floreana Island where we will go straight to La Loberia for a swim, snorkel or relaxing on the beach with sea lions. Dinner will be served at a local family’s house after checking into Floreana Lodge.

Day 3: Visit Floreana Highlands. Transfer to Isabela Island. Boat tour to Las Tintoreras.

Today is an action-packed day! After enjoying your breakfast at a local family’s house, we will depart on a chiva (a traditional open-air bus) for the highlands of Floreana where you will see some rare plant species and possibly spot some Galápagos tortoises. During the bus ride your Naturalist Guide will be pointing out the wildlife and filling you in on the colorful history of Floreana’s first inhabitants. In the late morning we will set sail for Isabela Island, where you will check into Red Mangrove Isabela Lodge. After enjoying your lunch here, we will take you on a smaller boat en route to Las Tintoreras. Along the way, expect plenty of wildlife encounters with blue-footed boobies and Galápagos penguins. Once on land, we will take a hike through a jagged lava field to spot marine iguanas and sea lions. Finish off the day on the bay by snorkeling with  ee white-tipped reef sharks, sea lions and sea turtles.

Craig Stanfill – Used by Permission

Day 4: Hike to Volcan Sierra Negra. Lunch and relax at Campo Duro. Leisure afternoon on Isabela.

This morning we will be taking you to Volcan Sierra Negra, the oldest volcano on Isabela. After a short hike, we will reach the rim of its crater from where the views are simply breathtaking! After taking in the views, we’ll set off on an easy 3-mile hike to relax and have a snack under a Jaboncillo tree.

For the real adventure seekers of the group, there is an option to continue on a more challenging one-hour walk to Volcan Chico, just northwest of the crater where fumarole activity is abundant, and again from here, the views are spectacular. This is not an easy hike, however, because it is mostly across sloping lava fields.

After returning from Sierra Negra, we will have lunch at Campo Duro, a relaxing organic farm. Take a walk among the fruit trails or nap in one of their many hammocks before heading back to the lodge. Once there, you will have time to discover Isabela on your own. Enjoy snorkeling, swimming or simply relax or walk the town to discover the typical Galapagos style of life.

Day 5: Isabela – Santa Cruz

This morning, you will be taken on the Humedales (Wetlands) Tour. We begin with a drive out of town along the beautiful white sand palm lined beach of Vilamill. This beach, straight from the cover of a travel magazine, stretches on for almost 2 miles before the National Park boundaries, where we will walk up the trail to the summit of Cerro Orchilla, for an astounding view from the top. We will then visit the “Muro de las Lagrimas” (Wall of Tears), a unique construction built by the backbreaking labor of prisoners of a penal colony centuries earlier. After lunch, you will be transferred to Santa Cruz and checked into Santa Cruz Aventura Lodge. There, enjoy a guided tour to the fascinating Charles Darwin Research Station where you can learn about one of the most successful reptile breeding programs in the world and perhaps, meet the most famous giant tortoise: Lonesome George, also known as the world’s rarest creature.

Day 6: Santa Cruz – Quito or Guayaquil.

After breakfast, you will depart for your transfer to Baltra airport, on time for your flight back to the mainland.

Picture by: Pantxorama

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