7 Days on a Budget Galapagos Islands Tour in San Cristobal

Welcome to Quito, the capital of Ecuador! Arrive at the Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO), where your driver will meet you to transfer to your accommodation in the city center, a one-hour trip.

The entire city of Quito is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, standing at an altitude of 9,350ft (2,850m). It welcomes visitors with its picturesque plazas situated between mountain peaks. The city has an abundance of market stands, shamanistic healers, and fourth-generation hat makers, as well as a vibrant and sophisticated culinary and nightlife scene.
Overnight: Quito

Meals included: None
Group type: Private

Welcome to the beautiful Galapagos Islands! After checking in to your hotel in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, you will first visit the Interpretation Center with your guide where you will learn everything about the history and future of Galapagos. Afterward, you will take a short walk to Tijeretas Hill where frigate birds are nesting and from where you have a spectacular view over the island. To top off this day, you will have the chance to visit La Lobería, a beach which is home to a colony of sea lions. For the evening and overnight stay you return to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Group type: Private group

Make the most of a free day on San Cristobal Island! 

If you want to rest a bit, you can spend the day in Playa Carola or Playa Mann. Sunbathe next to friendly sea lions, play in the water, and enjoy island life. 

If you're looking for something a bit more active, go on an excursion to Pitt Point or the Witch's Hill, which will give you access to some of San Cristobal's astonishing natural landscapes.

Meals included: Breakfast
Group type: Self guided

An exciting day awaits you, after an early breakfast, on the agenda is a day trip to Kicker Rock, which is one of the most emblematic places in the Galapagos.

A comfortable speed boat navigates along the coast of San Cristobal until we arrive to Kicker Rock, it is composed of compacted volcanic ash, not rock, towers up almost 500ft / 150m from the ocean floor, splitting into two above surface structures, but they’re connected below the surface, with a channel running between them.

It is home to many birds, you will be able spot Nazca boobies, blue-footed boobies, frigate-birds and tropicbirds, and is the underwater world will make this day extra memorable as it is a real "hot spot" for underwater wildlife!

Since Kicker Rock is a snorkeling site, get ready for a wet landing! You’ll be getting directly into the water to experience everything that Kicker Rock has to offer.

After lunch on the boat, head to a beautiful, pristine beach, where you can relax and defrost in the sunshine before heading back to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno in the afternoon.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Group type: Small group

Departure in the morning by boat to Española Island. The boat ride takes approx. 1h30 each way. Upon arrival you will disembark at Suarez Point where you will begin a hike, looking for Nazca and blue footed boobies. After the hike you will go back on board for lunch and then reach a snorkel spot where those who want can enjoy a snorkel session and look for tropical fish, rays, etc. You will be back to San Cristobal port in the end of the afternoon.

Please note : Albatrosses are not on the island from approx. late December to beginning of April. Still, you have a lot of wildlife to see.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Group type: Small group

In the morning after breakfast, you will be taken to the airport of San Cristobal where you will take your return flight to mainland Ecuador.

Meals included: Breakfast
Group type: Private Group

Today you are free to explore Quito on your own before getting picked up for your transfer to the airport.  

Visit the impressive monastery St. Francis at the San Fransisco Square, and enjoy a drink on the square terrace—one of few in the historical center. It is the oldest and most important religious site in Ecuador, with a vast complex holding 13 cloisters, three churches, more than 3,500 works of religious art, and a library with thousands of books and historical documents. 

Enjoy a scenic view from El Panecillo hill, where the Virgin of El Pacenillo stands tall. The madonna is a 147-foot (45 m) tall monument, made up of 7,000 pieces of aluminum. 

At the designated time, meet with your driver at the hotel and head to the airport for your flight home.

Meals included: Breakfast
Group type: Self guided