Please note that the Quito international airport (UIO, Mariscal Sucre) will be closed on the following dates for preventative maintenance on the runway: May 11, 18, June 1, July 6, 13, 20, September 7, 14, and 21, 2024 between the hours of 2am and 12pm. The airport will also be closed on June 8, 15, 22, and 29, 2024 between the hours of 2am and 2pm. For passengers flying in or out of Quito on these dates, please double-check flight schedules with your airline in case of changes. Internal flights within Ecuador and Galapagos will be adjusted accordingly and any changes to schedules will be communicated at the welcome briefing.
Galápagos — Central, South & East Islands aboard the Yolita
Itinerary Notes
Please be advised that for public safety reasons Genovesa and Española Islands are currently closed as part of regulations set by the Galapagos National Park in response to the avian flu reported in those areas. An update to the closure of these islands will be provided two weeks before the start of your tour. In the meantime, the Galapagos National Park Authorities will determine the replacement sites that will be visited on each trip until Española and Genovesa Islands can safely be reopened to visitors.
Itinerary
Day 1Quito
Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer included.
There are no planned activities, so check into the hotel and enjoy the city. A G Adventures representative will greet you at the hotel and brief the group on the various aspects of the tour.
Opt to pre-book the "Quito City Tour & Equator Line" activity on the checkout page ahead of time to include this optional on your tour.
Transport
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.
Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting with G Representative
The adventure begins today. Feel free to explore, but make sure you're back in time to meet the group. Your G Representative will review the details of your tour.
Optional Activities - Day 1 HideShow
Quito City Tour and Equator
Enjoy a city tour of Quito. Visit the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with stops at the Basilica del Voto Nacional, La Compañia Church, San Francisco Square, Plaza Grande and the Panecillo, a towering statue of the virgin of Quito who looks out over a stunning view of the city. Drive 25km (16 mi) north of Quito to the Middle of the World, latitude 0º. Stand with one foot in each hemisphere.
Please note that this tour starts at 8 a.m.
Cotopaxi Volcano - Full Day Trip
Enjoy a spectacular 2 hour drive to Cotopaxi Volcano National Park to see the highest active volcano in the world (5,897m/ 19,347 ft). Visit a museum in the park and hike around a lagoon at the bottom of the volcano to learn about the flora and fauna found at this altitude. Continue by car up the volcano to the parking lot, at over 4,500m/14,763 ft. Walk for an hour and a half to the refuge and after a short break, continue to the glacier (if the weather holds out). Return to Quito in the afternoon. **Park entrance fee is not included and is split among the number of travellers in the group**
Accommodation
Below is an example of the hotel we may use in this city. For the actual hotel your specific departure will be using, please check your voucher.
Hotel Hilton Colon (or similar)
Day 2North Seymour Island
Take an early flight to the Galápagos Islands. In the afternoon, visit North Seymour Island to look out for blue-footed boobies.
Plane
Flights from Quito to Baltra depart between 6:40am and 9:40am depending on the day of the week. These will arrive into the Galápagos between 9:30am and 12:30pm with a short refuelling stop in Guayaquil (you will not disembark the plane). You will generally arrive at the boat in time for lunch on Day 2 before the afternoon activity.
North Seymour Island Visit
Have an amazing wildlife experience visiting North Seymour Island – this island is teeming with life! Follow trails to see all the action (you may need to give way to a passing sea lion or marine iguana while walking). Depending on the season, see blue-footed booby nests where mating pairs perform their courtship dance. Head to a rocky shore to see flocks of pelicans having lunch in a dive bomb feeding frenzy, then turn inland to a large nesting site of magnificent frigatebirds. These huge, dark acrobats have two-metre (6.5 ft) wingspans, and males, with their puffed-up scarlet throat sacks, sit precariously perched in low bushes to watch over their equally large chicks.
Yolita
Yolita is an attractive 16-passenger ship boasting surprisingly spacious cabins for its size, and the large upper deck allows you to soak up as much of the Ecuadorian sun as you need.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 3Cerro Brujo/Kicker Rock
Travel to the dramatic Kicker Rock in the morning to witness the steep vertical stone walls rising from the ocean. Continue to Cerro Brujo on San Cristóbal to observe sea lions, marine iguanas, and seabirds along the beach. In the afternoon, head to Isla Lobos known for its friendly sea lions.
Cerro Brujo Visit
Visit Cerro Brujo to explore its coastline, and look for wildlife on the beach, in the water, and in the air. Learn about the human and natural history of the area from the Galápagos CEO/Naturalist Guide.
Snorkelling (Isla Lobos)
Snorkel the waters of peaceful Isla Lobos, amid the families of sea lions and their inquisitive pups looking to play. Spot nesting frigatebirds and the famous blue-footed boobies resting on the shore. Be sure to bring your camera to catch some snaps at this prime wildlife watching haven.
Isla Lobos Visit
Explore this tiny island for great wildlife encounters. Either by foot or by panga, view the sea and shore birds nesting and feeding. Spot a small colony of blue-footed boobies as well as two species of sea lions.
Yolita
Yolita is an attractive 16-passenger ship boasting surprisingly spacious cabins for its size, and the large upper deck allows you to soak up as much of the Ecuadorian sun as you need.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 4Bahía Gardner/Punta Suárez
Sail in to Gardner Bay, an excellent swimming and snorkelling site. Head to Punta Suarez on Española Island. The southernmost island in the Galápagos archipelago is home to several wildlife species, including nazca and blue-footed boobies. A hike to the top of the cliff makes for spectacular photo opportunities.
Punta Suarez on the western side of Española Island (also called Hood) is spectacular.
Follow the trail through a rookery and learn the geological history of the island from the naturalist, including its dramatic volcanic features, climate, flora, and fauna.
Gardner Bay Visit
Visit Gardner Bay's magnificent white sandy beach and spectacular landscapes. This incredible place is home to sea lions, hood mockingbirds, Nazca boobies, waved albatross, red-billed tropic birds, lava lizards, Galapagos hawks, and blue-footed boobies. Be sure to explore the beautiful turquoise water and its incredible sea life.
Snorkelling (Gardner Bay)
Strap on your snorkel and if conditions allow, see an abundance of sea life including; young sea lions and large schools of surprisingly big tropical fish, including yellow-tailed surgeonfish, king angelfish, and bump-head parrot fish.
Punta Suarez Excursion
Head to Punta Suárez on Española Island, the southernmost island in the Galápagos archipelago and home to several wildlife species. Hike to the top of the cliff for spectacular photo opportunities, and explore the island's untamed natural beauty.
Yolita
Yolita is an attractive 16-passenger ship boasting surprisingly spacious cabins for its size, and the large upper deck allows you to soak up as much of the Ecuadorian sun as you need.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 5Santa Fé Island/South Plaza
Visit Santa Fe island for a chance to mingle with the iguanas. Continue to South Plaza for some great bird watching opportunities.
Santa Fe Island Visit
Visit Santa Fé for amazing wildlife watching opportunities. Hike towards the cliffs along the island's northern shore to view the forest of giant prickly pear cactus (Opuntia), which is home to endemic land iguanas. It is also one of the best locations to see sea turtles, sea lions, and maybe even get a glimpse of a whitetip reef shark from the panga.
South Plaza Island Visit
Visit South Plaza, one of the smallest islands in the Galápagos, which has one of the largest populations of land iguanas. Walk along a path through a cactus forest and view a combination of dry and coastal vegetation on this lively island, home to a wide range of fauna, including incredible birdlife. Spot red-billed tropicbirds and indigenous swallow-tailed gulls resting on the cliffs, and sea lions playing in the waters.
Yolita
Yolita is an attractive 16-passenger ship boasting surprisingly spacious cabins for its size, and the large upper deck allows you to soak up as much of the Ecuadorian sun as you need.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 6Santa Cruz Island
Visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to see the giant Galápagos tortoises and go on an excursion to the Santa Cruz Highlands. Free time for shopping or exploration of Puerto Ayora.
In the morning, arrive in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. Santa Cruz is the second biggest island in the Galápagos, and has the largest population. Puerto Ayora is its main town. In the afternoon, there may be the opportunity to visit the highlands and see giant land tortoises in the wild.
Highlands Giant Tortoises Visit
Head to Santa Cruz’s verdant highlands. This is a perfect place to hike through the grounds and see giant tortoises in their natural environment, before savouring an included lunch.
Free Time
The tiny town of Puerto Ayora offers some unique shopping opportunities and a fish market to checkout.
Fausto Llerena Breeding Center & Charles Darwin Research Station Visit
Visit Fausto Llerena Breeding Center a great place to observe many species of tortoises. Brought back from the brink of extinction, see the famous Galápagos tortoise up close – a corral houses adult tortoises, and a nursery cares for the young until around age three when their shells have hardened.
This area also houses the Charles Darwin Research Station, a scientific organization initiated in 1964, which works to preserve the Galápagos' ecosystem through the conservation efforts of scientists, researchers, and volunteers. While the offices themselves are not open to visitors, the research station provides a study location for international scientists and environmental education for the local community.
Yolita
Yolita is an attractive 16-passenger ship boasting surprisingly spacious cabins for its size, and the large upper deck allows you to soak up as much of the Ecuadorian sun as you need.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 7Punta Cormorant/Floreana Island
This morning, snorkel at Devil's Crown, a coral reef surrounded by an eroded volcanic crater, the perfect home for marine life. Look out for small sharks, rays and schools of tropical fish. In the afternoon, make sure you have a postcard to leave behind on a visit to Post Office Bay.
Snorkelling (Corona del Diablo)
Enjoy an amazing snorkelling experience at the ‘Devil's Crown’, an old underwater volcanic cone just north of the Punta Cormorant. Spot large schools of tropical fish, rays, reef sharks, and sea turtles that make their home among the coral reef. Be sure you're a strong swimmer; the currents can be intense.
Post Office Bay Visit
Visit Post Office Bay and learn about its unique history. In the late 18th century, English whaling vessels placed a barrel here to be used as a post office. Today, the box is used mainly by tourists, who may drop off and pick up unstamped letters to be carried to far destinations. Continue the tradition – leave a letter and take one to deliver (be sure it makes it to the correct location)!
Yolita
Yolita is an attractive 16-passenger ship boasting surprisingly spacious cabins for its size, and the large upper deck allows you to soak up as much of the Ecuadorian sun as you need.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 8Chinese Hat/Cerro Dragón
Visit the white sand beach at Chinese Hat in the morning, before an afternoon at Cerro Dragón for an opportunity to break out the binoculars and do some excellent birdwatching.
Chinese Hat Visit
Explore Chinese Hat’s beautiful landscape and view many geological formations such as lava tubes and lava flows.
Cerro Dragón Visit
Visit Cerro Dragón (Dragon Hill) for some prime birdwatching. Take a short walk from the beach to a hypersalinic (saltier than the ocean) lagoon frequented by pink flamingos, common stilts, pintail ducks, and other species of birds. Pass through a Palo Santo tree forest; endemic to the area, there are only 400 specimens of Scalesia trees left in the world.
Yolita
Yolita is an attractive 16-passenger ship boasting surprisingly spacious cabins for its size, and the large upper deck allows you to soak up as much of the Ecuadorian sun as you need.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 9Black Turtle Cove/Quito
In the early morning, explore the mangrove lagoon at Black Turtle Cove before transferring to the airport for a flight back to Quito. Enjoy a final night out on the town.
Black Turtle Cove Excursion
Explore the mangroves by panga to find rich marine wildlife between the fresh and salt waters. Keep any eye out for sting rays and sea turtles in this tranquil ecosystem. Whitetip reef sharks can also be seen gliding by.
Accommodation
Hotel Hilton Colon (or similar)
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 10Quito
Depart at any time.
Departure Day
Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.
Optional Activities - Day 10 HideShow
Cotopaxi Volcano - Full Day Trip
Enjoy a spectacular 2 hour drive to Cotopaxi Volcano National Park to see the highest active volcano in the world (5,897m/ 19,347 ft). Visit a museum in the park and hike around a lagoon at the bottom of the volcano to learn about the flora and fauna found at this altitude. Continue by car up the volcano to the parking lot, at over 4,500m/14,763 ft. Walk for an hour and a half to the refuge and after a short break, continue to the glacier (if the weather holds out). Return to Quito in the afternoon. **Park entrance fee is not included and is split among the number of travellers in the group**
Quito City Tour and Equator
Enjoy a city tour of Quito. Visit the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with stops at the Basilica del Voto Nacional, La Compañia Church, San Francisco Square, Plaza Grande and the Panecillo, a towering statue of the virgin of Quito who looks out over a stunning view of the city. Drive 25km (16 mi) north of Quito to the Middle of the World, latitude 0º. Stand with one foot in each hemisphere.
Please note that this tour starts at 8 a.m.