Begin your adventures in the Galapagos on Baltra Island. Upon arrival at Baltra airport, personnel of Galapagos National Park will check your luggage to avoid the introduction of foreign plants or animals to the Islands. The entrance fee must be paid to them. Passengers are picked up by the naturalist guide and taken on a five-minute bus drive to the pier to board the Galapagos Sea Star Travel.

Dry landing. The trail leads across a brackish lagoon to see flamingos and shore birds and a typical dry zone vegetation (cacti, incense trees, Galapagos cotton, sesuvium) going up until Dragon Hill, this is an important nesting area of land iguanas, offering lovely views of the anchored boats and neighboring islands. The incense tree forest is home to many birds such as mockingbirds, Darwin finches, Galapagos flycatchers, and yellow warblers.

Activities: Hiking

You can barely compare this unique place with any others in the Galapagos. A cove surrounded by a mangrove forest, home of green sea turtles and a baby white-tip reef sharks’ nursery. You can spot schools of golden rays, spotted eagle rays, marine turtles and, pelicans, herons, and frigates on top of the mangrove trees. You also see very colorful Sally light-footed crabs and Blue-footed boobies on the rocky area. You can appreciate this only on a Zodiac ride.

Activities: Panga Ride

Sombrero Chino has its nickname, “Chinese hat” after the shape of an old-fashioned Chinaman’s Hat, it is one of the smallest Galapagos Islands having a terrific visitor site with an unforgettable view. Like the other islands in Galapagos, Sombrero Chino is of volcanic origin, known as a “spatter cone, it is located at the southeastern of Santiago Island. The visitor path starts at a gorgeous beach to observe, red sally lightfoot crabs, marine iguanas, Galapagos sea lions resting on the beach, Oystercatchers, Wandering tattlers, herons, and lava lizards. There is an optional snorkeling activity off the zodiac to look for sea lions, white-tip reef sharks, colorful fish, and occasionally Galapagos penguins.

Activities: Hiking, Snokeling

There is a boat ride activity to look for Nazca boobies, Swallow-Tailed Gulls, the smallest subspecies of marine iguanas, red-billed tropic birds, Galapagos fur seals, and Galapagos sea lions, followed by a dry landing to climb up the natural stairway to get to the top of the island. This path passes through colonies of Nazca and red-footed boobies, some frigates birds, the famous Darwin finches, and Galapagos mockingbirds. At the end of the trail, Wedge-rumped storm petrels’ nest on the lava field and look for short-eared owls. Optional kayak activity inside the bay in clear water and smooth sea.

Activities: Hiking, Snorkeling

Wet landing on a coral sandy beach which is much younger than the ones on the other islands. Swallow-tailed gulls often are presented and also Galapagos sea lions. The trail is flat and short going by the mangrove forest and saltbush. It is one of the best sites to look for red-footed-booby nesting. During the low tie, there is a possibility to observe the rarest gull in the world named the lava gull, there are approximately nine hundred individuals in all of the Galapagos Islands. Genovesa is a special place for birdwatchers to see Darwin finches, Galapagos doves, mockingbirds, Nazca boobies, and migratory birds. Once back at the beach, there will be another chance for snorkeling from the beach.

Activities: Hiking, Kayaking

From the summit of Bartolome, see the most famous view, overlooking the pinnacle rock and Santiago Island beyond. This volcanic scenery has often been linked to a lunar landscape. The altitude of the island is just 114 meters. From the trail to the top of the island observe, spatter cones, lava tubes, and very few plants. This island has a small colony of Galapagos penguins which is the only specie of its family to live in the tropics and has only one population in the northern hemisphere. This can be observed during a boat ride activity. Snorkeling time with good possibilities to see Galapagos penguins, white-tipped reef sharks, and playful sea lions.

Activities: Hiking, Snorkeling

This site located at the southeastern part of Santiago Island is of important geological interest. Extensive lava flows, “pa-hoe-hoe” which is a smooth ropy formation, and “aa” which is explosive, were formed about 120 years ago. In the middle of the lava flow, older reddish-yellow colored tuff cones appear. There are few plants well adapted to the dry conditions such as Mollugo grows out of the fissures, lava cactus, and chamaesyce. Tree molds are holes in the surface of hardened lava where a tree once stood, indicating that in that position large size plants grew in small crevices until the lava flow of past eruptions burned down the flora of the island.

Activities: Hiking, Snorkeling

After a bus ride of 40 minutes from Puerto Ayora, see the highlands, during the walk is possible to admire different kinds of birds, such as tree and ground finches, paint-billed crakes, yellow warblers, and cattle egrets (often standing on the tortoises’ shell and cows). This expedition offers great opportunities to see the contrasts of the different ecosystems that Galapagos has in each island. Galapagos giant tortoises are present on the trail, wandering through pastures in the paddocks. A light rain jacket is suggested to visit this point because usually is misty or rainy.

Activities: Hiking

After the excursion go back straight to the Baltra airport for your flight to the mainland (Guayaquil or Quito).