Compare Galapagos Islands Family Adventure by Andean Discovery vs Galápagos Islands: Family Volunteer Vacation by Discover Corps

Day 1: Arrive Quito, Ecuador

Welcome Briefing

Quito, Ecuador, is a spectacular city positioned just a few miles shy of the equator in a narrow valley surrounded by volcanoes. At 9,350 feet above sea level, it is the second highest capital city in Latin America, and maintains a pleasant spring-like climate all year round. Quito is also the cultural epicenter of Ecuador, with a plethora of museums, expansive outdoor parks, and colorful festivals and fairs. Upon evening arrival into Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport, you will be met by Andean Discovery staff and transferred to your hotel, perched on the crater rim of the dormant Pululahua Volcano.

Day 2: Quito - Cloud Forest zip-lining

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Canopy Zip-line in the Cloud Forest and Visit the Equator Line

Meet up with your guide this morning and travel by private vehicle to the famous cloud forests of Mindo. Watch the scenery transform as you descend the high slopes of the Andes into the lush green forests below, keeping an eye out for waterfalls and cascades along the way. Located in one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, Mindo is home to over 300 different species of tropical birds–including toucans, quetzals, owls, and hummingbirds–and countless other plant and animal species. Catch a birds-eye-view of it all during a thrilling canopy zip-line tour, a series of 13 platforms and lines spanning over two miles across the upper levels of the forest. After lunch, travel to zero degrees latitude and visit the Mitad del Mundo equatorial monument. Stand with one foot in each hemisphere and test out the effect of gravity on the equator through a series of interactive experiments. For example, is it possible balance an egg on the equator? Go for a hike in the Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve and learn how small farms subsist from the fertile lands of the volcano floor. Enjoy dinner with your guide and a briefing about the upcoming Galapagos excursion.

Day 3: Fly to the Galapagos | Santa Cruz | Isabela

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Observe Giant Galapagos Tortoises in the Wild

This morning you will be transferred to the airport in time for your mid-morning flight to Baltra Island, Galapagos. Upon arrival in the Galapagos, you will meet your Naturalist Guide and travel to Santa Cruz Island. This afternoon explore the highlands of Santa Cruz. As you ascend, you will travel through several different vegetation zones and witness the landscape become increasingly lush and green by the minute. Here you’ll have the opportunity to view the islands’ most famous reptile: giant Galapagos tortoises in their wild habitat. It’s a real treat to see an endangered species roving in this lush environment! The vegetation of the area includes the Scalesia forest (an endemic giant daisy tree). Birds such as the vermilion flycatcher will delight everyone with its scarlet feathers against an emerald green forest. Look for Darwin’s finches (most of them from the tree-finch group), particularly the famous Woodpecker Finch. Explore an amazing network of lava tubes, underground tunnels formed by hot liquid rock. The outer part of the tunnels hardened and cooled even as the interior lava continued to flow. Eventually, the flowing interior lava emptied out, leaving hollow cave-like structures. Sample some of the local cuisine and board our speedboat for the two-hour journey to Isabela Island. Check in at your beachfront eco-lodge and finish the day with a refreshing swim in turquoise waters as the sun sets on the horizon.

Day 4: Isabela Island - Volcano Hike & Surfing

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Sierra Negra Volcano Hike and Surf Lesson

This morning travel 13 miles inland to the island’s highlands, where you’ll discover Sierra Negra, one of the largest volcano craters in the world, measuring 6 miles in diameter and 1,000 feet deep. Steaming fumaroles and the charcoal-black landscape are proof of its ongoing volcanic activity. Hike around the crater rim to see lava remains from the 2005 eruption. Opt to extend your hike and visit Chico Volcano, a neighboring crater with lunar-like landscapes, including various formations of petrified lava.

This afternoon cool off with a surf lesson from a local Galapagos surfer and see the islands from a different perspective. The Galapagos archipelago is a world-class surfing destination, and with its beautiful beach break, Isabela is the perfect place to learn.

Day 5: Isabela Island - Snorkeling & Mt. Biking

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Snorkeling Excursion to Tintoreras | Biking the Coast

After breakfast, board a dingy with your guide and travel across the bay to Tintoreras Island, a resting place for white-tip reef sharks. En route you may see Galapagos Penguins, which seem comically out of place so close to the equator. Once ashore, a short hike reveals the largest colonies of marine iguanas in the Galapagos, sea lions, Sally Lightfoot Crabs, and Blue-footed Boobies. Return to the bay for a snorkel—look for sea lions, rays, and many different species of tropical fish.

This afternoon hop on a mountain bike to explore Los Humedales, a series of coastal pools, lagoons, and endemic mangroves that boast an abundance of birds and native plants. Keep your eyes out for herons, Black-necked Stilts, and Galapagos pintails, and be careful for Marine Iguanas crossing the road. Then make your way to the Wall of Tears, the remains of an old penal colony, and learn about the human history of the Galapagos.

Continue by bike to the home of a local Galapagos family for a special visit. Roll up your sleeves and learn how to cook a traditional meal, including fresh seafood and other native treats. Enjoy the meal with your hosts who will share personal stories about life on the island.

Day 6: Boat to Santa Cruz Island

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Boat to Puerto Ayora and explore a pristine beach

This morning depart by boat for Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, the largest port town in the Galapagos. Enjoy some free time on your own before lunch. This afternoon visit Garrapatero beach, where it is possible to explore the coast by sit-on-top kayaks and observe wildlife such as brown pelicans, flamingos, lava lizards, and lava gulls.

Day 7: Santa Cruz - Coastal Hike & Darwin Station

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Tortuga Bay and Charles Darwin Research Station

This morning we hike 45 minutes through a dry coastal forest and white sand beach to Tortuga Bay, a secluded cove surrounded by mangrove forests. Keep your eyes out for shore birds like Whimbrels, Ruddy Turnstones, Great Blue Herons and endemic Lava Gulls. This afternoon opt for a guided visit of the Charles Darwin Research Station, where you will learn about current scientific research on the islands and the Station’s mission to ensure the conservation of the environment and biodiversity in the Galapagos Archipelago. The Station is also a tortoise breeding and rearing center. Observe how tortoises of different subspecies are prepared for reintroduction to their natural habitats. Or enjoy some time on your own for shopping in Puerto Ayora and to wander around the port town.

Day 8: Fly to Quito

Meals: Breakfast

Return to Quito

This morning transfer to the airport in Baltra Island in time for your morning flight to Quito, with connection in Guayaquil. Stop along the way to view the breathtaking Twin Craters, formed by the collapse of surface material in underground fissures and chambers. Upon arrival in Quito, you will be met by your Andean Discovery guide and driver and transferred to your hotel, conveniently located in a rual village near the airport. A light lunch/snack is served on the plane.

Day 9: Depart

Meals: Breakfast

Depart

This morning you will be transferred to the airport in time for your international flight.

D 1: Arrive in Quito and Enjoy a Welcome Dinner

Meals: Dinner

Touching down in Quito, you’ll be met at the airport by your Discover Corps guide, who will accompany you to our hotel for a welcome dinner with your fellow travelers. Have a restful night for the adventures ahead.

Day 2: Walking Tour of Quito

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Today we’ll explore Quito, walking the pretty cobblestoned streets of its UNESCO-listed colonial center. A cable car ride to a nearby mountain summit will afford us a bird’s-eye view of the city and the surrounding volcanic peaks, before dinner at a chic restaurant. (B,L,D)

Day 3: Fly to Baltra to begin our Galápagos Adventure

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Our Galápagos adventure begins in earnest now, with an early morning flight from Quito to Baltra, before we take a bus and then boat to Isabela Island. After checking into our hotel, we’ll have the evening free to explore the town Puerto Villamil, the third largest human settlement in the archipelago.

Day 4: Snorkel the extraordinary Los Tuneles

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

One of the most spectacular sites for snorkeling off the coast of Isabela is Los Tuneles (or the Tunnels), tangled formations of hardened lava next to the mangroves. These unique formations of tunnels and bridges create one of the most astonishing locations for viewing sea turtles, rays, white-tipped sharks, and a variety of seabirds

Day 5: Kayak Las Tintoreras in Search of Marine Iguanas and Galápagos Penguins

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

We’ll spend this morning kayaking along the coast of Las Tintoreras on Isabela Island, stopping to snorkel along the way in the El Elestero wetlands for those interested. After a picnic lunch, we’ll enjoy a beach sid mangrove walk, viewing a whole ecosystem of animals that are not normally visible.

Day 6: Visit a Tortoise Sanctuary on the Island of Santa Cruz

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Today we’ll visit a tortoise sanctuary on the island of Santa Cruz. Here we’ll explore more otherworldly lava tunnels, before helping out with odd jobs at the sanctuary. In particular, we will be removing invasive plant species or planting endemic species throughout the reserve. As this is an area where tortoises roam freely in the wild, you may end up face to face with one of these magnificent creatures.

Day 7: Learn About Galápagos Conservation at the Charles Darwin Research Station

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

This morning we’ll visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn about the conservation projects across the archipelago, before an hourlong trek to the white sands of Tortuga Bay. Here you can go swimming or follow the lead of the resident marine iguanas and simply soak up some sun. Spend another afternoon volunteering at the tortoise sanctuary in the highlands of Santa Cruz.

Day 8: Discover Blue-Footed Boobies & Frigate Birds on North Seymour

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Today we’ll venture out to the tiny, uninhabited island of North Seymour, home to one of the largest populations of blue-footed boobies and majestic, red-throated frigate birds. Witness the frigate birds swoop down and cheekily swipe the boobies’ hard-earned catch of fish. On our way back, we’ll stop at a beautiful beach where you can snorkel with sea lions.

Tonight is a free evening in Santa Cruz.

Day 9: Snorkel Off the Islands of Daphne and Pinzon

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Today we’ll snorkel the waters around the small island of Daphne, a scientists colony, before continuing to Pinzon, home to some of the best snorkeling in the archipelago. Jump in from the boat to see sea lions, a kaleidoscope of reef fish and, if you're lucky, penguins. Tonight well share a farewell dinner in Santa Cruz. (B,L,D)

Day 10: Return Home or Continue Trip Via Quito

Meals: Breakfast

Whether or not you’ve chosen the trip extension, we’ll return to the airport in Baltra for a flight back to Quito today. From there we’ll either say our goodbyes before your flight home, or you’ll stay an extra night in Quito with us for our Amazon Basin post-trip extension (next page).