Private Charter - Northern Islands

Welcome to the Galapagos! Upon arrival at Baltra Airport, your naturalist guide greets you and assists with your transfer to Itabaca Channel. You take a short ferry ride to Santa Cruz Island, giving you your first glimpse of the archipelago. Along the way, you observe Baltra’s arid landscape and learn about its history as a former U.S. World War II airbase. This first journey introduces you to the fascinating stories and landscapes that await you throughout your Galapagos adventure.
Level: Easy
Activities: Hiking

Afterward, you head to Bachas Beach on the northern coast of Santa Cruz Island. You can snorkel in the clear waters or enjoy a relaxing walk along the beach. To reach the shore, you make a wet landing, stepping from the panga directly into the shallow water. It is recommend disembarking barefoot and changing into light walking shoes for the rest of your visit. Behind the beach, a saltwater lagoon provides a habitat for great blue herons and other small birds. The surrounding beaches also serve as important nesting sites for green sea turtles, giving you the opportunity to observe these remarkable animals in their natural environment.
Highlights:  Stunning Views, Blue footed boobies, White-cheeked pintails, American flamingoes, Sandpipers, Lava gulls
Level: Easy
Activities: Hiking, snorkeling

Chinese Hat, named for its conical shape, sits just off Santiago Island, separated by a narrow channel. Walk along a coastal trail through a sea lion colony and scan the lava shoreline for resting penguins. Volcanic rock, white sand, and clear water define this area, combining sharp geological features with consistent wildlife sightings.

Snorkel Experience: Enter the clear water and swim alongside colorful fish, reef sharks, and possibly a quick-moving penguin hunting nearshore anchovy schools.

Highlights: Lava tubes, Galapagos sea lions, Galapagos penguins, Oystercatchers, Galapagos hawks
Trail: 1.3 km / .8 mi
Level: Easy
Activities: Hiking, snorkeling, panga ride, Paddleboard, Kayak

Rabida Island stands out for its deep red beach and rocky coastline, colored by iron-rich volcanic material. Follow the beach past a sea lion group and continue to a saltwater lagoon where ducks, stilts, and sometimes flamingos gather. Head inland for views of the coast and check cliffs for Nazca boobies, blue-footed boobies, noddies, and herons. Spot mockingbirds, Darwin's finches, and flycatchers along the way.

Snorkel Experience: Enter the water from the beach and navigate rocky areas where sea lions, reef sharks, and fish are common. Examine the vertical reef walls for small invertebrates anchored to the surface.
 
Highlights: Red-sand beach, Galapagos sea lions, Galapagos hawks, Darwin finches, Galapagos flycatchers
Trail: 2 km / 1.2 mi
Level: Easy
Activities: Hiking, snorkeling, panga ride

This island is home for large colonies of both magnificent and great frigatebirds and you can see them displaying their red balloons to attract a female. Blue-footed boobies nest in the ground and perform their famous dance in the open areas, while swallow-tailed gulls perch on the cliff edges. Land iguanas are common inland while their marine cousins bask in the rocks by the sea, close to sea lions, which often like to body surf in the waves.

Snorkel Experience: This place is a really great snorkeling location, as it has tremendous diversity and amount of fish, but also sea lions, sharks, eels, turtles, rays and many more.
 
Highlights: Galapagos sea lions, Magnificent and great frigatebirds, Land and marine iguanas, Darwin finches
Trail: 1.4 km / 0.8 mi
Level: Easy
Activities: Hiking

Embark on a pleasant journey into the verdant highlands, where a bus ride leads you through lush forested landscapes home to Galapagos Giant Tortoises. These impressive creatures, reaching up to 300 kg/600 lbs, can often be seen peacefully grazing or resting in freshwater ponds. The highlands are also home to a variety of bird species rarely found in the lowlands. Depending on your itinerary, you may have the opportunity to visit a lava tunnel and learn about the volcanic forces that shaped these remarkable islands.
 
Highlights: Lava tunnels, Darwin finches, Galapagos flycatchers, Giant tortoises, Barn owls, White-cheeked pintails
Trail: 1 - 1.5 km / 0.6 - 0.9 mi
Level: Easy
Activities: Hiking

El Barranco is located in the southern part of Darwin Bay at Genovesa Island. The cliffs facing the sea are made of very fragile fractured lava, making it the ideal place for storm petrels to build their colonies, which attracts an important population of short-eared owls preying on the nesting birds. Red footed and Nazca boobies are abundant along the trail. At the base of the cliffs you can see Galapagos fur seals resting in shaded areas, as well as several species of seabirds.

Snorkel Experience: You can snorkel along the cliffs where there are many fish and great chances of seeing sharks, rays and sea lions.
 
Highlights: Nesting great frigatebirds, Galapagos sea lions, Genevosa ground finch, Genevosa cactus finch, Galapagos mockingbirds, Galapagos fur seals.
Trail: 1.2 km / 0.7 mi
Level: Difficult
Activities: Hiking, snorkeling, panga ride, paddleboard, kayak

Genovesa is a favorite island for birdwatchers as it is home to very large colonies of seabirds. From the minute you set foot at the beach you will be amazed by the noise of hundreds of boobies, gulls and frigatebirds flying over your heads, perched in the bushes or nesting on the sandy terrain. The trail is an ultimate wildlife experience as there are animals everywhere; sea lions and marine iguanas near the sea; night herons, lava and swallow-tailed gulls, Darwin finches, Galapagos doves, mockingbirds, and many more species inland.

Snorkel Experience: The bay offers several places to snorkel, from deep waters along the cliffs across the bay, to shallow waters by the beach. In either case, there are many fish to see and great chances of seeing sharks, rays, and sea lions.
 
Highlights: Nesting great frigatebirds, Red-footed and Nazca boobies, Galapagos sea lions, Yellow-crowned night herons, Genovesa ground finch, Genovesa cactus finch, Galapagos mockingbirds
Trail: 1.2 km / 0.7 mi
Level: Difficult
Activities: Hiking, snorkeling, panga ride, paddleboard, kayak

This hike is a journey into understanding the birth of these volcanic islands. You will walk in a very well preserved flow of Pahoehoe lava, which will give you endless opportunities to see the delicate textures of these types of lavas which only appear in a few places throughout the world. At first sight the barren landscape looks completely deprived of life, but look carefully for pioneer plants, lava lizards and small birds. By the shore, you can find penguins, pelicans and oystercatchers.

Snorkel Experience: You will have the option to swim or snorkel from a coral sand beach or from the dinghies. Getting underwater is like traveling to another world: if the land is almost lifeless, the sea is teaming with life, including large schools of fish, Galapagos penguins, reef sharks, turtles and rays.
 
Highlights: Lava tubes, Galapagos penguins, Oystercatchers, Galapagos hawks
Trail: 2.2 km / 1.4 mi
Level: Difficult
Activities: Hiking, Snorkeling, Panga Ride

Bartolome is one of the most iconic islands in Galapagos, renowned for its dramatic volcanic landscape and the famous Pinnacle Rock. Nestled beside a peach-colored sand beach, this island is one of the few places where you can spot penguins without traveling to remote Isabela and Fernandina. The hike to the summit offers breathtaking views of a lunar-like terrain dotted with volcanic cones, with stunning panoramas of Sullivan Bay and Pinnacle Rock. From the top, the vast beauty of the archipelago unfolds before you, creating a truly unforgettable experience.

Snorkel Experience: Enjoy an unforgettable snorkeling experience in Bartolome, one of Galapagos’ top spots. Swim in calm, clear waters alongside penguins, colorful fish, sea turtles, sea lions, rays, and reef sharks in a thriving marine ecosystem.

Highlights: Volcanic landscapes, Pinnacle rock, Herons, Blue-footed boobies, Galapagos penguins
Trail: 1.5 km / 0.9 mi
Level: Moderate
Activities: Hiking, snorkeling, panga ride

Located in the outskirts of Puerto Baquerizo, this center is dedicated to the history of human presence in the Galapagos. Since the times of the early Spanish explorers to the present times, including illustrious visitors such as Charles Darwin, this permanent exhibition will take you through the dangers and struggles of the first settlers trying to survive the harsh Galapagos environment.

Highlights: Endemic plants, exhibition on human history
Trail: 0.2 km / 650 ft
Level: Easy
Activities: Hiking

After exploring the breathtaking biodiversity and unique landscapes of the Galapagos, it’s time to return to mainland Ecuador. You’ll be transferred to the airport, bringing this unforgettable journey to a close. Every encounter with giant tortoises, blue-footed boobies, and volcanic landscapes will remain etched in your memory. Galapagos is not just a destination—it’s a transformative experience that will stay with you forever. Wishing you a wonderful journey back!