Galapagos Lodge Adventure

Upon arrival at Baltra Airport, you connect to your flight to Isabela Island. A driver meets you at the airstrip for the transfer to Scalesia Lodge, your home in the island's highlands. This area is known for its solitary beaches, lava tunnels, and natural pools where you can view flamingos and other birds. This afternoon, visit the Tortoise Breeding Station, a center created to protect the Giant tortoise. You spend your first night in the Galapagos at the lodge.

Today you will visit some of Isabela ́s best attractions, the Sierra Negra and Volcan Chico. Sierra Negra is one of the most active volcanoes of the archipelago, its recent eruption took place in 2005. Volcán Chico is the youngest flank of Sierra Negra, near its northern rim.

In the afternoon, you visit Sucre’s cave, located 14 kilometers from Villamil Port within the island's agricultural zone. A short walk allows you to appreciate the typical vegetation and endemic plants of the region before continuing to Mirador de Mango for panoramic views of southern Isabela and finch bird observation.

A 40-minute speedboat ride takes you to Los Tuneles, a unique site where ancient lava flows have interacted with the ocean to form a series of natural bridges and underwater tubes. These clear, calm waters create a sanctuary for white-tipped reef sharks, green sea turtles, sea lions, manta rays, and parrotfish.

After snorkeling through the formations, you return to Scalesia Lodge for lunch. The afternoon is yours to relax on the beach of Puerto Villamil, or you may also arrange biking, surfing, or kayaking excursions this afternoon for an additional cost.

Enjoy a visit this morning to the Wall of Tears. This interesting historical site, which towers 65 feet high and runs over 300 feet long, was constructed between 1945 and 1959 by prisoners in the penal colony on the island. 

In the afternoon, you visit Concha Perla to snorkel in a protected bay. The tranquil waters are home to tropical fish, penguins, turtles, and numerous bird species. You return to the lodge for the evening to rest or explore at your leisure.

Tintoreras is a group of islets reachable only by boat. Once there, walk alongside a maze of narrow lava crevices, broken lava flows, sandy beaches, and stunning coves. The wildlife here ranges from basking marine iguanas, perched boobies and pelicans, Galapagos penguins, turtles, and white-tipped sharks (locally known as tintoreras).

Enjoy lunch at Scalesia Lodge before an afternoon at your leisure.  Enjoy free time at the Puerto Villamil beach, or arrange biking, surfing, or kayaking for an additional cost.

Early this morning, a transfer takes you to the Isabela airport for your flight back to Baltra. Upon landing, you are met and transferred to the Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. Upon arrival, settle into your hotel to rest or explore the vibrant local galleries and waterfront at your leisure.

Today you take a boat trip to one of the nearby uninhabited islands, such as Bartolome, Santa Fe, South Plazas, or North Seymour. After a full day of adventures, overnight at Finch Bay Hotel.

BARTOLOME / SULLIVAN BAY (Saturday, Sunday)
AM: Bartolome offers one of the most emblematic sceneries of the Galapagos Islands. A 600 – meter pathway, complete with stairs and a boardwalk, will take you to the highest point of the island, where you will be able to learn firsthand about the volcanic origins of the Galapagos Islands.
After the walk a dingy ride along the coastline will give you the opportunity to see the Galapagos penguin. This curious bird nests amongst the fissured lava flows and ventures into the crystal clear waters of Bartolome to fish.
PM: After a short ride on board the yacht, you will disembark en Sullivan Bay on the north eastern side of James Islands. The huge eruption that happened in this place in the late 1800s is clear evidence of the volcanic past of the islands.  You will be able to do snorkeling in the peaceful waters of Sullivan Bay. - Dry landing / Wet landing

SANTA FE (Wednesday)
AM: Santa Fé offers a beautiful bay where the yacht anchors and where the visit of the island begins. You will disembark on a small sandy beach where you will be able to see a colony of sea lions and the possibility of seeing the Galapagos hawk. Following the trail, the endemic species of land iguanas from the island of Santa Fé wait beneath the large opuntia cactus to eat its fallen pads or flowers.
PM: After the visit on land you will be taken to enjoy snorkeling in the clear waters of the anchoring site of Santa Fé. You will be able to see a variety of tropical fish and a possibility of seeing sea lions underwater. - Wet landing / snorkeling

SOUTH PLAZAS (Tuesday, Friday)
AM: You will have the possibility of snorkeling in the calm waters of Punta Carrión where you will be able to observe a variety of tropical fish and possibly white tip reef sharks that peacefully rest on the sandy bottom. – Snorkeling
PM: Located a few hundred meters away from the Eastern cost of Santa Cruz Island, South Plazas and North Plazas islands were formed from uplifted seabed, giving it a tilted tabletop quality. You will disembark on South Plazas where you will be greeted by a colony of sea lions. Further up the shore a carpet of scarlet sesuvium succulents serves as groundcover for a grove of luminescent green prickly-pear cactus. Yellow-gray land iguanas sit beneath, waiting patiently for pears to drop.
The trail takes you gradually towards the southern cliff of the island where you will be able to observe nesting swallow-tailed gulls and several sea birds such as tropic birds, Nazca and blue footed boobies fly by. - Dry landing

NORTH SEYMOUR (Monday, Thursday)
AM: North Seymour Island was lifted from the ocean floor by a seismic event, reason why its low, flat profile.  Swallow-tailed gulls sit perched in ledges of the cliffs only a few meters high form the shoreline. A forest of Palo Santo trees stand just above the landing site, usually without leaves, waiting for the rain to bring them into bloom. Amongst the emblematic fauna of the island you will be able to see sea lions, land iguanas and blue footed boobies.  The trail turns inland where you will find active and dynamic colonies of both species of “magnificent” and “great” frigate birds. - Dry landing
PM: Las Bachas, a beautiful coralline beach located on the north shore of Santa Cruz Island, is the perfect place for practicing snorkeling, swimming or to simply enjoy the white soft sand. Several brackish lagoons only a few steps away from the sea are the feeding grounds of various wading birds, from stilts to flamingos. - Wet Landing

After breakfast, transfer to the Baltra airport for your departure flight. Goodbye Galapagos!