Your Travel Experience with ARRIVAL
Day 1
Arrive in Quito.
Touch down in Ecuador's capital at 2850 metres above sea level and let the altitude remind you where you are. From the airport, hop on your included transfer to Las Hortensias, your base for the night just outside the buzz of Quito's old town. Lunch and dinner are on your own today so use the afternoon to explore the neighbourhood, find somewhere good to eat and meet the rest of the crew over dinner. Tomorrow the islands begin. Tonight you sleep in the highest capital city in the world.
Day 1 - 2
Las Hortensias, Quito (or similar)
A quiet and comfortable property just outside the buzz of Quito's old town, well-located for the airport and a gentle landing pad at the start and end of an eleven-night trip. Warm beds, local breakfasts and a breather to adjust to the altitude before the islands begin. Breakfast included.
Day 2
Quito to San Cristóbal. Ceviche with Locals.
This morning you fly from Quito to San Cristóbal, the easternmost island in the Galápagos and the one most people overlook in favour of Santa Cruz. Note that domestic flights to the islands are included in the trip price. Before boarding, you will pay the Transit Control Card fee of USD 20 per person in cash at the airport and the Galápagos National Park entrance fee of USD 200 per person on arrival. Have USD cash ready. Cards are not accepted. Arrive in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, collect your bags and head straight to a local kitchen for the ceviche cooking class. Your introduction to the island is lime, fresh fish, chilli and a local cook who has been making this dish longer than most things on your itinerary have been in business. By the time you eat lunch, you will know how to make the best ceviche of your life. Breakfast included. Lunch included today as part of the cooking class.
Ceviche Cooking Class, San Cristóbal
A hands-on cooking class in a local kitchen in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on the day you arrive in the islands. The class covers the fundamentals of Ecuador's most iconic coastal dish, learning to prepare ceviche from scratch with a local cook who has been making it for years. The lime, the fresh fish, the chilli and the technique are all covered. By the time you sit down to eat what you have made, lunch is included. It will be the best ceviche of your life.
Day 2 - 5
Hotel Katarma or Blue Marlin, San Cristóbal (or similar)
Two boutique-style, locally-owned hotels in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno that keep you close to the cultural heartbeat of San Cristóbal's main town. Katarma has an artsy, eccentric character. Blue Marlin is beachier and more laid-back. Both are steps from the sea lions and within walking distance of everything on the island. Breakfast included.
Day 3
El Junco, Puerto Chino and the Giant Tortoises.
Breakfast at the hotel. This morning the group heads into the highlands of San Cristóbal to El Junco Crater Lake, the only freshwater lake in the Galápagos and one of the most fog-wrapped and quietly surreal places on the islands. Frigatebirds circle the rim. The mist comes and goes. The guide carries the geology and the history. From the crater, drive down to Puerto Chino, a coastal trail and beach on the southeastern tip of the island where the water is turquoise and the sea lions treat the beach as their own. Then to La Galapaguera, the open-air tortoise conservation sanctuary where ancient tortoises move through native vegetation on boardwalk trails at the pace of something that has never needed to hurry. Breakfast and lunch are included.
El Junco Crater Lake Hike, San Cristóbal
A guided visit to the only freshwater lake in the Galápagos, sitting inside an ancient volcanic crater in the highlands of San Cristóbal. Frigatebirds dip into the water to rinse their wings in the mist. A short hike to the rim delivers one of the best views on the islands.
Puerto Chino Beach, San Cristóbal
A coastal trail and secluded beach on the southeastern tip of San Cristóbal where the water is turquoise and the sea lions treat the sand as their own. One of the quieter and more genuinely beautiful beaches on the island.
La Galapaguera Tortoise Conservation Sanctuary, San Cristóbal
An open-air conservation sanctuary where giant tortoises roam through native vegetation on wooden boardwalk trails. Entry fees included.
Day 4
Your Day, Your Call.
No agenda today beyond the options in front of you. San Cristóbal has several of the best half-day experiences in the archipelago and today is the day to choose. Kicker Rock snorkelling for those who want to drift through a volcanic channel with reef sharks below. Boat to Lobos Island for sea lion colonies. Kayak along the mangrove coast where the water is still and the wildlife is close. Or simply spend the day on the beach and in the water at your own pace. Whatever you choose, the guide and ARRIVAL team can help arrange it. All optional activities carry an additional cost. Breakfast included.
Day 5
San Cristóbal to Santa Cruz.
An early start for the public speedboat west across open Pacific to Santa Cruz, approximately two hours each way. The speedboat is included in the trip price. Arrive in Puerto Ayora, the largest town in the Galápagos and the cultural and commercial centre of the archipelago. Check into Villa Laguna, spend the afternoon exploring the boardwalk and the waterfront, and consider adding the Bay Tour in the afternoon, a half-day combination of boat and walking that takes in snorkelling bays, coastal views and the freshwater canyon of Las Grietas. Optional, additional cost. This can be organised on the ground when you’re there. Breakfast included.
Speedboat Transfer to Santa Cruz
Ride the public speedboat west to Santa Cruz. A salty sprint across open Pacific toward the heart of the islands.
Day 5 - 8
Villa Laguna, Santa Cruz (or similar)
A comfortable and well-located property in the heart of Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz's main town, within easy reach of the boardwalk, the waterfront fish market and the speedboat pier. The kind of place where you sip local coffee on the patio in the morning and compare notes from the day's excursions in the evening. Breakfast included.
Day 6
Lava Tunnels and the Trapiche Farm.
Breakfast at the hotel. This morning the group heads inland to the lava tunnels, ancient volcanic tubes running beneath the surface of Santa Cruz that are wide enough to walk through and long enough to lose the light before you reach the other end. The guide carries the geological story. The tunnels carry everything else. After the tunnels, a visit to a working trapiche farm where sugarcane is pressed by hand and coffee is roasted on site. You taste both at source. The contrast between the volcanic drama outside and the domestic warmth of the farm is one of the most unexpectedly affecting moments of the trip. Breakfast and lunch included.
Lava Tunnel Exploration, Santa Cruz
Ancient volcanic tubes running beneath the surface of Santa Cruz, wide enough to walk through and long enough to lose the light at the entrance before you reach the other end. The guide carries the geological story of how they formed and what they tell you about the island above.
Trapiche Farm Tour, Santa Cruz
A working family farm where sugarcane juice is still pressed by hand and coffee is roasted on site using methods that have not changed in generations. You taste both straight from the source. After a morning in lava tunnels, the farm feels like a completely different island.
Day 7
The Uninhabited Islands.
Today is for the islands that do not have hotels or restaurants or people. Santa Cruz is surrounded by some of the most extraordinary uninhabited islands in the archipelago and today is the day to choose one. North Seymour for frigatebirds and blue-footed boobies in nesting season. Bartolomé for the lunar landscape that looks like something from a science fiction film and the view from the summit that covers three different volcanic formations simultaneously. Santa Fe for land iguanas and sea lion colonies on white sand beaches. South Plaza for the cliff edges and the sheer volume of wildlife in a very small space. The guide and ARRIVAL team will help the group choose based on conditions and what is available. All uninhabited island tours carry an additional cost. Breakfast included.
Day 8
Santa Cruz to Isabela.
Another speedboat, this time west to Isabela, the largest island in the Galápagos and the most laid-back. The crossing is included. Arrive in Puerto Villamil, pay the Isabela Island entrance fee of USD 10 per person in cash on arrival, check in to Hotel Cally near the Concha Perla lagoon and spend the afternoon the way the island intends. Rent a bike and ride through sandy paths past flamingo lagoons and lava flats. Walk to the wetlands where marine iguanas move through shallow water at the pace of things that have no predators. Or snorkel Concha Perla, the sheltered lagoon near the pier where sea lions and sea turtles move through the water among tropical fish in a setting that is insanely beautiful. Breakfast included.
Speedboat Transfer to Isabela
Cruise west to the Galápagos’ largest and most laid-back island. Isabela is beachy, volcanic and wild in all the right ways – the perfect base for adventure.
Day 8 - 10
Hotel Cally, Isabela (or similar)
A small and simple hotel near the Concha Perla lagoon in Puerto Villamil, the right base for Isabela's particular combination of volcanic landscape and beach town energy. Full of character and perfectly positioned for early snorkels and sunset walks along the waterfront. Breakfast included.
Day 9
Los Túneles.
After breakfast the group boards a boat for Los Túneles, the best snorkelling site in the Galápagos. The journey takes about an hour by boat through open water and mangrove channels before the lava arches appear, rising from the sea in formations that look like something designed rather than formed. Snorkel through the arches. Reef sharks below. Sea turtles through the channels. Seahorses in the shallows. Rays passing in formation underneath you. The water is clear enough to see everything and warm enough to stay in for hours. Lunch is included today, served on the boat or at a local restaurant on return. Afternoon at leisure in Puerto Villamil. Breakfast and lunch included.
Los Túneles Snorkelling Tour, Isabela
A one-hour boat ride through open water and mangrove channels to the best snorkelling site in the Galápagos. Lava arches rise from the sea in formations that look designed rather than formed. Reef sharks below. Sea turtles through the arches. Seahorses clinging to coral in the shallows. Rays passing underneath you. The water is clear enough to see thirty metres in every direction.
Day 10
Isabela to Santa Cruz. Tintoreras.
Morning optional activity: Las Tintoreras, a series of lava islets just off Puerto Villamil where white-tip reef sharks rest in shallow channels and marine iguanas line the rocks in numbers that seem implausible until you are standing in front of them. Optional, additional cost. This can be organised on the ground when you’re there. Then the speedboat east back to Santa Cruz, included in the trip price, arriving in Puerto Ayora for a final night on the boardwalk. One last dinner on your own. One last walk along the waterfront. One last sea lion asleep on a bench. Breakfast included.
Speedboat Transfer back to Santa Cruz
Travel by speedboat back to where your Galápagos adventure began.
Day 10 - 11
Villa Laguna, Santa Cruz (or similar)
A comfortable and well-located property in the heart of Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz's main town, within easy reach of the boardwalk, the waterfront fish market and the speedboat pier. The kind of place where you sip local coffee on the patio in the morning and compare notes from the day's excursions in the evening. Breakfast included.
Day 11
Santa Cruz to Quito.
This morning you fly from Baltra Airport (included in the trip price), a short bus and ferry transfer from Puerto Ayora, back to Quito. Arrive back in Quito and check in to Las Hortensias for the final night.
Day 11 - 12
Las Hortensias, Quito (or similar)
A quiet and comfortable property just outside the buzz of Quito's old town, well-located for the airport and a gentle landing pad at the start and end of an eleven-night trip. Warm beds, local breakfasts and a breather to adjust to the altitude before the islands begin. Breakfast included.
Day 12
Departure
Breakfast at the hotel. Check out and make your way to Quito International Airport for onward flights. Whether continuing through South America or heading home, the Galápagos has a way of staying with you for a long time.