14 Days / 13 Nights - Starting day (arrival to Galapagos) is a SUNDAY
Do you want to dive Galapagos or do you want to experience it all?
We will immerse you in the amazing marine life, local culture and give you the best hands on experiences galapagos has to offer, as well as “literally” letting you taste the islands themselves. Join us off the beaten track during your Island hopping and meet the real Galapagueñas, discover new tastes and create new friendships, and once we add in a few island Escapades, it’s truly an experience you will never forget!
During your 8 days of diving you will observe the legendary
– schools of scalloped hammerheads,
– the menacing black tipped reef sharks,
– the local sea lions who always want to meet the newcomers
– the elusive galapagos sharks
– and even glide by the turtles cleaning stations and
– float eye to eye with an eagle ray
What makes this dive package so different to the rest? Your tastebuds take over and you have a whole new experience!
- Between visiting local coffee & cacao farms
- Participating in the process at the micro brewery
- Learning to cook ceviche and
- sampling traditional Ecuadorian breakfasts (if you dare)
your tastebuds will be just as happy and amazed as your eyes were by the diving!
We have 3 levels of hotel for you to choose. If you are backpacking, honeymooning or can’t stand the thought of a hostel and would like a little more comfort or would like to go all out and have the best, we’ve got you covered!
Hotel in Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristobal with breakfast (13 nights)
All meals mentioned in the itinerary
All transfers in Galapagos
Snorkel equipment and dive equipment on all tours
All tours mentioned in the itinerary
Flights unless organised with Academy Bay Diving
National park entrance fee ($100 payable on arrival)
Tourist card ($20 payable in airport in Quito or Guayaquil)
Meals not stated in tour itinerary
Transfer from Baltra airport to hotel with HIGHLAND TOUR – your guide will meet you at the airport and take you through the Highlands and finish in your hotel.
This visit consists of visiting 2 sites: El Chato with Lava tunnels and Los Gemelos.
Firstly a visit to Las Gemelos, the twin craters that are actually sink holes surrounded by Scalesia forest. Vermillion flycatchers and often seen here, as well as short eared owls on occasion if you look very carefully.
The next stop is El Chato Tortoise Reserve & lava tunnels near Santa Rosa, approx 19km from Puerto Ayora. This is one of the only places where you can observe the ancient creatures up close in the wild. They look old, they smell old and they even sound old when they suck in their necks and heads and let out a hiss of air, like an old leather cushion. The reserve is also a great place to see the short eared owls, Darwin`s finches, yellow warblers and paint billed crakes.
The walking path will begin with the lava tunnels which were formed by the solidifying of the outside skin of molten lava flow, then continues through the tortoise reserve.
Lunch will be served at the Tortoise reserve.
After you return to the current century you will be transported back to Puerto Ayora and your hotel.
* If you are bringing dive gear with you please notify your guide that you would like to come to the dive center first to drop off your equipment. Otherwise, please check in at your hotel and come to the dive center to receive your briefing.
Depart 7am for a 2 tank dive trip
Includes: 2 tanks, all equipment, lunch & snacks, guide, towels and photos of your dive.
The dive sites at Floreana offer the most interesting topography with rocky outcrops, small caves and sandy bottoms being an excellent hiding place for many marine animals. The large school of black striped salema fish is an amazing sight and takes you to another world as they envelop you in their thousands. Whilst the red lipped batfish with it´s leg looking fins and cherry red lips has made more than a few jaws drop. White and black tipped reef sharks, green sea turtles, sting rays, Eagle rays, and hammerhead sharks are also among those who frequent the Floreana dive sites. Floreana is also a special place to snorkel and dive with the baby sea lions, don`t be surprised if they take a liking to your fins!!
Travel time: 1.5 – 2 hours depending on sea conditions, from Puerto Ayora by boat
Dive difficulty: Floreana generally has a relaxing current making it an excellent site for beginners, and a great place for the experienced diver to relax and take in all that Galapagos has to offer. Drift dive
Highlights:
• Playful sea lions
• large schools of fish
• great variety of marine life
• great for all skill levels
PM: Free time
DINNER – Join us at a local restaurant and experience seafood at it’s best! if you don’t like seafood “chuleta” the pork chops here are to die for, and the vegetarian options are also delicious. With fresh local produce you can’t go wrong.
Depart 7am for a 2 tank dive trip
Includes: 2 tanks, all equipment, lunch & snacks, guide, towels and photos of your dive.
In Santa Fe we have 2 different dive sites that offer a variety of marine life including playful Sea lions, turtles, white tipped reef sharks, rays and large schools of fish. La Cueva “The cave” or arch is at approx 14 meters and is normally full of colourful fish and a few friendly sealions. The platform a bit further around the coast of Isla Santa Fe offers a little more current and therefore chances to see Galapagos sharks, rays, turtles and quite frequently hammerhead sharks, which makes this a very interesting site for both beginners and experienced divers alike.
Travel Time: 45 minutes boat travel from Puerto Ayora by boat
Dive Difficulty: Santa Fe generally has a relaxing current and shallow dives, making it an excellent site for beginners, and a great place for the experienced diver to relax and take in all that Galapagos has to offer.
Highlights:
• Playful sea lions
• Cave/arch with many fish
• large schools of fish
• great variety of marine life
• shallow dives, great for all skill levels
PM: Guided tour – THE SANTA CRUZ BREWERY – directly from dive boat
The Santa cruz Brewery is the first microbrewery in Santa Cruz and have produced the first craft beer in Galapagos. Their brewing station is located just outside of Bellavista (10 minutes from Puerto Ayora) surrounded by endemic trees and nature. Over the last 10 years they have produced several styles of beer, both traditional and experimental with the flavours of Galapagos.
For example, the Coffee Porter beer (Carapachuda) brewed with Galapagos coffee, Passion Beer (Made with Passion Fruit) and the latest Gose-style beer creation, made with Sea Salt and organic coffee cherries, both Galapagos products.
Depart 7am for a 2 tank dive trip
Includes: 2 tanks, all equipment, lunch & snacks, guide, towels and photos of your dive.
The North Seymour Canal consists of gradual steps off the island shoreline declining 8 meters to a beautiful rock reef, before reaching the sandy bottom at 16 - 18 meters. Diving at the Seymour Canal provides the opportunity to swim with many white and black tip reef sharks, and more often than not, schools of hammerhead sharks - sometimes more than Gordon rocks!. Large schools of barracuda, snapper and other reef fish are also in abundance. A personal favourite however, are the schools of spotted eagle rays & golden rays that glide through the channel along the sand, occasionally joined by devil rays (Mobulas) and manta rays.
Travel time: Departure from the dive agency by car - 40 minute drive from Puerto Ayora. Approx 20 minutes by boat
Dive Difficulty: Seymour is a good place for beginners and experienced divers alike. Though the currents can be moderate to strong on occasion, it is on the whole suitable for people with limited experience. Drift dive.
Highlights:
• Hammerhead Sharks
• large schools of fish
• Many kinds of rays
• Reef sharks , Galapagos sharks
PM: COOKING CLASS – CEVICHE fresh local fish or vegetarian
Join The ‘Galapagos Chefs’ turning fresh local seafood and produce into a delicious, traditional, galapagueñan ceviche.
Depart 7am for a 2 tank dive trip
Includes: 2 tanks, all equipment, lunch & snacks, guide, towels and photos of your dive.
Gordon Rocks is an extinct volcanic crater with a sandy bottom at 32 meters in the middle, and a wall drop off around the outside of around 65 meters . It has 3 exposed rocks that surround the crater and 3 pinnacles ranging from 5- 6 meters under the surface along the northern edge of the crater with one larger pinnacle approximately 21 meters below the surface in the center.
The strong currents that frequent Gordon Rocks make it the most accessible home to schools of the famous hammerhead sharks. Schools of up to 50-100 sharks (or more if you are lucky) can be found circling the rocks through the current giving repeated views of the amazing creatures. White and black tip reef sharks also frequent the area as well as green sea turtles, sea lions, sting rays, Eagle rays, large schools of barracuda and snapper and the occasional majestic manta ray or Mola Mola.
Travel time: Departure from the dive agency by car - 40 minute drive from Puerto Ayora. Approx 40 minutes by boat (On Sundays you will travel back by boat to Puerto Ayora after the dive)
Dive Difficulty: Gordon Rocks is for Intermediate to Advanced divers due to the strong currents and Depth of the dives. We require divers to have more than 25 dives and that your last dive was not more than 1 year earlier. Drift dive.
Highlights:
• Hammerhead Sharks
• large schools of fish
• Many kinds of rays
• Reef sharks , Galapagos sharks
• sometimes Mola Mola
PM: guided visit - LA VIÑA – go directly from dive trip
La Viña is a farm situated in the highlands of Santa cruz that offers a 40 minute walking trail through the lush plantations of coffee, cocoa and sugar cane. During the walk, whilst learning about the coffee growing process, you may pluck mandarins, lemons, oranges or guava fruits to eat, depending on the season. Towards the end of the trail you will be treated to the process of extracting juice from the sugar cane, and then finally see the process of cleaning, drying and sorting the coffee and cocoa. Of course the experience would not be complete without taste testing the finished productos before you leave!
Depart 7am for a 2 tank dive trip
Includes: 2 tanks, all equipment, lunch & snacks, guide, towels and photos of your dive.
Beagle Rocks, named after the ship that carried Charles Darwin to Galapagos, consists of 3 rocks, the remains of a tuff cone, located off the north west coast of Santa Cruz Island and south of Santiago Island. The dive begins on a 12 meter platform before reaching a drop off wall that descends to more than 60 meters.
The wall is covered with black coral, sea fans and a huge variety of colourful reef fish. Hammerheads and Galapagos sharks can often be spotted off the wall into the blue, whilst rays, green sea turtles and sea lions are more common close to the wall. Manta rays are also a special treat during the hot season.
Beagle is the best site to find the Pacific Seahorse, they are quite large - 20-30cm, but still very hard to spot!
Travel time: Departure from the dive agency by car - 40 minute drive from Puerto Ayora. Approx 1 hour & 15 minutes by boat
Dive Difficulty: Beagle is a good place for beginners and experienced divers alike. Though the currents can be moderate to strong on occasion, it is on the whole suitable for people with limited experience. Drift dive.
Highlights:
• Seahorses & corals
• large schools of fish
• Many kinds of rays
• Reef sharks , Galapagos sharks & hammerheads
• sometimes Manta
PM: guided visit – EL TRAPICHE & EL DIBUJO – go directly from dive trip
The trapiche farm makes sugar cane alcohol. See the process of juicing the cane with their trusted donkey, listen to the explanation of the fermentation process, and of course taste test the final product.
Watch and help one of the Galapagos local woodworkers turn a block of wood into a work of art - tortoise, sea lion or shark. Choose your Galapagos souvenir direct from the maker (and save a little on the main street prices!).
Depart 7am for a 2 tank dive trip
Includes: 2 tanks, all equipment, lunch & snacks, guide, towels and photos of your dive.
Mosquera is a sand and rock islet in the channel between North Seymour and Baltra islands, and is a popular gathering place for sea lions. Diving at Mosquera and the fringing rock reef is similar to Seymour until you reach the large sandy bottomed platform and rock drop off around 21 meters. Here you can relax under water and wait for the schools of magnificent Eagle rays, hammerhead sharks, black tip reef sharks, and the occasional elusive Galapagos shark.
Manta rays are a special treat anywhere and sightings at Mosquera are a certain possibility. In the sandy bottomed platform you will be amazed by the Galápagos garden eels, thousands of them, as far as the eye can see, craning out of their tunnels to take in all the currents have to offer.
Travel time: Departure from the dive agency by car - 40 minute drive from Puerto Ayora. Approx 20 minutes by boat
Dive Difficulty: Mosquera is a good place for beginners and experienced divers alike. Though the currents can be moderate to strong on occasion, it is on the whole suitable for people with limited experience. Drift dive.
Highlights:
• Hammerhead sharks
• Many kinds of rays
• Reef sharks
• Galapagos Garden Eels
PM: Free time - please see the list of self guided activities
Ferry to Isabela departing at 7.30am. Hotel pick up at 6.40am for transfer to the main passenger pier. The trip is 2 hours in a speed boat.
On arrival to Isabela you will be picked up by a representative from the hotel and given your itinerary briefing.
Hotel Pick up 11am for transfer to pier - Snorkel tour LOS TUNELES
Your will take approximately 1 hour boat ride east along the Isabela coast to a breathtaking area called Los Tunules. As the name suggests, the area is a maze of tunnels and bridges formed by the lava millions of years ago. This maze with it’s crystal clear blue waters is the home to penguins, sea turtles, sea lions, white tipped reek sharks and a multitude of birds, including the Blue Footed Boobie which frequently can be seen resting on the rocks with the penguins. After a boat ride through Los Tuneles you will be taken to a snorkel site where you can get up close and personal with the local residents.
There will be time to take a short walk along the lava rocks so make sure to take some shoes or sandals.
Included: lunch, guide & snorkel equipment
Return approx 5pm
Dinner is self organised.
Breakfast in your hotel. Depart approx 7.30am
Take a bus trip to the Control booth, and then walk right up to the rim of the Sierra Negra crater, then follow the trail to west side of the Volcano to The Sulfur Mines.
The trail passes along the western rim of Sierra Negra, then continues into the caldera along a steep slope (walking only) and finally reaches a site where several sulfur fumaroles can be observed. Round trip is approx. 11km.
Volcan Sierra Negra rises 1490 meters above the sea level and last erupted in June 2018.
The trip will be taken on horseback.
Box lunch provided on the tour but you will need to take extra drinking water, hat, sunscreen, walking shoes. It’s also a good idea to take a light rain jacket or poncho.
Included: guide, transport, horse, box lunch
Return to Santa Cruz –6am
Please be ready at your hotel for transfer to the boat at 5.20am. The ferry ride is approx. 2 hours on a speed boat (during July – Nov this trip can be quite bumpy)
On arrival to Santa Cruz – please come to the Academy Bay office to leave your bags.
Experience a traditional Ecuadorian/Galapagueñan breakfast.
Bolon, bistek, guatita (if you are brave), or even seco de chivo (goat stew)!
The morning is an optional Boat ride to Tortuga bay where you can relax at the beach or go snorkelling. A packed box lunch is provided. The boat will return to Puerto Ayora at approx 1.30pm.
Ferry departs Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz at 3pm. Please be at Academy Bay office at 2.10pm. The ferry ride is approx. 2 hours on a speed boat (during July – Nov this trip can be quite bumpy)
On arrival to San Cristobal you will be met by a representative from the hotel who will take you to your hotel to check in.
4-6pm – Check in at Dive/tour center to check equipment and receive tour and meeting time instructions.
Depart 7am for a 2 tank dive trip - Kicker Rock
Meet at Diving/ tour office at 7.20am - Depart 7.30am for a 2 tank dive trip.
Return approx. 2-3pm
Includes: 2 tanks, all equipment, guide, lunch, towels, photos & videos
PM: Free time – Please see the list of suggested visitor site below
For bike rider enthusiasts it is possible to join our local dive guide (and ameture triathlete/cyclist) Santiago on one of his training rides into the Highlands of San Cristobal in the afternoon. You will need to pay for the cost to rent the bike and maybe a tip for Santiago. This can be arranged directly with him on arrival – or you can let us know in advance if this will interest you.
Meet at Diving/ tour office at 7.20am - Depart 7.30am for a land & snorkel tour.
The boat trip is around 2 hours on a speed boat, and can be bumpy during the colder months.
The first stop is Punta Suarez for a 2 hour walk around the island. Despite the dry climate the island is one of the world’s only known nesting sites for the Waved Albatross (aka Galapagos Albatross).
From April to December this island is covered with these adorably clumsy birds. Blue-Footed and Nazca Boobies as well as many other bird species also call this island home. The next stop is is Gardner Bay for 1 dive or snorkelling with Eagle rays, reef sharks, sea lions and many reef fish. Whale sightings are common (but not guaranteed) during the open water cruise to/from San Cristóbal Island. Return approx. 5pm
Includes: snorkel equipment, guide, lunch, towels, photos & videos
Hotel pick up at 8am for the bus ride into the Highlands of San Cristobal to visit El Junco, the only fresh water lagoon in the Archipelago. It is actually not a lagoon as such, but a volcanic crater filled with fresh water.
From there you continue by bus to the Route of the Waterfalls, a 2.5 hour round trip that takes in the natural beauty of the Galapagos highlands and of course the water fall.
Lunch is then served at the finca using home grown organic and locally produced food.
The afternoon will finish with the process of turning Sugarcane into juice and trapiche.
Includes: lunch, transport & guide
You will be picked up from the hotel 2 hours before your flight departure time.
We hope you enjoyed your time in the Galapagos Islands!
