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About this trip
8 Days / 7 Nights
Take a journey through all of the most frequented shark sites around the island of Santa Cruz. At these sites you will be diving with the legendary schools of scalloped hammerheads, the menacing black tipped reef sharks, the docile white tipped reef sharks and the elusive Galapagos sharks. For those of you not so keen on the sharp toothed variety of underwater life, you can’t go to these sites without bumping into the local sea lions who always want to meet the newcomers, be surrounded by schools of reef fish, glide by the turtles cleaning stations and be amazed by the schools of eagle rays, golden rays, mobula rays and the majestic manta. There is something for everyone!
Accommodation
We have 4 levels of hotel for you to choose. If you are backpacking or honeymooning or would just like a little more comfort we’ve got you covered!
- Budget – Private rooms, private bathrooms, hot water, TV and WiFi, some have cooking facilities.
- Tourist – Private rooms, private bathrooms, hot water, air con, TV, WiFi, breakfast, some have small swimming pool.
- Tourist Superior – Private rooms, hot water, WiFi, telephone, TV, air con, breakfast, swimming pool or Jacuzzi at most.
- First Class – Premier class private rooms, hot water, WiFi, telephone, TV, air con, breakfast, swimming pool or ocean views.
What’s included
- HotelHotel in Santa Cruz and Isabela with breakfast (7 nights)
- MealsAll meals mentioned in the itinerary
- TranfersAll transfers in Galapagos
- EquipmentSnorkel equipment and dive equipment on all tours
- ToursAll tours mentioned in the itinerary
What’s not included
- FlightsFlights unless organised with Academy Bay Diving
- Entrance FeeNational park entrance fee ($100 payable on arrival)
- TCT CardTourist card ($20 payable in airport in Quito or Guayaquil)
- Extra MealsMeals not stated in tour itinerary
Available Packages
Itinerary
Transfer from Baltra airport to hotel with Highland Visit.
This visit consists of 3 sites: El Chato, Lava tunnels and Los Gemelos.
El Chato Tortoise Reserve is 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. After you return to the current century you will be taken to the lava tubes, where you can walk more than 1km underground. They were formed by the solidifying of the outside skin of molten lava flow. When the lava flow ceased, the molten lava inside the flow kept moving, emptying out of the solidified skin thus leaving tunnels. Lastly 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. It is a beautiful place to take in the greenery of Galapagos and walk along the small paths around the craters to spot some of the bird life. At the conclusion of the tour you will be transported back to Puerto Ayora and your hotel.
Please come to our office in the evening at 6pm to try on your equipment for the following day and meet your guides.