Galapagos Land & Sea — Central & South Islands aboard the Yolita
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Experience Overview
Spend five days exploring the Galápagos Islands aboard the Yolita and enjoy the beaches, history, and wildlife of the central and southern islands. When you want to spend some time underwater, make sure to check out the Devil’s Crown in Floreana, a snorkeller’s paradise and home to some of the most impressive marine life in the Galápagos. Bird lovers will have their hands full too, with stops at some pretty notable birdwatching spots on Cerro Dragón. When you’re done connecting with the wildlife, get over to Post Office Bay to learn about its history and, of course, to drop off a postcard.
Highlights
- Five days exploring the Galápagos Islands
- Enjoy an amazing snorkelling experience at the Devil's Crown
- Visit Post Office Bay
- Cerro Dragón for some excellent birdwatching
- Snorkel with the local wildlife
Trip Details
Product Code: 2827
Tour Type: Small Group
Accommodation: Moderate
Transport: Plane, motorized yacht (Yolita), van, panga, private bus.
Guide Language: English
Travel Styles:
River Cruising, Budget
Tour Operator:
G Adventures
Supplier Code: SEVL07YB
Starts: Quito, Ecuador
Finishes: Quito, Ecuador
Duration: 7 days
Departures: Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Average
Includes
Activities
- Arrival transfer
- Certified Galápagos National Park Service Guide
- Cruise the Galápagos Islands aboard the Yolita (3 nts)
- All meals aboard the Yolita
- Overnight on Santa Cruz Island
- Tortuga Bay hike and kayak (Santa Cruz Island)
- Excursion to see giant tortoises in the wild (Santa Cruz Island)
- Visit to Post Office Bay (Floreana Island)
- Snorkelling at Corona del Diablo
- Onboard snorkelling equipment and wetsuits while aboard the Yolita
- Internal flights
- All transport between destinations and to/from included activities
Accommodation
- Hotels (3 nts), aboard the Yolita in twin-share cabins (3 nts).
- 6 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners
Transport
- Plane, motorized yacht (Yolita), van, panga, private bus.
Group Leader
- CEO (Chief Experience Officer)/Naturalist Guide while in the Galápagos Islands (certified by the Galápagos National Park Authority), local G Adventures Rep in Quito.
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $4589 ($656 /day)
Itinerary
Day 1: Quito
Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer included.
There are no planned activities, so check into the hotel and enjoy the city. A G Adventures representative will greet you at the hotel and brief the group on the various aspects of the tour.
Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.Activity - The adventure begins today. Feel free to explore, but make sure you're back in time to meet the group. Your G Representative will review the details of your tour.Accommodation - Hotel Hilton Colon (Deluxe)
Day 2: Quito/Santa Cruz Island
Fly to Baltra. Meet the CEO and transfer to Puerto Ayora. Check into the hotel followed by lunch. Enjoy an afternoon hike to Tortuga Bay along with a kayak ride.
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.Activity - Enjoy a walk along a lava stone pathway to the beautiful white beach of Tortuga Bay. Relax on the beach, walk along the mangroves looking for marine iguanas and birdlife, or rent a kayak and explore this marine wonderland. Look for Tintoreras sharks, sea turtles, and manta rays in the water's shallow areas.Activity - Grab a life jacket and go for a kayak adventure in the mangroves of Tortuga Bay. Keep an eye out for a wide variety of marine life, including colorful reef fish, rays, and sea turtles, as you paddle the blue waters. Relax after on a beautiful fine white sand beach, and soak up some sun – you may spot some iguanas also trying to catch some rays on the shore.Accommodation - Villa Laguna
Day 3: Puerto Ayora/Santa Cruz Island
Visit the Charles Darwin Research Station in the morning before boarding the Yolita. Get to know the crew and settle in. This afternoon, visit a tortoise reserve in the Santa Cruz highlands.
Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Head to Santa Cruz’s verdant highlands. This is a perfect place to hike through the grounds and see giant tortoises in their natural environment, before savouring an included lunch.Transport - Yolita is an attractive 16-passenger ship boasting surprisingly spacious cabins for its size, and the large upper deck allows you to soak up as much of the Ecuadorian sun as you need.Activity - Visit Fausto Llerena Breeding Center a great place to observe many species of tortoises. Brought back from the brink of extinction, see the famous Galápagos tortoise up close – a corral houses adult tortoises, and a nursery cares for the young until around age three when their shells have hardened.
This area also houses the Charles Darwin Research Station, a scientific organization initiated in 1964, which works to preserve the Galápagos' ecosystem through the conservation efforts of scientists, researchers, and volunteers. While the offices themselves are not open to visitors, the research station provides a study location for international scientists and environmental education for the local community.
Day 4: Punta Cormorant/Floreana Island
This morning, snorkel at Devil's Crown, a coral reef surrounded by an eroded volcanic crater, the perfect home for marine life. Look out for small sharks, rays and schools of tropical fish. In the afternoon, make sure you have a postcard to leave behind on a visit to Post Office Bay.
Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Enjoy an amazing snorkelling experience at the ‘Devil's Crown’, an old underwater volcanic cone just north of the Punta Cormorant. Spot large schools of tropical fish, rays, reef sharks, and sea turtles that make their home among the coral reef. Be sure you're a strong swimmer; the currents can be intense.Activity - Visit Post Office Bay and learn about its unique history. In the late 18th century, English whaling vessels placed a barrel here to be used as a post office. Today, the box is used mainly by tourists, who may drop off and pick up unstamped letters to be carried to far destinations. Continue the tradition – leave a letter and take one to deliver (be sure it makes it to the correct location)!Transport - Yolita is an attractive 16-passenger ship boasting surprisingly spacious cabins for its size, and the large upper deck allows you to soak up as much of the Ecuadorian sun as you need.
Day 5: Chinese Hat/Cerro Dragón
Visit the white sand beach at Chinese Hat in the morning, before an afternoon at Cerro Dragón for an opportunity to break out the binoculars and do some excellent birdwatching.
Meals included: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Explore Chinese Hat’s beautiful landscape and view many geological formations such as lava tubes and lava flows. Don't forget to bring your snorkel gear!Activity - Visit Cerro Dragón (Dragon Hill) for some prime birdwatching. Take a short walk from the beach to a hypersalinic (saltier than the ocean) lagoon frequented by pink flamingos, common stilts, pintail ducks, and other species of birds. Pass through a Palo Santo tree forest; endemic to the area, there are only 400 specimens of Scalesia trees left in the world.Transport - Yolita is an attractive 16-passenger ship boasting surprisingly spacious cabins for its size, and the large upper deck allows you to soak up as much of the Ecuadorian sun as you need.
Day 6: Black Turtle Cove/Quito
In the early morning, explore the mangrove lagoon at Black Turtle Cove before transferring to the airport for a flight back to Quito. Enjoy a final night out on the town.
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Explore the mangroves by panga to find rich marine wildlife between the fresh and salt waters. Keep any eye out for sting rays and sea turtles in this tranquil ecosystem. Whitetip reef sharks can also be seen gliding by.Accommodation - Hotel Hilton Colon (Deluxe)
Day 7: Quito
Depart at any time.
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.
Similar Tours
Tour Operator
G Adventures
G Adventures, founded in 1990 by Bruce Poon Tip, is a global adventure travel company specializing in small-group tours that emphasize authentic, sustainable, and culturally immersive experiences. Originally launched as GAP Adventures (“Great Adventure People”), the company pioneered the concept of community-driven travel by offering affordable trips that connect travelers with local communities while minimizing environmental impact. Today, G Adventures operates in more than 100 countries, offering a wide range of itineraries across themes such as active adventures, wildlife, wellness, family, and National Geographic–partnered tours, while maintaining a strong commitment to responsible tourism and social enterprise through its Planeterra Foundation.
In Business Since 1990
Reviews
Diana M. - Traveled, July 2024
An exceptional trip where the wildlife came to you. :)
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/16/2024
Jacob L. - Traveled, July 2024
This was the trip of a lifetime! It was made complete by the captain, crew, and CEO. Milton made sure we all had a great time and got to see everything we wanted to. He accommodated to our preferences and catered to all needs of the group. On the boat, i...
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/16/2024
Rosalind N. - Traveled, June 2024
Excellent
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/19/2024
Ross M. - Traveled, June 2024
We enjoyed Quito in addition to the Galapagos; the experience of seeing animals in their natural habitat in the Islands was special and memorable. We thought our CEO Milton was exceptionally awesome.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/08/2024
Tonia S. - Traveled, May 2024
Visiting the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador was an absolutely AMAZING experience. It was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity that I'm so glad we were able to do as a family. Many memories were made with my family and new friendships were made w...
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/05/2024
Sheila S. - Traveled, May 2024
The overall experience was absolutely amazing and would love to go back and visit again!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/05/2024
James B. - Traveled, May 2024
Excellent memorable trip.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/31/2024
James E. - Traveled, May 2024
My overall experience was fantastic, thanks to the guides and the crew (and of course the amazing Galapagos islands)
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/10/2024
Joanna E. - Traveled, April 2024
We were impressed by the high quality of all our arrangements and felt well taken care of on land and sea. Amazing staff, excellent food, wonderful itinerary and excellent accommodations. Will definitely come back for more tours.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 04/27/2024
Cynthia C. - Traveled, April 2024
Had a great time, everything was well planned out and organized. The only thing I'd complain about was the coffee on board the Yolita -- didn't seem to be made fresh.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 04/26/2024
Bridget B. - Traveled, April 2024
We have never travelled with G Adventures before this trip. On New Years Day every year my Husband and I get out the Globe and decide where we will go for our "big" annual trip. This year he wanted to go to the Galapagos but I wanted to see Brazil , Peru...
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 04/23/2024
Clive G. - Traveled, March 2024
Excellent it was a great experience, not only the wildlife but the operators as well made it memorable
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 04/03/2024
Catherine B. - Traveled, March 2024
Overall experience was great. However I don't know why we had to be at the airport so early for each flight, definitely over cautious
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 03/26/2024
Deborah P. - Traveled, March 2024
Without a doubt, my favorite trip to date. It’s going to be hard to top it!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 03/18/2024
Emma N. - Traveled, January 2024
This trip was incredible. We saw so much in five short days in the Galapagos, including all my bucket list animals. Our guide and boat were amazing, fantastic all around.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 01/30/2024
Bryan C. - Traveled, January 2024
A very enjoyable holiday which met, and often exceeded, our hopes and expectations..
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 01/30/2024
Aisling R. - Traveled, December 2023
Fantastic trip with great team to look after your every need. Beautiful animals that you would not see anywhere else. Scuba diving catered for all levels, a trip of a lifetime I will never forget!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/16/2023
Karen R., - Traveled, November 2023
Terrific small group experience. Packed a lot of experiences into the trip at a really good pace. CEO was exceptionally knowledgeable and really made the trip.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/07/2023
Christian A. - Traveled, November 2023
Awesome trip with alot of memorable moments. But sometimes one activity less would be good.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/21/2023
Nicholas R. - Traveled, November 2023
Excellent introduction to Galapagos. Fast paced, fulfilling experience. We made the most of our short time on the islands.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/07/2023
Priscilla S. - Traveled, October 2023
Excellent and would recommend to anyone!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/06/2023
