5 days itinerary

Question

Hello , I will be in Galapagos for only 4 nights , 5 days and trying to decide how to divide my time between Santa Cruz and Isabela islands (  taking the public ferry )

Not planning on any cruise or any elaborate tours .

Just wondering if 2 nights on Santa Cruz and 2 in Isabela are enough to explore the islands/most attractions .

And if time allows to take a day trip to Bartolomé … What are the options for a day trip ? Since there is no ferry I assume the only way is with a private tour company ? Is there a simple option , like just a boat that goes there and back ? Or does it have to be one with activities and such ?

Thanks

Heather B · Accepted Answer

Dear RG -

you will have only 3 full days in Galapagos. By the time you arrive and settle into your hotel, you'll likely only have a few hours of daylight left on day 1. On the day you leave on day 5, you'll have no time for anything except getting yourself to the airport.

Taking an inter-island ferry will eat up a good 50% of daylight hours, between the time you get out of bed and make it all across to another island and finish checking into your accommodations there.

So, if you do even one inter-island trip (read about the unpleasantness of such trips most of the time), you'll have 2.5 days on your hands during which you can organize visits. Going to Isabela Island requires at least two inter-island trips and more if you are including San Cristobal in your itinerary.

Under these circumstances, i would suggest you fly in and out of San Cristobal airport (5 minutes from town) and spend your entire time there. Organize your day trips (Española, 360 tour etc..) to interesting visitor sites now, and not on site. Otherwise, you'll lose at least another half day or more just trying to figure out what you want to do and checking to see if things are available or not. You don’t want to discover on site that things are booked up.

I lived in Galapagos for 4 years and have been helping people arrange their trips there for 22 years. You’ll have PLENTY of things to do out of San Cristobal for 3.5 days, trust me.

Warmest regards,

Heather Blenkiron

ReniGue · Answer

Thank you Heather , yes I read about the rough ferry rides and I understand it can be time consuming.

I already have my flight booked into and out of Barta .

In that case I don’t even have to do day tours ,

Maybe just take the public ferry only once to Isabella for 1 or 2 nights and then return to Santa Cruz before my flight out the next day . Will do the best I could to just get the feel of Galapagos . There are still things to do on the islands like hiking , walk on beach, visit national park , tortoise breeding center , just sightseeing , taking pics , relaxing etc . What do you think ?

Heather B · Answer

It's your call of course, and we all have different travel styles.

There's plenty to do from Puerto Ayora (Santa Cruz), where I lived for 4 years. You might want to consider taking an EMETEBE flight from Baltra directly to Villamil (Isabela) on arrival, if you are set on going there. You could be there by mid- late afternoon on the 1st of your 5 days.

Warmest regards,

Heather Blenkiron

galapaguito5 · Answer

Since you have few days on the islands you should try to book the tour to Bartolomé in advance. On day 1 you can visit the highlands. Day 2 Bartolomé. Day 3 ferry to Isabela and visit the breeding center and Concha Perla. Day 4 Half Day tour and Wall of Tears. Day 5 ferry to Santa Cruz and taxi to the airport.

5 days itinerary - Galapagos Islands Forum

5 days itinerary

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