Island Hopping in Galapagos is one of the ways that some tourists choose to explore the islands, allowing you to admire the beauty and unique characteristics of each of them, you can visit multiple islands during your stay, which gives you the opportunity to experience the diversity of wildlife and landscapes of Galapagos.
The Galapagos archipelago is made up of a wide variety of islands, some separated by great distances. Island hopping is an option that offers the chance to meet the local people and enjoy the charming island villages, while making daily visits and excursions to the most acclaimed sites.
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What is Island Hopping?
The Galapagos Island Hopping experience was created to reveal all the magic of the enchanted islands to travelers who wish to explore the Galapagos outside of the usual format, it is the perfect way to spend quality time participating in daily excursions to nearby places of interest or practicing adventure sports. Boat trips from one island to another last between 2 and 4 hours. While on one of the inhabited islands, you will live a unique and relaxing experience while learning about the extraordinary flora and fauna of the islands.
How to do Island Hopping in Galapagos
Island hopping in Galapagos is an excellent way to explore the different islands and enjoy the diversity that this archipelago has to offer. Learn some steps to plan your island hopping trip:
Tips for your Island Hopping adventure in Galapagos:
- Research and choose the islands you wish to visit.
Research about the islands and decide which ones you would like to visit based on your interests and the activities you would like to do, determine a starting point.
- Decide how much time you would like to dedicate to your island hopping adventure.
Keep in mind that each island has a lot to offer and you will need enough time to explore them.
- Organize your transportation between islands.
There are several options to move between islands, you can choose to take boats or ferries that connect the main islands, these transports are cheaper and allow you to make daily excursions to nearby islands.
- Plan your activities on each island, research the main attractions of the islands you will visit.
Be sure to include snorkeling or scuba diving, bird watching and hiking to experience the unique wildlife of Galapagos.
Island Hopping with Responsible Travel
Responsible Travel will facilitate all the hustle and bustle involved in planning a vacation, especially if it is to Galapagos where you do not want to miss any of its wonders, one of our agents will contact you and answer all your questions, likewise will be in charge of planning your entire trip from 0, ie, you only have to choose from the various options that gives you according to your availability of dates.
Island Hopping San Cristóbal + Santa Cruz
The best of the Galapagos Islands, its populated area and its trails inhabited by friendly wildlife, venture through various activities in the Galapagos Islands and explore 3 islands in 6 days.
Day 1: Arrival in San Cristóbal
A tu llegada, un guía te recogerá en el aeropuerto de San Cristobal para llevarte a tu hotel en Puerto Baquerizo Moreno y comenzar la aventura!
In the afternoon, you will visit the sea lion rookery where you can swim with sea lions, and you are likely to see frigate birds, Darwin's finches and iguanas.
Day 2: Snorkeling at León Dormido
The walk lasts approximately one hour from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, on the way you pass through a variety of landscapes and vegetation zones, keep your eyes open because you might see some interesting fauna or plants.
Upon arrival at León Dormido you can swim and snorkel with sea lions, sea turtles and sharks, and many birds frequent the area such as frigate birds, blue-footed boobies and lava gulls.
Day 3: Boat to Santa Cruz Island - Upper Part - Charles Darwin Station
Tomarás una lancha a Santa Cruz Island temprano en la mañana, el recorrido dura aproximadamente 2 horas y media. Al llegar, tu guía te llevará a conocer la parte alta de la isla Santa Cruz, en el trayecto podrás observar el cambio de vegetación seco en la parte baja, hasta un bosque húmedo tropical en la parte alta. En este lugar tendrás la oportunidad de observar las famosas tortugas gigantes en su entorno natural.
You will continue your tour to an impressive tunnel almost 300 meters long, formed by lava flows. Then, you will take a short walk through the Charles Darwin Station, where you will see the turtle hatchery, where the animals are bred before being released back into the wild. Land iguanas can also be seen here.
Day 4: Tortuga Bay - Bay Tour
This morning you will visit Tortuga Bay, one of the most beautiful beaches of the archipelago, where you can dive into the water to see the marine life up close and see the coast from a different perspective; in the afternoon you will go to the dock of Puerto Ayora to take a 20-minute boat tour of the bay.
You will visit La Lobería, the shark channel where you will be able to observe the harmless gully sharks, you will also go to the Canal de Amor of crystalline waters and Playa de los Perros.
In this exclusion you could observe mainly Galapagos sharks, sea lions, blue-footed boobies, iguanas and rays along the coast.
Day 5: Uninhabited Island Sailing Tour
You can visit South Plazas, North Seymour or Bartholomew depending on availability, day of the week and National Park permits.
Island Hopping Seymour Norte
It has endemic populations of both flora and fauna species, for example, the royal frigate and the blue-footed booby, and if you are lucky you will be able to witness the interesting mating rituals. On this island you will walk along several trails to appreciate its wildlife for about 1 hour and a half.
You will have the option to live an unrepeatable experience while snorkeling, it is common to observe hammerhead sharks, turtles and a great variety of reef fish.
Island Hopping Plaza Sur
The navigation lasts approximately 2 hours, when you disembark you will be able to observe one of the largest colonies of sea lions in the archipelago, and a few meters behind you can see a group of land iguanas. Throughout the walk for Plaza Sur Island it is common to find nesting swallow-tailed gulls, frigate birds and pelicans.
Island Hopping Bartolomé
Navigation takes place from the Itabaca Channel to Bartolomé. You will walk along a lunar-like volcanic trail until you reach the highest part of the island to observe the landscape that includes the Sullivan Bay on Santiago Island, the immense ocean and white sand beach, a great variety of reef fish and sea turtles.
Day 6: Transfer to Baltra
After a delicious breakfast at the hotel, you will be transferred to Baltra airport for your return flight to mainland Ecuador and your international connection.
Exploring the islands this way costs $2047 and includes:
- 5 nights lodging
- Meals according to the itinerary
- Transfers within and between islands, to and from the airport
- Certified bilingual local naturalist guide (Spanish - English)
- Navigable excursions and land visits according to the itinerary.
- Transfer by public boat from San Cristóbal - Santa Cruz
- Snorkeling equipment
- Assistance in all activities according to the itinerary.
Advantages of Island Hopping in Galapagos
Island Hopping in the Galapagos Islands offers some advantages for visitors:
- Take away a wide variety of experiences by visiting different islands and exploring a wide range of ecosystems, landscapes and species of flora and fauna, you can enjoy white sand beaches, volcanic cliffs, mangroves, lagoons and much more.
- By Island Hopping you have the opportunity to learn about and contribute to ongoing conservation efforts, you can visit research centers and scientific stations where studies and species preservation programs are being carried out.
- Each island has its own species and subspecies adapted to its specific environment, with island hopping you can discover the incredible variety of wildlife, including giant tortoises, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, Galapagos albatross, sea lions and many species of birds.
Remember that although Island Hopping in Galapagos offers many advantages, it is important to be a responsible visitor and follow the regulations established to protect the fragile ecosystem of the islands.
Disadvantages of Island Hopping in Galapagos
While Island Hopping can be an exciting option for exploring the islands, it also has some disadvantages to consider:
- Time and availability constraints, depending on the dates of your trip, some accommodations and services may be limited or fully booked, which can make planning difficult and limit your choices in terms of itineraries and activities.
- When visiting different islands, you will have to depend on the schedules of local ferries or planes to move from one island to another.
- Unlike cruises, Island Hopping does not offer the convenience of having all your needs covered on board a ship.