Boat trip to one of Galapagos’ enchanting islands

Come on a full-day boat trip to one of the nearby islands – North Seymour, South Plaza, Bartolomé or Santa Fé – and discover even more of Galapagos’ enchanting nature and wildlife.

As the local authorities decide which islands are open to visitors to protect the vulnerable nature, we can’t guarantee which island you will be visiting. But we can guarantee that it will be a wonderful nature experience, no matter which of the 4 islands below you visit.

Your guide will inform you of the meeting place and time of your excursion the day before. Transportation to and from the meeting place is not included as it is within walking distance of your hotel in Puerto Ayora.

North Seymour (Seymour Norte):
If the excursion takes you to North Seymour, you can look forward to seeing large colonies of frigate birds and blue-footed boobies, which like to nest here. The landscape consists mainly of sand and stone, and you explore the island on foot with your skilled nature guide. On this island, you can experience varied wildlife, including many different sea birds, sea lions and land and sea iguanas.
North Seymour is located north of Santa Cruz, and you will be driven from Puerto Ayora up to the Itabaca Channel, from which you will sail out to the island – a trip of around 45 minutes.
On the way back, you will stop at the beautiful isolated beach, Playa Las Bachas, where you can snorkel in the clear water and experience life beneath the waves. Near the beach is a small lagoon inhabited by flamingos.

South Plaza (Plaza Sur):
If the excursion takes you to South Plaza, you will be taken to the northern part of the island where a boat will be waiting for you. After around a 15-minute boat ride, you will stop at Punta Carrion, which is a great place for snorkelling. Here, you may be lucky enough to see rays, sea lions and whitetip reef sharks.
You will then sail on to South Plaza, which is located on the eastern side of Santa Cruz and one of the smallest islands in Galapagos. Despite its small size, the island is home to a large number of animal species and known for its unique flora.
Pretty much wherever you look on South Plaza, you will be able to see fig cacti as well as the plant sesuvium edmonstonei, which can only be found on Galapagos. The island is also home to land iguanas, and you might be able to spot one waiting in the shade of a fig cactus for its fruit to fall to the ground. At the water’s edge, you are in with a chance of seeing sea lions and seabirds such as dovetail gulls and red-billed tropicbirds.

Bartolomé:
Bartolomé is one of the most beautiful islands in the Galapagos archipelago. It is especially famous for its impressive landscape painted in shades of red, orange, green and black and the pointed volcanic rock named Pinnacle Rock.
From Puerto Ayora, you will be driven up to the Itabaca Channel, and from here, there is a 2-hour boat ride to the small island, which is located north of Santa Cruz. Accompanied by your skilled nature guide, you will hike to the top of the island from which you can enjoy the stunning panoramic views of the volcanic landscape, the neighbouring island of Santiago and Pinnacle Rock. After the hike, you can relax on the white sandy beach or go snorkelling and enjoy the fantastic marine life with a chance of encountering colourful fish, sea turtles, whitetip reef sharks and perhaps even spot the Galapagos penguin, the second smallest penguin in the world, found only in Galapagos.

Santa Fé:
Santa Fé is located south-east of Santa Cruz, and from Puerto Ayora, you have a 1.5-hour boat ride out to the island, where you will be welcomed by a large sea lion colony on the white sandy beach.
The landscape here is also bedecked with fig cacti and sesuvium edmonstonei, and you will also be able to see the greyish tree palo santo, the Spanish name of which means “holy wood”. You will see a lot of different bird species here, both land and sea birds, and not least the Santa Fé land iguana.
After lunch back on the boat, it’s time for snorkelling in the clear water where beautiful colourful fish await you. The main attraction of the day, however, is a swim with the curious and playful sea lions.

The tour includes an English speaking guide, lunch and loan of a snorkelling mask.

Remember to bring: Good walking shoes, swimwear, a towel, sunscreen, a sun hat and sunglasses.

Duration: approx. 7-9 hours