Highest Rated Complete Galapagos Tour 2016

Day 1: A Leisurely Welcome to Ecuador

An evening arrival in Quito and city lights fill the valley, the cascade of illuminations visible from your room at your Orient-Travel hotel. Flanked by volcanic mountains, Quito is a hilly stretched city and this hotel in the new part of town provides commanding views down onto the central suburbs. You'll be greeted at the airport and privately transferred to this hotel. Check in and relax in the hotel's spa, before choosing from any of the five onsite restaurants. It's a leisurely start that helps you reenergize for the cruise that starts tomorrow.

What's Included: accommodation, Orient-Travel hotel, private airport transfer

Day 2: Endemic Characters on San Cristobal Island

The red feet of boobies guard white eggs at nesting sites across San Cristobal Island. Blue-footed boobies provide the contrast to their strange relatives while the Nazca boobies prove you don't need flamboyant feet to provide impressive color. After flying to the Galapagos and boarding the Santa Cruz II, your first excursion is to this remarkable island. Boobies have come to symbolize the evolution and diversity of Galapagos wildlife and a walk along the island tip at Punta Pitt offers astonishing proximity with all three varieties. White fluffy babies gaze with curiosity as you wander past thousands of these unique birds. Males flutter their feathers and prepare nests, hoping to entice picky females. A dance, an extended tail feather and it seems the couple will mate... but no, there's lots of competition here and the female flies to another potential partner.

Return to the Santa Cruz II for your first night on board. This large and modern boat enjoyed her maiden voyage in October 2015 and is ideal for cruising to distant parts of the archipelago. There's space for 90 passengers with seven naturalist guides leading small groups during the activities. Large social areas and a huge upper deck provide a choice of relaxation space while the dining room hums with excitement as three splendid meals a day are provided. At nearly 70-meters in length, the Santa Cruz II is also excellent at repelling the threat of seasickness. The en-suite cabins are spacious and well appointed, offering a comfortable base for the cruise. Read for yourself what other travelers are saying, and why they claim this itinerary as one of the best Galapagos tours.

What's Included: accommodation, overnight in a twin room on the Santa Cruz II with full board and all activities included, flight from Quito to Galapagos, airport transfers

Day 3: Getting Personal with Sea Lions and Unusual Iguanas

Sunrise tones glisten off the turquoise waves on your first morning on board. A dinghy takes you over to a slice of white sand that frolics with the antics of sea lions. Dozens of them flop on the sand, twisting their necks to inspect your arrival. Wander around the volcanic island and the endemic Santa Fe land iguana waits beneath prickly-pear cactus trees, waiting for a fruit to finally drop. Then there's ample time to swim and snorkel around the nearby reefs, with sea lions regularly joining you in the water. Most days on the Santa Cruz II run to a similar program. You enjoy a morning excursion with land and often marine activities, before a leisurely lunch and some relaxed time as the boat cruises to a new site. Afternoon activities round off the wildlife action before you enjoy the sunset and dinner on board.

This afternoon you drop anchor beside South Plaza, where black lava and white sand contrast on the shore. This time, it's yellow-gray land iguanas covering the trail, clearly distinct from the iguanas on Santa Fe. Look carefully, because it's easy to step upon these camouflaged reptiles. Sea lions, white frigates, and swallow-tailed gulls are also a highlight this afternoon.

What's Included: accommodation, overnight in a twin room on the Santa Cruz II with full board and all activities included

Day 4: Giant Tortoises and Kayaking around Santa Cruz

A new day and another iconic species to enjoy. There was once 15 distinct giant tortoise species in the Galapagos, with each island having its own particular endemic variety. That number has since dropped to ten, but there's been a reemergence of the Santa Cruz giant tortoise. Hundreds of them mow the grass of Santa Cruz, their shells slowly ambling across the green. Move slowly and a tortoise's neck continues to poke out. Move too fast and they quickly disappear into their shells. After enjoying the cool highlands of the island, there's various options for the afternoon, including hiking, mountain biking, and kayaking. The great advantage of a large boat is the number of naturalist guides, meaning you can choose your own activity rather than have to do the activity chosen by the group.

What's Included: accommodation, overnight in a twin room on the Santa Cruz II with full board and all activities included

Day 5: Hawks and Endemic Birds Soar Above the Idyllic Espanola Beach

Hundreds of sea lions cover the coralline beach of Gardner Bay, wading around beneath the wings of circling hawks. But as you're engrossed in their blubbery antics, large seabirds grab your attention. Waved albatross soar past, their mammoth wingspan providing new definitions of Galapagos scale. Nazca and blue-footed boobies are also spotted here, along with the rare red-green-black marine iguanas. The afternoon is a relaxed one, lazing away on the white coral beach beside the sea lions and heading out for snorkeling excursions. Mockingbirds and Darwin's finches provide the soundtrack to the slumber, along with the hefty yelps of male sea lions battling to control the harem.

What's Included: accommodation, overnight in a twin room on the Santa Cruz II with full board and all activities included

Day 6: Marvelous Nesting Sights on North Seymour

An overnight cruise brings you to Baltra Island where many passengers will disembark. The Santa Cruz II has three routes that run continuously and you're staying on board to combine the eastern and western itineraries. So it's a leisurely morning on deck before you cruise over to North Seymour, perhaps the archipelago's most important island for birdlife. Large colonies of blue-footed boobies and magnificent frigates nest here, barely a footstep from the hiking trail. In an instant the frigates pump up their red chests, proudly presenting them to the circling females. The bigger and brighter the better in the Galapagos, but these males also have to prove their housework skills. They create hollowed mounds beneath the female's watchful eye, demonstrating their ability to provide a home.

These unique displays continue just a few meters from your camera lens, along with the flapping of hundreds of baby chicks. And then a squack, a grunt, and a flurry of noise from the nearby cliffs. Local sea lions are also looking to mate, again, barely meters away. Marine iguanas complete the iconic tick list on North Seymour before another relaxed evening on the Santa Cruz II.

What's Included: accommodation, overnight in a twin room on the Santa Cruz II with full board and all activities included

Day 7: Outstanding Snorkeling with Sea Turtles and Penguins around Fernandina

The Santa Cruz II cruises through the night, allowing you to reach the far west of the archipelago by dawn. These western islands are much newer, and their volcanic cones are continuing to erupt, sending twists of lava down the slopes of Isabela. Two extremely unique highlights are the focus of the morning excursions at Punta Vicente Roca on the island. First cormorants. Except these have tiny wings and can't fly. Instead, they've evolved as specialist divers, their denser body mass capable of 80-meter deep dives for food. Watch them dive from the cliffs then snorkel around this abundant site to find sea turtles. These marine giants arrive here to be cleaned of parasites by small fish. And they're not alone. Reef sharks and rays are also regular visitors to these waters.

As whales and dolphins sporadically dot the ocean horizon, you take lunch on board before an afternoon exploring the youngest of the islands, Fernandina. Flightless cormorants are joined on the lava cones by sea lions, sally light-foot crabs, marine iguanas, and large numbers of tiny penguins. This Galapagos variety is the only one to live north of the equator and weighs just 2.5 kgs, something that seems to make them even more enchanting. Fernandina is an extremely protected island and only parts are made accessible to tourists; but these parts showcase what can evolve on an isolated island with no introduced species.

What's Included: accommodation, overnight in a twin room on the Santa Cruz II with full board and all activities included

Day 8: Finches and Strange Reptiles on Isabela Island

Today showcases the dazzling marine world found in the Galapagos. The Santa Cruz II heads down the west of Isabela Island, where your first activity is an uphill hike to a crater rim for the majestic volcanic panorama. A dinghy ride then coasts along cliffs dotted with all the unusual marine life found in the west of the Galapagos. There's also the chance for a morning snorkel that offers more personal encounters with turtles and rays. The ocean floor has uplifted at Urbina Bay, bringing coral and marine life to the surface. This afternoon, you snorkel around these deep ocean remnants and wander across the corals, taking in vivid land iguanas and the odd giant tortoise. On most days, your snorkel will include swimming flightless cormorants.

What's Included: accommodation, overnight in a twin room on the Santa Cruz II with full board and all activities included

Day 9: A Relaxed Day on Santa Cruz Including the Charles Darwin Research Station

Another overnight journey and you are back in the central islands and Santa Cruz. Today is very relaxed and you'll be able to customize an itinerary including hiking, biking, and excursions into the lush highlands. It's also a good time to visit the Charles Darwin Research Center and learn more about the science that catapulted the Galapagos to world fame. As always on Santa Cruz, you're never far from a giant tortoise and an iconic postcard image of the ponderous favorite. Back on the boat you watch the sky dance with sunset's color before the constellations provide your evening accompaniment.

What's Included: accommodation, overnight in a twin room on the Santa Cruz II with full board and all activities included

Day 10: Endemic Flora and Volcanic Cones on Floreana Island

History cascades across all the Galapagos Islands although this morning is a little different. Post Office Bay has seen countless pirates and settlers through its history, and there are some intriguing tales to tell, including a three-century-old barrel used for posting letters. A more natural realm is then explored as you wander along narrow channels on the north shore of Floreana. Rays and sharks flicker around Champion Islet, an ancient shield volcano that's become one of the snorkeling highlights of the archipelago. Turtles and huge schools of strange fish surround you in the water, sunbeams glinting off their redolent facades. Now a walk, along an olivine-crystal beach to a water lagoon where flamingos and herons gather in numbers. Keep looking for sea turtles nests in the white sand and open your ears to the tune of the Floreana Mockingbird, another in the long list of endemic species that have graced your Galapagos journey. Enjoy a farewell cocktail with the crew and the last dinner on the Santa Cruz II.

What's Included: accommodation, overnight in a twin room on the Santa Cruz II with full board and all activities included

Day 11: Resting in the Heart of Old Quito

Wave farewell to the sea lions as you disembark the Santa Cruz II on the airport island of Baltra. After the flight back to Quito you're greeted at the airport and transferred to the Plaza Grande, a five-star boutique hotel in the heart of the old city. The interior takes you back to the 17th century opulence of the Spanish conquerors, all carved wood and decadent fittings. This heritage building provides an easy chance to discover old Quito without having to leave the hotel. But within a few minutes walk you'll find various churches and squares that dance to the beat of 16 centuries of history. There are many dining options nearby and the area is a delightful place to explore in the early-evening.

What's Included: accommodation, overnight in a double room with plaza views at the Plaza Grande, airport transfers, breakfast

Day 12: Departure

An evening flight means the day is free to explore the city. Amble down lanes of turreted balconies and pastel color, shop in converted 16th courtyards, and enter churches that blend various imported styles. Luggage can be stored at the hotel until your departure and there's time for a hearty Ecuadorian lunch on the sublime San Francisco Plaza. In the late-afternoon you're transferred to the airport for your departing flight, and as the lights of Quito disappear beneath the plane's wings, you're recollecting the dozens of iconic species that lit up your Galapagos journey.

What's Included: airport transfers, breakfast