Discover, Plan & Go!

We created an exclusive hotel-based multisport adventure, which combines exploration of the Galapagos Islands with fun activities such as hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, swimming, horseback riding, and mountain biking. The Galapagos Multisport Adventure is an ideal complement for an active lifestyle and adventure travel enthusiasts with maximum safety and professionalism.

Discover the southern Islands of the Galapagos Archipelago on an active excursion in ways you never thought possible. Traverse the marine reserve by kayak, coast down the highlands by mountain bike, hike through intriguing volcanic formations and even enjoy a scenic horseback ride. Activities are done in varying levels and alternate options are always available. All the while your naturalist guide will also point out all the unique and amazing flora and fauna. Every day, a new adventure awaits you. In the evening, explore small port towns, or just relax in comfortable, choice hotels. This fun adventure is great for families or special groups. Private departures can easily be arranged for groups of 4 or more.

Day 1 - Arrive Quito Ecuador

Upon arrival at the Quito, Ecuador international airport you are met by our local representative and transferred to your hotel.

Accommodations: Hotel Patio Andaluz or similar

Included Meals: n/a

Day 2 - Colonial Quito

South America's oldest capitol city, Quito sits at 9,184-feet elevation. It has been amazingly preserved and is protected as a UNESCO world heritage site. Enjoy a three hour guided walking tour of Quito's colonial center including Independence Plaza, La Compania Church and San Francisco Cathedral. The remainder of the day is yours to enjoy this lively city, rest or prepare for your Galápagos adventure.

Accommodations: Hotel Patio Andaluz or similar

Included Meals: breakfast

Day 3 - San Cristobal and Kicker Rock

Fly to San Cristobal Island. Upon arrival our guide will pick you up and take you to the first hotel. In Puerto Baquerizo Moreno we will have Lunch in a local restaurant. Shortly after we will navigate the waters to Kicker Rock-León dormido, a dramatic old tuff cone volcano eroded by the ocean which now serves as nesting place for frigate birds, blue footed boobies and nazca/masked boobies, tropic birds and of course we’ll have views of this magnificent volcanic formation. Kayaking in Puerto Grande will complete our visit. After dinner use we may us our free time to explore Puerto Baquerizo Moreno further.

Accommodations: Hotel Chatam or similar, upgrade Hotel Miconia

Included Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 4 - San Cristobal and El Junco Lagoon

After breakfast we will drive to “El Junco” lagoon. This is the only natural source of fresh water in the islands, where we’ll encounter frigate birds feeding on the fish in the lagoon, as well as many land birds such as Darwin’s finches and mocking birds can be found. The views coming down from “El Junco are spectacular. We’ll then drive through Cerro Verde (a small traditional village where we will have lunch on our way back from Puerto Chino) to “La Galapaguera” which is part of the Galapagos National Park where we will be able to find a great number of giant tortoises in their natural habitat. After exploring the surroundings we will walk to “Puerto Chino”. This beautiful and pristine beach will be the perfect spot for a laid back afternoon where you can snorkel, swim, or simply relax. Back in the bus we will start our drive back to Puerto Baquerizo, and if we have enough time we will visit the Galapagos Interpretation Centre.

Accommodations: Hotel Chatam or similar, upgrade Hotel Miconia

Included Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 5 - Sante Fe and Santa Cruz

Breakfast at hotel and navigation to Santa Fe Island, a perfect site a snack followed by a sightseeing journey along the cliffs of Santa Fe to spot blue footed bobbies, iguanas, frigates birds, as we continue to Puerto Ayora on the island of Santa Cruz for lunch. We will then move on to Punta Estrada and Bahia Divine, a calm shallow water place where rays, mullets and sharks can be seen while we kayak or snorkel along the rocky coast line. After this full day of activities we head back to Puerto Ayora for dinner.

Accommodations: Hotel Fernandina or similar, upgrade Red Mangrove

Included Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 6 – Floreana

Breakfast at hotel and a yacht ride to the southern island of Floreana. Visit Puerto Velasco Ibarra, the smallest town in the Galapagos with a population of around 60 people. Enjoy a box lunch and car ride into the highlands of Floreana where pirates and whalers used volcanic caves as hiding places. As we explore the highlands it’s easy to imagine the colorful history in this area.

Accommodations: Pension Wittmer, no upgrades available

Included Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 7 - Isabela and Tintoreras Grotto

After an early wake up call we’ll have breakfast on board as we cross to Isabela Island, the largest and one of the youngest in the Galapagos. We land in Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island, which has the second smallest population in Galapagos with around 1500 inhabitants and is still pristine and untouched. A delightful place will be reached by a short zodiac ride, "tintoreras" grotto, a small shallow channel in between lava flows with sandy bottom in which we usually find white tipped reef sharks when snorkeling. Isabela also has penguins’ populations and normally we find them along the coast, after this we head back to the hotel for lunch. In the afternoon we will take a 30 minute walk to the "muro de las lagrimas", a wall of lava rocks made by inmates from an old penal colony established on the island. To finish our day we can relax on the long white sand beach right in town with many shorebirds and marine life.

Accommodations: Isabela Del Mar or similar, upgrade Casa de Marita

Included Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 8 - Isabela and Sierra Negra Volcano

Breakfast at hotel and then we will take a bus ride to Sierra Negra volcano which is still active and in October 2005 it showed us the most recent volcanic eruption in the archipelago. A horse back-riding adventure along the crater of the volcano will fulfill every expectation (normally we find giant tortoises on the way). Today we will have a box lunch on the volcano rim and then we start trekking on a trail of lava to “volcán Chico” a smaller crater of Sierra Negra. We will walk on a large lava flow where we will have an opportunity to see fumaroles and incredible landscapes from the top. Late in the afternoon we will return to our hotel for dinner

Accommodations: Isabela del Mar or similar, upgrade Casa de Marita

Included Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 9 - Santa Cruz and Highlands

There will be an early wake up call and breakfast on board as we cross back to Santa Cruz Island. Upon arrival we'll take a bus ride to El Camote, which is located in the highlands of Santa Cruz and offers a spectacular view. It is also where we will have lunch. From here, we will start biking downhill through El Caserio until we get to El Garrapatero beach where it’s time to relax, enjoy the beach with a snorkel or swim, and reflect on the previous days adventures. We head back to Puerto Ayora for dinner and our last night on the islands.

Accommodations: Hotel Fernandina or similar, upgrade Red Mangrove

Included Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 10 - Darwin Research Center and Return to Quito

After an early wake up and breakfast at hotel we visit the world famous Charles Darwin Research Center where all the efforts to protect and preserve the native and endemic animals are developed; we will also find the giant tortoise rearing program. If time permits before our return flights we'll visit Los Gemelos in the Highlands, a pair of craters (sink holes) in the middle of the Scalesia zone. Scalesias are endemic trees only found in Galapagos and they create a great nesting area for Darwin’s finches as well as many other land birds such as flycatchers, doves, etc. We then transfer to the Baltra airport for our return flights to the mainland. Enjoy a final evening in colonial Quito.

Accommodations: Hotel Patio Andaluz or similar

Included Meals: breakfast

Day 11 - Depart Quito

Transportation will be provided to the airport for return flights home or for excursions to Ecuador's Highlands or Jungle or Peru's Machu Picchu.

Accommodations: n/a

Included Meals: breakfast

Notes on Itinerary: We may occasionally alter itineraries slightly for safety, or to take advantage of weather, wildlife, and unplanned discoveries. Our ability to be flexible makes our style of adventure travel and cruising unique.

Cost Includes: Three nights Quito hotel accommodations with breakfast included, all airport/ hotel transfers, Galapagos flight, six nights Galapagos first-class and superior accommodations, National Park entrance fee & taxes, an English-speaking Galapagos Islands naturalist guide, land and sea transportation.

Not Included: Airfare from US to Quito; excess baggage charges; airport departure tax from Quito), hotel dinners; tips to local staff and items of a personal nature such as soft drinks or alcoholic beverages, laundry fees and insurance of any kind.

Private Departures: We can arrange private departures throughout the year (excluding Dec 15 - 31) for groups of five or more.

Payment and Cancellation Policy: A special cancellation policy applies to all Galapagos trips, which is stricter than the AdventureSmith Explorations policy. When a trip cancellation is received inside of 70 days from departure, all trip costs are 100% non-refundable. Please see AdventureSmith Explorations Terms and Conditions.

Hotel Accommodations: Accommodations are in first-class or tourist class hotels. See our 'Accommodations Link' on the website for hotel descriptions and photos. Our Quito hotels are first-class and centrally located. There are a very limited number of hotels on the various Galapagos Islands. We've chosen the best-available hotels, which are small, clean and comfortable.

Vessel Description: Transfers from island to island are provided on a 36 foot, 12-passenger yacht. This small boat will also serve as a 'support boat' while kayaking. When visiting ashore, most of the landings are dry but there will be a few wet landings, your guide and an assistant will be there on hand to assist passengers.

Qualifications and Activities: This trip will be enjoyed by anyone who is in good health and leads an active life. The activities are flexible and offered at varying levels from easy to moderate, according passenger's fitness levels and desires. There will be numerous opportunities for swimming and Snorkeling. Mask, snorkel and fins are provided. We highly recommend passengers bring their personal wetsuits, specially from July to October when water temperature could be cold. Options for Non-bikers or Non-Horseback-riders: No problem for those who desire to opt for gentler activities. For example: instead of the biking in Santa Cruz, you can choose to hike to Cerro Croket or visit lava tunnels; On Isabela, instead of a horseback ride, you might choose sea kayaking and snorkeling.

Weather Temperature: December to May: 80ºF to 90ºF. June to September: 60ºF to 70ºF. October to December: 70ºF to 80ºF.

Water Temperature: The waters of the Galapagos Islands are a unique mixture of warm and cold water, ranging between 65ºF and 85ºF.

Extending Your Trip: Call AdventureSmith Explorations about the possibilities of combining this trip with our Mainland Ecuador and Peru: Machu Picchu extensions.

General Information: This trip is subject to AdventureSmith Explorations Terms and Conditions. Please read this information carefully and call us if you have any questions. A packing list, extensive pre-departure and travel insurance information is sent upon confirmation. We strongly recommend the purchase of Trip Insurance through AdventureSmith Explorations. If purchased within 14 days of sign-up, the pre-existing condition exclusion is waived.

We look forward to having you join us for the trip of a lifetime! Call today.