8 Day | Santa Cruz and San Cristobal Underwater Discovery

This 8-day Galapagos tour gives travelers a chance to discover all that Santa Cruz and San Cristobal Islands have to offer from below the surface. Snorkel and dive in the world renowned Marin Reserve,  swim with sea lions, catch some local fish, spend time in the local villages, and walk amongst giant tortoises. This trip is for those who love to be in the water, but also don’t want to miss out on what is above ground in this incredible National Park!

Day 1- Arrival on Santa Cruz and visit Los Gemelos and El Manzanillo Tortoise Reserve

Arrival at Baltra airport where you will be met by your local guide. Transfer over the island stopping at Los Gemelos sink holes, and then continue on to El Manzanillo Tortoise Reserve for lunch. Depending on the time, either before or after lunch you will spend some time walking the trails of this reserve, and you will have the opportunity to see many giant tortoises. In the late afternoon, continue on to Puerto Ayora and check into your hotel. Be sure to go to the dive shop to check in, try on gear, and meet your guide. Evening free to explore and try one of the many local restaurants.

Day 2: Dive Tour

In the morning you will make your way to the dive office to get ready for your first diving adventure. Diving in the Galapagos is a unique and special experience; there are few places in the world where you can swim along hammerhead sharks, manta rays, sea turtles, sea lions, and giants schools of fish. Today you will dive at two different dive sites – these are determined by the day of the week and by the National Park Regulations. Once you have completed your two dives, return to town for a closing briefing and for a chance to see some of the underwater photos your guide took while you were out in the water.

Day 3: Cerro Mesa Reserve and Tortuga Bay

In the morning you will be picked up from your hotel and driver to the highlands to visit Cerro Mesa Reserve, where you will be awarded with wonderful views of Santa Cruz Island. Here there are few trail options to explore, one leading down to the bottom of a crater. Afterwards visit a trapiche farm where local caña liquor is produced, learn about the process from start to finish, and sample some yourself! From here continue on to have lunch a local restaurant in the highlands. In the afternoon return to Puerto Ayora. You will still have some time to visit Tortuga Bay Beach on your own or with your guide. Walk 2.5 km on a paved path through national park arriving at a beautiful white sand beach, where (depending on the season) sea turtles make their nest under the cover of darkness. This is also a great place to bring some snorkel gear or a boogie board and enjoy the ocean. If you walk to the end of the beach you will arrive at a marine iguana nesting area.

Day 4: Snorkeling and Fishing tour

We head out on the water again today, but this time for a snorkeling/fishing adventure. We will try our luck to catch some fish on our way to one of the snorkeling sites. Fish we may catch are: wahoo, jacks, mahi mahi and various species of tuna. If we are lucky and get some fish, the guide and crew will prepare a rare treat for you, fresh sashimi and a bbq made right on the boat. After some snorkeling and lunch we will head to Playa Escondida, located on the coast of Santa Cruz. This is a beautiful beach is surrounded by red mangroves and also has crystal clear water, an excellent place to snorkel. The boat usually gets back to Puerto Ayora around 15h00 and 16h00, depending on the destinations visited. *This tour can be switched for a full day tour to an uninhabited island, for an extra surcharge

Day 5: Transfer to San Cristobal / Free afternoon

In the morning, make your way to the dock to catch your ferry to San Cristobal that departs at 7 am. Upon arrival to San Cristobal you will make your way to your hotel to check-in (we will provide a transfer service if required). Afterwards you will have the rest of the day free to do a little exploring on your own. You can visit San Cristobal’s Interpretation Center where you will get to see an in-depth explanation of the history of Galapagos and where it is now in terms of conservation and what is being done to protect the islands. There are also many trails surrounding the center where you can walk through native forests and visit secluded beaches full of underwater life. The town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is situated next to a very active sea lion colony with hundreds of resident sea lions.

Day 6: Dive Tour

In the morning you will make your way to the dive office to get ready for another adventure! You have another opportunity to see what Galapagos beneath the surface is all about!

Day 7: Full day navigable tour around San Cristobal (360 Tour)

Today is your last full day to enjoy the islands, and what better way to do it that to circumnavigate all of San Cristobal on a snorkeling adventure! You will get up early to catch your boat at 7:30 am to do a full 360 loop around the island. This is a complete tour full of land visits, snorkeling and even some fishing! Our first stop takes us to Rosa Blanca famous for its many picturesque beaches. This is also a good place to drop the lines and try to catch some fish. Many turtles, sharks and rays frequent this place so we will have a good chance to see something while snorkeling.

Our second stop is Punta Pitt. Here we will view many bird species from the boat as we slowly cruise by. This is one of the only two locations in the entire Galapagos Islands where you can see all three species of boobies cohabiting the same place. You will also see two different types of frigate birds nesting here. Moving on, we head to Sardin Bay where we will get another chance to jump in the water to see some amazing sea life. This area is known for its many sea turtles and rays roaming the crystal clear waters. You may even get a chance to swim with some playful sea lions! We now disembark at Punta Pucuna for a 45 min hike with amazing views of Cerro Brujo and Kicker Rock from a distance.We get back on the boat and head towards Cerro Brujo for a short scenic ride around the rock.

Finally, we head out to the famous Kicker Rock, also known as ‘The Sleeping Lion’ (Leon Dormido). Kicker Rock is a rock formation located off the coast of the Island San Cristobal. It is a magnificent small islet in the middle of the sea, standing up to 500 feet from the ocean, it has the form of a gigantic sleeping lion, hence the name ‘El León Dormido’. The rocks are the remainders of a vertical conformation of rock and are a favourite place for diverse species of marine birds. Here, you will snorkel in the channel of Kicker Rock for an hour. At first the depth reaches 35 meters and decreases to 12 meters at the end of the canal. The wildlife that you can observe include black tip reef sharks, white tip reef sharks, Galapagos sharks, hammerhead sharks, eagle rays, marine turtles and sea lions.

Note: This itinerary may change slightly do to the day of the week, time of year and weather conditions.

Day 8- Departure

Sadly, this is the last day of the Santa Cruz and San Cristobal Galapagos tour. You will be picked up from your hotel in the morning and taken to the airport for your departure back to the mainland.

**End of services**

• Location: Galapagos Land Tours
• Duration: 8 days / 7 nights
• Start / End: Baltra (Santa Cruz) / Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (San Cristobal)
• Activities: Wildlife viewing, walking, diving, snorkeling, fishing, boat rides
• Highlights: Los Gemelos, Tortoise Reserve, scuba dive and snorkel in a world renown marine reserve, fish for some local fish, Tortuga Bay, Cerro Mesa Reserve, full day boat tour to circumnavigate San Cristobal
• Season: All year
• Included: Accommodation in double rooms, all transfers mentioned in program, all excursions and activities mentioned in itinerary, snorkeling gear on days where there is snorkeling, all diving gear on diving days, meals mentioned in program
• Not Included: Flights to and from Galapagos, Galapagos National Park entrance fee, Migratory card fee, any extra beverages on board (anything in a bottle), wetsuit rental, tips, personal expenses