Best of Backpacker

Day 1 
Arrival Santa Cruz

Today you will arrive to the airport of Baltra, one of the Galapagos Islands. You will be picked up at the airport and transferred to the island Santa Cruz. You will first cross the Itabaca channel by a ferry boat and then you will continue by car. Your first stop will be at the highlands of Santa Cruz. The “Parte Alta” as the highlands are called in Spanish is very lush and green and is the natural habitat of the giant Galapagos tortoises. You will visit a private ranch where you will have lunch. Here you walk between the trees and search for the giant tortoises that prefer to stay close to the small lagoons. You also will visit the lava tubes, which are formed when the surface of a lava stream solidifies, but the inside stays liquid and flows out like a river. After this tour you continue by private transport to your hotel. Here you will have a meet & greet with one of our staff members who will explain the rest of your itinerary to you. You have the rest of the afternoon free to explore Santa Cruz on your own.

Day 2
Snorkel tour

Today you will have a snorkeling tour to one of the neighboring islands of Santa Cruz, to Santa Fe or Pinzon. This tour includes snorkeling to explore the underwater wildlife, a national park guide and a lunch. Which one this is, will be confirmed with you in a later stage. See the descriptions of the day tours in the next tab. In all tours lunch and snorkeling equipment are included.

Day 3
Morning off, boat to San Cristobal

You will have the morning off to explore the beautiful island Santa Cruz on your own. In the afternoon you will need to be on time at the dock of Santa Cruz from where you will take a lancha (motorized small boat) to the island of San Cristobal. The boat ride will take about 2 hours and depending on the weather, it can be a bit bumpy. Arriving to the dock of San Cristobal you will go by yourself to your hotel.

Day 4
Tour to Isla Lobos or Kicker Rock

Today you will have a full day tour to either Kicker Rock or Isla Lobos. Please be aware that you will only visit one of these places. See descriptions of the tours in the next tab.

Day 5
Transfer to airport of San Cristobal

In the morning you will have time to explore the island of San Cristobal on your own. Depending on your flight time you will have to make your way to the airport. From here you will take your flight back to the mainland.

Snorkel tour Santa Fe or Pinzon

See the descriptions of the day tours below. In both tours lunch and snorkeling equipment is included.

Snorkel tour Santa Fé

Departure around 8:00 am. After about an hour you’ll be near the island of Santa Fe. From the boat you will see the huge cacti of which the island has many of. These cacti are endemic and only exist on this island. Furthermore, you will encounter various colonies: pelicans, gulls and perhaps blue footed boobies. The cliffs are home to many of these birds. In turquoise, calm waters in the bay of Santa Fé you will likely see a lot of sea lions. It is the ideal place to snorkel, maybe you will swim with a manta ray, surrounded by marine iguanas and many colored tropical fish that habit in these waters. Occasionally also sea turtles come here. Lunch on board. You will continue by boat – for about half an hour – until you arrive at Playa Escondida. Playa Escondida is a beautiful beach with clear water, the perfect place to enter the water one more time to swim and snorkel. You can also decide to go for a walk to observe the colonies of marine iguanas and their natural habitat. Until about 15.30 you can enjoy the beach, before heading back to Santa Cruz.

Snorkel tour to Pinzon

Departure around 8:00 am. After about an hour, you´ll be near Playa Borrero where you can see various seabirds. In the rocky area you will encounter crabs and marine iguanas. You can swim or snorkel here, surrounded by tropical fish, sea lions, penguins and sea turtles. After this visit you will continue by boat to the next destination: the island of Pinzon. But first you’ll enjoy lunch on board. From the boat you can see the blue footed boobies and finches (called Pinzones). Here there will be the possibility to go into the water again. The diversity of the underwater fauna is large, here you can encounter the following species: blue sharks, puffer fish, white tip sharks, marine iguanas etc. During the trip back to Santa Cruz, you may be treated to see dolphins or a hammerhead shark!

Day tour Kicker Rock or Isla Lobos

See the descriptions of the day tours below. In both tours lunch and snorkeling equipment is included.

Isla Lobos

With a small boat you will go to Isla Lobos. From the boat you can already observe much of the wildlife, before you disembark on Isla Lobos, where during the guided visit over the land you can observe frigate birds, blue footed boobies and sea lions that inhabit the island. You will take a walk on land. Afterwards you will have time to snorkel in the small canal between the two islands and will be able to swim with playful sea lions and observe rays and turtles. After this visit the tour will continue to Playa Ochoa or a similar beach. This white coral beach offers the opportunity to walk around and relax and swim in shallow waters before returning to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. You will have a lunch box at the boat or at some days you will have lunch afterwards in a local restaurant.

Kicker Rock (León Dormido)

With a small boat you set sail for the lava formation in the middle of the ocean called Kicker Rock (or León Dormido in Spanish as they say it looks like a sleeping sea lion). First you will circle around the rock formation to observe the different bird species that use the rock formation as a resting or nesting place. Afterwards the boat will anchor and you will jump of the boat to snorkel the canal in between the rock formation. Beware that the currents can be strong and that you will be snorkeling in open waters without being able to see the bottom. Here you will be able to spot different shark species (sometimes even hammerheads!), turtles, rays and more. In some seasons you might encounter jellyfish which can sting, however a wetsuit will be provided when this is the case. After the snorkeling you will continue to Manglecito or a similar beach. This white coral beach offers the opportunity to walk around and relax and swim in shallow waters before returning to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. You will have a box lunch onboard.

 Backpacker

The Backpacker category is a perfect option for the single travelers who like to meet other travelers and don’t mind a basic, yet comfortable room with private or shared bathroom. It is a great way to meet other people and plan a trip together. Breakfast is not included, but you have the opportunity to use the kitchen. 

Advantages of booking with Me Gusta Galapagos

Service with ‘corazon’ (heart)
We understand that the Galapagos Islands is not the cheapest destination, which is why we care so much to make it an unforgettable experience;

Local experience
You will not just discover the unique wildlife but also be part of the local community and get to know the island life;

Personal service
We know the islands and work with the people who are passionate about their islands and guarantee a personal service;

Flexible itineraries 
We can adjust or create any program for you adapted to your wishes;

24/7 assistance
We have a 24/7 service on the Galapagos islands and on the mainland in case of emergencies or unexpected situations (we speak English, Spanish, German and Dutch);

Important notes

• Please take into account that all itineraries are subject to change due to Galapagos National Park regulations, weather conditions, logistic and operational difficulties.

• Daytours booked are based on shared tours and guides are bilingual (Spanish/English). They might adapt their main language to the language used by the majority of passengers.

• In the hotels check-out is usually at 10h00 and check-in is usually at 12h00. If you arrive before the check-in time, you can store your luggage in a safe place in the hotel and settle into your room when it is time for check-in.

• You will receive a snorkel mask and tube for free use during your entire stay on the Galapagos, please take good care of it. This is an additional service and we kindly ask you to only accept it when you want to make use of the snorkeling set.

• You might want to rent a wetsuit in the cold season (August – November).

• Taxi boats and municipal tax to Isabela are not included.

• Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands are more laidback than many Western countries and tend to work at a slower pace than you may be used to back home, things can often be more disorganized here and we recommend patience as things may not always go at the speed you would like! For Ecuadorians it is not uncommon to arrive later to an appointment, also known as the “Ecuadorian half hour”. It is important to stay flexible and patient when this happens.

• In order to avoid long waiting lines for your INGALA migration card please make sure that you pre-register at: gobiernogalapagos.gob.ec. Select “pre-registro” and then “turistas” and fill out the requested information. In case you aren’t able to pre-register you can always do this at the airport itself as well.

• You have to pay $20.00 for a Transit Control Card at your departing airport (Quito or Guayaquil) and $100.00 for the Galapagos National Park entrance fee upon arrival to the islands. It is very important to keep in mind that you can only pay these amounts in cash.

• Keep loose change in your pocket for boat taxis.

• There is no ATM on Isabela Island.

• Don’t try to eat the little green apples ‘manzanillas’ you see in some islands, they are poisonous. Only giant tortoises are able to eat this fruit.

• Due to island mentality, it is unfortunately very common that you have to wait an additional 20 minutes for your transfer or tour. Please do not stress, but go along in the laid-back mentality.