5-day Budget-Friendly Island Hopping Tour

Isabela Highlights

Isabela is the largest of the Galapagos Islands. It features a magnificent skyline of active volcanoes and is home to pristine beaches with crystal clear turquoise waters. If you only have 5 days to visit the Galapagos, then our 5-day budget-friendly island hopping tour is perfect for you!

Accommodation

You will stay in a tourist class or tourist superior class hotel. These hotels will provide comfortable accommodation and some amenities which can include WiFi access, private bathroom facilities, and a hot breakfast in the morning. Nevertheless, a visit to the Galapagos is more about the experience and the activities you participate in. On this budget-friendly tour, you will visit plenty of Isabela Highlights.

What will you do?

Trek to the crater of the active Sierra Negra volcano, snorkel with tiger sharks in the Tintoreras islet, visit the Charles Darwin Station in Santa Cruz, enjoy some beach time and explore the lovely town of Puerto Villamil in Isabela. All in 5 magical days.

Activities: 5-Day Budget-Friendly Island Hopping Tour

Transfer In – Baltra Airport

For short tours that include Isabela, it’s imperative you arrive at the Baltra airport. Also, try to book a flight arriving before 12:00 pm. Reason for this is that you must catch the speedboat to Isabela Island at 2:30 pm. If you arrive on a later flight, we will have to adjust your itinerary and have you spend your first night in Puerto Ayora instead of heading directly to Isabela for your first visit.

Upon arrival at the Baltra airport, you will be picked up by your guide/host and transferred to Puerto Ayora to catch the speedboat to Isabela. To do this you must hop on a 5 min bus that takes you to a small port in Baltra island. Then you board a short ferry which takes you across the Ithabaca Channel to Santa Cruz Island. Once in Santa Cruz, you make your way by bus, car or pick-up truck to Puerto Ayora (approximately a 40-minute drive).

Las Tintoreras Islet –

This group of islets is located off the bay of Puerto Villamil, in Isabela Island. Accessible only by boat. As you make your way to the islets you will spot; iguanas, blue-footed boobies, penguins and tons of seabirds. Once at the islet, you will get a chance to snorkel in a channel filled with white-tip sharks and tiger sharks also known as “tintoreras”. When I visited I had a tiger shark swim right next to me, so close I could see it was looking at me. An unforgettable!

Concha Perla –

Snorkeling at Concha Perla Bay is truly awesome. Its calm, shallow, crystal-clear waters are perfect for spotting colorful tropical fish, sea lions, penguins and a variety of sea life. Enjoy one of the best snorkeling sites in the Galapagos Islands!

Flamingo Lagoon –

West of Puerto Villamil in Isabela, you will find salt lakes home to many seabirds. The highlight of this visit is the abundance of Galapagos flamingos. These bright pink flamingos concentrate in the lagoons to eat shellfish and small plants. Galapagos Flamingos eat upside down and conserve energy by standing on one leg. A great introduction to your Isabela Island visit.

Isabela Wetlands –

Trek on a 6 km long trail located in the south of Isabela Island. En route, encounter a variety of flora and fauna and amazing landscapes. The wetlands are made up of swamps, lakes, and mangroves.

Sierra Negra Volcano –

Venture to the largest and most active volcano in the Galapagos Islands. Its last recorded eruption was in June 2018!

A long trek will take you all the way to the rim of the caldera. Continue to walk along fresh lava fields. You will be able to take priceless photos with the behemoth behind you!

Transfer Out Baltra Airport –

On the last day of your Isabela 5 Day tour, you will have to wake up early to catch the 6:00 am speedboat back to Santa Cruz Island. Upon arrival to Puerto Ayora you will have breakfast and depending on your flight out you will get a chance to visit the Twins (two crater-like holes formed by magma domes). You should plan to be at the Baltra airport 2 hours prior to your flight. At the airport, you can opt to enter the VIP lounge where you will have WiFi access and some snacks to pass the time. The entrance to the VIP lounge has a cost of $20 USD per person.

Tour Rates

What’s included

  • Meals as indicated on the itinerary
  • Accommodation in tourist class or tourist superior hotels (depending on tour class)
  • Airport pickup at Baltra airport.
  • Transfer Baltra airport – Puerto Ayora
  • Speedboats Pto. Ayora-Isabela-Pto. Ayora
  • Transportation on the islands as mentioned on the itinerary.
  • A bilingual certified naturalist guide
  • All activities and visits on the itinerary.

What’s not included

  • Airfare from continental Ecuador to the Galapagos Islands.
  • Extra food & drinks not mentioned on the itinerary
  • Galapagos National Park Entrance fee:$100 USD per person (payable in cash only).
  • TCT – Transit Control Card:$ 20 USD per person payable in Quito or Guayaquil
  • Isabela port tax: $10 USD per person (payable in cash only).
  • Water Taxis
  • Personal travel & health insurance.
  • Personal expenses
  • Tips for the guide.