Day Tours

Everything you can do in a single day, from any of our base islands: highland hikes and beaches, full-day navigations to the uninhabited islands, scuba diving and guided snorkeling. Looking for a longer trip? See our multi-day tours.

On land

Highlands, volcanoes, beaches, lava tunnels and tortoise ranches, all within reach of a morning.

The white sand and turquoise water of Tortuga Bay
Day tour

From $140 per person

Santa Cruz
  • Half day

A 50-minute walk from Puerto Ayora through native vegetation brings you to Tortuga Bay's white sand and clear water. Kayak the calm side at Playa Mansa and snorkel straight off the beach.

A giant tortoise in the green highlands of Santa Cruz
Day tour

From $165 per person

Santa Cruz

An afternoon in the green interior of Santa Cruz: the two collapsed craters at Los Gemelos, a walk inside a lava tunnel, and giant tortoises in the open on a highland ranch.

Cyclists on the road out to El Garrapatero
Day tour

From $295 per person

Santa Cruz

Ride down from Cerro Mesa to El Garrapatero beach, about 19 km from Puerto Ayora, with time to snorkel. Finish at a trapiche to see how sugar cane spirit and coffee are made by hand.

Walkers crossing the volcanic ground of Sierra Negra
Day tour

From $120 per person

Isabela

The fumaroles and sulfur deposits on the flank of Sierra Negra, in a dry tropical landscape of birds, tortoises and iguanas.

The wide caldera of Sierra Negra
Day tour

From $125 per person

Isabela

Sierra Negra rises 1,124 m above sea level, 22 km from Puerto Villamil. Horses skirt the eastern rim of the caldera to Los Jaboncillos, and from there it is on foot to Volcan Chico and the Sulfur mines.

Know before you go

White sand beach with a green mangrove islet, bathers and blue sky
Day tour

From $125 per person

Isabela
  • Half day

A half day walking out of Puerto Villamil past 2.5 km of white-sand beach, lagoons and mangroves to the lava wall built by prisoners of Isabela's penal colony between 1946 and 1959.

Walking through a lava tunnel in the Isabela highlands
Day tour

From $205 per person

Isabela

An excursion into a volcanic area of Isabela shaped by lava fields and rock formations, where different ecosystems have taken hold on the old flows.

A sea lion at the edge of the water
Day tour

From $142 per person

San Cristobal

A natural beach on San Cristobal where sea lion colonies rest on the sand and rocks, with marine iguanas and seabirds along a quiet stretch of coast.

The El Junco crater lagoon surrounded by green forest
Day tour

From $200 per person

San Cristobal

Three sites in the highlands and on the far coast of San Cristobal: the freshwater lake of El Junco inside a volcanic crater, giant tortoises at the Galapaguera, and the white sand of Puerto Chino.

Cruises and boat trips

Full-day navigations to the uninhabited islands, with snorkeling stops and a naturalist guide on board.

The view from the Bartolome summit over the bays
Boat trip

From $395 per person

Bartolome
  • Full day

A full-day boat trip to Bartolome, the volcanic island behind the Pinnacle Rock skyline, with a climb to the viewpoint and, conditions allowing, snorkeling. The day ends among the lava formations of Sullivan Bay.

A blue-footed booby in flight over the shore
Boat trip

From $348 per person

North Seymour
  • Full day

North Seymour packs land iguanas, frigatebirds and blue-footed boobies into 1.9 square kilometres. After lunch on board you snorkel at Playa Bachas or Mosquera Islet, whichever the sea allows.

The turquoise bay of Santa Fe island
Boat trip

From $250 per person

Santa Fe
  • Full day

Two snorkel sessions in the clear water off Santa Fe, with sea lions, turtles and tropical fish, then lunch on board and, if the sea allows, a stop at Playa Escondida.

A sea lion swimming beside snorkelers
Boat trip

From $270 per person

Pinzon
  • Full day

A day around Pinzon Island and La Fe Islet: a landing among marine iguanas and boobies, a circuit of Roca Sin Nombre, snorkeling with reef sharks and rays, and optional recreational fishing.

Flamingos feeding in a shallow lagoon on Floreana
Boat trip

From $245 per person

Floreana
  • Full day

Floreana carries the islands' human history. You visit Asilo de la Paz, the Pirates' Cave and the tortoise breeding centre, then the sea lions of Playa Loberia and a black-sand beach.

A land iguana on the rocks of South Plaza
Boat trip

From $300 per person

South Plaza
  • Full day

A small island with an outsized cast: land iguanas under the prickly pear, seabirds along the cliff edge and a sea lion colony at the dock. The afternoon is snorkeling at Punta Carrion.

A marine iguana swimming over the shallows
Boat trip

From $210 per person

Isabela
  • Full day

A long day and a 2.5-hour crossing to Puerto Villamil: the Arnaldo Tupiza tortoise breeding centre, the flamingo lagoons, and 45 minutes of snorkeling in the channels of Tintoreras Islet.

Extra fees paid on the day

A Galapagos penguin on the lava rock
Boat trip

From $130 per person

Isabela
  • 3 hours

Three hours off Puerto Villamil in three parts: a panga ride around the islets, a walk over lava flows past resting white-tip sharks, and a snorkel over rays, turtles and reef fish.

Know before you go

A Galapagos penguin swimming under the surface
Boat trip

From $245 per person

Isabela
  • 4 to 5 hours

Four to five hours out of Puerto Villamil to the lava arches of Los Tuneles, with a first stop at Roca Union in open water for boobies, pelicans and sea lions.

Scuba diving

Day diving out of San Cristobal. Every tour states its certification requirement.

A dive boat moored at the foot of Kicker Rock
Diving

From $285 per person

San Cristobal

Two 45-minute dives at Kicker Rock, the volcanic tower standing off San Cristobal. The first descent runs through the channel between the two walls, where Galapagos sharks, hammerheads and rays pass.

Open Water required

A spotted eagle ray gliding through deep blue water
Diving

From $378 per person

San Cristobal

A two-hour crossing to Espanola, a walk at Punta Suarez among albatross and marine iguanas, then a single 45-minute dive at Gardner Bay with reef sharks, turtles and rays.

Open Water required

A sea turtle swimming over the reef
Diving

From $285 per person

San Cristobal

Two 45-minute dives at the far northeast corner of San Cristobal, at Bajo Pitt and Pitt islet, followed by a walk up Cerro Pitt to the red-footed booby colony.

Open Water required

White-tip reef sharks resting on the sandy bottom
Diving

From $252 per person

San Cristobal

Two 45-minute dives close to town: the reef life of Darwin Bay, then a full circuit of the Carawa, a cargo ship that went down about a hundred years ago and now carries its own reef.

Open Water required

A sea lion swimming between divers
Diving

From $280 per person

San Cristobal

For certified divers who have been out of the water six months or more. A full skills review with an instructor, then two 45-minute dives at Darwin Bay and the Carawa wreck.

Open Water required

A sea lion turning over the reef in clear water
Diving

From $257 per person

San Cristobal

A deep cave dive to 35 meters, entered one diver at a time on the instructor's signal, then a second 45-minute dive along Pared de Tijeretas. Dive lights included.

Advanced Open Water required

A school of hammerhead sharks in the blue
Diving

From $268 per person

San Cristobal

Hammerheads and Galapagos sharks patrol Roca Ballena on the first 45-minute dive. The second is a full circuit of the Carawa, a century-old wreck now covered by reef.

Open Water required

Snorkelers swimming above a sea turtle
Diving

From $280 per person

San Cristobal

A program built for people who have never dived. No Open Water certification needed. Surface practice, a guided descent on a line, then two 45-minute dives with a maximum depth of 12 meters.

No certification needed

Rays moving through dark water
Diving

From $254 per person

San Cristobal

One 45-minute dive at Darwin Bay after dark. Lights pick out reef sharks, cat sharks and octopus, and phosphorescent plankton lights up the water around you as you move.

Advanced Open Water required

A white-tip reef shark over the sand
Diving

From $269 per person

San Cristobal

Two 45-minute dives: the shark ground at Roca Ballena, then the wall at Pared de Tijeretas. Hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, turtles and rays are all possible.

Open Water required

A white-tip reef shark close up
Diving

From $269 per person

San Cristobal

Two 45-minute dives at San Cristobal's outer sites. Roca Ballena brings hammerheads and Galapagos sharks; Bajo Cerro Mundo, 45 minutes further out, can hold visibility to 30 meters.

Open Water required

A sea lion diving under the surface
Diving

From $267 per person

San Cristobal

A deep cave dive to 35 meters, entered one diver at a time, paired with a full circuit of the Carawa, a ship that sank a century ago and now carries its own reef. Dive lights included.

Advanced Open Water required

Snorkeling

Guided snorkel days for anyone comfortable in the water.

Kicker Rock rising out of the sea off San Cristobal
Snorkeling

From $220 per person

San Cristobal

Two 45-minute snorkel sessions at the sheer lava tower off San Cristobal: first through the channel between the two rocks, then the west corner. Galapagos sharks, hammerheads and turtles move below you. A beach landing follows.

Gear fitting the day before

A pair of waved albatross on Espanola
Snorkeling

From $349 per person

San Cristobal

A two-hour crossing to Espanola, a two-hour walk at Punta Suarez among albatross and marine iguanas, then a 45-minute snorkel session in Gardner Bay with reef sharks, turtles and sea lions.

Gear fitting the day before

A sea lion coming out of the water onto the golden sand
Snorkeling

From $298 per person

San Cristobal

Two 45-minute snorkel sessions at Bajo Pitt and Pitt islet, then a two-hour walk up Cerro Pitt, where the red-footed booby nests.

Gear fitting the day before

Kicker Rock in the late afternoon light
Snorkeling

From $258 per person

San Cristobal

A full circuit of San Cristobal taking in five sites: Rosa Blanca, Punta Pitt, Bahia Sardina, Cerro Brujo and Kicker Rock. Snorkeling, beaches, red-footed boobies and a natural stone arch in one day.

Gear fitting the day before

A sea lion on the golden sand at the water's edge
Snorkeling

From $208 per person

San Cristobal

A short crossing to Isla Lobos for a guided walk among marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies, then lunch and snorkeling off Playa Ochoa with sea lions, turtles and octopus.

Gear fitting the day before

A marine iguana swimming in turquoise water
Snorkeling

From $378 per person

San Cristobal

One 45-minute snorkel session in the channel at Kicker Rock, then a landing at Punta Pitt and a two-hour walk up to Cerro Pitt for the red-footed booby. Two of the island's signature sites in a single day.

Gear fitting the day before

A sea turtle swimming in the green water of Darwin Bay
Snorkeling

From $150 per person

San Cristobal

A 45-minute snorkel session in Darwin Bay, then two panga rides: along the Pared de Tijeretas wall for seabirds, and out to the Carawa, a cargo ship wrecked roughly a century ago.

Gear fitting the day before

ready to experience
the Galapagos?