Galapagos Safari Camp

Galapagos Safari Camp is a 55-hectare farm in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island bordering the national park, 30 minutes from the sea. The farm is rich in birdlife with finches, warblers, mockingbirds, galapagos doves, egrets and owls — tortoises also make frequent visits. The farm has many local species of trees, such as scalesia, guayabillo, and palo santo which are rapidly regaining a foothold after years of cattle farming.

The camp has 9 luxury safari tents perched on a hill, providing comfort and privacy in the wilderness. All tents have a balcony with views of the park and the ocean — they are spacious, attractively decorated, and each has a private bathroom, with hot shower. Guests can gather by the fireplace in the main room to view the sunsets, taste our chef´s creative dishes that cater for the international palate in the panoramic dining room or enjoy the tranquility of the infinity pool with fabulous ocean scenery.

Day 1, Arrive in Galapagos

You will arrive at Baltra airport and cross the Itabaca Channel to Santa Cruz island accompanied by a bilingual naturalist guide.
After a homely lunch at a farm in the highlands you will do a complete tour of the area where various vegetation zones and microclimates can be explored. You will see a pair of pit craters, lava tunnels, walk in the Scalesia and Guayabillo forests and make your way to the Tortoise Reserve to observe the giant tortoises in their natural habitat as well as several bird species. Arrival at Galapagos Safari Camp for a sunset cocktail and dinner

Day 2, Galapagos

Today you will be driven to the Eastern part of the island to enjoy the morning in the beautiful and pristine Garrapatero beach. The contrast of mangroves, black lava, white sand, Pioneer cactiand turquoise water are a spectacle to the eye, particularly with the buzzing coastal bird life and the small lagoon near the beach which often houses pink flamingos and bahama ducks. You will have lunch at a local restaurant in Bellavista and then do the circuit of the area by foot or mountain bike stopping at a coffee farm where you can savour and learn about the home-grown coffee

Day 3, Galapagos

After and early rise you will have the opportunity to do a boat trip nd explore one of the neighboring islands. Snorkelling is part of the program to give you an experience of the rich Galapagos’ marine life. Alternatively you can choose to dive for SCUBA enthusiasts

Day 4, Galapagos

Tortuga Bay must be one of the most extraordinary beaches to enjoy swimming along the two km. of white sand and deep blue water buzzing with wild life. After your morning swim there is a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station to delve into scientific thinking and meet the famous Lonesome George. Lunch at a restaurant in Puerto Ayora followed by an afternoon of leisure and relaxation with a massage at Chi Spa

Day 5, Depart Galapagos

On your last day there is a tour of the farm at GSC where you can enjoy the sunrise from one of our view points and continue for a walk to the barn owl’s cave before breakfast and transfer to the airport

RATE PER PERSON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY: $2698 (Single $3580, Children under 12 $1960)
Plus local airfare Guayaquil-Galapagos-Guayaquil US$450-520 per person

PLEASE NOTE:

This package does not include flights, Park entry fee US$100 or transit card $10 , beverages or extra consumption, service charges.

IMPORTANT:

The itinerary may change due to National Park dispositions or to circumstances beyond our control.

Main House Safari Tent Infinity pool

You will land in Baltra Island and cross the narrow Itabaca Channel to Santa Cruz accompanied by a bilingual naturalist guide who will take you to a farm in the highlands for a tasty lunch. You will then do a complete tour of the area, exploring various vegetation zones and microclimates, walking around pit craters, through lava tunnels and getting acquainted with endemic Scalesia and Guayabillo forests. At the Tortoise Reserve, you will observe the emblematic giant tortoises in their natural habitat and the abundant bird life of the highlands. Your tour will end at Galapagos Safari Camp where you can enjoy a sunset cocktail followed by dinner.

After an early rise, you will take a boat trip to explore one of the neighbouring islands (North Seymour, Bartolomé, Plazas, Santa Fé, Floreana or Isabela). Each island has its particular natural habitat and you will be guided through the evolutionary marvels of your destination. The Galapagos Marine Reserve is the second largest reserve in the world; you will be able to snorkel off the boat and experience the richness of the aquatic species. Alternatively, if you are SCUBA certified we can replace one or both day trips with diving.

In the morning you will be driven to the eastern part of the island. At 490mts. above sea level, Cerro Mesa offers dramatic views, has the largest crater on Santa Cruz and numerous endemic plants as well as up to 7 subspecies of finches and the Vermillion Flycatcher. After lunch you will visit Garrapatero, a pristine beach where the contrast of mangroves, black lava, white sand and turquoise water, in addition to the buzzing coastal bird life and the small pink flamingo lagoon is sensational. Kayaking and mountain biking is available.

Today you will tour the renowned Charles Darwin Research Station in the morning, followed by lunch in one of Puerto Ayora’s vibrant restaurants. You can spend the rest of the day relaxing at Tortuga Bay, a two-kilometre white sand beach. The trail to get there gives the opportunity to explore the arid zone without struggling over broken lava. Alongside some very impressive cacti, there are other interesting arid zone plants. At the far end of the bay there is a large, calm mangrove lagoon, rich in wildlife and ideal for walking and swimming

On your last day you can tour the farm at your leisure or enjoy the sunrise from our viewpoint before your airport transfer

• This itinerary may change due to National Park dispositions or force majeure

• We strongly advise our guests to look into travel insurance in their country of origin

Plus local airfare Guayaquil-Galapagos-Guayaquil US$450-520 per person

PLEASE NOTE: This package does not include flights, Park entry fee US$100 or transit card $10 , beverages or extra consumption, service charges.

IMPORTANT: The itinerary may change due to National Park dispositions or to circumstances beyond our control.

Galapagos Safari Camp is a new concept of accommodation in Latin America based on the African model of luxury-tented camps. It is an ideal base for diving in the Galapagos, and the perfect alternative to a live aboard dive experience. Any time is a good time to visit the Galapagos Archipelago for scuba diving. Marine life in the Galapagos is very rich, though not so varied as in warmer tropical waters. Due to the cold water there are only a few species of corals and those grow mostly in the sub-tidal zone and on rocks with a sparse cover of corals, sponges and algae. In the warm season, the chance to see whale sharks is very high in the northern islands, and you can also observe them in the central islands. In the cold season, the chance to see whale sharks is about 50 percent, and you see more rays like mantas, mobula, and eagle rays, since they get together in schools to mate. Hammerheads can be found throughout the Galapagos Archipelago year-round but in the northern islands there are much larger groups found. The large schools of fish, sea turtles, sea lions, iguanas and penguins can be seen during the whole year.

Day of arrival You will land in Baltra Island and cross the narrow Itabaca Channel to Santa Cruz accompanied by a bilingual naturalist guide who will take you to a farm in the highlands for a tasty lunch. You will then do a complete tour of the area, exploring various vegetation zones and microclimates, walking around pit craters, through lava tunnels and getting acquainted with endemic Scalesia and Guayabillo forests. At the Tortoise Reserve, you will observe the emblematic giant tortoises in their natural habitat and the abundant bird life of the highlands. Your tour will end at Galapagos Safari Camp where you can enjoy a sunset cocktail followed by dinner.

Floreana: There are three dive sites where you are likely to see sea lions, turtles, exotic fish, thousands of tropical fish, barracudas, black coral, white tip and Galapagos sharks, moray eels, some hammerheads and eagle rays. It is possible to see dolphin during the boat trip.

Gordon Rocks: A submerged crater for experience divers with a minimum of 30 logged dives. Here you will see turtles, big fish, hundreds of tropical fishes, hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, white tips, large morays, spotted eagle rays, golden and stingrays as well as sea lions.

Seymour: Can be a fabulous dive site with schools of hammerheads, snappers, turtles, morays, manta rays, white tip sharks, sea lions and garden eels.

Cousins Rock: An intermediate dive combination of shoal and wall diving with sea lions, large numbers of fish, white tip sharks, hammerheads, eagle rays and manta rays. There is a breathtaking vertical wall with a profusion of black corals and other invertebrates. It is possible to find Sea horses and frogfish.

Bartolome: Stingrays, turtles, white tips, plenty of fish, invertebrates and interesting rock formations. Highlight tends to be the penguins.

Mosquera Islet: Largest colony of garden eels, mantas, sea turtles, white tips and maybe hammerheads and eagle rays, as well as plenty of tropical fish and sea lions.

Daphne Islet: Wall diving with morays, white tips, eagle rays, stingrays, sea lions, Galapagos sharks, hammerheads, turtles, black corals and many other invertebrates, and hundreds of fish.

Santa Fe: Easy diving with little current. White tip sharks, turtles, stingrays and occasionally a couple of hammerheads. Snorkeling with sea lions at surface interval.

After breakfast you will be transferred to Baltra airport to continue to Quito or Guayaquil

• Dive trips run on a sharing basis with a maximum of 8 pax not exclusively to GSC guests

• We strongly advise our guests to look into travel insurance in their country of origin