Classic Safaris

Luxury Galapagos Islands Land-Based Tours

- PLAN YOUR SAFARI -
5 DAYS / 4 NIGHTS

Classic Safaris

Designed with our years of experience living, travelling and hosting friends and guests in the Galapagos Islands, our land-based, Classic Safaris are our best-seller. They combine private excursions and wildlife tours on Santa Cruz Island with boat tours to beautiful, uninhabited neighbouring islands (either on a shared boat or a private chartered boat).

Please note that the following is a sample itinerary. We are happy to change the order of activities* and add days, depending on your availability. Our experienced Safari Designers will make suggestions based on your personal needs and interests.

(*subject to availability)

Rates start from:

$4875 per person for 4N/5D

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Iguana Divider

Highlights

Fall in love with the forested highlands of Santa Cruz, home to giant tortoises, numerous birds, and Galapagos Safari Camp
We take time to understand your needs so that we can pair you with the right guide.
Explore ancient, underground lava tunnels.
Take boat trips to uninhabited islands to experience bewitching landscapes and encounters with dozens of species.
Explore the coast of Santa Cruz Island, whether driving, hiking, biking, swimming, surfing or kayaking.
OVERVIEW
ITINERARY
EXTRAS
RATES
GALLERY
OVERVIEW

Sample Itinerary: In Brief

Our Classic Safari combines wildlife tours on Santa Cruz Island with day trips by boat to uninhabited, neighbouring islands. Remember the following is a sample itinerary only. Your Safari Designer can customize it to your needs and interests, and add more days, depending on your availability.

Type of activity
LAND SAFARI
SEA SAFARI
DAY 1

LAND: SANTA CRUZ AND THE GIANT TORTOISE

DAY 2

SEA: EXPLORE NEIGHBOURING ISLANDS

DAY 3

SEA: EXPLORE NEIGHBOURING ISLANDS

DAY 4

LAND: EXPLORE SANTA CRUZ

DAY 5

LAND: RELAX BEFORE MORNING DEPARTURE

DAY 5+

…OR EXTEND YOUR TRIP

Our Safari Designers can suggest itinerary extensions to accommodate your dates and interests. Options include:

Exploring more of Santa Cruz
Exploring more uninhabited islands
Isabela Island Extension
Dive Extension

More privacy?

Our Safaris, by default, are semi-private tours, combining private tours on Santa Cruz Island with shared boat excursions to uninhabited islands.

If you would like more privacy, we are happy to organise 100% private tours, with a chartered boat for the sea excursions.

 

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ITINERARY

Sample Classic Safari: Full Itinerary

At Galapagos Safari Camp we don’t expect our guests to fit around our schedules. Quite the opposite. We create customized, life-changing itineraries based on your needs, interests and dates. Below is a sample itinerary. Please contact one of our Safari Designers for more information about the wildlife tours, activities and experiences we offer, and to create your own, personalized Galapagos adventure.

Type of activity
LAND SAFARI
SEA SAFARI
DAY 1

SANTA CRUZ HIGHLANDS AND THE GIANT TORTOISE

Welcome to the Galapagos! After leaving the VIP airport lounge you will meet your bilingual naturalist guide who will be with you for the duration of your stay with us (according to the level of privacy chosen).

To maximize your first day in the Galapagos Islands, you will be taken to a number of visiting sites on the way to Galapagos Safari Camp.

The first stop is Los Gemelos (The Twin Craters); two colossal, volcanic sinkholes. On a gentle hike around the rim, your guide will point out the birds of the endemic Scalesia forest such as Galapagos doves and Darwin’s finches.

From Los Gemelos you continue to a reserve for giant tortoises. Your tour of the reserve will follow a gentle circuit trail where you get within meters of these iconic Galapagos creatures. Keep a look out too for short-eared owls, as they are occasionally spotted in the trees. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.

The tortoise reserve also contains a network of underground lava tubes, formed centuries ago when lava flows cooled at the edges but kept flowing in the middle, leaving cave-like tunnels in their wake. To fully appreciate the uniqueness of the Galapagos Islands, and its wildlife, it’s important to first understand the archipelago’s geology and volcanic history.

End the day at Galapagos Safari Camp, enjoying uninterrupted views of the National Park and the shimmering blues of the Pacific Ocean, without another human in sight.

DAY 2&3

AT SEA: EXPLORE UNINHABITED ISLANDS

On DAY 2 and DAY 3 you will enjoy day cruises by motor boat to one of the neighbouring, uninhabited islands close to our island of Santa Cruz: North Seymour, Bartolomé, Plazas or Santa Fe.

Each of the islands’ tours include a guided walk and a guided snorkel in the Galapagos Marine Reserve.

Lunch is served onboard the boat (food is not permitted in the National Park).

These boat navigations are often a good opportunity to chat with your guide and to learn more about these extraordinary islands and the creatures that inhabit them. Alternatively, guests often use this time to quietly reflect on their Safari by jotting down their thoughts or elaborating on sketches. As author John C. Maxwell wrote, “It’s not necessarily experience that is valuable; it’s the insight people gain because of their experience.”

Note that these boat tours can either be fully private (chartered boat and private guide) or semi-private (with shared boat and shared guide, or shared boat and private guide).

At the end of each day, you return to Galapagos Safari Camp in time for an evening stroll or a dip in the pool, followed by a sunset cocktail and dinner.

We design our Safaris according to the best experiences possible at any given time of year and around yacht operations. We will confirm the islands you will visit once you get in touch.
DAY 4

SANTA CRUZ: THE EAST

Your Safari will begin at Cerro Mesa, a private reserve on the eastern side of Santa Cruz Island that is rich in endemic flora and bird life, including the elusive vermillion flycatcher and seven unique subspecies of finch. Explore the various trails with your guide, ending the circuit at a viewpoint where, on a clear day, you can survey the lush landscape of Santa Cruz as well as nearby islands.

Afterwards, you will make your way to Garrapatero Beach, either by car or by bicycle. In contrast to the thick, green vegetation of the highlands, the coastal terrain is made up of black lava, white sands, turquoise waters and dense mangroves.

The picturesque, white-sanded beach of Garrapatero is an ideal spot for a picnic and secluded swimming, set far away from the cruise ship crowds and visiting sites. Kayaking can also be arranged here and is a fun way to explore the coastline and its wildlife.

Set behind the beach is a small lagoon where flamingoes are occasionally spotted.

On your way back to the Camp you will visit a working farm in the highlands that produces sugar cane liqueur and Galapagos coffee. Learn about the different methods used to refine sugar cane, including the use of a mule-driven press (note: the mule may be off-duty during your visit). There is also a demonstration of how artisan coffee is produced, from picking the berries to roasting the bean.

DAY 5

RELAX BEFORE MORNING DEPARTURE

Enjoy the serene nature and peace of the Camp this morning. Relax, walk, swim or enjoy the sunrise from our viewpoint before departure to the airport and your next destination. (Here’s where you’ll wish you had extended your journey!).

Please remember that this is just a sample based on some of the options available. Get in touch so we can craft your perfect journey with us!
DAY 5+

...OR EXTEND YOUR TRIP

Our Safari Designers can suggest itinerary extensions to accommodate your dates and interests. Options include:

Exploring more of Santa Cruz
Exploring more uninhabited islands
Isabela Island Extension
Dive Extension

PLAN YOUR SAFARI

EXTRAS

Additional Experiences

We can further personalise your Safari by incorporating some of the following experiences into your tour:

  • Artisanal fishing
  • Art lessons
  • Exploring the highlands on bike or on foot
  • Surprise tea parties in lava tunnels
  • Family celebrations, e.g. birthdays, anniversaries
  • Romantic picnics
  • Scuba-diving
  • Surfing
  • Kayaking
  • Visiting coffee or cacao farms, and learning about local life.
  • Isabela Safari Extension
  • Mainland Ecuador Safari Extension

Please note that not all these experiences are included in the sample itinerary (and starting rates). Your final quote will depend on how you personalise your Classic Safari, and the tours, activities and experiences you choose.

RATES

Rates

Our safaris are tailor-made to suit your preferences, and the final cost will vary based on your personal selections.

Classic Galapagos Safari rates

 

Included:

  • Private English-speaking naturalist guide during land excursions and transfers.
  • Accommodation
  • All meals and welcome drink
  • Airport VIP services
  • VIP Transfers & ground transportation
  • Boat excursions with snorkeling on a shared basis (get in touch to organize a private guide or to charter the boat for a fully-private experience)
  • Wetsuits and snorkeling equipment
  • Activities and visits detailed in the itinerary

Not Included:

  • Flights (all flights from mainland Ecuador to the Galapagos Islands can be arranged upon request)
  • Galapagos National Park entrance fee (US $200 per adult/$100 per child under 12; subject to change)
  • Visitor transit card (US $20 per person; subject to change)
  • Beverages
  • Laundry service
  • Insurance (please check your travel insurance is valid in your country of origin prior to your journey)
  • Gratuities

 

Please refer to our Rates menu for all our Safari rates:

OUR RATES

GALLERY

Personalize your journey!

We’re flexible and we love to personalize. How about..?

Talks with Galapagos experts, fishing trips with locals, tea inside a lava tunnel…

…picnic in the wilds, art classes, surf classes, ceviche-making and more!

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VOICES OF GALAPAGOS

Our Experts Say

Stephanie Bonham-Carter
Founder
“Santa Cruz is among the most diverse islands in the Galapagos. We love combining explorations of the forested highlands with time at the beaches.”
Michael Mesdag
Founder
“I’m particularly fond of the fishing trips we’ve created with local fishermen. They’re an authentic way to explore the Galapagos and are always a lot of fun.”
A FEW OF OUR

Guest Reviews

A visit to Galapagos would be incomplete without an stay at the Galapagos Safari Camp
With a superb location on Santa Cruz Island, the Camp offers one of the best views in the Galapagos Islands; one that you can not miss. The location, is perfectly match with its unique infrastructure,
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TRAVELCOTOPAXI 12/11/2018
An Amazing Place!
It’s hard to explain the magic of Galapagos Safari Camp. It was truly a special place and you feel it from the second you step off the plane. The entire process from getting off the plane to getting
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KRYSTEN W 8/20/2022
Fantastic adventures!
We stay at the Galapagos Safari Camp in November and had a fantastic stay. The staff was wonderful and the service was excellent! I have dietary issues and they went out of their way to make sure all
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RAV19562018 1/30/2020