Galapagos Island Hopping: Santa Cruz & Isabela — 5 Days

08:00 pick-up from your hotel in Puerto Ayora and transfer to the pier, where the yacht is waiting. Around 50 minutes' sailing to Pinzon Island for two snorkels: white-tip reef sharks, Galapagos sharks, sea turtles, sea lions and shoals of colourful fish. Lunch on board. Second snorkel at Santa Fe or Pinzon with reef sharks, manta rays and sea lions. Visit to La Fe beach, a white-sand sea turtle nesting site (nesting season November to February), with a final snorkel straight off the beach before sailing back to Puerto Ayora.

06:00 pick-up and transfer to the municipal pier of Puerto Ayora for the two-hour speedboat crossing to Isabela. Dry landing and a 45-minute walk on Tintoreras islet among nesting marine iguanas, white-tip reef sharks and sea lions, followed by a snorkel in Tintoreras bay with sea turtles and sea lions and a short boat ride to spot Galapagos penguins and blue-footed boobies. Lunch on the island. Afternoon at the Arnaldo Tupiza Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre, one of the best in the archipelago, and a walk to the island's wetlands, a large brackish lagoon that holds the biggest flamingo population in Galapagos.

07:00 pick-up and 45 minutes by boat to Los Finados for the first snorkel: the guide leads you through small volcanic tubes in shallow, crystal-clear water where white-tip reef sharks, Galapagos sharks, sea lions and seahorses appear. 11:30 lunch on board. 12:30 second snorkel at Los Tuneles, a maze of small lava islets used by sharks and sea turtles for nesting, and one of the best places to swim with Galapagos penguins and sea lions — the water is calm, so it works well for children. 13:00 return to Puerto Villamil. 14:30 transfer to the passenger dock, 15:00 sail to Santa Cruz, 17:30 hotel check-in.

08:30 pick-up for Los Gemelos, two vast volcanic sinkholes formed millions of years ago, surrounded by endemic vegetation where Darwin's finches feed. Transfer to Baltra Airport and check-in for your flight. End of services.