Ecuador: The Galapagos Islands by Land

Take a grand tour of the Galapagos in the utmost comfort, boating to many of the best nature sites in Galapagos National Park while staying ashore each night in seaside hotels. We’ll track tortoises in their wild habitat, swim and snorkel with sea lions, turtles and a neon spectrum of tropical fish, and explore the islands’ volcanic features as we hike and ride mountain bikes on trails in the interior highlands. Each evening we unwind at an inviting waterfront hotel, where the fresh salt air and lullaby of the waves are just outside our window. Our lodgings are spacious and relaxing alternatives to the more typical live-aboard options on boat-based tours to the islands. Ashore we can soak in a hot tub while gazing at the sea, enjoy a cocktail with a view of the sunset, even check e-mail and stay in touch online with envious folks at home.

This custom adventure, designed for your private party of four or more, is a full-on active immersion in the islands, the most diverse way to experience all the natural wonders the Galapagos has to offer both ashore and beneath the sea. We quickly discover the mystique of this unique archipelago that Herman Melville called ‘Islas Encantadas’ -- the Enchanted Isles -- as we encounter a variety of settings during our comprehensive 10-day adventure.

We begin on the main island of Santa Cruz, home to Charles Darwin Research Station and headquarters for Galapagos National Park. After kayaking, snorkeling and tracking tortoises here, we are whisked by speedboat to Floreana for hiking, birdwatching and more beach time. Continuing to Isabela, largest island in the archipelago and once a haven for pirates, we have more amazing encounters with the nonchalant wildlife of the Galapagos. We’ll come face to face with penguins, iguanas and blue-footed boobies sunning themselves on the lava shores, then snorkel with gentle white-tipped reef sharks, sea turtles and manta rays.  On Isabela we also take to the heights in 4 X 4 vehicles to the slopes of Sierra Negra volcano, where we hike to the crater rim to gape into the massive caldera, one of the largest in the world. Isabela’s natural wonders are further unveiled as we snorkel through the lava labyrinth at Los Tuneles and ride bikes along a fabulous palm-fringed white sand beach to a magical mangrove swamp.

All too soon it’s time to return to the mainland, but the memories of your island idyll will last forever. There is no destination in the world like the Galapagos, and no more exciting way for active adventurers to experience it than on this rare itinerary custom-designed just for Explorers’ Corner. This land-based tour is the perfect option for small private groups of four or more, for families with children, or travelers who want the trip of a lifetime without the small-boat live-aboard lifestyle.