After a light breakfast, we'll transfer to the airport for our flight to Baltra Island (2.5 hours), with a brief layover in Guayaquil. After arriving, we’ll jump right into action! Beginning with kayaking in the Itabaca Channel, between Baltra Island and Santa Cruz Island, we'll get our first glimpses of local wildlife. Keep your eyes open for blacktip reef sharks and lava herons! Afterward, we'll head into the highlands of Santa Cruz for lunch and a giant tortoise viewing expedition on a private wildlife reserve. The only places in the world you can find giant tortoises today are in the Galápagos and on the Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean. Our eco-lodge for the evening is on a restored farm in the highlands, the only place on the island where you can sleep while tortoises silently graze just outside your front door. Most of us will stay in beautifully equipped safari-style tents with en-suite bathrooms, while some of us may get to stay in their treehouse abodes. After settling in, we'll relax from the busy day before enjoying a delicious, three-course dinner. Following dinner, your guides will brief you on the incredible biodiversity we'll be witnessing over the next few days as we watch the stars begin to light up the sky.

Following a hearty breakfast at our lodge, we'll board a motorized yacht for a day trip around the archipelago. Our destination for the day is North Seymour Island (or Seymour Norte, in Spanish) — though it's hardly an island at all. Seymour Norte is a tiny speck of land, barely three-quarters of a square mile, with its highest point rising just 92 feet above sea level. It also happens to be home to some of the world's largest populations of blue-footed boobies and swallow-tailed gulls. Also common on the island are magnificent frigatebirds, whose scarlet throat sacks can look like bright red balloons when fully puffed. The frigatebirds lack waterproofing oil glands, so they can’t dive into the water to catch fish. Instead, they evolved a life of piracy! They dive-bomb the boobies, forcing them to drop their prey. The acrobatic frigate then snatches up the food before it even hits the water! If we’re lucky, we’ll get to witness this incredible display. We’ll also keep our eyes open for marine iguanas, sea lions, and a growing population of land iguanas, originally translocated to North Seymour from neighboring Baltra Island in the 1930s by the U.S. military. In the afternoon, we'll have the chance to snorkel among hundreds of colorful tropical fish, as well as possible rays, sharks, and green sea turtles. After our full day outside surrounded by island wildlife, we'll return to Santa Cruz and spend some time in town—now’s your best chance for souvenir and gift shopping—before returning to our lodge for dinner.

Our first stop this morning is a local sustainable farm called El Trapiche. We’ll watch as the rustic, mule-driven sugar cane press operates, learn about how cane is distilled into alcohol, and observe (and sample) some traditional coffee roasting procedures. Following our farm tour, we’ll visit the Charles Darwin Research Station. There we’ll learn about the incredible research still being conducted in the archipelago, have a chance look in on the captive-bred iguanas and tortoises that are central to the station’s conservation efforts, and visit the final resting place of the famous Lonesome George. After lunch, we’ll transfer to Floreana Island, a two-hour journey by speedboat. Of the four islands with permanent human populations, Floreana has the smallest, with just 150 residents, making it the most natural and least developed of the inhabited islands. Our lodge sits on the shore, just steps from one of the most secluded black sand beaches in the Galápagos. After settling in, join your guides for an optional walk across the bay to explore "La Loberia," a sea lion breeding ground, where we'll have the opportunity for more wildlife observation. Come evening, we'll enjoy another tropical sunset and head to the village for dinner. Tonight, Jason will lead participants in a discussion on the conservation challenges facing the Galápagos, and the ethical tightrope we walk when we encourage tourism in a place as delicate as this.

After breakfast, we'll explore the Floreana highlands by a special open-air bus called a “chiva.” Along the way, our guides will regale us with stories of the island's sordid history—mysterious tales that include pirates and unsolved murders. While we listen, we'll be sure to keep our eyes peeled for more iconic giant tortoises. The destination of our morning drive is a place called Asilo de La Paz, where we'll begin our hike. We'll visit the freshwater spring that supplies water to the entire island and explore the caves used by pirates of yore while keeping our eyes open for those famous finches. As we continue through a rural area where island residents grow their own produce, our guides will explain how they balance agriculture with conservation, and work to preserve their community's unique forms of cultivation. With luck, we’ll even get to witness the frigatebirds taking advantage of the farms’ freshwater ponds to wash the salt off their feathers. After a barbecue lunch back at the lodge, the afternoon is yours to rest, swim, snorkel, kayak, or wander around in search of wildlife. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a flamingo flying across the bay; the island's main dock is a great place to photograph marine iguanas.

The day begins with an early morning transfer by speedboat to Isabela Island, the largest of the entire archipelago. After checking in, our adventure on Isabela starts at the local tortoise breeding center, one of the most important conservation facilities in the islands. Along with staff from the center, your guides will explain the process of breeding and then releasing these gentle giants back into the wild. After lunch we’ll take a short cruise over to “Las Tintoreras,” a small group of islets near the village of Puerto Villamil. Named for the white-tipped reef sharks, Las Tintoreras are considered to be a miniature Galápagos. Here you can find almost all of the archipelago’s iconic critters: sharks, sea lions, iguanas, turtles, rays, penguins, pelicans, and blue-footed boobies. After walking around the island, we’ll have a chance to snorkel in the bay. Don’t be surprised if a penguin or sea lion gets curious and tries to play alongside you in the water!

After breakfast, we’re off to explore some of the most stunning lava tunnels you’ve ever seen! Starting from the dock in Puerto Villamil, we’ll board a boat for a short cruise to our destination. After a walk to look for nesting blue-footed boobies, you’ll have a chance to snorkel alongside sharks and sea turtles, hundreds of brightly colored fish, and more. Or stay dry and find the baby iguanas and birds that like to hang out around the iconic “Palo Santo” and carob trees. After lunch, we’ll return to the hotel to enjoy our last afternoon in the Enchanted Islands. Hit the beach, take a nap, explore the village of Puerto Villamil, or join your guides for an optional walk to the island’s flamingo lagoon. These charismatic birds can be found on several of the islands, but the best chance to see and photograph them is right here on Isabela Island, as this lagoon is the main breeding site for the entire archipelago. We’ll regroup for our final group dinner and afterwards, watch the stars come alive in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Following breakfast we’ll retrace our steps. First, we’ll take an early morning speed boat back to Santa Cruz, then a bus to the Itabaca Channel, a ferry to Baltra, and one final bus to reach the airport. We’ll board our flight back to Quito, where you can catch return flights home or, perhaps, stay and explore on your own for a few extra days.