In addition to diving-oriented Galapagos tours and Galapagos cruises, SCUBA IGUANA also offers a variety of other Galapagos tours. Our Galapagos tours are a good way to get a personalized look at each of the islands in the Galapagos.

We can schedule Galapagos tours and itineraries that include overnight trips to the other inhabited ports as well as exclusive excursions to uninhabited beaches. Any visitor who has taken the typical Galapagos tour on a larger ship can tell you that those Galapagos trips must stick to fixed itineraries in which tourists are herded along designated trails by guides who must keep them together as a group. However, on our smaller vessels, we lead Galapagos tours and day trips designed to be personal and to allow you to get to explore the most isolated least known parts of the Galapagos in an unstructured manner in a way that you simply can't do it on a larger boat with a fixed itinerary. In other words, our Galapagos tours are intimate in nature and design.

BAY TOURS

This is a special attraction for visitors who want something different from the standard Galapagos tour. All of the larger live-aboard tourist yachts that offer tours of the Galapagos Islands visit a fixed itinerary of approved visitor sites where groups are controlled on marked trails. Our Galapagos Bay Tour sites are in isolated bays of the inhabited Galapagos Islands. Here we have more freedom to experience the Galapagos Islands as they were meant to be experienced. These sites are closed to the larger Galapagos tours and, although they are conveniently located near town, you still find the amazing closeness to wildlife that makes the Galapagos Islands so special. As Bay Tours are operated solely by Galapagos residents, they are a great way to learn about the history and culture of the Galapagos Islands from those that have lived it.

Tour includes snorkeling gear.

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HIGHLAND TOURS, Santa Cruz Island

Visit the cloud forest of endemic scalesia trees to see the Vermilion Flycatcher and perhaps the Short-eared Owl or the Galápagos Rail not to mention the unique flora of the Galapagos Islands. See giant tortoises peacefully grazing on the lush vegetation. Descend the lava tunnels, formed long ago by massive rivers of molten lava. All the while your naturalist guide - the most informative of companions - will help you understand the Island's ecology and geology.

Tour includes: Transportation and naturalist guide.

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EXCURSIONS TO NATIONAL PARK ISLANDS

We arrange Galapagos tours on other boats to various Visitor Sites in Galapagos National Park.

Tours include naturalist guide and lunch.

We can also arrange kayaking tours, mountain biking tours, horseback riding tours, lava tunnels tours, and many other options that will allow you to explore the Galapagos Islands.

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BARTOLOME (BARTHOLOMEW)

Bartolome is famous for Pinnacle Rock, a towering spearheaded obelisk that rises from the ocean’s edge and is the best known landmark in the islands. Galápagos penguins-the only species of penguin found north of the equator-walk precariously along narrow volcanic ledges at its base. Sea lions snooze on rocky platforms, ready to slide into the water to play with passing snorkelers. Just below the surface, shoals of tropical fish dodge in and out of the rocks past urchins, sea stars and anemones. A perfectly crescent, pink-and-white sandy beach lies just to the east of the pinnacle. Sea turtles use the beach as a nesting site and can sometimes be found wading in the shallow water near the shore, or resting in the sand to recover from the arduous task of digging nests, laying eggs and covering them over.

Penguins dot the nearby rocks of the next landing site, less than a kilometer along the eastern shore. Here the submerged walls of a tiny volcanic crater give the impression of a fountain pool. This dry landing—no wet feet!—is the entrance to a 600-meter (2000-foot) pathway complete with stairs and boardwalks leading to Bartolome’s summit. The route is not difficult and presents a museum of volcanology; a site left untouched after its last eruption, where cones stand in various stages of erosion and lava tubes form bobsled-like runs from the summit. At the top you will be rewarded with spectacular views of Santiago Island and James Bay to the west, and far below, Pinnacle Rock and our beach, where the crystal blue waters of the bay cradle your yacht.

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NORTH SEYMOUR

North Seymour Island was lifted from the ocean floor by a seismic event, and its origins as a seabed give the island its low, flat profile. Cliffs only a few meters high form the shoreline, where swallow-tailed gulls sit perched in ledges. A tiny forest of silver-grey Palo Santo trees stand just above the landing, usually without leaves, waiting for the rain to bring them into bloom.

This island is teaming with life! You might have to give way to a passing sea lion or marine iguana; blue-footed booby nests sit beside the trail where mating pairs perform their courtship dance. Further along, the rocky shore displays white sand, and large flocks of pelicans mass for a dive-bomb feeding frenzy, rendering a tableau for us from ages long past. The trail turns inland to reveal the largest nesting site in the Galápagos of the “magnificent frigate bird.” These huge, dark acrobats have two-meter wingspans, and males, with puffed up scarlet throat sacks, sit precariously perched in low bushes to watch over their equally large chicks.

Las Bachas, a sandy white-coral beach that is a major egg-laying site for sea turtles. Bachas are notches, and the beach’s name refers to the indentations left in the sand by both laying turtles and their departing hatchlings. On the shore, there are marine iguanas and in the lagoon, flamingos are commonly seen. A newer visitor’s site, Dragon Hill (Cerro Dragon) is a brackish water lagoon that attracts flamingos, common stilts, pintail ducks and other species of birds. There is a short walk up a small hill, which rewards hikers with a nesting site for iguanas and a great view!

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SOUTH PLAZA (PLAZA SUR)

This is the southern partner of two small crescent-shaped islands that lie just a few hundred meters off the east coast of Santa Cruz. The northern island is used for scientific purposes only. South Plaza is one of the smallest yet richest islands in the archipelago. Only 130 meters wide (426 feet), it was formed from uplifted seabed, giving it a titled tabletop quality. Our landing is in the channel between North and South Plaza, where the island tilts toward the water.

The approach makes for a lavishly colorful sight! The turquoise waters of the channel contrast brilliantly with the white sand and black lava of the shoreline. The rocks have grown thick with green seaweed in places, speckled with bright orange “Sally light foot” crabs. Further up the shore a carpet of scarlet sesuvium succulents serves as groundcover for a grove of luminescent green prickly-pear cactus. Yellow-gray land iguanas sit beneath, waiting patiently for pears to drop. The trail gradually follows the tilt of the island to the cliffs that overlook the ocean to the south, where swallow-tailed gulls nest. Red-billed tropic birds, masked and blue-footed boobies ride the windy currents. The overlook is a great place for spotting large marine life, including manta rays. Surf pounds an inlet at the western corner of the island, where a colony of sea lion bachelors make their home, accounting for the surface of the rocks, polished by the oils of their fur. The shoreline of Las Plazas makes for excellent snorkeling in a sea lion colony of nearly a thousand. Your guide will find the right spot to swim with youngsters away from areas claimed by the surly bulls.

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SANTA FE (BARRINGTON)

Santa Fe offers one of the more beautiful and sheltered coves in the islands. Its turquoise lagoon is protected by a peninsula of tiny islets forming an ideal anchorage. The island lies to the southeast of Santa Cruz within sight of Puerto Ayora. Like North Seymore, Santa Fe has been uplifted seismically, and you can see underwater lava formations.

A wet landing on a sandy white beach brings us into contact with one of the many sea lion harems. Bulls vie for the right of Beach Master, while smaller males mask as females to make stealthy mating moves. Galápagos hawks are often easily approached, perched atop salt bushes, and an ascending trail leads toward the cliffs, where a dense thicket stands to the inland side. The cliff side provides an expansive view of the ocean. The giant prickly pear cactus found here live up to their name, with tree-sized trunks!

Our goal is to spot one of the large species of land iguana native to Santa Fe. Beige to chocolate brown in color with dragon-like spines, these huge iguanas truly resemble dinosaurs. An indigenous species of rice rat also inhabits the thicket, and lucky hikers can spot harmless Galápagos snakes. After the hike, there is nothing more inviting than a swim in the calm waters of the bay followed by watching the sun set behind the island cliffs as dusk settles over the Galápagos.

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