Our Epic 7 Day Galapagos Itinerary & Whether We Think a Galapagos Cruise is Worth It

Best 1 Week Galapagos Itinerary On the Reina Silvia Voyager

Let’s get into our epic Galapagos trip complete with incredible bird watching, sea turtle swimming, playing with sea lions, snorkeling with sharks, and more!

Day 1: Depart Quito and Arrive in Baltra

First things first, you’ve got to get to the Galapagos. So, the tour we went on with GAdventures actually met up the evening before while in Quito (the hotel night was included). So for us, the tour really begins the night before this for the welcome meeting and introductions before departing early in the morning this day for the Galapagos.

Okay, now that you know these super necessary things before departing, once you arrive in Galapagos, the fun begins! 

Once you’ve gone through customs and security in the Galapagos, you’re off and running! You’ll meet your local guide, ours was Venus, and then you’re going to explore Santa Cruz. 

Santa Cruz is the island in the Galapagos with the largest population, with a whopping 18,000 residents. The second largest is San Cristobal with around 6,000 inhabitants. 

However, if you’re like us and book this Galapagos cruise, you’re visiting the Western and Central Islands, meaning you won’t see San Cristobal on this cruise. Therefore, we flew into Baltra (next to Santa Cruz). 

Okay, it’s a bit of an adventure this day, as you’ll depart the airport via a bus, but then the bus will drop you off at the port. Then, you’ll take a quick boat ride over to Santa Cruz. 

After that, you get on one more bus that’ll take you to lunch. Thankfully, your local guide will walk you through all of this.

PS- Your big luggage will continue onto the ship, so make sure you have a backpack with things you’ll need for the day!

But you’ll head to lunch, passing several tortoises (some are even in the middle of the road!), as you make your way to the Highlands. 

We stopped for lunch at El Chato Ranch, where we enjoyed spotting many tortoises and taking photos before we were guided around the property, which has a lava tube and several bird species flying around- lunch is where we saw our first Darwin Finch!

We also saw SO many tortoises, sleeping, eating, and even attempting to mate. 

After that, we drove down to the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center and Charles Darwin Research Station.

Here is where you’ll see several baby tortoises (spoiler alert- they look like normal turtles, it’s honestly so cute). They breed tortoises to increase the population in various islands. 

You’ll also spot a couple of types of tortoises including the saddleback tortoises as well as the domed tortoises. You’ll also see the stuffed and preserved Lonesome George, a famous tortoise that was the only remaining Pinta Island Giant Tortoise. 

There is the chance to check out the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn more about the ecology in the Galapagos before departing to the main town for any additional supplies you may need (i.e. extra sunscreen). 

Then, it is off to the boat. You’ll take a zodiac (known as a panga here) to the boat, where your luggage will await as you have a short intro to the boat, a brief overview of the cruise, a day-by-day itinerary, and then you’ll have dinner.

After that, you can hang out or go to bed- it was an early night for us today!

Day 2: Floreana

On day 2 of your trip, you’re cruising at night and waking up in Floreana. 

Personally, I enjoyed going to bed earlier each evening and then waking up for sunrise with some coffee because it was stunning on the water! And when you’re on a smaller cruise ship like we were, you end up being one of just a few other small boats out there. 

This day also happened to be my birthday, which was truly so special to be in the Galapagos for it!

Starting out is a scrumptious breakfast. The cruise breakfasts were my favorite with fresh fruit, eggs, juices, coffee, and more. 

But after breakfast you’ll hop on the panga and land at Punta Cormorant, where you’ll go on a hike to a lagoon. We even spotted a baby blue footed booby (and other blue footed boobies too) as we embarked on the hike. 

And, if you’re lucky, you’ll spot some flamingos! This area is known for having flamingos. And we were lucky and saw so many in the lagoon! 

Then, you’ll continue on your hike, with stunning mountainous views before descending to a white sandy beach, where you may see many brownish blobs in the water. Upon closer inspection, those blobs are actually several sea turtles in the water. 

I’m talking like dozens, at least when we were there in early January. It was incredible. Again, a lot of “romantic moments” (as our guide would say a lot) happening in the water. You’ll see a lot of this in the Galapagos. 

But it was incredibly magical to spot flamingos and then several sea turtles (my first time seeing both in the wild). I could’ve cried, it was so spectacular. 

After that, we even saw a young flamingo napping along the shore as we made our way back to the panga to get back to the ship. 

From there, we went snorkeling at Champion Islet, our first snorkel of the cruise! Here we spotted tons of fish species, including a pufferfish, and 3 types of starfish. 

Next up was a delicious BBQ lunch on the top deck of the ship (we had 2 of these during our time on board, where the other lunches are held in the dining area on the main floor of the ship).

Chris and I gathered with our friends and broke out his Wildlife of the Galapagos book, and, like the nerds we are, started checking off the animals we found. We’d go on to do this pretty much every day. 

After some time on the ship, and even taking a small dip in the hot tub, we ended up in Post Office Bay. 

This place is really unique, as it was once where whalers would leave letters for other ships passing by to deliver if they were going back to the US or UK. Today, it is where visitors leave post cards, and if you’re going the direction of that post card, you can take it and deliver it (or mail it to them when you get home). 

We even saw some fellow Northeast Ohio post cards so we took them! You can also leave a post card if you like as well and see when it gets back to you. 

The postcards we saw from Northeast Ohio were at the oldest a couple of weeks old to literally that morning. So we grabbed them and posted them when we got home.

Then, to round out this fabulous birthday in the Galapagos, we ended with a hike at Asilo de Paz, where we learned all about some of the first inhabitants of this island.

In short, it was chaos. There was a doctor, his partner, and then a couple (the wife was pregnant and delivered here!) who moved here and lived off the land. You’ll visit the area they inhabited during this hike. 

But when a certain Austrian Baroness came to live with her lovers, drama ensued, ending with the disappearance of the Baroness and one of her lovers. The other escaped, but died while trying to reach San Cristobal. 

You can watch The Galapagos Affair to see the drama that went down (which was a movie you could watch on the ship too). Oh, aside from this, you will also see some tortoises on the island. 

On the way to/from the hike, we even saw a newborn sea lion pup with his mom as well as many marine iguanas- some were even running on the land!

Then, it was time for dinner (and they had a cake for me too!), and then bed. You typically move at night, so you’ll wake up tomorrow in Isabela. 

Day 3: Isabela

Isabela is actually the Galapagos’s largest island. That is why you’ll be spending quite a bit of time here over the next 3 days. And there is a lot to see! 

We began the day in Punta Moreno, where we walked on an old lava field. Again, this area is known for having flamingos sometimes in the lakes that have sprouted amongst the black lava rock left behind. 

It is honestly so crazy seeing the contrasts between islands (and even different areas of the same island!). This was incredible walking on old hardened lava, which by all accounts looks desolate. 

But, upon closer inspection, you’ll spot little lizards darting around, and then, you’ll see cacti. And further, you’ll spot actual plant life surrounding little ponds. It’s life popping up amongst what was once a desolate landscape.

We got lucky again, as we saw some flamingos in the lakes here too! We also spotted marine iguanas on the rocks near the water as well as flightless cormorants on the panga ride around here.

After that, it is time to grab your snorkel gear and snorkel in Punta Moreno. Here, you’ll be delighted with more fish, sea turtles, and even flightless cormorants diving in the water. They go so fast, and one even was right next to me and scared me! 

Then, in the afternoon, you’ll head to Elizabeth Bay. On the way, you may spot some frigate birds hitching a ride or flying around the ship!

Here we enjoyed a panga ride around the mangroves, where we spotted sea lions, sea turtles, several rays, penguins, and even baby sharks. 

And then, we wrapped up with a kayak amongst the mangroves. We had a blast doing this and seeing even more wildlife including flightless cormorants!

After all of that excitement, we had our nightly debrief of the following day’s activities and it was time for dinner and bed.

I do want to point out that you are free to grab some beers and head to the top deck to hang out if you want. But honestly, most days started at like 7 am, so we mostly went to bed and had our coffee at like 6 am on the top deck. 

There is also usually time to hang out and catch the sunset between the final activity and the meeting/dinner.

Day 4: Isabela and Fernandina

Today, you are still in Isabela, but you’ve moved further north. So you’ll wake up in Urbina Bay. 

Here, you’ll hop back in the panga and head to shore to hike for a little bit. Here you’ll spot different birds as well as land iguanas and tortoises. Some may even be in the middle of the trail again! 

Then, you’ll head back to the beach and get your snorkel gear on as you’ll snorkel off the beach this time.

Here, we spotted several sea turtles in the water as well as many fish. We were surrounded by sea turtles at one point! 

After our time in Urbina Bay, we were back on the ship, where we moved to Punta Espinoza on Fernandina, the Galapagos’s westernmost island.

Here we snorkeled again and saw so much marine life including marine iguanas and sea turtles as well as flightless cormorants. 

We also finished off this snorkel-heavy day (no complaints here as we LOVE snorkeling!) with a hike at Punta Espinoza off the beach. Here we spotted several sea lions, whale bones, and marine iguanas. 

Oh, and you can’t forget the ever present Sally Lightfoot crabs! The best part of the Galapagos is that, because it is a protected area, the animals here have almost zero fear of humans. We do have to keep a certain distance, but that doesn’t mean they know that rule. 

So you have to be careful not to get too close…or let them get too close to you! 

After a full snorkel and hiking day, we were back on the boat, sipping beers and identifying more animals in our guidebook, before dinner and bed.

Day 5: Isabela

You’ll wake up back in Isabela this day, and you’ve got a full day of adventure ahead! 

After breakfast, we were taken into Tagus Cove for a hike up a steep hill for one of the most beautiful viewpoints we saw on our trip: Darwin Lake.

It is so pretty here! And it was really neat to see the perspective of the lake with just a little bit of land keeping it from the ocean. There were also epic views further on of the island itself.  

Also, at the start, you’ll see old graffiti from whalers which was interesting (humans never change). 

On this hike we saw many birds, and we also saw many flightless cormorants at the start. 

And let me tell you, flightless cormorants have attitude. We had to be careful as we got on/off the panga as they were nesting and not enjoying us being there. We also took a panga ride around here after the hike.

What was worse, was when we got into our kayaks to kayak here, a flightless cormorant literally chased us, and attacked my paddle! Then, when we paddle away, he went after our friends on the kayak behind us! 

It was kind of comical, but they didn’t mess around. I even saw one the day or two before diving down and trying to eat a fish that was much too large for it. It tried to get after it, but it was hilarious to see it try its best and the fish easily got away. 

Anyway, after that, we went on to snorkel nearby in the area (thankfully, the flightless cormorant had calmed down). It was here where we saw turtles, fish, and even a penguin dart past us in the water! 

Guys, the snorkeling in the Galapagos is the best I’ve ever seen in my life. Just the sheer amount of wildlife is insane both on land and in the water. 

Okay, enough raving about the wildlife, next up, we were back on the ship after an exciting morning in Tagus Cove, and we were off to Punta Vicente Roca. 

Here, we got to snorkel again! And here we saw again, more sea turtles (it never got old!), swam with a sea lion, spotted a stingray and an octopus, and saw a marine iguana swimming as well as a flightless cormorant. 

And of course the fish were diverse and beautiful too! We also swam to a deeper area because another ship had told our guide they saw manta rays here. Sadly, we didn’t spot them, but that’s awesome that you could potentially see them here!

After our snorkel, we got in the zodiac/panga to ride around the area and see it from above. 

Here, we saw dramatic cliffs, penguins, marine iguanas, and even went inside of a cave! 

Then, before dinner this evening, we were told to head to the bridge because we got to witness us crossing the Equator. 

Because, if you don’t know, the Galapagos Islands sit right on the Equator. It was so cool to watch the radar go to 0º as we crossed the line. The crew even gave us beverages to celebrate! 

We also got to explore the area of the bridge, which we weren’t allowed to see otherwise. 

Anyway, that wraps up day 5 of this epic Galapagos cruise itinerary in 7 days! After dinner, it was bedtime!

Day 6: Santiago

Fun fact, we also crossed the Equator again as we rounded our way around Isabela, but that was in the middle of the night. So thankfully, they didn’t wake us up to celebrate that. 

However, we did wake up in Santiago in the Central Islands as we’re rounding out our Galapagos cruise. 

We began the morning at Buccaneer Cove, where we rode on the panga and spotted various rock formations like the Elephant and the Praying Monk. This area is also popular for many seabirds including Nazca boobies, blue footed boobies, pelicans, noddy, lava herons, wandering tattlers, and more! 

If you’re a big birdwatcher, you’ll love this area! 

We also had the opportunity to spot Galapagos fur seals, more sea lions, a ton of golden rays at the surface of the water, and sea turtles. 

After our panga ride, it was time to go for a snorkel! Here, I played with a sea lion in the water! Our guide told me to dive down, which I did, and the sea lion did the same!

They are so curious and cute! We also saw plenty of fish, 2 baby black tip sharks, and even a white tip shark! 

The coolest part, though, was the chance to snorkel in a cave. The water was such a deep blue color, and the light in the water as you turned around and faced the entrance was incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it! 

After that exciting snorkeling experience, we were back on the ship for another delicious BBQ lunch on the top deck, where we dried off in the sun and had a beer.

Then, we got off the boat again at Puerto Egas, where we did a really cool hike where we saw SO much wildlife including land iguanas, marine iguanas, lava lizards, sea lions and their babies frolicking around, and even more Galapagos fur seals. 

There were also some really cool rock formations including a rock bridge over the ocean and even a blowhole! 

It was a beautiful landscape to wrap up our second-to-last day in the Galapagos Islands. 

We also wandered around the black sand beach for a little bit, checking out tide pools as we waited for the zodiac back to the boat.

And because we had some extra time, they let us jump off the boat into the water if we wanted to. And man, it is chilly there! We actually wore short wetsuits for our snorkels, so to jump in without that was crispy. 

But it was so freeing and fun to leap off the ship in the Galapagos and swim around! 

We even got a tour of the engine room if we wanted it too! It was a really fun evening of exploring more of the ship and enjoying the scenery before our last full day on the islands.

Day 7: Santa Cruz/North Seymour

Today, we woke up in Santa Cruz, on the northern part of the island. While sad that the trip was winding down, we were still so excited for what was to come today. And man, what an adventure today was!

We began at Bachas Beach where we did a little hike to see some small lakes. And again, we got super lucky and spotted 3 flamingos! 

Then, we had the chance to snorkel off the beach again in the water. Here we saw more turtles and several fish as we swam around admiring the beautiful beach and water.

After that, the boat was on the move during lunch. We landed in North Seymour, where we did our final snorkel of the trip.

And man-did we save this epic one for last! We honestly had AMAZING snorkels the whole time, but this one took the cake! 

We saw quite a few fish, but we also saw spotted eagle rays, stingrays, and several sharks (white tips, black tips, and a Galapagos shark). This area also sometimes has hammerheads, but sadly, we didn’t spot any this time. 

While I definitely have a healthy fear of sharks, thankfully, these species are pretty docile and honestly keep to themselves. I didn’t feel threatened as I snorkeled and spotted them near the bottom of the ocean floor. 

But it was incredible nonetheless to see sharks in their natural habitat doing their thing. 

After that, we then went for one final hike on North Seymour. And the coolest thing about this island is that it is where you’ll find many magnificent frigate birds. These are famous for the males puffing out their red pouches when they’re trying to find a mate.

It was here that we learned that the size of the pouch doesn’t matter, but the color. That is because the deeper the red, the more food they are able to get to help maintain that color. 

We also spotted many sea lions on the shore, as if they were sending us off on one final goodbye. 

After that, we had one last dinner, chatted with our friends we came with and new friends we made on board, and said a final goodbye to the staff.

The following morning, we departed the ship and went to the airport to fly back home. But in typical Galapagos fashion, a few sea lions had to see us off one last time! 

7-Day Galapagos Cruise Itinerary Map

Best Galapagos Cruise: La Reina Silvia Voyager With GAdventures

I’d be remiss if I didn’t discuss the cruise ship that we were on: La Reina Silvia Voyager.

I’ll be the first to admit that I really don’t enjoy large cruise ships. There are just too many people. But this isn’t a regular cruise ship, it’s a catamaran cruise that only fits up to 16 guests. 

And let me tell you, you’ll want a smaller ship for the Galapagos.

Why? Because you have a much more intimate experience and very little crowds.

Now, the cruises in the Galapagos are small to begin with (the largest ship can only hold 100 passengers) because of strict rules here. However, 100 people getting off the ship at the same time can be a lot. 

It’s so much better for just 16 people getting off the ship wandering around and snorkeling with a naturalist guide.

Plus, you get to know all the other passengers on the ship, and it’s a ton of fun! 

Our boat had spacious rooms, and most had balconies (including ours!). I loved the top deck for hanging out during the day as well. Plus, there is a hot tub, seating area on the first floor, and a great dining area. 

We booked this through GAdventures (this isn’t sponsored at all-we just loved them!) and we’d do it again in a heartbeat! We had a phenomenal time with our guide Venus and all the people on board. 

We snorkeled a TON, hiked, saw so much wildlife, and more. And it’s incredible cruising or waking up in the Galapagos with no other boats in sight sometimes! 

Galapagos Cruise Vs. Land

Now there are definitely pros and cons of staying on land versus a cruise too. 

Staying on land means you’ll get to know locals more and enjoy the towns in places like Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Isabela, and Floreana. You also stay somewhere for longer and get to know it better.

However, with land visits, you can only stay on those 4 islands mentioned above. The rest are not allowed to stay on. Also, you’d have to book day trips if you want to see other islands and it can take up a lot of time just going back and forth to other spots. 

I will say, though, that land visits are cheaper because you’re not paying the costs of a ship cruising around the islands, etc. 

Cruises tend to be more expensive. BUT they also allow you the chance to reach places you cannot on land trips because you just don’t have time to get there. 

You get to go to the best snorkel spots, and you enjoy the perks of waking up almost alone in a remote part of the Galapagos. 

Personally, while more expensive, I prefer a cruise over land. But I’ve known others who have done land trips and also loved it!

Why We Loved the Western & Central Islands

One of the things we struggled with the most was figuring out where to go in the Galapagos. If we had the time and money to do 2 full weeks and see most of the islands, we would’ve. However, that wasn’t feasible for us.

Instead, we ended up choosing the western and central islands cruise. 

And to be honest, you cannot go wrong with wherever you go! Any place in the Galapagos is going to provide epic wildlife, scenery, and snorkeling! And some animals like marine iguanas, sea lions, lava lizards, land iguanas, sea turtles, sharks, sally light foot crabs, etc. can be found on most of the islands (or in the water).

But we chose this itinerary because we wanted to see flamingos, penguins, and flightless cormorants. And these are more prominent in the western and central islands.

For wildlife of the Galapagos, plus when and where to see them, check this guide. 

But perhaps you’re more into landscapes. I know cruises with Bartolomé Island are popular as it provides one of the best viewpoints over the islands!

Figure out what you’d like to see and then plan your cruise around that.

We honestly were very happy with the western and central islands, and we saw pretty much everything we wanted (and then some!) except for albatross as that is in the eastern islands. We also would’ve loved to have seen hammerhead sharks, but that was a long shot, as they are more common in the remote Darwin and Wolf Islands.

When to Visit the Galapagos

Again, this is another can’t-go-wrong situation. There is something to see all the time! 

However, I will say that the Galapagos is split into 2 seasons: the warm and wet season and the cooler, dry season. But, being on the Equator it isn’t cold, but the water can be quite chilly.

The warm and wet season is from December/January through May/June and the cooler dry season is from June/July until November/December.

The warm season has slightly warmer water (and land) temperatures (although the water was still chilly). It is also rainier. I will say that when we went in January, it barely rained even though it was the rainy season.

Also, the water has better visibility this time of year!

Meanwhile the cooler season is cooler and drier. With cooler water there are other animals that show up including whale sharks!

But truly, there is something to experience here year-round. There really isn’t a bad time to come!

Other Tips For Your Galapagos Itinerary in 7 Days

Here are some extra tips for your 7-day itinerary for the Galapagos Islands.

Is a Galapagos Cruise Worth It? Would This Be a Good Fit For You?

I will say that with 100% certainty that the Galapagos 7-day cruise was worth it! We did everything you could do during our trip and enjoyed every minute! 

We even enjoyed afternoons sitting on the boat, going to the next place, as we checked off wildlife that we saw that day and watched as the frigatebirds swooped overhead and hitched a ride on our ship. 

The snorkeling was the best I’ve ever experienced in the world. The landscapes are so dramatically different from one another from black, dry lava beds to lush forests, to red dirt, and more.

Even the land animals were so cool to see! We saw SO many unique birds, iguanas, and tortoises! 

This easily is one of the best wildlife trips we’ve ever taken and I would go back again in a heartbeat if I could! 100% it was worth every penny we paid for it. 

Now, whether this would be a good fit for you is entirely up to you. I highly recommend it! And I will say that while there are a lot of activities while cruising, you can do as much or as little as you’d like!

Chris and I did everything offered, because we wanted to experience everything we could! However, out of 16 of us, it was us 2 and one other person who did everything. Some people opted out of snorkeling for a day or two, some didn’t hike, etc.

The choice is yours! And if you want to go to the Galapagos, and the cruise price tag is too much, then a land tour might be a better option for you. They offer much cheaper options for that!

Either way, if you want to go, do it. It blew any expectations we had entirely out of the water (pun intended). 

There you have it, an epic 7-day Galapagos itinerary filled with adventure and beautiful views! I hope this helps you in your trip planning!

Want to listen to our time in the Galapagos? Check out our podcast here!

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