Galapagos Safari Camp

The Galapagos Safari Camp is an African inspired tented camp created as an alternative to explore the archipelago and soak in nature in style. Nestled in the wild highlands of Santa Cruz Island with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and the National Park, this stylish camp offers a panoramic lodge, nine charming tents, a family suite and an infinity pool under a canapé of endemic trees. The open space main lodge is built on a hill with panoramic views from its expansive veranda. It features a lounge, library, cozy fireplace and a bar. It hosts the dining room, serving local and international farm-to-table dishes inspired by the top notch chef.

The Camp’s expeditions are active Galapagos vacations that can include biking, hiking, diving, snorkeling, surfing and unique family safaris. Hiking day trips include stops for snorkeling, giving you time to enjoy the tropical waters where playful creatures will enchant you. While Galapagos travel by boat puts more islands within reach, we recommend that you spend some time at the camp before or after your trip to make the most out of your Galapagos vacation.

Luxury Tents
Located below the main lodge are the nine luxury tents built on raised wooden platforms. The tents are supported by three layers: one to protect against the sun, another against the rain and an inner canvas shell. Blended with nature, with airy and comfortable interiors, the tents have custom-made furniture, including cupboards and a writing desk. There are en-suite bathrooms with good water pressure, hot showers and flush toilets. Private balconies with ocean views and chic safari style furniture.


Family Safari Suite

The camp also offers a three-bedroom suite as an alternative to the tents. Located next to the main lodge, this is a situation for families with younger children. This luxurious suite houses six guests, features a master bedroom and two twin rooms as well as a playroom.

Classic Safari
4 nights / 5 days

Day 1 – Giant Tortoise
Welcome to the Galapagos! An English-speaking naturalist guide meets you at the VIP lounge at Baltra Airport to escort you on your excursion of the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. Enjoy a delicious, locally-sourced lunch at a farm in the western hills. Take in the area’s natural beauty, pit craters, lava tunnels, and learn more about the Scalesia and Guayabillo forests. At the Tortoise Reserve, share some time in the giant tortoises’ natural habitat, surrounded by the abundant bird life of the area. End this day at Galapagos Safari Camp with a sunset cocktail followed by dinner.

Days 2 & 3 – Explore neighboring islands
Early morning finds you on a motor vessel to one of the neighboring islands: North Seymour, Bartolomé, Plazas and Santa Fé. Each island is an endemic treasure to explore and enjoy. The Galapagos Marine Reserve is the second largest marine reserve in the world. Snorkeling off the boat is highly recommended. Destinations will be given when we have your dates.

Bartolomé
Our day starts with a hike up a 600-meter wooden boardwalk and stairway across ancient red, black and orange lava fields to the highest point on the island.  The panoramic view from the lookout surveys the iconic Pinnacle Rock in the foreground, Sullivan Bay in the distance, and Daphne Major and Minor on the horizon. Following the hike, we enjoy a dinghy ride around the coastline, looking for Galápagos penguins and hawks resting on the cliffs. In the afternoon, we explore the shore, where sea lions, Sally Light-Foot crabs, and marine iguanas greet us on the beach. This is a great place to snorkel, discovering the colorful underwater world of the islands amongst playful Galápagos sea lions, penguins, reef sharks and rays.

Santa Fé
This island is among the oldest in the archipelago, with underwater lava formations dating back 3.9 million years. Its visitor trails are bursting with animal activity. Santa Fe is home to a healthy population of terrestrial iguanas including the Santa Fe yellow iguana, as well as the inky-black marine iguanas. Other residents include Galápagos hawks and blue-footed boobies. Friendly sea lions line the shores and swim besides you when snorkeling, while marine iguanas bask in the sunshine on shoreline rocks, or dart quickly past under the waves. We can also hope to observe sharks, rays, and colorful schools of fish.

North Seymour
This island, brimming with life across its rocky surface, hosts blue-footed booby and frigate mating colonies. Land iguanas also frequent the area, seen along the 2-mile trail that loops around the southern section of the island. As we begin our walk, we come across nests of comic-looking blue-footed boobies.  Galápagos mockingbirds and yellow warblers are often spotted. As we draw near to the frigate colony, the remarkable birds seem to be nesting in every surrounding tree. Males inflate their red, basketball-sized pouches to attract mates. Back in our dinghy, we head to Mosquera islet, in the channel between Baltra and North Seymour. Here we can find a large sea lion colony, full of pups, bulls and females of different ages.

South Plaza
While en-route to Plaza, we stop at Punta Carrión. The shallow waters of the sheltered cove make a fun place to snorkel with schools of fish, rays and, if we are lucky, reef sharks. The dock at South Plaza is usually overrun with sea lions, but we can skirt round them to start walking along the trail that winds its way past yellow land iguanas resting in the shade of groves of prickly pear cactus trees. The landscape is vibrant, the black lava outcrops and ground carpeted with the reds and yellows of sesuvium cactus. At the island’s southern cliff edge, we can observe all sorts of birds swirling in the currents, including dazzling red-billed tropic birds. Following the trail round to the west, we come to a busy sea lion colony.  South Plaza’s other residents include land and marine iguanas, Nazca and blue-footed boobies and swallow-tailed gulls and other species of birds.

Day 4 – Experience the east
A morning drive takes you to the eastern part of the island. At 490m above sea level, Cerro Mesa Reserve offers spectacular views of the largest crater on Santa Cruz Island, exotic plants, and seven unique subspecies of finch and the elusive vermilion flycatcher. After lunch explore Garrapatero Beach, with stunning contrasts of mangroves, black lava, white sand, and turquoise water — including a flamingo lagoon. Kayaking and mountain biking are optional.

Day 5 – Sunrise walk and departure
Enjoy the serenity that Galapagos Safari Camp has to offer. Relax, walk, or enjoy the sunrise from our observatory before departure to your next destination.

Please enquire for availability and rates.

 

 

Family Safari
5 nights / 6 days

Day 1 – Land of the giant tortoise
Your family’s naturalist guide meets you at Baltra Airport. You will cross the narrow Itabaca Channel to Santa Cruz Island, and then drive up to Galapagos Safari Camp. While you settle in, your guide will capture your children’s imagination with an overview of the animal species they are soon to encounter. After lunch, you may explore our 135 acre farm, pick local tropical fruit, harvest cacao seasonally, and spot local birds. Before sundown, visit the lava tunnels and search for giant tortoises roaming the National Tortoise Reserve adjacent to GSC.

Day 2 – Activity day
After breakfast, visit a neighboring organic coffee plantation to learn about responsible small-scale farming in the Galapagos, and the children have a chance to pick coffee beans if season allows. Then drive to the enormous Cerro Mesa crater for a short walk in the wetlands that is home to a wonderful variety of birds and the occasional bathing tortoise. After lunch at a local restaurant, jump on bikes for a downhill ride to Garrapatero Beach, where the contrast of mangroves, black lava, white sand, and turquoise water, along with its birdlife and flamingo lagoon, is magnificent. Explore the bay in sea kayaks, accompanied by marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, and countless shorebirds. In the evening, back at GSC, parents can relax while the children take a private art class with a local artist.

Day 3 – Explore an uninhabited island
Spend the day spotting wildlife and snorkeling on one of the uninhabited islands easily accessed by a day-yacht from Santa Cruz Island. The exact island location depends on travel dates, but options include North Seymour, South Plazas, Santa Fe, and Bartolomé, all of which are rich in wildlife and offer wonderful snorkeling opportunities. Please note this is a shared boat excursion unless requested otherwise. Destination will depend on your dates.

Bartolomé
Our day starts with a hike up a 600-meter wooden boardwalk and stairway across ancient red, black and orange lava fields to the highest point on the island.  The panoramic view from the lookout surveys the iconic Pinnacle Rock in the foreground, Sullivan Bay in the distance, and Daphne Major and Minor on the horizon. Following the hike, we enjoy a dinghy ride around the coastline, looking for Galápagos penguins and hawks resting on the cliffs. In the afternoon, we explore the shore, where sea lions, Sally Light-Foot crabs, and marine iguanas greet us on the beach. This is a great place to snorkel, discovering the colorful underwater world of the islands amongst playful Galápagos sea lions, penguins, reef sharks and rays.

Santa Fé
This island is among the oldest in the archipelago, with underwater lava formations dating back 3.9 million years. Its visitor trails are bursting with animal activity. Santa Fe is home to a healthy population of terrestrial iguanas including the Santa Fe yellow iguana, as well as the inky-black marine iguanas. Other residents include Galápagos hawks and blue-footed boobies. Friendly sea lions line the shores and swim besides you when snorkeling, while marine iguanas bask in the sunshine on shoreline rocks, or dart quickly past under the waves. We can also hope to observe sharks, rays, and colorful schools of fish.

North Seymour
This island, brimming with life across its rocky surface, hosts blue-footed booby and frigate mating colonies. Land iguanas also frequent the area, seen along the 2-mile trail that loops around the southern section of the island. As we begin our walk, we come across nests of comic-looking blue-footed boobies.  Galápagos mockingbirds and yellow warblers are often spotted. As we draw near to the frigate colony, the remarkable birds seem to be nesting in every surrounding tree. Males inflate their red, basketball-sized pouches to attract mates. Back in our dinghy, we head to Mosquera islet, in the channel between Baltra and North Seymour. Here we can find a large sea lion colony, full of pups, bulls and females of different ages.

South Plaza
While en-route to Plaza, we stop at Punta Carrión. The shallow waters of the sheltered cove make a fun place to snorkel with schools of fish, rays and, if we are lucky, reef sharks. The dock at South Plaza is usually overrun with sea lions, but we can skirt round them to start walking along the trail that winds its way past yellow land iguanas resting in the shade of groves of prickly pear cactus trees. The landscape is vibrant, the black lava outcrops and ground carpeted with the reds and yellows of sesuvium cactus. At the island’s southern cliff edge, we can observe all sorts of birds swirling in the currents, including dazzling red-billed tropic birds. Following the trail round to the west, we come to a busy sea lion colony.  South Plaza’s other residents include land and marine iguanas, Nazca and blue-footed boobies and swallow-tailed gulls and other species of birds.

Day 4 – Fishing Adventure
An excursion with local fishermen is a favorite among children visiting us. This excursion is both a wildlife experience and a cultural exchange opportunity. We are involved in a program with the National Park Service that aims to engage local fisherman in tourism activities as an alternative means of income, with the added benefit of protecting local fisheries from depletion. The fishermen have very safe and modern speedboats, which we charter privately for the day. With your guide acting as translator, the fishermen share anecdotes from a lifetime at sea, and the children learn local fishing tricks. After fishing, you’ll land on a deserted beach and may snorkel in a spot known only to locals. If you prefer to limit fishing and enhance the snorkeling or beach experience, your guide is there to adapt the day to your preferences.

Day 5 – Charles Darwin Research Station and bay tour
Visit the famous Charles Darwin Research Station to learn about its preservation efforts and scientific research. The children will have an up-close experience with the tortoises that are the islands’ namesake. Parents can enjoy free time to wander around Puerto Ayora, while your guide takes the children to a local playground or on a tour of the local fish market on the waterfront. After lunch, take a speedboat to Tortuga Bay, a white sandy beach with basking marine iguanas, and shallow turquoise waters teeming with white-tip reef sharks and fish. Or you can join a snorkeling boat that will take you to frolic with sea lions.

Day 6 – Sunrise walk and departure
Enjoy the serenity that Galapagos Safari Camp has to offer. Relax, walk, or enjoy the sunrise from our observatory before departure to your next destination.

Please enquire for availability and rates.

Diving Safari
5 days / 4 nights

Day 1 – In search of the giant tortoise
Welcome to the Galapagos! An English-speaking naturalist guide meets you at the VIP lounge at Baltra Airport to escort you on your excursion of the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. Enjoy a delicious, locally-sourced lunch at a farm in the western hills. Take in the area’s natural beauty, pit craters, lava tunnels, and learn more about the Scalesia and Guayabillo forests. At the Tortoise Reserve, share some time in the giant tortoises’ natural habitat, surrounded by the abundant bird life of the area. End this day at Galapagos Safari Camp with a sunset cocktail followed by dinner.

Days 2, 3 & 4
Diving – two daily submersions - Possible Dive Sites

Floreana Island
One of the older volcanic islands, Floreana, has an excellent selection of diverse dive sites. Most of the interesting activity takes place in the shallows where the current strikes the reefs. We have spotted Galapagos sharks, white tip reef sharks, turtles, sting rays, eagle rays, barracudas, sea lions, and reef fish.

Gordon Rocks
An eroded crater at the top of a tuff cone, Gordon Rocks is one of the best dive sites in the central islands. You might see hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks, white tip reef sharks, rays, green turtles, sea lions, Galapagos eels, barracudas, and reef fish.

North Seymour Island
Created by seismic uplift rather than volcanic origin, North Seymour is teeming with life. It is home to many species of shark, including Galapagos white tip and black tip, eagle rays, green turtles, Galapagos eels, barracudas, and more.

Cousins Rock
This is a triangular-shaped rock formation with a breath-taking vertical wall of black coral, invertebrates, and mollusks. It is a combination of shoal and wall diving, in the company of Pacific seahorses, frogfish, Galapagos sharks, white tip reef sharks, turtles, stingrays, spotted eagle rays, barracudas, sea lions, and reef fish.

Bartolomé Island
Despite being one of the younger islands, Bartolomé’s underwater world is stunning—with penguins as a highlight! There is a 10m-deep platform with an enormous variety of reef fish; and on the edge of the platform a 15m-deep submarine canyon, home to white tip reef sharks, mobula rays, stingrays, barracudas, turtles, and a variety of invertebrates and mollusks.

Mosquera Islet
This rocky islet is a popular gathering place for sea lions and an enormous colony of garden eels. The 21m drop-off is ideal for schools of eagle rays, hammerhead sharks, manta rays, and black tip reef sharks.

Daphne Islet
This is a drift dive along an impressive drop-off at the top of a sloping wall. Close to the islet you´ll discover coral areas bursting with sea urchins, starfish, and a plethora of cardinal fishes. The area is frequently visited by manta rays, green turtles, sea lions, grunts and snappers, sharks, and eagle rays.

Day 5 – Sunrise walk and departure
Enjoy the serenity that Galapagos Safari Camp has to offer. Relax, walk, or enjoy the sunrise from our observatory before departure to your next destination.

Please enquire for availability and rates.