Galápagos Land & Sea — Self-Launched Central & South Islands

Land at Mariscal Sucre International (UIO) and take an official airport taxi or the Aeroservicios bus to a hostal in Quito's historic centre or the Mariscal district (~£4-8). Quito sits at 2,850m, so keep day one slow: water, no heavy drinking, short walks. Pick up US dollars cash here (Galápagos ATMs are unreliable and many places are cash-only), sort travel insurance proof (mandatory for Ecuador entry), and buy a local SIM if you want data. Evening: cheap set lunch (almuerzo) or a bowl of locro soup in the Old Town.

🚌Airport taxi ~£3-5 shared, or Aeroservicios bus ~£2

🛏Hostal in Quito Old Town or Mariscal (dorm/private double), £10-16/night

• →Old Town orientation walk (Plaza Grande, La Compañía exterior)
• →Cash + SIM + insurance admin

Book the early Quito–Baltra (GPS) flight yourself — LATAM and Avianca both fly it, typically with a fuel stop in Guayaquil; budget ~£330-420 return depending on how far ahead you book. At Quito airport pay the US$20 Transit Control Card in cash and, on arrival at Baltra, the US$200 Galápagos National Park entry fee in cash. Take the free airline shuttle to the Itabaca Channel, the public ferry across (~£1.50) and the green public bus or a shared pickup to Puerto Ayora (~£2). Check in, then walk the marked 2.5km trail to Tortuga Bay for white sand and marine iguanas, and continue on to Las Grietas — a freshwater crystal ravine reached by a short water taxi from Playa de los Alemanes (~£3 return).

🚌Flight Quito–Baltra ~£350 (return portion), shared ferry + bus ~£4

🛏Hostal/guesthouse in Puerto Ayora, £18-26/night for a private double

• →Tortuga Bay trail walk (free, no guide needed)
• →Las Grietas swim via water taxi
• →Free Darwin finch and marine iguana spotting around town

Walk to the Charles Darwin Research Station (entry by donation/free, opens ~8am) to see the giant tortoise breeding programme and Lonesome George's legacy, then continue to Playa Estación for snorkelling with sea lions. In the afternoon hire a local guide or take a shared taxi/pickup to the Santa Cruz highlands (El Chato or Rancho Primicias reserves, entry ~£4-5) where giant tortoises roam wild in the grass and lava tunnels are walkable. Local transport and guide is roughly £15-25 for a half-day — book through your hostal the night before. Eat dinner at the fish market on the waterfront where pelicans patrol the counters.

🚌Walking + shared pickup to the highlands ~£10

🛏Hostal in Puerto Ayora, £18-26/night

• →Charles Darwin Research Station visit
• →Highlands tortoise reserve (El Chato / Primicias) with local guide
• →Lava tunnel walk

The yacht's Devil's Crown and Post Office Bay day is the hardest to replicate solo, but shared day boats do run from Puerto Ayora toward Floreana and the nearby islets when numbers and weather allow — ask at the Puerto Ayora tour kiosks on the malecón (book 2-3 days ahead; roughly £110-150 per person including lunch, snorkel gear and a certified guide). If the Floreana boat isn't running, the reliable fallback is a shared day trip to Santa Fe or Plaza Sur (~£90-120), both superb for sea lions, land iguanas and reef snorkelling. Note Devil's Crown itself is a demanding open-water snorkel often done from liveaboards — only book with an operator that explicitly puts it on the itinerary and provides a guide in the water. On Floreana, hunt for a postcard at Post Office Bay and post it in the historic barrel.

🚌Shared day boat with panga transfers, included in activity cost

🛏Hostal in Puerto Ayora, £18-26/night

• →Floreana / Santa Fe shared snorkel day trip (guide, lunch, gear included)
• →Post Office Bay barrel postcard
• →Reef snorkelling with rays and turtles

Take a second shared day trip — ideally to Sombrero Chino (Chinese Hat) if it's on the schedule, a small volcano-framed islet with a sea lion colony and good snorkelling, or to Bartolomé/Sullivan Bay for lava landscapes. Cerro Dragón (on Santa Cruz's north-west coast) is a land iguana and flamingo lagoon site; it's visited by some local operators rather than as a public trail, so ask your hostal whether any shared boat includes it this week. Otherwise spend the afternoon on your own: kayak or snorkel at Playa de los Alemanes, or take the free route to Las Ninfas lagoon at high tide for turtles and rays.

🚌Shared day boat / panga transfers included in activity cost

🛏Hostal in Puerto Ayora, £18-26/night

• →Shared boat day trip to Sombrero Chino or Bartolomé (~£100-130)
• →Shore snorkelling and kayak hire at Playa de los Alemanes (~£8)
• →Wildlife spotting: land iguanas, flamingos, blue-footed boobies

If time allows before your flight, book a short early-morning panga trip into a mangrove lagoon such as Black Turtle Cove or a similar inlet (through a local operator, roughly £45-60, best at high tide) to drift past turtles, rays and reef sharks with the engine off. Then take the public bus and ferry back to Baltra and fly to Quito (mid-morning departures are typical). Re-check into a Quito hostal and finish with a cheap dinner and a wander around La Ronda in the Old Town.

🚌Bus + public ferry to Baltra ~£4; return flight to Quito included in the return airfare above

🛏Hostal in Quito, £10-16/night

• →Optional mangrove panga excursion (Black Turtle Cove equivalent)
• →La Ronda evening stroll in Quito Old Town

Depart at any time. Before your flight, if your schedule allows, do the cheap version of the operator's optional Quito day: ride the Teleférico cable car up Volcán Pichincha (~£7) for views, or take a public bus ~1.5 hours north to the Mitad del Mundo equator monument with the Intiñán solar museum next door (~£3-5 transport plus small entry). Airport bus or shared taxi back to UIO.

🚌Airport bus ~£2 or taxi ~£4

🛏None (departure day)

• →Teleférico cable car (~£7) or Mitad del Mundo equator day
• →Last souvenir shopping — Galápagos coffee and chocolate