Complete Galápagos, Self-Launched: Quito to the Enchanted Islands by Land & Hopper Flight
17 days · Galápagos Islands & Quito, Ecuador
G Adventures charges £7,360
No-markup version: ~£1,450 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A 17-day self-launched version of G Adventures' "Complete Galápagos – Yolita" cruise. Instead of a 16-passenger yacht with a naturalist guide and all meals aboard, you build your own island-hopping route: two nights in Quito, then flights to San Cristóbal and Santa Cruz, and a mix of self-bookable day boats and guided day tours (GetYourGuide/direct with local operators) covering Española, Floreana, North Seymour, Bartolomé, Isabela and Santa Fe — visiting most of the same visitor sites the yacht calls at. You sleep in hostels and guesthouses, eat in Puerto Ayora and Puerto Villamil, and use inter-island ferries and public speedboats instead of a private panga. Wildlife is identical — sea lions, marine iguanas, giant tortoises, blue-footed boobies, penguins, rays and sharks — but you'll need to be more self-reliant, book park-approved tours in advance (Galápagos National Park rules mean some sites are only reachable on licensed day boats), and accept a couple of long ferry/panga days. Costs are rough backpacker estimates in GBP and exclude international flights to Ecuador.
Day-by-day
Arrive Quito — altitude acclimatisation & old town wander
Quito
Land at Mariscal Sucre airport and take an airport bus or registered taxi (~£3-5) into the Centro Histórico or La Mariscal. Check into a hostel dorm or private room, drink water, and take it easy at 2,850m. Late afternoon stroll through Plaza Grande and La Ronda for cheap street food — llapingachos (potato patties) and empanadas for £3-4.
🚌Airport bus ~£2 or registered taxi ~£4-5 into town
🛏Hostel dorm or budget private room, Centro Histórico or La Mariscal (e.g. Community Hostel, The Secret Garden area)
- →Plaza Grande and Centro Histórico orientation walk
- →La Ronda street food evening
Quito city tour, equator line and Galápagos prep
Quito
Book a small-group Quito city + Mitad del Mundo half-day through GetYourGuide (~£25-35) or DIY it: Trolleybus to La Ofelia, then bus to the equator monument. Afterwards sort logistics: buy your TCT (transit control card) online in advance, confirm your Galápagos flights, and pre-book your day boats for the week in Santa Cruz (they sell out). Cheap almuerzo lunch £3-4.
🚌Trolleybus/bus ~£2-3 for the day
🛏Same hostel in Quito
- →Quito city tour (Basilica, Plaza Grande, La Compañía)
- →Mitad del Mundo / Intiñan equator museum ~£5 entry
- →Pre-book Galápagos day tours online
Fly Quito to San Cristóbal — Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
San Cristóbal, Galápagos
Early flight to San Cristóbal (via Guayaquil or direct depending on season) — budget ~£220-300 return including the £100 park entry ($200 USD for adults) and £15 TCT card, paid on arrival. Bags are sniffed for organic material at the airport (no seeds, no fresh food). Afternoon: walk to Playa Mann and the malecón — sea lions and marine iguanas are literally on the benches. Book a Kicker Rock snorkel trip for tomorrow.
🚌Domestic flight + $10 taxi/collectivo into town
🛏Guesthouse/dorm in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (~£15-20)
- →Playa Mann and malecón sea lion spotting
- →Interpretation Centre (free) visit
- →Book Kicker Rock snorkel trip
Kicker Rock (León Dormido) snorkel + Cerro Brujo
San Cristóbal, Galápagos
Full-day licensed day boat to Kicker Rock: snorkel the channel with hammerheads, turtles, rays and sea lions, then land at Cerro Brujo's white-sand beach (the same landing the Yolita makes). Tours booked direct with local operators or via GetYourGuide cost ~£80-110 including lunch and equipment. In the afternoon, taxi to La Lobería for a free coastal walk and more sea lions.
🚌Day boat (included in tour price)
🛏Same guesthouse in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
- →Kicker Rock snorkelling
- →Cerro Brujo beach landing
- →La Lobería coastal walk
Isla Lobos & Punta Pitt, or frigatebird colony at El Junco
San Cristóbal, Galápagos
Morning boat to Isla Lobos — sea lion nursery and blue-footed boobies in the channel, ~£45-60. Alternative: a longer northern expedition to Punta Pitt (~£110) for red-footed boobies and nazca boobies. Afternoon hike/bus to El Junco crater lake (free, ~£5 collectivo) or Darwin Bay-side viewpoints. Buy your ferry ticket to Santa Cruz for tomorrow (~£22).
🚌Local boat + collectivo buses ~£8
🛏Same guesthouse in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
- →Isla Lobos snorkelling and sea lion colony
- →El Junco crater lake hike
- →Book ferry to Santa Cruz
Speedboat to Santa Cruz — Puerto Ayora & Tortuga Bay
Santa Cruz, Galápagos
Public inter-island ferry (lancha) San Cristóbal → Santa Cruz, about 2-2.5 hours, ~£22 plus $1 dock fee and $1 water taxi. Check into a Puerto Ayora hostel or guesthouse. Afternoon walk 45 minutes to Tortuga Bay (free, register at the entrance) — marine iguanas on the sand, white sharks in the lagoon. Evening: book tomorrow's North Seymour or Bartolomé day trip.
🚌Inter-island speedboat ~£22
🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Puerto Ayora (~£18-25)
- →Tortuga Bay beach walk
- →Puerto Ayora fish market (pelicans and sea lions)
- →Book North Seymour/Bartolomé day tour
North Seymour Island — frigatebirds and blue-footed boobies
North Seymour, Galápagos
Half-day licensed boat to North Seymour (~£70-90): the classic land-and-snorkel trip with nesting great frigatebirds, blue-footed booby courtship dances and land iguanas. In the afternoon, visit the Charles Darwin Research Station and Fausto Llerena Breeding Center (free/donation) to see Lonesome George's legacy and giant tortoise hatchlings.
🚌Day boat (included in tour price)
🛏Same hostel in Puerto Ayora
- →North Seymour frigatebird and booby colonies
- →Snorkelling at North Seymour channel
- →Charles Darwin Research Station visit
Bartolomé and Sullivan Bay — the postcard view
Bartolomé & Santiago, Galápagos
Long full-day boat east to Bartolomé (~£130-160 with lunch): climb the wooden boardwalk to the Pinnacle Rock viewpoint, snorkel with penguins around the rock, then land at Sullivan Bay's black pahoehoe lava flows. This is the priciest day trip but the single most iconic site — book a day or two ahead through your guesthouse or GetYourGuide.
🚌Full-day boat
🛏Same hostel in Puerto Ayora
- →Bartolomé Pinnacle Rock viewpoint
- →Snorkelling with Galápagos penguins
- →Sullivan Bay lava walk
Ferry to Isabela — Puerto Villamil & the wall of tears
Isabela, Galápagos
Morning public lancha Santa Cruz → Isabela (~2 hrs, ~£28) — often bumpy, take seasickness tablets. Check into a beachfront guesthouse in Puerto Villamil. Afternoon cycle the flat coastal track to the Muro de las Lágrimas (Wall of Tears, free) and the flamingo lagoons. Book the Sierra Negra hike and Los Túneles tour for the next two days.
🚌Inter-island speedboat ~£28 + bike hire ~£8
🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Puerto Villamil (~£18-22)
- →Puerto Villamil beach and flamingo lagoons
- →Wall of Tears cycling route
- →Book Sierra Negra and Los Túneles tours
Sierra Negra volcano hike + giant tortoise breeding centre
Isabela, Galápagos
Guided Sierra Negra crater rim hike (~£45-60 with guide, required by the park): 16km return to the second-largest caldera in the world, with Volcán Chico lava fields if conditions allow. Afternoon: free visit to the Arnaldo Tupiza giant tortoise breeding centre and a walk to Concha de Perla for mangrove snorkelling with sea lions and turtles.
🚌Shared 4x4 to the trailhead (included in tour price)
🛏Same guesthouse in Puerto Villamil
- →Sierra Negra volcano hike
- →Giant tortoise breeding centre
- →Concha de Perla snorkelling
Los Túneles — lava tunnels & seahorse snorkel
Isabela, Galápagos
Half-day boat to Los Túneles on the west coast (~£70-90): snorkel through lava arches with seahorses, turtles, reef sharks and flightless cormorants, then land at Punta Espinoza on Fernandina's edge if your operator includes it (many do a combined route). Marine iguana colonies everywhere. Quiet afternoon back in Villamil.
🚌Half-day boat
🛏Same guesthouse in Puerto Villamil
- →Los Túneles lava tunnel snorkelling
- →Seahorse, turtle and ray spotting
- →Marine iguana colonies
Isabela to Santa Cruz — highlands and tortoises in the wild
Santa Cruz, Galápagos
Morning ferry back to Puerto Ayora (~£28). Afternoon half-day highlands tour (~£25-35 or DIY by taxi ~£25 shared): Rancho Primicias or El Chato to see wild giant tortoises in the grass, plus the twin craters Los Gemelos and the Scalesia forest. This covers the yacht's Highlands Giant Tortoises visit.
🚌Inter-island speedboat ~£28 + highlands taxi/van
🛏Same hostel in Puerto Ayora
- →Wild giant tortoise highlands visit
- →Los Gemelos twin craters
- →Scalesia forest walk
Floreana — Post Office Bay and Devil's Crown
Floreana, Galápagos
Full-day boat to Floreana (~£110-140): post a card in the 18th-century barrel Post Office Bay and take someone else's home, snorkel the Devil's Crown (Corona del Diablo) — one of the best snorkel sites in the archipelago — and see pink flamingos at Poza de las Diablas. Note: Floreana trips only run on set days and can fill up, so pre-book from Quito or on arrival in Santa Cruz.
🚌Full-day boat
🛏Same hostel in Puerto Ayora
- →Post Office Bay barrel
- →Devil's Crown snorkelling
- →Flamingo lagoon visit
Santa Fe & South Plaza day trip
Santa Fe & South Plaza, Galápagos
Combined full-day boat (~£110-130): Santa Fe's sea lion colony and endemic land iguanas plus a swim with reef sharks and turtles, then South Plaza's cactus landscape and cliffs covered in swallow-tailed gulls and sea lions. This is the self-bookable equivalent of the Yolita's Day 12 itinerary.
🚌Full-day boat
🛏Same hostel in Puerto Ayora
- →Santa Fe land iguanas and snorkel
- →South Plaza cliff-top wildlife walk
Free day in Santa Cruz — Las Grietas & Playa de los Alemanes
Santa Cruz, Galápagos
A self-paced day to save money and recover from early starts: water taxi to Angermeyer Point and walk the trail to Las Grietas (free), a clear brackish canyon you can swim in, and Playa de los Alemanes for reef shark spotting from the rocks. Spend the afternoon on the Puerto Ayora malecón and eat a set lunch (almuerzo) for £5-7.
🚌Water taxi ~£1 each way
🛏Same hostel in Puerto Ayora
- →Las Grietas swim
- →Playa de los Alemanes snorkel
- →Puerto Ayora malecón
Fly Baltra to Quito
Baltra → Quito
Bus + ferry to Baltra airport (free/cheap shuttles, ~£5 total) for the flight back to Quito (~£220-300 return total already counted; allow ~£15 for the day's transfers). Check into a Quito hostel, eat a cheap dinner in La Mariscal and sort any leftover souvenirs. Book a late departure or an extra day if you want a proper Quito evening.
🚌Baltra airport shuttle + flight to Quito
🛏Hostel dorm/private room, La Mariscal (~£16-22)
- →Baltra transfer
- →Evening in La Mariscal
Quito — depart or add extra mainland Ecuador
Quito
Depending on your flight, do a final cheap breakfast and pick up coffee/souvenirs at the Mercado Central (far cheaper than the airport). If you have an afternoon, the TelefériQo cable car (~£9) gives a view over the whole city. Depart for your international flight.
🚌Airport bus/taxi ~£4
🛏None (or extra night if flight requires)
- →Mercado Central shopping
- →Optional TelefériQo cable car
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,450 | £7,360 |
| Duration | 17 days | 17 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £5,910 per person (80%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,450
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Complete Galápagos, Self-Launched: Quito to the Enchanted Islands by Land & Hopper Flight cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,450 per person for 17 days in Galápagos Islands & Quito, Ecuador. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £7,360 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,450 — a saving of roughly £5,910 (80%) per person.
How long is the Galápagos Islands & Quito, Ecuador trip?+
This itinerary runs 17 days, covering 17 day-by-day stops through Galápagos Islands & Quito, Ecuador.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, wildlife, backpacker trip through Galápagos Islands & Quito, Ecuador, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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