Three days, private group

Bartolomé by yacht, a discovery dive at North Seymour

Accommodation is optional, not included

From $1,370 — verified August 2026

About this tour

Start with the line most buyers will miss, because it decides whether this price is comparable to anything else on this site: accommodation is optional. The operator says it in his own exclusion list — the three nights are not part of the package, and he will arrange them only if you ask. What the price does buy is dense: a private group with an English- and Spanish-speaking concierge from the moment you land, a first day already full of Santa Cruz — the Los Gemelos twin craters, the highlands tortoise reserve, the lava tunnels, a town tour — a yacht day to Bartolomé, and a discovery dive to finish. Add a room, and then compare.

The days themselves are fuller than the calendar suggests. Day one works from the airport pick-up onwards. Day two is the Bartolomé yacht day, with breakfast and lunch on board and the climb of 374 wooden steps — the operator’s own count — to one of the most photographed viewpoints in the archipelago. Day three goes underwater: a discovery dive at North Seymour with an instructor and all equipment, no diving licence needed by the operator’s account, then guided snorkelling at Mosquera islet, with his photographers filming the lot. Three dinners are included along the way, lobster in the operator’s telling. It is a short trip, but it is not a thin one.

For an adult foreign visitor outside reduced or exempt categories, allow USD 200 for the Park plus USD 20 for the TCT. Complete the TCT before the mainland flight. Park rules allow operator prepayment and several payment methods; confirm the arrangement and counter availability before travel. Check your booking for any included fees. This operator also declares a small separate airport pick-up fee, $6.81 in cash. Flights from the mainland — Quito (UIO) or Guayaquil (GYE) — are your own booking, and so, again, is the bed. The list that binds is the one in the booking box below, option by option.

The rest is not negotiable with the operator either. The Galápagos National Park issues the permissions for each visitor site and each group, and the sea has the last word on the Bartolomé crossing and the dive day alike; on a three-day programme a cancelled morning tears a hole in the time you have, and there is no spare day to patch it with. Access here is genuinely managed: the Park counted 279,277 visitors in 2024, against 329,475 in 2023. What you meet — the blue-footed boobies of North Seymour included — depends on the sites you are allocated, the season and luck, never on a reservation. From $1,370, verified August 2026; the booking box can revise it.

Itinerary

Typical itinerary for this tour — the National Park assigns the visitor sites and the sea decides whether a crossing sails, so stops can change: check the booking box for the day-by-day details.

Day 1 — Arrival, the Santa Cruz highlands and the town

Your concierge waits at Baltra (GPS) with a name sign. Entry-fee budget example: USD 200 Park + USD 20 TCT for a foreign adult without a reduction or exemption; complete the TCT before the mainland flight and check what your booking includes. The August 2026 listing states a separate USD 6.81 cash airport pick-up fee. Then the first day is already a working day: the Los Gemelos twin craters, the highlands tortoise reserve, the lava tunnels and a Santa Cruz town tour, closed by the first of the three dinners the operator includes. Note what is not in this list: the hotel. Accommodation is optional on this product — you sleep in a room you or the operator have arranged separately.

Day 2 — Bartolomé by yacht

An early transfer to the dock and the operator’s yacht day to Bartolomé, with breakfast and lunch on board. The centrepiece is the hike up the wooden staircase — 374 steps, by the operator’s count — to the viewpoint over the island’s volcanic landscape, followed by beach time or snorkelling before the return. It is the day most exposed to the sea: the crossing happens only if conditions allow, and on a three-day programme a lost crossing is a big loss. Dinner is included again in the evening.

Day 3 — Discovery dive at North Seymour, snorkelling at Mosquera

The last day goes underwater. The operator runs a discovery dive at North Seymour with a professional instructor — no diving licence needed, in his own words, with all equipment provided — followed by a guided snorkelling session at Mosquera islet and lunch on board. Blue-footed boobies are the advertised finale; like every animal here, they have not signed the brochure. Back at the port mid-afternoon. Book your mainland flight separately, allowing the required interval after the final scuba dive. DAN recommends at least 12 hours after a single no-decompression dive, or 18 hours after repeated or multi-day diving; confirm the applicable interval with the dive operator before booking. These intervals do not eliminate decompression risk.

Essential information

Included
  • A private English- and Spanish-speaking concierge, from airport pick-up onwards
  • The Santa Cruz day: Los Gemelos twin craters, the highlands tortoise reserve, the lava tunnels and a town tour — with ferry, bus and boat tickets covered
  • The yacht day to Bartolomé with breakfast and lunch on board, the guided hike to the viewpoint and snorkelling time
  • The discovery dive at North Seymour with instructor and all diving equipment, plus guided snorkelling at Mosquera — and the operator’s underwater photos and videos
  • All meals of the itinerary, including three included dinner experiences
Not included
  • Accommodation — on this product the three nights are optional, arranged separately or added through the operator
  • Park/TCT exclusions in the August 2026 census; confirm the current option. Entry-fee budget example: USD 200 Park + USD 20 TCT for a foreign adult without a reduction or exemption; complete the TCT before the mainland flight and check what your booking includes
  • The airport pick-up fee the operator declares separately: $6.81, payable in cash
  • Flights from the mainland (Quito UIO / Guayaquil GYE)
  • Extra alcoholic drinks at the dinners, tips for driver and concierge, travel insurance
What to bring
  • For an adult foreign visitor outside reduced or exempt categories, allow USD 200 for the Park plus USD 20 for the TCT. Complete the TCT before the mainland flight. Park rules allow operator prepayment and several payment methods; confirm the arrangement and counter availability before travel. Check your booking for any included fees.
  • Your passport and the non-transferable return ticket the Transit Control Card requires
  • Swimwear, a towel and a dry change of clothes — land-based days still end up in the water
  • Serious sun protection: high-factor cream, a hat and sunglasses, on the equator and on open water
  • Motion-sickness remedies if boats and you disagree — moving between islands happens by sea

Inclusions are summarised from the operator listing — always verify the full list in the live booking box.

Important information

Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed: the National Park assigns the visitor sites and the sea decides whether a crossing sails

Itineraries and specific islands can change — permits and weather come before the programme

For an adult foreign visitor outside reduced or exempt categories, allow USD 200 for the Park plus USD 20 for the TCT. Complete the TCT before the mainland flight. Park rules allow operator prepayment and several payment methods; confirm the arrangement and counter availability before travel. Check your booking for any included fees.

Park tariffs depend on nationality/residency, age and applicable reductions or exemptions; see the 2026 regulation and the entry-fee guide.

Flights from the mainland — Quito (UIO) and Guayaquil (GYE) — are not included unless the operator states otherwise

Tourist stays are limited to 60 days in the annual period starting on the first entry, added across visits; a TCT is required for each trip.

The islands sit outside every advised-against area of the UK FCDO advisory (read 2 August 2026), which does advise against non-essential travel to several mainland coastal provinces including Guayas — airside transit at Guayaquil airport is explicitly exempt. Check your own country’s advice before you fly

The live booking box is the contract: inclusions, meeting points, prices and cancellation terms shown there override anything on this page

Frequently asked questions

Is the hotel included in this all-inclusive tour?

No — and it is the single most important line on this page. The operator’s own exclusion list states that accommodation is optional: the price buys three days of touring, meals and transport, not the three nights. You either book a room yourself or ask the operator to add one. Budget for it before comparing this price with programmes that do include their nights, or the comparison will flatter this one unfairly.

Do I need a diving licence for day 3?

Not according to the operator: day 3 is a “discovery dive” at North Seymour, run with a professional instructor and with all equipment provided, and the product page says no PADI licence is needed. That is his claim and his responsibility, not our certification. The listing does exclude children under 3 and guests over 95, and any dive ultimately answers to the conditions on the day. If you would rather stay at the surface, the same day includes guided snorkelling at Mosquera.

Is the Bartolomé yacht day guaranteed?

No boat day in the Galápagos is. Bartolomé is the programme’s centrepiece — the climb of 374 wooden steps to the viewpoint is the operator’s own description — but the crossing happens only if the sea allows it, and the National Park allocates the visitor sites. On a three-day tour a cancelled crossing has nowhere soft to land, which is the honest risk of buying the short format. The operator, in business since 1998 by his own account, reorganises rather than refunds the day away; what applies to your booking is in the booking box.

How much do I pay on landing, and why did it go up?

For an adult foreign visitor outside reduced or exempt categories, allow USD 200 for the Park plus USD 20 for the TCT. Complete the TCT before the mainland flight. Park rules allow operator prepayment and several payment methods; confirm the arrangement and counter availability before travel. Check your booking for any included fees. The August 2026 listing separately stated a USD 6.81 cash airport pick-up fee; confirm that charge for your option.

Why does the shortest tour cost more than a four-day one?

Because you are paying for density, not length. From $1,370, verified August 2026, this three-day programme sits above the four-day Santa Cruz and Bahía tour with full board, from $639 — but the money buys a private group, a concierge, a yacht day to Bartolomé and a discovery dive with equipment, none of which the cheaper programme claims to offer. It is a legitimate trade if those are the things you want. If what you want is more islands and more days, it is the wrong page.

Can I cancel, and what is binding?

At the census of 2 August 2026 the product page declared free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund, plus the option to reserve now and pay later; the tour is run in English and Spanish for private groups. None of that is a guarantee for your dates — windows, languages and inclusions vary by option and change over time. The booking box on this page shows the live version, and that is the text you are actually agreeing to.

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