Travel With Us to The Galapagos Islands

In a few short months we’ll be leading groups of 15 travelers to the magical Galapagos Islands.

There are so many highlights on these islands that you can literally spend weeks island hopping and still need more time. However, after several months of planning we've created what we consider the best possible adventure for our awesome community.

Where are the Galapagos?

First of all, if you had to google this, just know that we asked half of our co-working space and only one person gave us a semi-confident answer.

The Galapagos are located about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Its isolated location allowed the plants and animals on these islands to develop in a way that's unique to the rest of the planet.

How do you get there?

After flying into Quito, you can get to the Galapagos one of two ways:

Take a 3.5 day journey on a cargo ship through rough waters (NO THANK YOU!), OR you can fly in U30X style.

We’ve made this as easy as possible for you so you don’t need to deal with any local Latin American airline carriers, nor spend hours finding the perfect ticket at the perfect price.

We're including the local two-hour flight to the Galapagos in the price of our trip.

History of the Galapagos

The Galapagos are best known for Charles Darwin’s work on his theory of natural selection & evolution. If this isn't a testament to the biodiversity of these islands, I don't know what is!

Consider this:  80% of the land birds, 97% of the reptiles & land mammals, and more than 30% of the plants that are on the islands are native to these islands.

Plus, tourism is a relatively new industry to the Galapagos so there aren't that many people who have experienced this place firsthand. Tourism first kicked off in the 1960s & only started picking up momentum in the past couple of decades.

How long is the trip?

Our trip is 8 days long (view the full Galapagos trip itinerary). We’ll spend two of those days in Quito, on the Ecuadorian mainland. The other 6 days we’ll spend on the Galapagos Islands.

Where are we going?

Our trip on the Galapagos Islands will start off on Baltra Island where we’ll make our way to Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island.

Santa Cruz Island is the main hub for the Galapagos and will serve as our home base for our first two nights.

Afterward, we'll head to Isabela island. Isabela is almost four times as large as Santa Cruz, but despite its size, it’s a very laid-back island which boasts some unbelievable sunsets. Can you say #SunsetGoals?!

What are we doing?

Snorkeling

If you don’t spend time exploring the world beneath the ocean, you’d be missing out on half of the marvels of this wonderful place!

That said, we’ll be snorkeling off the coast of two, yes TWO, different islands to maximize your time with the famous marine inhabitants of these islands.

Our first snorkeling experience will be off the coast of an uninhabited island. The types of animals we can see here can vary, but famous sightings include sea lions, rays, marine iguanas, and hundreds of different types of colorful fish.

Our second underwater experience will be off the coast of Isabela Island. Here we’ll have the opportunity to swim with the famous Tintoreras Sharks. We could also spot giant sea turtles, and the only species of penguin that lives north of the equator.

Hiking

We’ll be hiking through some otherworldly landscapes as we traverse through volcanoes, uninhabited islands, and picture perfect beaches.

One of the most impressive hikes on our itinerary takes us to the rim of the Sierra Negra Volcano. Sierra Negra is considered one of the most active volcanoes on the island and we’ll get the opportunity to look down at the immense crater where the last eruption took place.

Sierra Negra also boasts one of largest volcanic craters in the world and we’ll be able to stand at the rim of the volcano while looking over the 6 mile wide crater!

Wildlife Encounters

In addition to the beautiful marine animals we’ll spot in the ocean, we’ll also have the opportunity to hang out with Giant Tortoises that can live to be over 100 years old, blue footed boobies, frigate birds, and so much more.

One of the fascinating things about the Galapagos is how carefree the local animals are in the presence of humans.

It’s a beautiful reminder that we, as humans, are visitors in their home and not the other way around.

I saw giant tortoises walking down the middle of the road. I even almost tripped over birds on the walking paths because they refuse to move out of your way.

The wildlife you’ll experience in the Galapagos is truly unique in every sense of the word.

Exclusive Sustainability Activity

We’ve been working hard to bring our travelers to these islands in the most responsible way possible while still delivering a life-changing experience.

One of the activities I’m most excited about is a U30X exclusive that isn't being offered anywhere else! 

On our first day on the islands, we’ll be spending some time with local high-school students who are committed to preserving the fragile Galapagos ecosystem. 

These students are part of an awesome ecology club which does everything from protecting turtle nesting grounds to creating jewelry from recycled materials. Throughout the rest of the trip, you'll be able to see these students' contributions first hand in the different locations that we visit!

We’ll learn about the challenges in the Galapagos and how we can help be part of the solution to protect this fragile ecosystem rather than turn a blind eye to the issues. 

We’ll even walk away with some free souvenirs! 

...And So Much More

...like becoming best friends with this guy! 👆👆

The Galapagos Islands are unlike any place you’ll ever visit and we’re looking forward to showing you the best gems of these islands!

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Learn more about our sustainablity initiatives here.