Go for it - Long but very interesting drive from Guayaquil to Puerto Lopez (approx 3.5hrs) because my driver (Simon) has lived in many places in the Americas an therefor our conversations about life and travel all over te world was incredibly good. he tour itself from Puerto Lopez on the boat was great fun as it took only hour and the ocean was very calm. The Island is beautiful and the 2 guides that were with us very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the place. Their love for the place and everything on it was clearly visible and they were more than happy to answer any questions that you might have. Because there are 2 guide the provide the option of choosing your path when on the island both take about the same time but vary in elevation. Afterwards they take you snorkeling in the beautiful waters off the island, a very beautiful spot out of the way of the ocean swell which means it's quite calm. It seems there is never enough time for swimming with turtles, all manor of fish and other marine life, but eventually they will call you back in the boat and head back to the marina. Very much worth the trip, especially if you do not have the time to go to the Galapagos Islands.

"A Must See" if you like birds - This is a long day. The island is protected by law consequently there's limited access. It doesn't have the variety of life the Galapagos has but what is there is well worth seeing. The boat trip takes about an hour. It's a wet landing because there's no jetty. (water to knee height) Start walking, it's not far but there are a lot of stairs with places to stop. There are 3 trails and our group was asked to choose which one. We choose to see the Blue footed Boobys. What lovely birds they are. It's such a privilege to be able to walk among them because they are totally protected and have no fear. The babies are balls of white fluff. The guide was extremely knowledgeable, not surprising as he's been there for more than 25yrs. The route is about 5kms and then back to the boat for sandwiches, drinks and a spot of diving. The diving was spectacular, so many multi coloured fish. Return trip was a little rough and seemed endless but didn't detract from the day

Together with Ninfa Lara and Yamil i... - <p>Together with Ninfa Lara and Yamil i made 3 tours, not only as a customor but in a very friendly way they showed and told me all about the trip and about the social and economy of Ecuador. I am very thinkfull. very nice greeting, Roel from Holland.</p>

Great island/scary drive - The boat ride and island were spectacular! Boat ride is boat ride, sometimes seas don’t cooperate. We were in Guayaquil so we needed transport to Puerto Lopez. That was the scary part. The van looked nice but clearly needed work. We were bounced around as they needed shocks in a big way, among other things. Suffice to say, beware of the driving arrangements.

It's a long drive from Guayaquil... - <p>It's a long drive from Guayaquil, but the driver and tour organizer makes it a comfortable ride, and it is worth it to see the turtles, crabs and birds. The park tour guides are great. Their English is very good, they are very friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable. There is a fair amount of hiking involved to see the bird nests but totally worth it if you are able. The guides really want to show you a good time. The boat to/from the island takes about an hour, and stopped several times as there were humpback whales in the area, so they stopped for viewing. The snorkeling was OK, but the fish variety was limited.</p>

Do NOT book through Viasam but go to Isla de la Plata for sure! - Tour was great but do not book through this travel group! Try to find a different way from Guayaquil and then make a Reservation with Barracuda tours. Barracuda tours was great and very accommodating for all levels of people (elderly, disabled, children etc.) and the sandwiches for lunch were very good. We cannot compliment the guides at Barracuda enough. With this trip, you are picked up by a representative from Viasam and dropped off to meet Barracuda tour group. However, the Viasam organization ripped us off, and when we called them out for overcharging they did not give us our money back but instead hung up on our phone call. We booked a private tour, and had 6 people in our car ride to the island and then 16 people on our boat to the island. They tried to explain that private means something different in Guayaquil. Additionally, they told us a guide who speaks English was going to come on the tour with us, but he (Yamil) got out of the car once we were picked up from the hotels (if you look at the photos on the website of the tour group, he is at Isla de la plata but did not even go on the car ride with us). We know we were ripped off because we were given a quoted price for a group of 6 and then given a quote for the “private” tour. The experience was wonderful and we loved seeing the Blue Footed Boobies, but wish we had booked through a different organization to get us there. Note, this is a choppy boat ride to the island (about 1 hour) and the hike does have some uphill portions- I would not recommend if you have bad knees!- but overall not too difficult.