Regarding the wildlife, it tends to be good all year round, with more seabird activity on land, in the cooler season. Albatrosses are absent from Galapagos between January and March. Whales are ‘plentiful’ around August – September. Male frigate birds have their pouches inflated in large numbers on Tower Island from March to May.

There is a huge variety out there but we have chosen to work with yachts that are reliable, safe and good value for the money spent. Click here to see a list of the yachts we work with.
Whichever boat you take and whichever price you get, always take into account the addition of the flight of around $410 from Quito to Galapagos and the National Park entrance fee of $110.

If booking near to departure time you may be limited with whatever is available. The more time you book in advance, the greater the options.
Variables to take into consideration when choosing a cruise include:

There are many islands/visitor sites in the Galapagos but many of the operators plan their itinerary by balancing an attempt to visit the 12 best sites (which are spread across Galapagos) and avoiding too much navigation. Top islands like Genovesa/Tower, Fernandina and Espanola are in three far-flung corners of the islands and are hard to get to. A top vessel with a greater speed (Integrity or Eclipse) could get to these places quite easily whereas the cheaper, slower boats may not be able to fit it all in and therefore tend to have more limited itineraries. These shorter tours would only be an issue for connoisseurs of Galapagos or people looking for specific things.

There are quite a range from ships carrying up to 100 passengers down to boats carrying as few as 12. The majority of the boats are equipped for 16 though. Of the 16 passenger vessels or less, there are also sailing vessels and motor boats to choose from. This is often quite a deciding point for many. The thought of a sailing boat seems the more natural way to travel at sea and is more romantic. However, the sailing boats rarely sail in the islands due to lack of winds so they mainly have the engines on. In contrast, motor boats are designed in such a way that they have larger cabins, better sound-proofing from the engine and they rock less. They also travel faster so that the time underway between visits is somewhat reduced. They also tend to have an easier and safer mode of disembarking in the form of a platform at the rear of the boat. The Sagitta and Mary Ann are sailing boats that break away from this generalization, being larger sailing boats, designed for comfort, space and style.

Boats of up to 16 have one naturalist guide leading them on all. More than 16 and the groups are split between up to 5-6 guides. This leads to a very different experience.
On the larger boats, there are several groups, disembarking logistics and procedures are involved. A draw-back is that everywhere you visit, you will be one of many and the feeling of isolation in the Galapagos will be somewhat reduced. The pros, however, are that the boat is more stable on the seas (if sea-sickness is a concern), the groups can be grouped by language or special interest and you get the cruise feel to the trip (including the 5-star food and service). The Integrity is the only small boat that gives you that same feel and service while in a group of 16. The smaller boats (16 or less) are more intimate, are closer to nature and people generally feel that they are closer to Galapagos due to this. The smaller boats do tend to move more on the waves. Galapagos, however, tends not to have storms and rough seas are few and far between. The presence of stabilizers on the Integrity puts it as one of the more stable of the smaller vessels.

If you are not taking a cruise but a land-based tour, there is no issue with group size. If looking for a group discount, this may occur for groups of 16 or more. If wanting to take a cruise, and have a boat just for your group, you have to take into consideration the yacht’s capacity. Under-filling it will result in an increase in the per person price. With a group of eight or more and at least eight months ahead, we may be able to open a charter on a boat with your specifications, taking on the responsibility for filling it ourselves. This would depend on the boat and what is available.

A Galapagos cruise is recommended for children over the age of about 10. Obviously there are some children younger than this who are mature enough to get the most out of the visit. Some cruises offer family cruises, giving the children more of a chance to meet other children on board, which is always more fun for them. These tend to be on the bigger vessels and in the high season during school holidays.
In Puerto Ayora, children would enjoy the accommodations we offer, with plenty for them to do and learn in a safe environment. Ultimately, it depends on how confident and well-traveled the parents are and how well-behaved the children are.

We have several professors who bring down groups of students annually earning college credits for their time here. We could put you in touch with these for invaluable advice on how they do it.
Younger than 18 years old often has responsibility issues back home so when this has been done, there are as many adults in the group as students. Over 18 and the group is usually accompanied by one or two professors. It’s always worth advising if there are any particular angles the group or the professor would like, e.g. emphasis on geology, tortoises, reptiles, birds, etc. Itineraries may be arranged to pay more emphasis on these particular interests.

Due to the way the national park is managed, dive tours do not set foot on the land part of the national park. There are no tours that combine both diving and land visits. The only way to do this would be to do two separate tours back to back.
There is also the possibility of day-tour diving. If you are land based in Puerto Ayora, you could feasibly carry out several great dives from here and there are several good outfits we could set you up with.

Always make sure you are aware of these items as every cruise incurs these costs. A package will often include most or all of these things. The tips and national park tax are often omitted from a package. In order to make a comparison, we have provided the cruise only price in our price list. In some cases, you can only purchase the cruise as part of a package.