GALAPAGOS
Cruises & Tours

The perfect amount of time in the islands varies greatly from one person to another, while some may find a 4 day tour fulfilling and long enough, others might find a 15 day tour to short, wherever you may find yourself in it is important to have a clear idea of how much actual time you will have partaking in your scheduled activities and have a better judgment when deciding what tour package works best for you. Applicable for all cruises: all tour packages include the days you enter and exit the islands, both the first and last day will be for the most part operational, and will only have a short activity to fill in the remaining of the day.

What makes the islands so special is their never ending state of paradise, you can visit the islands any time of the year, & landscapes, wildlife and sealife will always have something in store for you. Adjusting to the seasonal changes that mark the end and begining of the galapagos cylcle called the (warm & dry) season, are a great guideline to know when to visit. Warm Season Jan to June: warmer water & weather, clear skies, short rains, green lush vegetation, calm seas, nesting & breeding season, less marine life. Dry Season July to Dec: colder waters and dry weather, stronger sea currents, great snorkeling with rich marine life, new wildife and offsprings, full on bird life

Cruises that offer diving in the islands are very few & can be numbered with the fingers of your hands, these are not to be confused with regular naturalist cruises that offer (snorkeling-exploratory treks, etc) which are not allowed to offer diving. This is where diving liveaboards play their role for those looking to dive while cruising the Galapagos. Diving cruises main focus will be underwater, which is where you will be most of the time, taking you in most cases to islands unreachable by regular naturalist cruises (Darwin & Wolf Islands) among other sites. Diving permits for cruises in the Galapagos are quite expensive, so liveaboards are priced in the luxury price range and offer tours for 8 days only.

Both big & small vessels are available in the islands, each one having their own distinctive benefits, over 90% of vessels found in the Galapagos are small in capacity, (12 to 16 passengers) the perfect amount of passengers to get to know your fellow travelers, & has proven to be the perfect way of approaching the islands with a more personalized service. Cruise Ships cannot exceed 100 passengers in capacity in compliance with park regulations & are somewhat restricted to certain visit points as they cannot disembark due to their size, but have major benefits in security, on-board facilities, stability & spaciousness which might be deciding factors for some.

An important part of your tour, this will be a deciding factor for many as it provides a layout of the activities, wildlife & different islands you can expect to see in your tour. Regulated by the Galapagos Park, yachts are only allowed to visit the permitted visit points once every 15 days, in order to lighten the visit load per site, so itineraries vary from one yacht to another. This plays in favor of travelers as they have an assortment of itineraries to choose from. Regular itineraries are the South-East loop, the oldest & most popular Islands for the abundant amount of wildlife, North loop which offers amazing volcanic landscapes, abundant birdlife & good snorkeling, & the West loop, the youngest islands that boost surreal volcanic sceneries & endemic unique species.

Guides in all cruises are required to be authorized by the park, levels from 1 to 3 were the standard to measure guidance quality, but for the past few years no licenses have been issued making guidance levels inacurate, guides nowadays will be paired with the cruise category, Luxury Cruise = Better guidance. There is a common misconception that a major drawback of cruising the islands on a big ship is getting lost in the crowd & having poor guidance during your tour. Guidance quality is a deciding factor for many & fortunately the Galapagos Park takes this very seriously & enforces 1 guide for every 16 passengers for all vessels the islands, some have gone the extra mile & offer 1 guide for every 12 passengers (Eclipse) to ensure the highest quality of guidance.