Galapagos Islands - Galapagos Islands travel community

To be short an concise, you will enjoy a Galapagos islands cruise on all of the above.

 

Helping you choose the best option for you

 

The main focus of a Galapagos cruise is nature, wildlife encounters are the same no matter what boat you choose.

 

Galapagos Cruises range in length from 3 to 14 nights depending on the yacht or ship. Your cruise will navigate through the Galapagos at night presenting you with the opportunity to visit 1 to 2 islands each day. Each itinerary has been designated by the Galapagos National Park in order to best offer you, a chance to discover and interact with the legendary wildlife of the Galapagos, while protecting and conserving this fragile environment.

 

When deciding between the different Galapagos Cruises, one of the first decisions is normally whether to travel with a small group or a large group. The number of passengers on board varies – the average group size is 16 and the maximum number of travelers on board a cruise is 100. Licensed naturalist park guides accompany you throughout your visits. These guides have all been certified by the national park. Each guide is escorts a maximum of 16 guests. If you are on a 16-passenger cruise then the whole group will travel together throughout your visit. If you are on a larger boat, you will breakdown into smaller groups for each excursion. Some visitor sites like Genvoesa are restricted to only smaller boats, while larger boats typically can visit a greater distance in one week. There are benefits to both options and the ultimate decision normally based on personal preference.

 

There are many Galapagos Cruises to choose between and selecting the right yacht or cruise ship is not always easy. 

 

Amenities on board vary by boat - smaller yachts may offer indoor and outdoor dining options, sun decks, Jacuzzis, the use of snorkel equipment and kayaks.  Larger ships may have additional amenities including gymnasiums, piano bars, glass bottom boats and swimming pools.

 

Booking a yacht when a luxury cruise ship would better suit you - or vice versa.

What you need to know about small yachts and small cruise ships

Note: Small Yachts carry 8 to 25 passengers, with 16 being the average. Cruise ships carry a maximum of 100 passengers.

Small yachts rock noticeably more than large cruise ships when navigating -  when moored the opposite happens, the large ship never stops moving since it anchors in open seas, while the yacht is anchored within a bay in calmer waters. When traveling on the open sea between islands the yacht moves more. Both can make you seasick, which would spoil your vacation, our recommendation is posted in our past blog where we recommend consulting your physician for seasickness remedies.

 

Although catamaran yachts rock less than conventional yachts, they rock appreciably more than Galapagos cruise ships when sailing, yet are the most stable when moored.

 

On a small yacht Cabins and public spaces can cramped, beds are narrow, bunks are a possibility, bathrooms are tiny, and toilets might have to be shared, and loss of electricity and hot water are not uncommon. This is in the tourist superior to economy classes. Nowadays the first class and luxury small yachts in the Galapagos offer the same comforts as a 100 passenger expedition vessel. So comfort is not really the issue, a lot of small yachts have a jacuzzi, sun and shade areas, outside dining and many other perks. Catamarans are the most comfortable of the small yachts with lots of space in cabins and social areas.

 

Cabin storage space is typically minuscule on the cheaper yachts not being so on the higher end boats which have similar space as the small expedition ships.

On a small yacht You risk being trapped in a small boat with strangers who  you may despise and have to put up with for an entire week without any chance of escaping them. On a spacious cruise ship, you can physically avoid such cruisemates, yet you have the risk of ruining the nature cruise experience by being on a larger boat.

 

Higher end small yachts and expedition ships hire the same top-rated naturalists. This means your naturalist's English on both types of boats will be clear enough for you to clearly understand him all the time and will be very knowledgeable not being the case on economy and tourist class vessels.

 

Some crew members may not speak English (or, at least, not sufficiently). This happens more on the smaller boats than on the cruise ships.

 

If you have an educated palate, the meals on a larger boat may seem boring, not stimulating since the cook has to prepare food for a large group of 100 people + crew, while on a smaller boat he can focus on higher quality since he is preparing a meal for less people.

 

Most Galapagos boats travel between islands at night.

 

You may not be able to visit the acclaimed western Galapagos Islands of Isabela and Fernandina because they will likely be beyond the range of your small yacht. On the other hand, small yachts can visit some small sites like Genovesa where larger ships cannot go. The Western Islands have a great name to them, yet the truth is all of the Galapagos Islands are just as spectacular. The higher end small yachts do visit the western Islands

Choose a small yacht if you want to focus on diving (dive boats are never large).

 

Choose a smaller boat if your priority is snorkeling, not land wildlife viewing. Although most Galapagos ships and yachts provide frequent snorkeling opportunities (and sometimes the snorkeling gear), some small yachts offer some more time for snorkeling.

 

Other advantages: Small boats create more of a sense of adventure. They can enter shallower waters. They usually (but not always) have fewer people in a shore excursion group. Their onboard activities are less regimented.
Most small yachts are considerably cheaper than cruise ships.

 

Breaking myths about being on a Galapagos cruise ship, some small yacht owners say is akin to vacationing on a megaship. There's no comparison. Megaships accommodate 2,000 passengers, Galapagos cruise ships host 100 or fewer. Megaships cater to mainstream travelers, Galapagos cruise ships to sophisticated travelers. Megaships are onboard entertainment oriented, Galapagos cruise ships offer minimal entertainment.

 

Expedition ship advantages

 

They have roomier, more comfortable, and visually pleasing cabins and public spaces (dining room, lounge, and decks). Some of the higher end small yachts offer these same facilities.

 

Cabins have considerably more storage space on a larger boat. Yet, in the Galapagos Islands less is more. Remember the airline restricts you to 40 pounds per person, unless you are hauling along a lot of photography equipment you will have enough space both on a yacht or a small ship.

 

Large cruise ships often offer their passengers a choice of activities and trail intensities during a single landing (on many small ships there is no alternative activity - everybody does the same activity).

 

Cruise ships offer dozens of vacation-enriching amenities unavailable on small crafts. Enjoy them. After all, isn't this supposed to be your vacation? On the other hand the smaller boat is more intimate and romantic.

 

Sailing boat issues

 

They are narrow beamed by design. These means they rock easily. And cabins and public spaces (including outdoor decks) are small and cramped.
The Galapagos Islands are not sail friendly because it's normally not windy enough. Sails are used more for show than sailing - and sometimes they are unfurled only on the first day as you leave port. The propeller does the real work.
Of course a sailboat always adds romance to any journey.

 

In the end it is your choice and your decision should be based upon personal preferences, to resume it, all the main issues come down to:

 

The larger boat will offer more social life, the smaller yacht will offer a more intimate experience.

 

The Galapagos wildlife is the same for all boats!

Sorry for being out of contact, I have been guiding on board several boats in the Galapagos Islands and have been away from the keyboard for a while. I hope everyone enjoyed the Christmas Holidays and the new year brings happiness and joy.

 

As I mentioned in my past blog post, I am biased towards cruising when it comes to touring the Galapagos Islands.

 

I want to help travellers understand the fears of being on a small cruise ship or yacht are respected and can change your decision of taking or not a cruise versus a hotel based tour. Just let me tell you that being on a boat for a week is not that bad.

 

Galapagos cruising is done on smaller boats than the usual cruise liner, maximum capacity 100 passengers!

 

Small yachts rock noticeably more than large cruise ships - both when moored and when traveling on the open sea between islands. NOT TRUE, small yachts moor close to shore in very calm waters, plus navigation is at night so you are in bed and on the positive side you get rocked to sleep. This could make you seasick, which would spoil your vacation. TRUE. Although catamaran yachts rock less than conventional yachts, they rock appreciably more than Galapagos cruise ships. TRUE but when navigating only, when docked you feel almost no motion.

 

How to avoid seasickness?

 

You Dr. can give you many options, amongst others:

 

Seasickness pills (downset: they make you drowsy), bracelet or ear patch (both work fine, no side effects).

 

Why the hotel option is not better?

 

You still have to take a speed boat to each Island, a few hours there and a few hours back, most of the day navigating, little time visiting the Islands themselves. By sleeping on the boat you navigate while you sleep and wake up at a different Island each day, this allows you to have more time on the Islands themselves. So if you get seasick the best option is to consult your physician for medicine or bracelet or ear patch. All 3 work and have helped thousands of non seagoing travellers enjoy the Galapagos Islands 

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If you are visiting the Galapagos Islands for the right reason "WILDLIFE VIEWING, GEOLOGY AND NATURE ENCOUNTERS" the best way to see the most wildlife, to enjoy more time at visitor sites and obtain best value for your money is to take an 8 days cruise around the Islands.

 

Having mentioned the above, there are several options to visit the Islands and we will look into each, but first I would like to explain costs of travel to Galapagos and justify the above statement.

 

To get to the Galapagos Islands, you must get to Ecuador first. There are no direct connections with international flights, which means you stay 1 night in mainland Ecuador and you stay 1 night after (at least), it is worth while to visit the Andes, the Amazon or the coast of Ecuador, so do consider extending your trip. To get to the Islands from Quito or Guayaquil you have to fly there, the ticket pricing is $415 USD, to this you add $100 USD park tax, $10 USD transit card. To give you a ballpark figure you will be spending around $1500 USD just to get to the Islands. My question to you is: would you want to spend this much and stay only 4 days!!! ... unless you have another reason to visit Ecuador or you are doing an extensive land program visiting the Andes and the Amazon it is not wort coming to the Galapagos for less then 8 days (IMO). I know many of you may not want to spend 8 days on a liveaboard boat, but you can always extend your Galapagos vacation at the safari camp or enjoying the beach at Isabela Island, hiking sierra negra volcano etc.

 

Why do I recommend an 8 day Galapagos cruise?

First: Value. You are spending good money to get to the Islands, I think you should make the most of them and spend enough time to see as much wildlife as you can.

 

Second: Related to the first, to see as much wildlife and variety of landscapes, the easiest and in some cases the best way to get to the best visitor sites is by cruise. Some Islands and visitor sites are too far for a day trip from the populated Islands, the visitor sites used for day trips are close to the populated areas and get visited more, meaning more tourists and less wildlife.

 

Third: Your cruise ship or yacht navigates by night, you wake up each day at a diferent Island or visitor site, you make the most of daylight hours visiting nature trails, snorkeling and enjoying the landscape. You can only be on land from 6h00 am to 6h00 pm at visitor sites. When you do a day trip, your motor boat leaves port around 7h00 am, you reach the visitor site at around 11h00 am when the sun is hotest and you are heading back to port around 3h00 pm. You get 4 hours in the hotest sun, including your lunch time versus at least 4 hours more you get on a liveaboard cruise with less navigation.

 

Fourth: Guide and Service quality. The best guides are hired on board the liveaboard cruises, specifically the more pricier ones, yes it does cost more but you are more likely to get a better guide, better nature lectures, better food and better service.

 

Fifth: Most travellers end up saying " I wish I would have stayed longer ", 4 or 5 days is cutting it short. On an 8 day Galapagos cruise you get to see the Southern Islands which are a must (Floreana and Española, plus other added options) and the Central Islands (Santiago and Bartolome, plus other added options) or Western Islands (Fernandina and Isabela) or the Northern gem Genovesa. You get variety in wildlife because some animals are endemic to one Island only, example (Waved Albatross - Española, Red footed boobies - Genovesa, Flightless Cormorant - Isabela). In any case the 8 days offer variety.

 

CLARIFICATION: Another great option is to take a short 4 day or 5 day Galapagos cruise and extend your stay at Isabela, Santa Cruz or San Cristobal Islands if you do not want to spend so much time on a boat. This is also a highly recommended experience.

 

Below are the several options of touring the Galapagos Islands (they are listed in my favourite order):

1)  8 day cruise ( a list of cruise boats can be found at Galapagos Cruises )

2) 4 or 5 day cruise + a 3 or 4 day extension at San Cristobal, Isabela or Santa Cruz Islands. My favourite places to stay are the Galapagos Safari Camp in the highlands of Santa Cruz or La Casa de Marita on Isabela Island.

3) Galapagos Island Hopping, you can do an 8 day program which IMO is ok, not great. It is a nice experience altogether but you only get to see public sites, not Galapagos National Park official visitor sites since the speedboats do not have permits to visit Park sites. It means you will be at the towns of Puerto Ayora (Santa Cruz), Puerto Villamil (Isabela) and Puerto Baquerizo (San Cristobal) and maybe Puerto Velasco Ibarra (Floreana)... you will see some wildlife, but not as much as on a cruise, by far there is a big difference.

4) Doing day trips from 1 one of the inhabited Islands (Santa Cruz, San Cristobal or Isabela). You do get to visit Park sites if you happen to find space on either of the 2 only boats that have permits! beware of speedboats that offer visitor sites, first they are illegal and second they are not true visitor sites and you cannot disembark to see the animals. Also be carefull to not book into tours that look like: Day 1 Darwin Station Day 2 Santa Cruz highlands Day 3 Tortuga Bay Day 4 Las Grietas Day 5 Garrapatero... these are all public sites that you can visit on your own and do not need a guide!!! You will see wildlife, but in small numbers.

 

I hope to have given the best advice possible, I am biased torwards the cruise experience, but it is really based upon 20 years of experience guiding and organizing Galapagos Tours to each and every Island in the Galapagos archipelago and recieving opinions from very happy and very unhappy travellers.

 

In the next blog post we will talk about seasickness and will try to explain why you should not worry about it.

The Galapagos Islands are located on the equator line, there is really no big diference in weather from one time of the year to another,  easily I can say, it is a great destination year round.

Having made the above statement, there are two seasons in the Galapagos:

 

- Dry cold season: June - November, ocassional rainfall, mist, colder waters for snorkellers a wet suit is recommended

- Wet warm season: December - May, weather is hot and humid, there are 2 showers per day in average, water is warmer.

 

The diference in weather can be noticed mainly when swimming or snorkeling.

 

Below is a wildlife calendar that gives an idea of animal activity during diferent times of the year in the Galapagos Islands (if any, this should be the main reason to choose one season over another):

 

January
 
•On Espanola the adult Marine Iguanas become brightly coloured.
•Green Sea Turtles arrive to the beaches to lay their eggs.
•Land Iguanas begin their reproductive cycles on Isabela.
•The water and air temperatures rise and stay warm until June - it is an ideal time for snorkelling.
•The rainy season begins and the land birds start nesting.

 February
 
•Greater Flamingoes begin nesting on Floreana.
•Beginning of the Black-tailed Pintails breeding season.
•Nazca Boobies on Espanola are at the end of their nesting season.
•Marine Iguanas begin nesting on Santa Cruz.
•The water temperature reaches 25 degreesc and remains constant until April.
•The nesting season of the Galapagos Dove reaches its peak.
 
March
 
•The rainy season reaches its peak (but it doesn't rain everyday). The rains are sporadic and tropical the sun is intense and the air temperature can reach up to 30 degrees c.
•Marine Iguanas nest on Fernandina.
•March 21st, the beginning of the summer equinox, signals the arrival of the first Waved Albatross to Espanola.
 

April
 
•Arrival en-masse of Waved Albatrosses to Espanola for the start of their courtship.
•End of the hatching season of the Giant Tortoises.
•The eggs of Green Sea Turtles begin to hatch.
•Eggs of Land Iguanas hatch on Isabela.
•The rains have ended but the islands are still green.
•Good visibility in the water for snorkellers.
 
May
 
•North Seymour's Blue-footed Boobies begin their courtship.
•Green Sea Turtles are still hatching on Gardner Bay, Punta Cormorant, and Puerto Egas.
•Most of the Marine Iguanas eggs hatch from their nests on Santa Cruz.
•The Waved Albatross on Espanola begin laying their eggs.
•Ban-rumped Storm Petrels begin their first nesting period.

 June
 
•Beginning of the cold season.
•Giant Tortoises on Santa Cruz Island migrate from the highlands to the lowlands in search of suitable nesting places.
•Beginning of the Giant Tortoises nesting season.
•The south-east trade winds return making currents stronger.
•Southern migrants have begun their journey towards the north. Galapagos is an important landfall for such birds. Some species of cetaceans also follow this pattern of migration.
•Some groups of Humpback Whales that migrate up to equatorial latitudes along the coast of Ecuador reach the Galapagos.
 
July
 
•The sea bird colonies are very active (breeding), especially the Blue-footed Boobies on Espanola.
•Flightless Cormorants perform beautiful courtship rituals and nesting activities on Fernandina.
•American Oystercatchers are nesting on the beaches of Santiago.
•Lava Lizards begin their mating rituals which continue until November.
•One of the best months to observe whales and dolphins especially off the western coast of Isabela.
•A good time to observe the four stages of nesting in Blue-footed Boobies - eggs, chicks, juveniles and sub-adults.
 

August
 
•Galapagos Hawks begin their courtship displays on Espanola and Santiago.
•Nazca Boobies and Swallow-tailed Gulls nest on Genovesa.
•The ocean temperature drops to 18 degrees C.
•Migrant waders begin to arrive and stay on the islands until March.
•Giant Tortoises return to the highlands of Santa Cruz.
•The sea is choppy and ocean currents are at their strongest levels.
•Galapagos Sealions begin to give birth.
 
September
 
•Peak of the cold season.
•The air temperature is at its lowest level at 19 degrees C.
•Galapagos Penguins are at thier most active on Bartolome.
•Galapagos Sealions are very active. Females have come into season and the males are constantly barking and fighting.
•Most species of sea birds remain quite active at their nesting sites.
 

October
 
•Lava Herons start nest building and continue until March.
•The Galapagos Fur Sealions begin mating.
•Blue-footed Boobies raise their chicks on Espanola and Isabela.
•Giant Tortoises are still laying eggs
•Days are not always sunny. Garua can be expected in most locations, except the western islands where most days have a misty start but after few hours of daylight it burns off.
 
November
 
•Pupping of Galapagos Sealions continues.
•Breeding season for the Brown Noddies begins.
•Some species of jellyfish can be seen around the islands. The genus Physalia is commonly seen floating around Gardner and Tortuga Islets. Some can also be seen stranded on the shores of Flour Beach on Floreana.
•Band-rumped Storm Petrels begin their second nesting period
•The seas are calm and the south-east trade winds have decreased in strength. The water temperatures are slowly rising.
•Generally good weather due to a seasonal transition.
•Excellent visibility for snorkellers.

December
 
•Hatching of Giant Tortoise's eggs begins and lasts until April.
•Green Sea Turtles begin their mating display.
•The rainy season begins and all of the plants in the dry zone produce leaves. The Galapagos archipelago becomes noticably 'green'.
•The first young Waved Albatrosses fledge. 

Having read my past blog post, remember "the Galapagos Islands are a nature travel destination". There are 2 possible answers:

1) The Galapagos Islands are not for you. Ok, you plan your vacation to some other great place around the world

2) You have decided the Galapagos Islands are for you, great, lets start planning your trip!

It is time to decided when is a good date to visit (imo all year round, the question is when you can take enough time to explore the Galapagos), how you want to visit (cruise or land based), international flights, Ecuador pre and post tours, availability on board cruise boats or Island hotels. All these topics will be covered throughout this blog.

I want to answer the question: How to start planning a trip to the Galapagos Islands?

The basics: The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago located 600 miles off the Pacific coast of South America, they are part of the country of Ecuador.  They are situated on the Equator line, some Islands on the northern hemisphere, most Islands on the Southern hemisphere.

What type of a travel destination is Galapagos?

It is a nature travel destination, if you like animals, specially birdlife you are comming to the right place. There are many reasons to visit, but the general tourist comes to see the wildlife, the animals are unique, not found anywhere else on the planet and they do not fear humans. It is easy to get close to marine iguanas, sea lions, penguins at the Equator, giant tortoises, blue footed boobies and more... The Galapagos Island are also a marine sanctuary and are one of the best dive destinations on the planet, whale sharks, manta rays, hammer heads (schools of 700 individuals), sea turtles and many other species fish are easily encountered on dive trips.

Visitors also come for the geology (several active volcanoes, lava tubes, cinder cones, craters, lava fields, etc.), landscapes (spectacular Island scenery that gives a feeling of being on the moon or another planet, water sports (world class sea kayaking, surfing, snorkeling, sport fishing) 

A list of activities include: trekking, camping, wildlife viewing, birdwatching, sea kayaking, surfing, scuba diving, snorkeling, mountain biking, volcanic interpretation, sport fishing... amongst others.

It is an active travel destination and invites one to relax and become one with nature, early mornings 6h00 am is the average wake up time as well as early nights 9h00 pm most travelers are exhausted from all the activities.

What the Galapagos is not?

It is not a party destination, it is not a resort destination, it is not a cultural destination, it is not a hunting destination.

In general it is not a place you will find amusement parks, broadway type shows, discos, casinos, spa´s, etc.

THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS ARE A NATURE TRAVEL DESTINATION!

Travelers visiting the Galapagos Islands should come to help preserve this natural paradise and learn how important it is to protect nature.

A trip to the Galapagos is an expedition! (there are luxury trips, but the main luxury are the natural encounters).