How to Choose your Galapagos Cruise

The Galapagos Islands, affectionately known as the enchanted isles, boast an astonishing array of natural beauty, plant and animal species, and it's almost certainly guaranteed that any visitor to these volcanic islands will have an amazing trip. Sea lions are ubiquitous across the entire archipelago, and numerous endemic bird species inhabit the islands. Traditionally, cruise options were limited to east or west, and these itineraries are still excellent choices today.

Should I visit the East or West Galapagos?

The eastern islands are older than the western islands and boast well-developed, greener vegetation. Meanwhile, the islands to the west offer fantastic lava landscapes, wonderful beaches, and giant uplifted coral beds, a result of shifting tectonic plates.

These well-established itineraries promise a dazzling variety of exotic creatures and colourful birdlife and take place on board Beluga, a charming motor yacht, and a particular favourite of ours. With a delightful bar and dining area, and featuring just eight cabins, Beluga is the perfect choice for an authentic wildlife expedition.

Eastern Galapagos Islands Worth Visiting

• Española
• San Cristobal Island

Western Galapagos Islands Worth Visiting

• Isabela
• Fernandina

Should I visit the North or South Galapagos?

Origin, Theory and Evolve are three luxury expedition yachts, and these vessels operate our north and south itineraries. Their names were inspired by Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and Origin of Species and these identical vessels are chic and luxuriously comfortable, boasting sophisticated social areas and spacious cabins, and accommodating a maximum of just 20 guests.

Our Southern Galapagos expedition showcases some of the island’s best beaches and bays and provides a unique insight into the island’s extraordinary biodiversity. Wildlife highlights include waved albatross on Española, magnificent frigatebirds on North Seymour, and messes of land iguana on South Plaza.

Should you prefer to travel off-the-beaten-track, we’d recommend our northern Galapagos itinerary. Visiting some of the more remote and less accessible islands, such as Genovesa, this voyage includes opportunities to encounter species such as the flightless cormorant, red-footed booby and Galapagos penguin, to name a few.

If you’re still finding it difficult to identify your favourite itinerary, then you can’t go wrong with our ultimate Galapagos voyage, combining the very best of east, west, north and south, for the most superb, once-in-a-lifetime holiday. Offering oodles of exotic wildlife, marvellous varied landscapes, and fascinating flora, this 14-night voyage travels on board the luxury expedition superyacht, Aqua Mare. You’ll travel in comfort with a maximum of 16 guests and an exclusive one-to-one crew-to-guest ratio. Boasting numerous wonderful features, this vessel has a unique lower-deck swimming platform, perfect for daily excursions, such as snorkelling, kayaking and paddleboarding.

Northern Galapagos Islands Worth Visiting

• Genovesa

Southern Galapagos Islands Worth Visiting

• Española
• Floreana

Islands in the Central Galapagos

Bartolomé

Itinerary: Southern & Western routess
Wildlife Highlights: Galapagos penguin, lava lizard, brown pelican, blue-footed booby, Galapagos green turtle

Daphne Islands (an excellent location for Darwin finches)

Visits to Daphne Island require a special permit - please contact us for more information.

North Seymour

Itinerary: Southern & Western routes
Wildlife Highlights: land iguana, marine iguana, Galapagos sealion, magnificent frigatebird, blue-footed booby

Rábida

Itinerary: Northern & Western routes
Wildlife Highlights: Galapagos hawk, brown pelican, white-cheeked pintail, Galapagos penguin, Galapagos sealion

Santa Cruz Island

Best visited on our Eastern, Western & Southern itineraries

Itinerary: Eastern, Western & Southern routes
Wildlife Highlights: giant tortoise, green turtle, marine iguana, vermilion flycatcher, Galapagos rail

Santa Fe

Itinerary: Eastern routes
Wildlife Highlights: land iguana, Galapagos mockingbird, Galapagos dove, lava lizard, Galapagos sealion

Santiago

Itinerary: Eastern & Western routes
Wildlife Highlights: Galapagos penguin, South American fur seal, Galapagos hawk, lava lizard, American flamingo

South Plaza

Itinerary: Eastern & Southern routes
Wildlife Highlights: land iguana, Galapagos sealion, swallow-tailed gull, Nazca booby, Audubon’s shearwater

Map of the Galapagos Islands

Our Galapagos Cruises

Handpicked by our expert team, these carefully selected itineraries and vessels all have one element in common - exploration! Each itinerary is designed with discovery and learning at its heart, with shore landings, guided walks, Zodiac excursions and wildlife watching filling your days. These immersive experiences allow you to see, hear and feel the wonders of nature, in one of the world’s most captivating destinations.

Western Galapagos Highlights

Spend a week cruising some of the larger islands in the Galapagos, including Isabela, the largest of the archipelago and home to flamingos, Galapagos penguins, green turtles and land iguanas. You also visit Santa Cruz Island, the second largest island and home to the Charles Darwin Research Station. Discover a host of unique bird species, including magnificent frigatebirds and iconic blue-footed boobies.

Eastern Galapagos Highlights

This 8-day cruise visits the archipelago’s smaller islands, exploring them by panga (dinghy) and on foot. You can discover noisy sea lion colonies, fiery-coloured iguanas, blue-footed boobies and Sally Lightfoot crabs surrounding the rocks, and a wealth of colourful birdlife.

Northern Galapagos Highlights

Sail the northern Galapagos Islands on this luxury small-ship expedition. Encounter iconic wildlife and volcanic wonders, and visit some of the more remote and less accessible islands. This 8-day cruise showcases the best of the northern islands, including shore excursions to Genovesa, Isabela, Fernandina and Rábida.

Southern Galapagos Highlights

This small-ship expedition explores the enchanting Galapagos Islands, known for their incredible biodiversity and unique ecosystems. Explore the beaches and bays of the southern islands and encounter an astonishing array of wildlife species including giant tortoises, sea lions, marine iguanas and flocks of flamingos.

Ultimate Galapagos Luxury Expedition

Boasting an astonishing diversity of wildlife, this bucket-list expedition combines the very best of the east and west Galapagos islands, in search of exotic marine life, a wonderful range of bird species, and fascinating terrestrial animals, all from the comfort of a luxurious, expedition superyacht, the Aqua Mare.

When's the best time to see wildlife in the Galapagos?

The Galapagos Island is renowned as one of the best places in the world for wildlife enthusiasts due to the wealth and diversity of species, but also because most of the animals and birds can be seen all year round! Therefore, there isn't a 'best time' to visit! There are slight seasonal differences, where December to May is typically warmer and wetter, and June and November is cooler and drier. Find out when to see what in our Galapagos wildlife calendar.

We also have a handy Galapagos wildlife guide, which is useful if there's a particular species on your wishlist. In our guide, we share which island is best for that species and when you can encounter it.

Browse all our Galapagos wildlife cruises and land based options too, or contact our team to book! Alternatively, learn why you should book your wildlife voyage with us.