Perhaps the best way to visit the Galapagos Islands is on a cruise. Tour companies provide packages that take guests from island to island on multi-day tours aboard a luxury yacht. Unlike most cruise ships, these cruises are small and intimate – usually less than 100 guests on board at a time – and they provide lectures and activities that are geared to help tourists gain a better understanding of the wildlife and nature of the Galapagos Islands.

Sea and Land

Many of the cruises of the Galapagos Islands offer the opportunity to spend time on land and sea. Instead of spending the night on the boat, guests stay in the Galapagos Islands’ finest hotels. They have breakfast in the hotel (included in the package price) and spend the bulk of the day cruising on the water. They go from island to island, and depending on the cruise, can include the opportunity to stand on the equator and visit the Equatorial Monument and/or shop and lunch at the Otavalo Indian Market.

True Cruises

There are cruise options where guests sleep and take their meals on the ship, cruise between islands, and take guided tours on shore. National Park regulations keep the number of guests on the cruise ships low, at a maximum of 100 people. Each evening, the naturalist guides who are on board brief the passengers on the sites of the next day’s tour. There are also regular lectures and conferences on topics that are of interest to the amateur naturalists on board. The cruises offer all the amenities one would expect on any luxury cruise, including a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, bars and lounges, and a reading room. Included in the price of the cruise are all meals, soft drinks, accommodations, admission fees for guided tours, and transportation transfers. What is not included is the $100 admissions fee into the National Park.

Yachts

Traveling by yacht is another option for a Galapagos Island cruise. These cruises are more intimate, with less than twenty passengers on board. The yacht cruise is ideal for a small group wishing to travel together and independently of a larger tour. The yachts can be rented for private eight-day charters.