Ecuador Travel

Galapagos Cruises & Tours

The Galapagos Islands are Ecuador’s crowning jewel. They offer 70 land visitor sites and 79 marine visitor sites. The main way to visit the islands is through a cruise tour. Visitors stay on a yacht and cruise to different islands. Although the specific cruise itinerary may vary from one tour operator to another, in general there are three basic cruise routes followed by the ships depending on the length: four day cruises, five day cruises, and eight day cruises. Each cruise generally visits two land visitor sites each day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, sometimes visiting two separate islands in one day. Each land visitor site is usually accompanied by a marine visitor site, highlighting snorkeling and playing with sea lions.

• Four day cruises are the shortest cruises available, but still manage to cover a fair amount of ground. However, the shorter time available means that sites visited tend to be within a smaller radius than on the other tours. Typical four day cruises include sites such as:
o Baltra Island
o Española Island – Punta Suárez, Garner Bay
o Floreana Island – Punta Cormorant, Post Office Bay
o North Seymour Island
o Santa Cruz Island

• Five day cruises usually include two more visitor sites than four day cruises and are able to travel a bit farther, allowing for visits to islands over a greater distance. Commonly, five day cruise itineraries include the following sites:
o Bartolomé Island
o North Seymour Island
o Rábida Island
o San Cristobal Island – Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
o Santa Cruz Island – Highlands, Charles Darwin Research Station, Dragon Hill
o Santiago Island – Puerto Egas

• Eight day cruises visit the greatest number of islands and are able to cover the greatest distance, as well. Therefore, these tours often include islands considered to be part of the northern, southern, and western groups. Typical itineraries include:
o Baltra Island
o Bartolomé Island
o Española Island – Gardner Bay, Punta Suárez
o Fernandina Island – Punta Espinoza
o Floreana Island – Post Office Bay, Punta Cormorant
o Isabela Island – Punta Moreno
o North Seymour Island
o Rábida Island
o San Cristobal Island – Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
o Santa Cruz Island – Highlands, Charles Darwin Research Station, Dragon Hill

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