21 Cruise Lines That Sail Around the Galápagos Islands, From the Cheapest to the Most Expensive

15.11.2024 - 09:38 / matadornetwork.com / Cruises

The Galápagos Islands, although remote, attract a lot of tourists — more 20,000 every year, to be precise. While it’s easy for those tourists to reach the island of San Cristóbal or Baltra thanks to daily commercial flights from the Ecuadorian mainland, getting around the rest of the archipelago is a different story.

There are 13 main islands and seven smaller ones in the archipelago and, contrary to what it looks like on the map, they aren’t very close to each other. Not only that, but the Galápagos National Park, which covers 97 percent of the islands, is off limits to anyone not accompanied by a licensed naturalist guide. Some tourists, undeterred, opt to strike on their own and use the very limited ferry system to visit what they can independently. Others choose to base themselves in one of the four human settlements and hire a boat and a guide every day to island hop. The best and most practical way to see the Galápagos Islands and its incredible wildlife, however, is to take a cruise. (Preferably, a small-ship cruise with as few passengers as possible.)

There are over two dozens cruise operators in the Galápagos Islands, some of which are world-famous cruise lines and others are small, local businesses. While all the vessels navigating the waters of the archipelago must not exceed 100 guests, they are all different, and the diverse operators all propose their own itineraries, offerings, and services at various costs.

Photo: Mike Janke/Shutterstock

G Adventures is a Canadian tour operator that organizes affordable, small-group trips all over the world, including in the Galápagos Islands. G Adventure operates three small, 16-passenger ships in the archipelago: the Eden, the Yolita, and the newest and most comfortable of them all, the Reina Silvia Voyager, a motorized catamaran. The tour operator offers a large variety of itineraries, with voyages ranging from seven to 17 days.

Price: Starting at $1,444 per person for a seven-day trip.

Galagents is an Ecuadorian travel operator that runs a fleet of eight vessels, from well-equipped, no-frills ships that offer day trips, to catamarans and luxury yachts that propose up to eight-day voyages. All the ships on the fleet are small and can host a maximum of 14 to 16 passengers. The newest vessels on the fleet are the opulent Galaxy Sirius (16-passenger capacity) and the scuba diving-focused Galaxy Diver II (16-passenger capacity). All eight ships offer various itineraries and activities, including, but not limited to hiking, snorkeling, and scuba diving.

Price: Starting at $1,500 per person for a four-day sailing on board the Galaxy Orion.

Ecuadorian cruise line Royal Galápagos is one the biggest operators in the Galápagos Islands with no less than seven ships