Galapagos holiday cruise

country:	Ecuador, Galapagos Islands
departures:	2009: 21 Nov, 28 Nov, 5 Dec, 12 Dec, 19 Dec, 26 Dec
price:	From £1399 - £1569 (6 days) excluding flights, plus Galapagos park fee US $100 and transit card US $10
vouchers:	Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday

Galapagos Island holidays

the amazing things you'll be doing

A trip to the Galapagos is the trip of a lifetime for most visitors.

Cruise the Galapagos in style aboard our new boat, the most comfortable vessel in our fleet in the Galapagos Islands, featuring special amenities such as a hydro-massage 4-person jacuzzi plus spacious outside decks for relaxing, a dining room and a bar.

This 16-passenger motor catamaran has 8 air-conditioned double-occupancy cabins with lower berths and private bathrooms with hot water, and all meals are provided while on board. As with all our yachts, the staff includes a bilingual naturalist guide certified by the Galapagos National Park Authority, ensuring you are in good hands both onboard and on land.

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	Arrive Quito. Arrive in Quito at any time.
Day 2:	Baltra (B,L,D). Early flight to Baltra, in the Galapagos Islands. Upon arrival we are met by our naturalist guide and transfer to our boat. Visit Bachas Beach in the afternoon.
Day 3:	Floreana (B,L,D). Reach Floreana Island in the morning and stop at Post Office Bay. Still in use, this historic site is where mariners from around the world would deposit and collect letters from a “post office barrel,” to be brought home by returning sailors. Visitors place unstamped letters and cards in the barrel, and deliver, free of charge, any addressed to their own hometowns. Later in the afternoon make your way towards Punta Cormorant on the northern part of Floreana where you head to “Flour Beach”, an important nesting site for turtles.
Day 4:	Española (B,L,D). Head to Punta Suarez on Española Island. The southernmost island in the Galapagos is home to several wildlife species, including masked and blue-footed boobies. In the afternoon sail to Garner Bay, an excellent swimming and snorkelling site.
Day 5:	Santa Cruz/Quito (B). In the morning arrive at Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. Visit the Giant Galapagos tortoises at the Charles Darwin Research Station. Transfer to the airport for your flight back to Quito. Spend one final night on the town with your new found friends.
Day 6:	Depart Quito.

small group adventure holiday

Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.

how this holiday makes a difference

The Galapagos is one of the most extraordinary places in the world to experience the wonders of nature. As a leader in sustainable tourism we are committed to ensuring that our expeditions operate in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. Our role is to promote the positive impact of tourism in the area whilst educating our passengers about how their actions can help conserve this fragile ecosystem.

Our travellers cruise the islands on chartered, locally owned and operated yachts, which are equipped to accommodate between 16 and 20 passengers per sailing. Across our six yachts, we employ a total of 53 local people including the captain, crew and guides. All of who must be qualified in the ISM codes. Our staff and crew act as stewards of the environment, ensuring that all our travellers minimise their impact on the Islands and surrounding waters by providing informative briefs before participating in excursions and supervising our passengers whilst ashore.

An expert local naturalist who has been certified by the Darwin Research Station leads all voyages. They ensure all our travellers adhere to the conservation guidelines of the Galapagos National Park. Including: how to responsibly interact with the animals when on land & when in the water - paramount to this is is the fact that all forms of physical contact with the wildlife are forbidden. They also educate the passengers in the conservation and use of water whilst on board and how waste management is controlled - material waste being collected and deposited in accordance with the regulations of the municipality of Santa Cruz Island.

Through Planeterra, our own foundation, we support the Charles Darwin Foundation of Canada (CDF), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting conservation, education and scientific research in the Galapagos Islands. We match each donation dollar-for-dollar and pays all administration fees so that 100% of each donation is doubled and goes directly to Planeterra programs.

One example of this support is our work with the Green Sea Turtle conservation program. Implemented by the Charles Darwin Research Station, this is an ecological project monitoring four of the most important nesting sites of this endangered species. We take all passengers to the CDF so they are further educated about conservation issues and the importance of protecting the diversity of this unique ecosystem.

Tourism has a pivotal role to play in preserving the Galapagos Islands now and for the future whilst simultaneously providing employment and economic stability for the area. We believe that by educating our passengers and by adhering to responsible practices we can assist in the long term preservation of this stunning part of the world.

Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people.

We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel.

'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left).

We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays.

We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism.

This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards.