Galapagos - Ecuador
Luxury
8 Days
Included
Easy
14 Passengers
The Aqua Mare Galapagos Cruise is an exceptional way to experience the natural wonders of the Galapagos Islands. The cruise ship boasts of ten luxurious cabins, each with its own private balcony, offering stunning views of the ocean and surrounding islands. The cabins are elegantly designed with contemporary furnishings and feature modern amenities such as air conditioning, hot showers, and complimentary Wi-Fi. The beds are fitted with high-quality linens and plush pillows to ensure guests get a restful night’s sleep.
The ship’s experienced chef prepares delectable meals using fresh, locally sourced ingredients, including seafood, vegetables, and fruits. Guests can indulge in a range of gastronomic delights, from Ecuadorian cuisine to international dishes.
Aqua Mare Luxury Cruise offers plenty of space for guests to relax and unwind. The ship’s sun deck is the perfect spot to soak up the sun, take a dip in the Jacuzzi, or enjoy a cocktail while admiring the stunning views.
Itineraries
Browse through the different cruise itineraries below by clicking on each one
TUE Arrival at Airport, Puerto Ayora
WED Floreana Island, Cormorant Point, Post Office Bay
THU Isabela Island: Moreno Point, Urban Bay
FRI Punta Espinoza, Tagus Cove, Darwin Bay
SAT Buccanner Cave, Egas Port
SUN Rabida Island, Black Turtle Cave
MON Seymour Island, Mosquera Island
TUE Daphne, Airport
(8 days A)
Day 1: You will be met at the airport and driven in an island van and ferry for the 1.5-hour trip to Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. Your first excursion will take you to the Santa Cruz highlands after a tasty open air lunch at a giant tortoise reserve on the way there. Embark Aqua Mare and experience a warm welcome. A special waterproof bag to store your personal items during wet landings and an Aqua Expeditions water bottle are also included in your welcome package. You will have some free time in the evening to stroll around Puerto Ayora’s central business district. We advise taking a nice walk along the main coastline so you can browse the several boutique stores and jewelry stores there. Then return to the yacht for dinner.
Day 2: We will be anchored at Floreana Island for your second day in the Islands, in the southernmost region of the Archipelago. After breakfast, you can go on the morning wet landing excursion to Punta Cormorant to see Greater Flamingos, ducks, black-necked stilts, and other shore birds. You will just be allowed to see sharks and stingrays swimming very close to the shore, as well as observe sea turtle nesting areas at night. Enjoy a wonderful lunch of fresh Ecuadorian dishes with an Andean touch to it before returning to Floreana to honor a long-standing island custom at Bahia Post Office.
Day 3: Today’s tour destination is Isabela Island. The largest and youngest island in the archipelago, Isabela is known for its giant tortoises and marine iguanas. Isabela was formed by five pretty recent volcanoes. For our morning excursion, we hike at Punta Moreno where we come across mangroves and gas-rich basaltic lava rocks that are the remnants of a sizable basaltic lava flow that originated on Isabela hundreds of years ago. The Aqua Mare will depart for Baha Urbina in the afternoon. The five volcanoes of Isabela will be our final sight of the day as we dine.
Day 4: We’re going to Punta Espinoza today. The area is well-known for its sizable populations of lizards, flightless cormorants, and marine iguanas. Galapagos hawks, snakes, and penguins are all possible sightings. Before heading back to the yacht for a delectable lunch, you will spend the entire morning on land and have the option of going snorkeling. Prepare to embrace your inner pirate for the afternoon trip to Caleta Tagus as Aqua Mare crosses the Bolivar Channel back towards Isabela Island. We will hike to Darwin Lake, a saltwater lake imprisoned inside a tuff cone, from this location. Kayaking , snorkeling, and other activities are available to you if you’d prefer not to hike.
Day 5: We’ll take a panga this morning to Caleta Bucanero, a former pirate resupply point where they stocked up on fresh tortoise meat and water in the 17th century. We’ll go to Playa Espumilla, a golden sand beach that is a popular sea turtle breeding ground, if the ocean conditions are unpleasant. For lunch, we proceed back to the yacht. Then get off the boat at Puerto Egas’s black-sand beaches in the northwest of Santiago Island. You can either snorkel to see sea turtles, sea lions, and white-tipped sharks or walk the intertidal zone to the fur seal grottos.
Day 6: RƔbida Island, also referred to as the red island, will be our first stop on this day. The oxidation of extremely old porous lava is what gave it its color. You can go on a hike, use one among our eight double kayaks, stand-up paddle board, or snorkel, and you can also see a lot of sea lions because they have set up residence on the beach. Following a sumptuous lunch, you can enjoy an afternoon lecture delivered by one of our knowledgeable guides in the panoramic lounge. The Aqua Mare will travel to Caleta Tortuga Negra, a mangrove estuary where sea turtles residences, from the north of Santa Cruz Island.
Day 7: Prior to departing for Seymour Norte Island, have breakfast. The island’s diverse population of land iguanas, blue-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, and great frigate birds is what makes it famous. After a morning jam-packed with enjoyable activities, you’ll return to the boat for a sumptuous lunch on board Aqua Mare. Get on a panga for the afternoon excursion for a wet landing on Mosquera Island. Mosquera Island, one of the smallest in the archipelago, is a popular location to see sea lions. For your final evening on board, you will head back to Aqua Mare around sunset.
Day 8: The final day starts with a lavish breakfast served against the backdrop of the rising sun. Admire the scenery from Aqua Mare as we travel around Daphne Island before docking at Baltra Island. Say goodbye to the team and your lovely home from last week. For your flight back to the mainland, you will be moved to the airport.
Itinerary for 8 days B
FRI Arrival at Airport, Santa CruzĀ
SAT Darwin Bay, Genovesa Island
SUN Sullivan Bay, Chinese Hat
MON Bartolome Island, Dragon Hill
WED Giant Tortoise Reserve, Puerto Ayora
THU Punta Suarez, Gardner Bay
FRI Santa Fe Island, South Plaza
SAT Back to Airport for flight to mainland.
(8 days B)
Day 1: You will be moved on a brief cross-island transfer to the jetty after landing at Baltra airport. Choose your snorkeling gear, which includes a mask, fins, and snorkel as well as an optional wetsuit, for your personal use throughout the week after a delicious lunch. As a welcome gift, you’ll also get an Aqua Expeditions water bottle and a unique waterproof bag. Set out early in the morning on your first excursion to Bahia Borrero, a stunning white beach in Santa Cruz’s northern region. In the coastal vegetation, Darwin’s finches, Cactus finches, and Small Ground finches may be visible. You can see sea turtles at the beach if you prefer to snorkel. After that, return to the yacht for dinner.
Day 2: You’ll awaken this morning to travel to the coralline beach of Bahia Darwin for hiking and snorkeling. After a delightful lunch, take a dreamy ride along El Barranco’s volcanic rocks to learn more about Genovesa Island. Fur seals can be seen resting in cracks in the rocks. After a 1.5 km hike inland, we will arrive at the lava fields where we can see Galapagos storm petrels, great frigatebirds, and red-footed boobies.
Day 3: With a dry landing at Baha Sullivan to explore Pahoehoe lava flows, our first adventure of the day will take us to Santiago Island. We will depart for Sombrero Chino Island, which gets its name from the tiny crater that forms the islet, after an exquisite lunch and lecture from one of some naturalist guides onboard Aqua Mare. You may have the chance to see sea lions and penguins in the nearby crystal-clear waters. Kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, and snorkeling will all be possible.
Day 4: After dropping anchor at BartolomĆ© Island early in the morning, you will start a short ascent to the top of a spatter cone for a breathtaking view of the island’s recognizable Pinnacle Rock. After that, cool off with a snorkel where you might see Galapagos penguins and sea turtles before returning to the boat for lunch as we head towards Santa Cruz Island. We will travel to Cerro DragĆ³n, also known as Dragon Hill, during our afternoon excursion. For dinner, return to the ship.
Day 5: You will visit a giant tortoise reserve this morning to get a close-up look at these untamed Galapagos Island animals. Additionally, Darwin’s finches, yellow warblers, flycatchers, cattle egrets, and, with any luck, Galapagos Rails can all be seen in the area. After a delicious lunch, you will visit Darwin Station and the National Park’s administrative offices to see the various age groups of hatchlings organized by islands, as well as the tortoises kept in captivity at the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center. Before going back to the ship, there will be available time to explore Puerto Ayora.
Day 6: For this morning’s excursion, we will disembark in Punta SuĆ”rez to begin the day. Due to the high level of distinctive endemism in its fauna, including Espaola mockingbirds, lava lizards, marine iguanas, and the rare waved albatross, this tourist site is one of the most fascinating landing sites in the Galapagos Islands. In the late afternoon, we’ll take a tender ride to a stunning collection of islets where you can snorkel with jovial sea lions, sea turtles, sharks, rays, and a wide variety of reef fish species. Baha Gardner, a magnificent coralline sand beach with one of the largest sea lion colonies in the Galapagos, will be the final stop of the day.
Day 7: On the second to last day of your trip, we’ll go to Santa FĆ© Island. One of the Galapagos Islands’ oldest species. Land iguanas, lava lizards, mockingbirds, and Darwin’s finches can all be seen in this area. After the tour, we’ll be able to make the most of our final day in the Galapagos Islands by kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, or snorkeling. The boat will head to Plaza Sur Island, which is situated off the eastern coast of Santa Cruz, as you eat lunch on board. You disembark at Plaza Sur Island, a tiny but interesting islet, in the late afternoon. Join your guide for a two-hour hike to explore the island’s distinctive landforms.
Day 8: You have a lavish breakfast to start your final day before saying goodbye to the Aqua Mare staff. On your final short excursion before leaving paradise, you drive up Santa Cruz Island’s highlands to the twin craters of Los Gemelos on your way to the airport. It is in an amazing setting surrounded by luxuriant vegetation.
2024 PRICES | |
---|---|
8 Days | |
Cat V Design Suite | US$10,500 |
Cat IV Design Suites | US$11,300 |
Cat III Design Suites | US$13,000 |
Cat II Design Suite | US$14,400 |
Cat I Owner’s Suite | US$28,500 |
Charter | US$218,000 |
2024 PRICES | |
---|---|
8 Days | |
Cat V Design Suite | US$10,500 |
Cat IV Design Suites | US$11,300 |
Cat III Design Suites | US$13,000 |
Cat II Design Suite | US$14,400 |
Cat I Owner’s Suite | US$28,500 |
Charter | US$218,500 |
Vessel type
Motor Yacht
Year built
1998
Year renovated
2021
Length
164 ft (50 m)
Beam
32 ft (9,8 m)
Draft
10.4 feet / 3.17 meters
Max speed
17 knots
Crew
16 including 14 crew and 2 naturalist guides
Capacity
14 passengers
Decks
Cabins
7
Bathrooms
8
Engines
2X CAT 1978 HP CAT 3516 R
Freshwater maker
Yes
Lower Deck
Cat III Design Suites: 2 Cat IV Design Suites: 2
Main Deck
Cat II Design Suite: 1 Cat I Owner's Suite: 1
Upper Deck
Cat V Design Suite: 1
Private bathroom
Air conditioning
Toiletries
Room towels
110v Electricity point in cabin
Lounge Area
Bar
Sundeck