Galapagos - Ecuador
Cruise Ship
5-7 Days
Included
Easy
100 Passengers
The Santa Cruz II Galapagos Cruise is a fantastic choice for those seeking a comfortable and authentic experience in the archipelago. The ship boasts 50 spacious and elegantly decorated cabins, all equipped with large windows that provide breathtaking views of the surrounding landscapes. Each cabin features private bathrooms and amenities to ensure guests’ comfort and convenience during their stay onboard.
The culinary experience onboard the Santa Cruz Cruise is a highlight of the trip. The ship’s expert chefs prepare mouth-watering dishes using fresh local ingredients, adding a touch of Galapagos flavor to every meal. The Main Restaurant offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a variety of options to cater to different dietary needs and preferences. Guests can also enjoy drinks and light bites at the ship’s bar, which serves a range of refreshing beverages and cocktails.
The Santa Cruz Cruise offers various areas to relax and enjoy the ship’s amenities after a day of exploring the islands. The Observation Lounge is a comfortable space to unwind and enjoy a book or socialize with fellow travelers. The Sun Deck is an excellent spot to soak up the sun and take in the stunning views while enjoying a refreshing drink.
Itineraries
Browse through the different cruise itineraries below by clicking on each one
MON Baltra airport & Bachas Beach
TUE Santiago island: Buccaneer Cove, Egas Port
WED Red Beach ā Rabida & Bartholomew island
THU Genovesa island: Prince Phillip Steps, Darwin Bay
FRI Santa Cruz island: Highlands & Baltra airport
(5 days A)
Day 1: When you arrive at Santa Cruz Island’s airport, you will be transferred to the port to board the Santa Cruz II Ship. Following lunch, you will travel to Bachas Beach, a wonderful tourist destination on Santa Cruz Island’s north shore. There are many beaches in the Island in which Blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas, sea lions, and lava lizards live. Santa Cruz is the most varied island in the Galapagos due to its six different plant zones. More terrestrial and marine wildlife visitors may encounter during their visit are: GalĆ”pagos Turtles, Reef Fish, sharks, Sea Lions and Lava Lizards.
Day 2: After breakfast, you will take a panga ride to see the outstanding cliffs of Buccaneer Cove, which was once a pirate secret base.Ā You will also be able to go snorkeling here. Following lunch, you will travel to Egas Port and disembark on a white sand beach. Here, you’ll be able to swim or snorkel along the rocky shore. You can also go for a walk through the volcanic landscape to see land and sea birds. The activities and dinner onboard have come to an end.
Day 3: You will take a panga ride to Rabida Island in the morning and disembark on its red sand beach, which is caused by the high levels of iron of this island’s lava flows. You start by walking along the beach to see a village of sea lions, marine iguanas, and many species of Darwin Finches. Snorkeling is also possible from the beach. After lunch, the next stop will be Bartolome Island. Here, you’ll climb a high staircase leading to the top of the island for an incredible view of the entire area and the best known Pinnacle Rock. You can also take a panga ride to the volcanic shoreline or simply swim and snorkel by the beach.
Day 4: Your adventure begins on Genovesa Island at Prince Phillip’s Steps, from which you’ll climb stairs to a horizontal rocky plateau with a panoramic view of the entire island. In the midday, you will land at Darwin Bay to swim and snorkel, as well as to see hundreds of birds, primarily frigate birds and red-footed boobies, that live on this island. Onboard dinner at the end of the day.
Day 5: We begin our final morning on Santa Cruz Island’s north shore. Your luggage will be transported to the airport after breakfast, while you take a trip to the Tortoise Reserve. A dry settlement at a traveler wharf and a bus ride to the island’s loftier area will provide the cruise’s final highlight: giant tortoises in the wild. Two species of giant tortoises live on the island’s windward slopes. Following this visit, we will be transferred straight to Baltra airport. Goodbye, Galapagos.
THU Baltra airport & Santa Cruz island: Dragon Hill
FRI Isabela island: Vicente Roca Point & Fernandina island: Espinoza Point
SAT Santa Cruz island: Charles Darwin Station, Highlands, several options in the afternoon, including kayaking, visiting a tortoise reserve and beach walks
SUN Floreana island: Baroness tower, Post Office Bay & Champion islet, Cormorant Point
MON Baltra airport
(5 days B)
Day 1: When you arrive at Santa Cruz Island’s airport, you will be transferred to the port to join the Santa Cruz II Ship. After settling into the catamaran and eating lunch, you will travel to Dragon Hill, where you will encounter a brackish-water lagoon largely populated by shorebirds, ducks, and American flamingos, as well as a trail to a Cliffside with a stunning view of the entire area. Onboard dinner at the end of the day.
Day 2: After breakfast, you will take a panga ride to Vicente Roca Point on Isabela Island. You’ll see the intricate geological features of this volcanic area, as well as flightless cormorants, fur seals, and several boobie species. You can also go snorkeling at this location. In the afternoon, travel to Espinosa Point on Fernandina Island, one of the Archipelago’s youngest islands. A unique place has maintained a high population of marine iguanas, who coexist with sea lions and Galapagos penguins. Onboard dinner at the end of the day.
Day 3: You will disembark early in the day at Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, following a quick bus ride, you will visit Charles Darwin Research Station to gain knowledge about the National Park administration’s scientific and preservation efforts to protect the archipelago’s tortoise endangered species. bJust after our visit, we will board a transport to have lunch in the chillier highlands of Santa Cruz Island, which has an entirely different ecosystem. We have a few choices for the afternoon, which you can discuss with your Expedition Leader in advance. Beach walks, kayaking, walks along the tortoise reserve, and other activities are available.
Day 4: The day will start will with a panga ride to Floreana Island to visit Baroness Cove, followed by a landing at Post Office Bay to witness and learn about the history of the ancient barrel that once provided as a post office for buccaneers and whalers, and now visitors can post their letters as a tradition. After lunch, you will take a panga ride to Champion Islet to appreciate this extinct volcano, which also serves as a snorkeling spot. Finally, you will arrive at Cormorant Point, where you will see an authigenic sand beach and a white sand beach where sea turtles nest. Come back to the yacht for dinner and some downtime.
Day 5: After breakfast, the yacht will transport you to Baltra Island, where you will depart and be moved to the airport for your flight back to the mainland.
FRI Baltra island & Mosquera island
SAT San Cristobal island: Colorado Hill, Pitt Point
SUN Santa Fe Island & South Plaza
MON Santa Cruz Island: Charles Darwin Station, Highlands
TUE EspaƱola island: Suarez Point, Gardner Bay & Osborn islet
WED Eden islet & North Seymour Island
THU Baltra Airport
(7 days)
Day 1: When you arrive at Santa Cruz Island’s airport, you will be transferred to the port to join the Santa Cruz II Ship. After lunch and your on-board orientation, Santa Cruz II will depart from Baltra and head to Mosquera Islet.Ā This island includes a long, limited sand bank bounded by lava reefs. Our groups will reach the island from the west, where there is a long, shallow reef that is ideal for young sea lions. Following a wet landing, our guides will lead you past sea lion colonies, where you will gain knowledge about the Galapagos’ fragile terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The walk is simple as it is.
Day 2: After breakfast, arrive at Baquerizo Moreno Port, the island capital of San Cristobal, and travel to the island’s southern shore to visit Cerro Colorado’s Tortoise Breeding Center, in which you will see the extremely endangered species in confinement and gain knowledge about the measures taken to preserve and safeguard this species. You will disembark at Pitt Point, an erosional tuff cone with amazing scenery of the shoreline, in the midday. At this visit point, you can also swim, snorkel, or kayak.
Day 3: On this day, you will take a panga ride to Santa Fe Island after breakfast. Then,Ā land on a white sand beach teeming with sea lions, as well as the deeply entrenched Santa Fe land iguana. At this location, you can also snorkel or swim. After that, head to South Plaza Island in the midday, where a beautiful blue water channel and a white sand beach form an astounding landscape, and once there, you can see the prickly pear cactus and the land iguanas that nourish on them. Return to the yacht for dinner after this task.
Day 4: You will disembark early in the day at Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, and after a concise bus ride, you will visit Charles Darwin Research Station to gain knowledge about the National Park administration’s scientific and conservation efforts to preserve the archipelago’s tortoise endangered species. Following our visit, we boarded our transport to have lunch in the chillier highlands of Santa Cruz Island, which has an entirely different ecosystem. We have many options for midday, which you can discuss with your Expedition Leader beforehand. Beach walks, kayaking, walks along the tortoise reserve, and other activities are available.
Day 5: The day will start with a takeoff at Suarez Point on Espanola Island, in which you will go on a hike to see seabird colonies such as albatross, Nazca boobies, blue-footed boobies, and swallow-tailed gulls. From a distance, you will also be able to see the best known Galapagos blow-hole. After lunch, you will take a trip to the Gardner Bay and the nearby Osborne Islet, which is a great place to relax, swim, kayak, or snorkel. Following these activities, return to the yacht for dinner.
Day 6: After breakfast, you will board a panga to Eden Islet, situated off the coast of Santa Cruz, in which you will be able to see blue-footed boobies and dive into the water to see reef sharks and sea turtles. In the afternoon, you will go to North Seymour Island and take a hike through the Palo Santo Forest to see the great bird settlers of blue-footed boobies and frigate birds that live and lay eggs there. Onboard dinner at the end of the day.
Day 7: After breakfast, the yacht will arrive at Baltra Island, and you will take a bus to the airport to catch your flight back to the mainland.
2024 PRICES | ||
---|---|---|
5 Days | 7 Days | |
Standard | US$4,132 | US$5,562 |
Classic | US$4,383 | US$5,899 |
Classic Family | US$4,383 | US$5,899 |
Master Cabin | US$4,582 | US$6,178 |
Vessel type
Cruise Ship
Year built
2015
Length
71.8ft( 22m)
Beam
13.4ft ( 4m)
Max speed
11 knots
Crew
60 Crew members + 1 Cruise Director + 7 Bilingual Guide
Capacity
90 passengers
Decks
5
Horizon Explorer Family Cabin
Spacious and impeccably clean cabins (all with their own private bathroom) and windows. Cabin amenities & features: Air conditioning, In-room safe, Outlet, Reading lights, Hair Dryer.
Horizon Explorer Cabin
Spacious and impeccably clean cabins (all with their own private bathroom) and windows. Cabin amenities & features: Air conditioning, In-room safe, Outlet, Reading lights, Hair Dryer.
Expedition Explorer Cabin
Spacious and impeccably clean cabins (all with their own private bathroom) and windows. Cabin amenities & features: Air conditioning, In-room safe, Outlet, Reading lights, Hair Dryer.
Panorama Explorer Cabin
Spacious and impeccably clean cabins (all with their own private bathroom) and windows. Cabin amenities & features: Air conditioning, In-room safe, Outlet, Reading lights, Hair Dryer.
Horizon Voyager Cabin
Dedicated single cabin with own private bathroom and windows. Cabin amenities & features: Air conditioning, In-room safe, Outlet, Reading lights, Hair Dryer.
Panorama Darwin Suite
Spacious and impeccably clean cabins (all with their own private bathroom) and windows. Cabin amenities & features: Air conditioning, In-room safe, Outlet, Reading lights, Hair Dryer.
Private bathroom
Air conditioning
Toiletries
Room towels
110v Electricity point in cabin
Lounge Area
Bar
Sundeck