Galapagos - Ecuador
Luxury
8 Days
Included
Easy
12 Passengers
The Stella Maris Galapagos Cruise is the epitome of luxury and relaxation. This luxury cruise ship features state-of-the-art amenities and boasts a collection of stylish and comfortable cabins designed to provide an exceptional cruising experience. The cabins are furnished with plush beds and high-quality linens, providing ultimate comfort during your stay.Ā
The cabins feature large windows that offer breathtaking views of the ocean and the Galapagos Islands. Each cabin is equipped with air conditioning and en-suite facilities that include a shower, toilet, and toiletries. Guests can enjoy a relaxing and peaceful stay in their cozy cabins while soaking up the beauty of the Galapagos Islands. Stella Maris Luxury Cruise offers an exceptional culinary experience with its talented and experienced chef who prepares delicious and nutritious meals. The ship’s dining room features panoramic views of the ocean, making it an excellent spot to enjoy your meals while admiring the scenic beauty of the Galapagos.
The ship features a range of areas to lounge and relax, including a spacious sun deck, a comfortable lounge area, and a library. The sun deck is a perfect place to soak up the sun while enjoying stunning views of the Galapagos Islands. The lounge area is ideal for socializing and relaxing, featuring comfortable seating and entertainment systems, including a flat-screen TV, DVD player, and a sound system.
Itineraries
Browse through the different cruise itineraries below by clicking on each one
MON San Cristobal: Lobos Island.
TUE San Cristobal: Punta Pitt, Witch Hill, Kicker Rock
WED EspaƱola Island: Gardner Bay, Suarez Point.
THU Floreana: Cormorant Point, Post Office Bay, DevilĀ“s Crown, Baroness Lookout
FRI North Seymour, Bartholome.
SAT Genovesa: El Barranco, Darwin Bay.
SUN South Plazas, Santa Fe.
MON Santa Cruz: El Chato tortoise reserve, Twin Craters.
(8 days A)
Day 1: Transfer to the yacht after a late-night arrival in San Cristobal. Our first stop on the tour will be Lobos Island. This location is a tiny, flat island off the coast of Isla San Cristobal, 10 kilometers northeast of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. The island’s nickname, Isla Lobos, refers to the numerous sea lions that live there and play on the beach. Additionally, it is the best location to see frigates and blue-footed boobies that are nesting. With sea lions as your snorkeling companions, you can do so in a guarded channel.
Day 2: The morning visit will be to Punta Pitt. positioned at Isla San Cristobal’s easternmost point. is a collection of eroded volcanoes that are only sparsely covered in the native vegetation of the islands. We’ll then proceed to Cerro Brujo. On the north coast of San Cristobal Island, there is a stunning white coral beach that allows you to swim, snorkel, and see sea lions. Finally, in the late afternoon, we’ll travel to Kicker Rock. Due to the abundance of Tropicbirds, Frigates, and Boobies that fill the area, this natural landmark on the Galapagos Islands has become a popular stop for cruises.
Day 3: The day will begin with a trip to Gardner Bay, which is on Hood’s northeastern coast and offers a wonderful beach for lounging, swimming, and the chance to see sea lions. In the ethereally clear ocean waters nearby, we can also see sharks and other marine life. After that, at noon, we’ll depart for Punta Suarez. One of the largest and most diverse colonies of sea birds in the Galapagos Islands lives on this rocky land. High cliffs that rise from the water along its southern shore provide visitors with breathtaking views of soaring birds and the blow hole, where water can erupt up to 50ā75 feet into the air depending on the strength of the surf.
Day 4: Punta Cormorant will be the first stop. This location offers one of the largest and most impressive flamingo lagoons in the Galapagos. The following afternoon, we’ll travel to Post Office Bay. Since then, mariners and visitors have used it as a post office. The concept is to manually deliver letters or postcards to their intended recipient. In addition to being the Post Office Barrel, this location served as the first colonists’ landing zone.
Day 5: On North Seymour, you can observe blue-footed boobies, frigate colonies, fork-tailed gulls, terns, sea lions, lava lizards, and land iguanas after breakfast. There are also Palo Santo trees to be seen. Visit the Pinnacle Rock beach for swimming and snorkeling after lunch. To get to Bartolome’s vantage point in the afternoon, make a dry landing. Interesting cinder cone and lava formations can be found on this island. A wooden staircase takes you to the top of the island, where you’ll find stunning views of the nearby beaches, after a 30- to 40-minute hike. Due to Pinnacle Rock, this island is one of the most popular for tourists and photographers.
Day 6: We’ll go to Prince Phillip’s Step for the first time in the morning. Both the ground-nesting Masked Booby and the tree-loving Red-footed Booby breed in this area. If time permits, you can snorkel at El Barranco on the west side of Darwin Bay. We’ll then leave for Genovesa around midday. The only island in the Archipelago’s north that is accessible to tourists is this one. Large colonies of Red-footed Boobies and Great Frigate birds, among others, can be found there, making it a haven for seabirds. There are options for swimming, snorkeling, and dinghy rides.
Day 7: We are going to South Plaza in the morning. One of a pair of tiny uplifted islands just off Santa Cruz’s eastern coast. Land iguanas can be easily seen from the trail as they wait for a prickly pear to fall in the shade of cacti. Swallow-tailed gulls and other seabirds glide effortlessly over the escarpment using the rising air, and a big settlement of noisy sea lions call the safeguarded rocky seashore home. In the afternoon, we’ll travel to Santa Fe Island. You can see a wide range of fish and sea turtles while snorkeling along the rocky coast of the island.
Day 8: Bus transportation will take us up into the gently sloping, forested highlands. We’ll go to a private preserve called “El Chato,” where enormous tortoises relax by a peaceful pond and munch on vegetation. We will drive to “The Twins,” a pair of sizable sinkholes (also known as Los Gemelos), where we will explore some old lava tubes after having plenty of time to explore the reserve. Additionally, this could be an opportunity to see the Giant Tortoises, Darwin Finches, Yellow Warblers, and Bright Red Vermillion Flycatchers that gave these islands their name. Then make your way to the airport.
MON Santa Cruz: Charles Darwin Station.
TUE Sombrero Chino, Rabida.
WED Santiago: Espumilla Beach, Bucaneer Cove, Egas Port.
THU Fernandina: Espinoza Point, Isabela: Tagus Cove.
FRI Isabela: Elizabeth Bay, Moreno Point.
SAT Isabela: Tintoreras, Wetlands, Wall of Tears, Tortoise Breeding Center, Sierra Negra Volcano
SUNĀ Santa Cruz: El Chato Highlands, Tortuga Bay.
MON San Cristobal: Interpretation Center.
(8 days B)
Day 1: Morning arrival in the Galapagos Islands; transfer to the yacht. We’ll stop by the Charles Darwin Research Station before setting sail. Santa Cruz serves as the home of the Charles Darwin Research Station. This organization, which conducts research and counsels the Ecuadorian government and travel agencies on decreasing the impact of tourism on the islands, is supported by donations from visitors. It has a museum and a resource center for national parks. The station also serves as a breeding and rearing facility for tortoises, where different subspecies of tortoises are prepared for release back into the wild.
Day 2: Visit Chinese Hat early in the day. a tiny islet close to Santiago’s southernmost point. When viewed from a distance, it resembles a Chinese hat. Lava formations in the west can be seen as proof that the flows originated beneath the sea. This trip offers a fantastic opportunity to interpret geologic features like lava flows and lava tubes. Then, in the late afternoon, proceed to Rabida. Because of the high iron content, this area is a recognizable reddish color. The salt lagoon where flamingos, pelicans, and boobies build their nests is its main draw.
Day 3: We’re going to Espumilla Beach in the morning on this particular day. situated on Santiago Island’s northern coast in James Bay. The Palo Santo forest and the magnificent are the main draws. The beach is a crucial location for marine turtle nesting. then pay a midday visit to Black Beach. This unique black sand beach was formed by the deposits of volcanic tuff. This location is known as Puerto Egas because there was an attempt to begin salt exploitation there, but it was unsuccessful because the cost of salt on the continent was so low that it did not make economic sense to do so in Galapagos.
Day 4: Go to Punta Espinoza early in the day. situated at the island’s northeasternmost point. A visitor’s site where some of the rare Galapagos species can be seen is just across Tagus Cove. After that, proceed to Tagus Cove in the afternoon. The Galapagos penguin, the flightless cormorant, and other sea birds can all be seen during a zodiac tour along the cliffs. It takes about 30 minutes to hike up the trail from the landing dock to the highest point of the cliff, where you can see Darwin Lake.
Day 5: Bay Elizabeth (AM) Elizabeth Bay is a marine visitor site that is situated at the Perry Isthmus on the west coast of Isabela (no landings are permitted). Galapagos Hawks soar overhead as you visit Elizabeth Bay by small boat, and you can see schools of pompanos and dorados swimming beneath you. Then, we’ll go to Punta Moreno, which is on Isabela Island’s north coast. The coastal lagoons in the middle of the black lava flow, where various bird species can be found, are Punta Moreno’s main draw. The two most active volcanoes in the Galapagos, Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul, can be seen from there.
Day 6: A trip to Tintoreras will be the day’s first destination. You’ll arrive at Isabela Island, the largest island in the archipelago, on this day. On the fishing boat, take a relaxing sunbath while you pass sea lions and pelicans. We will eventually arrive at Tintoreras, a small island. You can take a leisurely stroll through this strange lava landscape with its enormous sea lizard colonies. Then, in the late afternoon, travel to Sierra Negra. From Puerto Villamil, we ascend to the highlands to reach the Sierra Negra slope. From there, we hike over rocky terrain until we reach the volcano’s rim.
Day 7: Our first stop is at Los Gemelos (the twins). Los Gemelos is the largest of several craters that were created when a volcanic action beneath the earth caused the magna chambers to become empty and cause the above ground to cave in. The Tortoise Reserve EL CHATO, where an amount of the endemic Santa Cruz subspecies of Giant Tortoises, “Geochelone elephantopus porteri,” roam freely, will be where we will spend the majority of our time in the Santa Cruz highlands. Take a fascinating walk to Turtle Bay beach, one of the most stunning beaches in the Galapagos, where you can swim, snorkel, and see wildlife colonies.
Day 8: Early in the morning, visit the Interpretation Center. This website contains educational details on the Galapagos Islands’ evolution and animal life. then be transferred to San Cristobal Airport.
2024 PRICES | |
---|---|
8 Days | |
Master Suite | US$0 |
Suite | US$0 |
VIP Cabin | US$0 |
Charter | US$198,550 |
Vessel type
Motor Yacht
Year built
1987
Length
124ft ( 38m)
Beam
25ft ( 8m)
Max speed
14 knots
Crew
10 crew members
Capacity
12 passengers
Decks
3
1 Bridge Deck Master Suite Cabin
king size bed, with windows
2 Main Deck VIP Suites Cabins
queen bed, with windows
4 Lower Deck Cabin
convertible double matrimonial bed or two twins, with window
Private bathroom
Air conditioning
Toiletries
Room towels
110v Electricity point in cabin
Lounge Area
Bar
Sundeck