What‘s Included

Reviews

• Sadly this was my least...

  Jessie B,

  Jan 7, 2025

  - Viator

  2.00

  Sadly this was my least favorite tour of all of the 6 tours I did in the Galapagos (even though it was BY FAR the most expensive). The tour started off well with great information from the tour guide and we then boarded the ship. We then started our long 2.5 hr journey to Bartolomé. Once we arrived, the guide gave explanations about the volcanic matter on the island, and we moved on to the snorkeling part of the tour. This is where things started going south. The snorkel equipment appeared to be very low quality - we were brought out to the snorkel spot by dingy boat without getting a chance to try out the equipment. My first mask was broken, and I had to flag down a dingy boat driver to get another one. The second mask didn’t work either and made the snorkeling impossible getting lots of salt water in my eyes. I got frustrated and rather than trying to flag down the dingy boat again, I decided to end my snorkeling early. Also disappointingly, the tour guide did not show us where to snorkel, so we were all out swimming around aimlessly and with fairly strong currents - it did not seem safe at all. After snorkeling, we were rushed into the very cold air conditioned cabin of the boat to eat our cooked meal. The meal was delicious but we were all freezing and struggling to eat the meal with our shaking hands. We then could not leave to head back to Santa Cruz until all meals were finished and cleaned up, to begin the long 2.5 hr journey back. During the trip back, our tour guide slept and didn’t do any ‘guiding’ or educating. Our boat was also passed by several similar ships and a small cruise ship, so I’m not sure if it was necessary that we drove that slowly, or if the crew was trying to save fuel costs. Overall, it felt like a wasted and very expensive day in the Galapagos, and I preferred my much shorter snorkeling excursions hands down to this one, sadly!

• Like a postcard

  Vee K,

  Sep 10, 2024

  - Viator

  5.00

  My favorite day of my ten day trip to the Galapagos. The island is stunning and it feels like you’re in National Geographic. I learned so much about volcanoes and volcanic rock. The snorkelling was also fantastic - i snorkelled with a sea lion.

• Yate Espanola - unforgettable day with a fantastic crew!

  Molly O,

  Aug 28, 2024

  - Viator

  5.00

  The Captain and crew of Yate Espanola did a fantastic job keeping everyone safe, well fed, comfortable, and entertained. They provided a lovely breakfast of coffee eggs, toast, marmalade, and a delicious lunch of tuna steaks, veggies, and maracuja iced tea. Our group was diverse in age and interests - some wanted to take photos and remain dry on the boat/beach; others (myself included) could not wait to go snorkeling with the sea lions, penguins, turtles, and more. The snorkelers were encouraged to snorkel back to the yacht in lieu of riding the dingy with the dry folks. This allowed us to have more time with the animals in the water and maximize our time on Bartolomé!

• Best tour in Galapagos

  EmanuellH,

  Jun 17, 2023

  - Viator

  5.00

  This was the most expensive tour I took in Galapagos and for good reason! The other tours are pricey for no reason, this was a luxury tour and everything was simply made to perfection - the vessel, the crew, the guide, the operation, lunch and the snack bar , the whole service throughout the day was impeccable and worth every penny.

• Excellent trip challenge with booking

  Anita L,

  Apr 26, 2023

  - Viator

  5.00

  I kept getting reminders for my excursion departure at 0600 on day I booked. I have done Viator many times without incident .I had no reason to doubt my booking but had a weird feeling I wanted more detail as to departure as all they said was wharf . At Santa Cruz that is not specific so I called Nature Galapagos the provider listed on my ticket . They initially said I was not on the list and then they found my name . I spent over 500 Canadian!!! They were able to book me 2 days later on a fabulous yacht the Windrose. It was luxurious the guide excellent we saw penguins the view fabulous. The crew and food excellent. I happened to have flexibility - most people coming here don’t spend over 2 weeks. Deal with providers directly - there are Facebook groups that are full of great tips with companies. You can also show up and book - maybe not when it’s high season. I had 2 cancellations so I booked other trips withDiscovery Galapagos. So booking a nightmare but trip excellent you could probably get it cheaper dealing with companies.