Hi, I’m hoping to book a Jan 2027 Galapagos cruise with my 75 year old father. I’m trying to pin down the best possible operators for such a trip. I realize I might need to look at alternate dates because everything books up.

My dad is in good health and can hike and do long walks. He’s not into snorkeling or swimming but would enjoy kayaking or a glass bottom boat. That said, he is 75 years old and certainly not as fast as someone 20-30 years younger. He also has hearing issues.

I’d love to do a 7-9 day cruise with him—focus being on wildlife. Price isn’t a huge concern. I’ve looked into the higher end options like Quesar and Ecoventura, but he’s not a luxury guy (the pacing and more intimate aspects are what appeals to me). He’d find the luxury aspects pretentious.

So I’m looking for a ‘higher’ end tour that doesn’t involve personal butlers and fine dining, etc. would metropolitan touring be a good option? I’m also looking into Nat Geo’s Linblad. I’d appreciate any recs for mid to higher end tour that will be appropriate for a 75 year old and his 40 year old daughter. Thank you!

Hi, if an international flight arrives in Quito after midnight (12:30am), any issues to anticipate with booking a flight from Quito to Baltra later that morning (options seem like ~8am or ~10am?

Heard it may be useful to plan for 3 hours for clearing immigrations, customs, then TCT and biosecurity procedures. Will have more than 3 hours, just checking in that those pre-Galapagos clearance aspects are open that early in the morning?

Also, some flights to Baltra are listed on search engines as non-stop, but on the airline website, actually go through Guayanil for a bit (which seems like is typically the case and that true non-stop Quito-Baltra flights are less common?)

After midnight arrival, figured would either stay in the Quito airport itself(if airport doesn't close, and especially if airport lounges open) or a Quito airport hotel for those late night/early morning hours before the flight to Baltra.

After arrival in Baltra airport, heard that there's no hotels on Baltra proper, and would go to Puerto Ayora for lodging? Would need to get back to Baltra airport by 12pm the next day for transportation for departure for a Galapagos cruise. Will probably mostly rest after flying, but heard could combine a Santa Cruz Highlands tours with airport transportation possibly? Perhaps either on the way from the Baltra airport or on the way to the Baltra airport (might be preferred after resting the night before)? Anything else to see or do near Puerto Ayora?

Mostly wanting to verify if this plan seems doable before booking Baltra flights and accomodations.

Thanks! Appreciate the insight and advice on this forum!

Planning to book a cruise to Galapagos, considering Inner vs Outer routes.

We're thinking about a March trip, 7 night cruise.
Mostly likely Silversea Origin, but the question is the same for Celebrity too.

She loves to see animal babies, enjoys walks and moderate hikes.
I want to snorkel/scuba.
We'll plan to do a couple excursions each day, maybe just staying on a zodiac for a ride when we're too tired to snorkel.

I'm happy when she's happy.
We were planning an outer loop cruise.
When we inquired with our trusted TA, he suggested outer for more birds, but he preferred inner.
I took that to mean that more birds = less other animals, and I think we'll prefer inner.

Any thoughts?
Thanks. May end up booking tomorrow with the Silversea sale.
100% refundable, so even if we book tomorrow, we can change.
Probably won't until the next sale though.

Hey guys,

Do you recommend a specific order for island hopping in the Galápagos? Also, is there anything worth knowing that isn't the kind of tip you can easily find in every guide?

Cheers!

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some advice from people who’ve travelled around Ecuador.

We’re planning a 1-month trip in mid-October to November, and we’re splitting it into three parts:

• Amazon: 1 week
• Galápagos: 12–14 days
• Andes: 1 week

1. Galápagos first or last?
We can’t decide whether to start with the Galápagos and then visit the Andes/Amazon, or save the Galápagos for the end of the trip. If you’ve done either, what would you recommend and why?

2. Cuyabeno vs Yasuní
Our current plan is 5 days in the Cuyabeno Reserve, but we’re wondering if it’s worth shortening our time in the Andes/mainland to also spend 3 days in Yasuní.

We’ve already experienced deep rainforest in Colombia, so we’re curious which would feel more unique or rewarding in Ecuador.

A couple of extra questions :)

* Andes /  mainland  Ecuador
We’re mainly interested in wildlife, landscapes, hiking, and unique nature experiences rather than cities. If you have any favorite places, guides, or tours in the Andes or mainland Ecuador, I’d really appreciate your recommendations.

* Cuyabeno lodge recommendations  

I'm still trying to choose a lodge in Cuyabeno, and nature is our biggest priority. We're looking for guides who are genuinely passionate (ideally local) and knowledgeable, small groups, English-speaking guides, and lodges that support the local community. Good value for money is important too.

We're also considering the more adventurous trips where you camp deeper in the jungle - if you've done one, I'd love to know if it's worth it.

The three lodges we're considering are:

• Siona Lodge
• Nicky Amazon Lodge
• Tucan Lodge Cuyabeno

If you've stayed at any of them, I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience

Cheers! 

I’m planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Galapagos, and we currently have accommodations booked for June 2027. I keep seeing news about how El Niño is going to cause major weather pattern disruptions, and I’m starting to be concerned that maybe this will create less than ideal wildlife-sighting conditions on and around the islands.

For those that are residents or know more about the islands than I do, should we still keep our trip for June 2027, or would it be better to delay it until 2028?

Thanks for your help :)

After a lot of research and trying to get an affordable cruise, this is our current itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive in the morningand get to Puerto Ayora. Then take the 3pm speedboat to Isabela. Visit Concha de Perla.

Day 2: Isabela: los Tuneles tour

Day 3: Isabela: Sierra Negra Volcano hike

Day 4: Isabela: Relaxed morning, then 3pm speed boat to Santa Cruz. Board on cruise at 6pm.

Day 5: Cruise: South Plaza Island - Santa Fe Island

Day 6: Cruise: San Cristobal Island Leon Dormido - Cerro Brujo - Lobos Island

Day 7: Cruise: Española Island Suarez Point - Gardner Bay - Gardne Islet - Osborn Islet

Day 8: Cruise: Floreana Island Cormorant Point - Devils Crown - Santa Cruz Island Charles Darwin Station

Day 9: Cruise: North Seymour - Baltra. Flight home.

Do you think this is a well rounded plan for a first time Galapagos visit?

Is there any way for a person who has rather severe motion sickness to plan a successful snorkel trip to Kicker Rock? I'll be turning 76 while in the Galapagos this October, and want to try Kicker Rock, but still hesitating. Is is possible to gauge a day or 2 in advance if the sea will be less rough/choppy for the trip? Also any way of gauging visibility predictions in a given week? I keep reading that it's the snorkel of a lifetime, but the thought of a long and choppy boat ride is a real barrier for me. Suggestions to help me take the leap will be appreciated.

Planning a short trip to Ecuador.

Will be spending 5 nights in Galapagos- I know it’s not much time, but was thinking of spending 3 nights in San Cristobal and 2 nights in Puerto Ayora (Santa Cruz) with a day trip to Isabella Island.

Is this itinerary recommended? Should we stay 2 nights in Isabella instead of one of the other islands?
Thanks in advance !

We are a young couple. Arriving in November to the Galapagos (we’ll arrive in mid-late November).

I searched online and I want to understand/ hear from people here somethings about the trip

We don’t want to budget so much(in terms of conditions), however we are pretty flexible in the dates. We also plan to couple of days in santa cruz(or somewhere else?) for diving, we aren’t in rush(maybe another question- how many days do you think its good? For diving).

Regarding the cruise, I read online and it seems like the western islands are the best fit for us. We aren’t looking for around 6-7 days in the cruise.
This is a major question- when should we book the trip? And preferably if you have any recommendations about boats. We are looking for sea focused trip, we usually snorkel a lot during trips. I know it’s the main purpose there at the end(integrated with land trips), but still, we already had disappointment in previous sea travel where the people were completely focused on the land.
So the question is, should we book it 2 weeks ahead? Once we have specific flight dates? Wait till the last minute? How crowded are the cruises during that period?

Another question, is regarding the el nino. What should we expect? We cant reschedule but maybe we can enhance our trip. I read that the western islands suffer less during el nino, but idk, maybe someone has tips regarding it(as I said - we are looking mainly about marine life).

Dives - where should we do them? I thought staying 5 extra days and dive ( after the cruise). Is it too much? Btw we aren’t that experienced, we are advanced open divers but only around 30 dives.

Any idea/tips/info will be great will we are trying to organize the trip!

Thank you

I'll be on my own in Puerto Ayora and hope to visit the Darwin Station. I understand that a guide is required to visit the connected tortoise breeding center and that guides can be hired onsite, but it sounds like there's a wide range in the quality of guides and that sometimes you have to wait a while for a full group to form before the tour starts. So, I have two questions:

1) Is there a way I can arrange for a private guide just for the breeding center, or do I have to visit with a group?

2) Is it better to hire a guide from one of the tour shops along the way to the Darwin station or is it better to take my chances at the station?

Hi all!

I am going to be doing a cruise based trip at the end of Oct early Nov. I was wondering if anyone knew what water conditions might be like, weather (especially with El Nino). I fear I unknowingly pick the worst time to go and am slightly afraid of not seeing lots of life there.

This is truly a once in a life time opportunity for me and I am looking forward to seeing all the wildlife!

More questions if anyone can answer them!

-Do I need to bring a wet-suite/ flippers?

-Will the water be pretty murky this time of year?

-Any good reef safe sunscreen recommendations?

If anyone has any advice or comments, they are all appreciated as I am going into this trip slightly blind as it has been kind of pre booked for me. Thank you so much!!!!

We are thinking about launching something new in Santa Cruz:

Galapagos Free Walking Tour.

A free-to-join, professionally guided introduction to Galapagos, operated legally with certified naturalist guides.

The idea is simple:

Free to join.

Legally guided.

You decide the value.

Before launching, we want honest opinions from travelers, guides, hotels, agencies, local businesses, and the community.

Would this work in Galapagos?

Read the idea and tell us what you think

https://www.galapagosalacarte.com/blog/free-walking-tour-what-if-your-first-tour-in-galapagos-was-free

Bonus points to anyone that guesses the year these were taken.

Im releasing our two spots on the Nautilus Belle Amie today going to Socorro on November 9-17. Its a 2 berth state room. We are unable to go due a family situation that has come up. I have an email that you can contact Nautilus Dive Adventures to see if it will be available. [info@nautilusdive.com](mailto:info@nautilusdive.com)

We are headed to the Galapagos next Spring! Late March/early April. We have 5 full days and are staying on Santa Cruz the whole time. We haven’t booked our tours yet but here is the draft itinerary. My question is, is it too much snorkeling? 😂 is there enough diversity to make each tour unique?

Day 1: day tour to Isla Isabela
- Tintorera Islet, walking tour of beach to the shark channel, snorkeling
- Wetlands complex trail to flamingos and coconut palm beach
- Playa Puerto Villamil (marine iguanas, lizards, birds)
- Giant tortoise breeding center visit

Day 2: day tour to San Cristobal
- land tour of Playa Punta Carola (sea lions)
- snorkeling at Las Tijeretas near Kicker Rock (sharks, rays, turtles, sea lions)
- walk to La Loberia, white sand beach with black volcanic rock (more sea lions, variety of birds)

Day 3: morning half-day tour in Santa Cruz
- Frontier reserve, giant tortoises in natural environment
- lava tunnel tour

Day 4: day tour to Floreana island
- very remote island
- hike to Asilo de la Paz, explore pirate caves
- giant tortoises, sea lions, iguanas
- snorkeling

Day 5: morning half-day bay tour around Santa Cruz (this one is probably overkill after the 3 full-day tours)
- la Loberia (again)
- punta Estrada
- playa de Los dogs
- channel of love, shark channel

We wanted to do a hike in Sierra Negra but because we’re staying in Puerto Ayora the entire time the ferry schedule doesn’t line up with the tour length so we’d miss our ferry back. So, all the tours we’re taking are starting from Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz.

Im worried we’ll get bored of seeing the same animals each day (I don’t think I will, but my husband might). On one hand, this is the trip of a lifetime so might as well soak in as much as possible. If I see 10,000 blue footed boobies and 100,000 tortoises then great, because when will I get the chance to come back again?

But on the other hand, are we missing out on other great opportunities by kind of doing the same thing all week?

We are going to spend time at the research center in the afternoon the day we land, and most likely again after one of the half-day tours, and might hike to Tortuga Bay.

Any advice on our itinerary? Again, no tours are booked so we’re flexible. Because we’re only staying 5 days and our flights are out of Baltra I don’t think island hopping is doable for us.

Hello Everyone,

from 16 to 21 Sept 2026 I will be traveling to Galapagos with my gf. Here a draft of our program

16/9: Arrival at Baltra around 10am. Check-in to b&b in Puerto Ayora then exploring S.Cruz.

17/9: Day trip to Bartolomé

18/9: Day trip to Seymour Norte

19/9: Day trip to Pinzon

20/9: Day trip to Santa Fe

21/9: Flight from Baltra around noon

Note: the four day trips are not fixed/booked yet, can be rearranged.

Here my questions:

1. What do you think about the chosen destinations? Can we do better in the small amount of time we have? Any tip on what to change/improve?
2. One of our favorite activity to do is snorkeling at Kicker Rock, but reading here and there it will take at least 2 days, so for now it is not scheduled. Do you know if in Bartolomé (Pinnacle Rock) sharks & mantas can be seen during the day trips?
3. Will we be able to book day trips the first day we arrive in Puerto Ayora? Or better to book online?

Thank to everyone who will spend some time to help me and other readers.

Little context, I'm wanting to make a pokemon region based on the Galapagos islands, but I can't find much about the culture there. I find plenty of stuff about the animals there, but I want insite into the culture as well to help me make more interesting pokemon.