This is the million-dollar question. Which tour is the best tour? How can I see it all.
First, there is a fleet of approximately 65 boats that serve the Galapagos tourism industry. They range some actual sailboats to comfortable-ish motor yachts to luxurious catamarans. Thankfully there are no large cruise ships. The largest two accommodate 100 passengers.
I booked through GreenGo travel but I really don't think it matters. All of the booking agencies have access to the save database of boats and availability. Once I arrived I learned that the Estrella Del Mar is actually operated by G Adventures so I probably could have saved a few dollars by booking with them directly. Once you land on the particular boat and dates that you want you can probably search on good for 'real owner or operator of boat ABC' and try to see if there's a direct booking option.
When you start looking at booking agencies you will have to start filtering your options. The prices are per day - these tours are expensive.
Having done this here are my thoughts:
This is one example of a tour map.
Here's another.
Theoretically you can fly to the islands, stay in hotels and book day trips to see the animals. I didn't investigate this option but some people do it if they are really opposed to doing a package boat tour.
Of the fifteen islands only four have a fresh water source and those are the only four where people live. In my opinion they are pretty typical beach towns. There are a lot of half-finished cinder block walls and t-shirt shops. You certainly don't go to the Galapagos Islands to see the towns.
Also, there is a way to fly to the islands and hop on a unfilled tour at a slight discount. One guy joined our group this way. I don't know how much money it saves.
First, there is a fleet of approximately 65 boats that serve the Galapagos tourism industry. They range some actual sailboats to comfortable-ish motor yachts to luxurious catamarans. Thankfully there are no large cruise ships. The largest two accommodate 100 passengers.
I booked through GreenGo travel but I really don't think it matters. All of the booking agencies have access to the save database of boats and availability. Once I arrived I learned that the Estrella Del Mar is actually operated by G Adventures so I probably could have saved a few dollars by booking with them directly. Once you land on the particular boat and dates that you want you can probably search on good for 'real owner or operator of boat ABC' and try to see if there's a direct booking option.
When you start looking at booking agencies you will have to start filtering your options. The prices are per day - these tours are expensive.
Having done this here are my thoughts:
- Don't overthink the tour plans too much. Every one of these tours is designed to show you amazing animal life on the islands.
- When we booked, our biggest constraint was vacation time. We had two weeks blocked off from Saturday to Saturday. We then filtered for all of the tours that fit in our window and then immediately filtered again by price.
- If you must see a certain animal then let that guide your choice. For example, if you are a penguin fanatic and you just absolutely need to see the penguins then pick a tour and time of year that fulfills that need. If, like me, you just want to experience the islands then don't overthink the specific tour.
- When I booked I was somewhat drawn to tours that go to Isabella Island. Basically, I was thinking that the largest island must offer more to see. My assumption was incorrect. Basically, all of the animal life you see is within 50 meters of the waterline. On the snorkeling outings where were within 50 meters of the beach/rocks and on our land hikes we stayed close to the shore. All of higher land on the islands is dry and uninhabitable.
- Your budget will determine which tour you take. We did an 8-day/7-night tour. My wife and I agree that this was an ideal length of time. There are 4-day/3-night options but I think that would feel rushed. By the end of our week I was very ready to get off the boat. I would not have wanted to do a full 15-day tour even if I could afford it.
- Once we booked our tour (the Estrella Del Mar) I stopped reading anything about the tour itinerary or the Galapagos in general. I just wanted to see it and experience as much first-time wonder as possible.
- I do not recommend arriving in Ecuador the night before your Galapagos cruise. First, you'll miss the kickoff meeting at the hotel. Second, you'll make a short night of sleep extremely short. You're already going to wake up at 3:30 AM. We had 1-2 people arrive at the hotel at 1 AM and that left them with a 2-hour nap before getting up to fly to the islands.
- Use a similar guideline for booking your return. We landed back in Quito and got to the Hilton Colon right around 7 PM. A few people in the group then had 2 AM or 3 AM wake-up calls to catch their flights home. If you're going to have less than 12 hours between landing in Quito and departing Quito you might consider a hotel or guest house out by the airport, even if you have to pay extra. The airport is at best 45 minutes from the downtown hotels with no traffic.
This is one example of a tour map.
Here's another.
Theoretically you can fly to the islands, stay in hotels and book day trips to see the animals. I didn't investigate this option but some people do it if they are really opposed to doing a package boat tour.
Of the fifteen islands only four have a fresh water source and those are the only four where people live. In my opinion they are pretty typical beach towns. There are a lot of half-finished cinder block walls and t-shirt shops. You certainly don't go to the Galapagos Islands to see the towns.
Also, there is a way to fly to the islands and hop on a unfilled tour at a slight discount. One guy joined our group this way. I don't know how much money it saves.
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