Galapagos Island Cruise aboard the Renowned Santa Cruz Vessel | Yampu Tours

Custom Travel Experiences Since 1998

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Galapagos Island Cruise aboard the Renowned Santa Cruz Vessel

PRIVATE TOUR - 8 DAY SAMPLE ITINERARY

FROM £$ 7680

Private Tour Highlights

  • Taking a walk through Independence Square in Quito, stopping off at the Presidential Palace, Cathedral, San Francisco Monastery and El Sagrario Church along the way.
  • Witnessing the beautifully unique spectacle of Flamingo Lagoon, known to attract large numbers of this most famous bird.
  • Getting up close and personal to some of the oldest and largest tortoises on earth at the Charles Darwin Research and Conservation Centre.
  • Stopping off at Buccaneer Cove, infamous as a resting point for age old British pirates
  • Taking a walk along the shoreline of Puerto Egas, once a mining town, observing the Sea Lion Colonies who now call it home.
  • Capturing the perfect photograph of Bartolome Island’s mesmerising volcanic rock formations, one of the treasures of the archipelago.
Interested in this tour?   Let us build you a customized quote based on your budget.

Tour Overview

Enjoy a marvelous Galapagos Island Cruise aboard the Renowned Santa Cruz Vessel. The Santa Cruz is brilliantly designed for sailing the Galapagos and was completely renovated in 1998. The Santa Cruz has gained worldwide recognition for its excellent standards that include superior service, the most knowledgeable multilingual naturalist/guides, and menus that feature the best international and Ecuadorian dishes. Travelers on the Santa Cruz will spend time in Quito and then the Galapagos visiting the fur seals, frigates, iguanas, sea lions, turtles and other exotic wildlife that populate the islands.

 

 

Inclusions
Price includes Domestic air from Quito to the Galapagos round-trip; 4 nights cabin at the M/V Santa Cruz Cruise; All meals on the cruise; Hotel accommodation in Quito including breakfast; Daily guided tours of the islands, led by naturalist guides; Day excursion in Quito; All transfers. Also included is a $100 fee to be paid to the park as a contribution to its conservation as well as the $20 Transit Control Card fee.

*The Galapagos Cruises operates two 5-day itineraries. Depending on your dates of travel, you will enjoy either itinerary A or itinerary B. You will see the various ports of call listed on the day-by-day itinerary accordingly.

*By traveling to the Galapagos with Yampu Tours, you will be making the choice to travel responsibly. As members of IGTOA (International Galapagos Tour Operators Association), Yampu donates $7 for every traveler that travels to the Galapagos with us. We are dedicated to helping preserve the islands while supporting sustainable ecotourism. As an IGTOA member, we are informed, involved, and concerned.

*There will also be an optional Galapagos Conservation contribution of $50 per passenger added to your final proposal.
The contribution will go towards:
-Creating benefits and educational opportunities for local people.
-Strengthening responsible tourism management.
-Building strong financial support for conservation among the travel industry and travelers.
-Promoting high professional standards for the tourist industry.
Exclusions

Local airport departure taxes that are payable in the country of destination are not included. Airfare taxes and security fees that can be paid at time of ticketing are included in the cost.

Best Time to Travel
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN
JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Best Good Consult

Package Price: From £$ 7680

Prices shown above are per person. Hotel categories do not adhere strictly to international ratings; Yampu has evaluated the hotels according to destination and availability. Prices include local airfare (where applicable), hotel accommodation including daily breakfast; all transfers with baggage handling, all guided tours in English and all entrance fees.

Please note that prices are subject to change based on availability and seasonality, especially during the holiday season from December 20th through January 5th each year. Please contact a Yampu Travel Specialist for more information on best times to travel.

Trip Type:

All our trips are operated on a private basis unless specified otherwise. This is only a sample itinerary; your Yampu Tour Consultant will personalize this trip for you according to your available dates, interests and type of hotels. This is your trip and we will work on making it perfect!

Tour Itinerary

Day
1

Quito

International flight to Ecuador. Upon arrival in Quito, be greeted for airport reception and transferred to the hotel.

International flight to Ecuador. Upon arrival in Quito, be greeted for airport reception and transferred to the hotel.

Day
2

Full Day Colonial Quito Tour & The Equator

The tour begins today with a visit to Independence Square where the Presidential Palace, the Cathedral and El Sagrario Church are located. Also visit the Church of La Compania (1605), and enjoy a brief visit to the church and monastery of San Francisco (1535). The oldest Ecuadorian church, the collection of artwork here includes paintings, sculpture and furniture dating back to the 16th century. Leaving the churches, visit the recently restored 24 De Mayo Boulevard, named after the battle which sealed Ecuador´s independence.

Also, visit La Ronda Street in Old Quito. Lined with colonial houses and inspired by painters, poets, musicians and historians, this visit gives a taste of traditional Quito. The tour will then continue 30-minutes outside of Quito, towards the Middle of the World. Visit the main Monument honoring the correct location of the equator and visit the Ethnographic Museum, located inside the Equator Monument. Or, visit the Inti Nan Museum, a scientific and cultural Museum located in the exact place where the Equator Line crosses. ...read less

Day
3

Galapagos Cruises

This morning, transfer to the airport for the flight to the Galapagos. Upon arrival, be received at the airport by the guides and then taken to the pier to join the Santa Cruz.

The Galapagos cruises operate two 5-day itineraries. Depending on one’s dates of travel, one will enjoy either itinerary A or itinerary B. See the various ports of call listed on the day-by-day itinerary accordingly.

In the afternoon, visit Bachas Beach on the northern coastline of Santa Cruz Island, to see the brightly colored flamingo lagoon, and encounter marine iguanas, various sea birds, and sea turtles. This is a good location to swim and snorkel. (A)

or

Visit Punta Pitt, an unusual volcanic formation, is located in the northeast of San Cristobal Island. Here one is likely to see tiny lava lizards scurrying around the rocks as well as all three species of the Galapagos booby; Nazca, masked, and blue or red-footed boobies. (B).
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blue-footed-boobies-galapagos-ecuador
Day
4

Buccaneer Cove or Santa Fe Island, Puerto Egas or Plazas Sur

This morning visit Buccaneer Cove on Santiago Island to see where the British buccaneers would anchor their ships for repairs and restocking. The steep cliffs, where hundreds of seabirds perch in front of the dark red sand beach, are a magnificent site. (A)

or

Visit Santa Fe Island, home to a cactus forest and a colony of land iguanas that are native to the island. Here one can also see the Galapagos mockingbird, magnificent frigate, brown pelican, and several species of Darwin’s finches. (B).

In the afternoon visit Puerto Egas, once the site of a small salt mining industry in the 1960s. Take a walk down the shoreline to grottos where one can see several colonies of fur seals. This location is ideal for watching shorebirds, while land birds are better observed inland. This is a good location for swimming and snorkeling. (A)

or

Take to Plazas Sur, originally formed by uplifted lava and the terrain includes an impressive cactus forest. On land, see land iguanas, sea lions and several species of tropical birds. (B).
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Galapagos_Lizard
Day
5

Red Beach or Charles Darwin Research Station, Bartolome or Santa Cruz Island

AM: Rabida, with its beautiful red sand beaches, is often considered the geographic center of the Galapagos because it has the most diversified volcanic rocks of the islands. Located near the beach is a salt pond that often attracts greater flamingos looking to feed on the brine shrimp in the waters. Here one can enjoy a 2-mile walk along the island’s beach to see a large colony of sea lions, marine iguanas, mockingbirds, yellow warblers, and several species of Darwin’s finches. This is a good location to swim and snorkel. (A)

or

Charles Darwin Research Station, located in Puerto Ayora, displays the efforts and results of the ongoing field work conducted in the name of science. Here, see young turtles being raised in safety until the age of five. (B).

In the afternoon, visit Bartolome Island, perhaps the most photographed location in the entire archipelago, and has several volcanic formations including lava bombs, spatter, and cinder cones. A walk to the top of the island results in an amazing view of the most famous Galapagos vista: Pinnacle Rock & Santiago Island. This is a steep climb aided by a wooden staircase, but the view from the top is well worth the effort. (A)

or

Make a visit to the beautiful Santa Cruz Island (B).
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Balttra and Santa Cruz Galapagos
Day
6

Prince Philip’s Steps or Punta Suarez, Darwin Bay or Gardner Bay

Start off this morning at Prince Philip’s Steps, on Genovesa Island, with its trail through a Palo Santo forest to an open area full of nesting birds that include masked boobies, frigates, and red-footed boobies. At the end of this trail are thousands of band-rumbed storm petrels nesting in the crevices at the cliff’s edge. See the short-eared owls as they hunt the storm petrels during the daylight hours. (A)

or

Punta Suarez on Espanola Island a small rocky point that is home to impressive and varied colonies of Galapagos seabirds. Along its southern shore, high cliffs rise up from the sea affording the visitor spectacular views of soaring birds and of the blow hole where water spouts up to 50-75 feet into the air according to the intensity of the surf. (B).

This afternoon, take to Darwin Bay on Genovesa Island, a collapsed volcano that ships are able to sail into through its large breached caldera and anchor at the foot of the steep crater walls. Genovesa is commonly referred to as ‘bird island’ because it is home to thousands of great frigate birds, red-footed boobies, noddy terns, lava gulls, tropic birds, doves, storm petrels, and Darwin’s finches. (A)

or

Gardner Bay, located on the eastern shore of Espanola Island, has a seemingly endless stretch of white sandy beach that is home to large colonies of sea lions. This is a great place to swim, snorkel or kayak. (B).
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Darwin_Center_Bird_Ecuador
Day
7

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno or Morning at leisure, Quito

Cap off the final day in the islands at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the fishing town on the southwestern coast of San Cristobal, to see the lava fields and desert plants. (A) or spend the morning at leisure (B).

In the afternoon you will transfer to the airport for the return flight to Quito. Upon arrival, be greeted for airport reception and transferred to the hotel.

Cap off the final day in the islands at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the fishing town on the southwestern coast of San Cristobal, to see the lava fields and desert plants. (A) or spend the morning at leisure (B).

In the afternoon you will transfer to the airport for the return flight to Quito. Upon arrival, be greeted for airport reception and transferred to the hotel.

Quito-Panoramic-View-Ecuador
Day
8

Quito - Home

Today, transfer to the airport to take the international flight back home.

Today, transfer to the airport to take the international flight back home.

Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

Places You'll See

  • Quito-Ecuador-Hillside

    Quito

    The magnificent city of Quito is bursting with cultural, historical, and artistic character. Along with its scenic parks such as Parque La Carolina, visit its enchanting museums like the Museo del Banco Central. Take a trip to the Mitad del Mundo, or the “Middle of the World”, where the first measurements to prove the earth was round, were taken.

  • Galapagos

    Become enchanted by the unique and seemingly intrepid wildlife native to the Galapagos Islands. Dive in with the underwater life, or stay above water enjoying the other several water sports. For a dryer experience, relax on the sandy beaches soaking up the sun. Spend time with Giant Tortoises at the Charles Darwin Research Center.

Hotel Options

Featured Accommodation

Santa Cruz Premium Cruise Ship

Conceived for operations in remote areas, this state-of-the-art expedition vessel, Santa Cruz II, evinces the perfect infrastructure for Galápagos exploration. Carrying its crew’s heritage of decades of experience working in the islands and just over 70 meters long, the generous, five-deck craft holds 50 cabins for 90 guests and features ample, luxury-sized social areas indoors and out that allow guests to make the most of their Galápagos cruise experience.

Galapagos ,

4 Star Properties

Quito : La Casona de la Ronda

Quito : Hotel Carlota Quito

5 Star Properties

Quito : Hotel Mama Cuchara

Quito : Illa Experience Hotel

Luxury Properties

Quito : Casa Gangotena

Testimonials

Linda

Traveled May, 2014

Yampu Tours planned an amazing trip for our inaugural South America experience

Yampu Tours planned an amazing trip for our inaugural south-america experience. We wanted to cover 6 countries in one month so it would have been a nightmare if we had to plan it ourselves from Asia. Karolina from Yampu put together a great itinerary and gave great advice. She was also extremely patient when we wanted to change things around. All the planning happened over email super efficient. We were very pleased with the accommodation choices, activities planned and the quality of the local tour guides. Thanks again!

Repeat Client

Traveled November, 2012

We know who we will call when we are ready to go again

Our first trip with Yampu Tours was in 2003 when it was Kon-Tiki Tours and Travel. We contacted Jose Irauzqui and his team to create a special trip for us to Chile. (We travel by ourselves on a customized tour with a driver and an English speaking guide). We told Jose what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go, our time limits and anything else he needed to know and he and his staff went from there creating a wonderful trip with lots of memories for us. We were so impressed by the service we got that when we were ready to return to south-america to visit Peru in 2006, we immediately contacted Jose, who again came through for us. Most of our trips are ecological in nature. My daughter is an exotic animal veterinarian and we travel to see animals in the wild. All of our trips through Yampu have comprised an ecological component, which we have built our vacations around. Many of the ecological lodges we stayed in were small in size, so we start making our plans at the beginning of the year for a trip in the fall because of availability. We traveled with Yampu to southern Brazil in 2004, Peru in 2006, Argentina in 2007 and again to Peru in 2012. Some parts of our trips were done with groups, but on the most part, we had private customized tours. Yampu has a terrific network system of tour providers in all these countries and through five trips we have only had one complaint, which Yampu took care of when we returned. The problem was with a tour guide and therefore was beyond Yampu’s control until we got back as we did not complain at the time to the local agency. Next time we will handle it locally as Yampu provides you with a list of people to contact along the way. The number of fabulous, well-informed tour guides far outweighed that one incident. The above trips are just the ones my husband and I have gone on with our daughter through Yampu. My daughter has used Yampu for many trips throughout Central and south-america with her friends. We just returned from our second trip to Peru in November and she is off to Ecuador in January. We still have places in south-america we wish to visit, it is a big continent and very diverse. We know who we will call when we are ready to go again. We were very fortunate to find Yampu. And now Yampu has expanded to other parts of the world!

Domit from Australia

Traveled May, 2010

The trip was fantastic

I hope this email finds you happy and well. I am so sorry, I have been meaning to call you for so long to give you feedback on the trip to Central and south-america late last year, but as John Lennon once said Life’s what happens while you’re busy making other plans. My heartfelt apologies. Overall, due to your wonderful expertise, the trip was fantastic. Thanks for your troubles, and needless to say, we’ll be in touch when we’re ready to hit Latin America again.

Traveled To


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