Sailing through the Galápagos Archipelago has long been on bucket lists of intrepid scuba divers, backpackers and luxury travelers alike. You won’t find any place better known for its commitment to conservation of its endemic species than the Galápagos; and there’s no better way to experience this than on the luxurious yachts of Eco Ventura; The ORIGIN or THEORY.
If you mix a healthy serving of delectable gourmet cuisine, exquisite vistas, wildlife you won’t experience elsewhere, thoughtful hospitality with storytelling from experienced and passionate naturalists with a topping of luxurious amenities equipping the intimate 20-person yachts; the outcome is the Galápagos Islands Experience of either Itinerary A or B (or both) aboard MV Theory or MV Origin and an indelible experience of a lifetime.
Cruises begin on Sundays and it’s best to get to Guayaquil or Quito by Friday to avoid missing the regional connection on Avianca Air which will drop you into San Cristóbal Island. Be prepared for rigorous screening of yourself and your luggage at the airport as they ensure that you are not accidentally or intentionally carrying in any plants or animal matter that might impact the natural balance of their endemic wildlife they so carefully maintain in the islands.
Itinerary A (Southern/Central Route)
Sunday – San Cristobal/ Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
Zodiac/Panga boats take you to and from the yacht 
Embark/Disembark protocol
A short bus ride from the airport in San Cristóbal brings you to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno where you’ll be met by cruise staff to take you on a Zodiac boat (panga to the natives…and to you by the end of Day 1) complete with its own safety protocol. You are provided with a lifejacket and shown the way you are expected to embark and disembark the pangas. Think a warm familial forearm grasp of your right arm to the crew on shore and left hand given to the panga driver waiting to assist you onto the gently rocking boat. What immediately strikes you is how unconcerned the Galápagos sea lions are about humans. They are completely undisturbed by our presence. You are required to maintain a 6ft distance between any wildlife and yourself at any given time but you’ll soon realize that you could get a lot closer and they wouldn’t blink an eyelid.
Welcome Aboard
The first sight of your boat includes the Captain of the yacht waiting to greet you. And no, this is not just because you are just arriving. Expect this minimum three-person greeting for every embarkation and disembarkation for the duration of the trip; multiple times a day. Once you’re on board, you’ll be assigned to your cabin; your luggage will make its way later. A few minutes to freshen up, and you’re expected to be on the lounge deck for a buffet lunch and a safety briefing prior to the first excursion of the trip.
A Tour of Your Home for the Week
The staterooms are small but well appointed and have attached bathrooms. Each stateroom has a Nespresso espresso maker, a kettle for hot water and an assortment of teas and dry snacks. The bathrooms are equipped with toilets and walk-in showers complete with biodegradable shower gel, lotion, body wash, shampoo and conditioner. Luxurious bathrobes and bathroom slippers are also provided. The floor to ceiling windows are spotless, and each stateroom is equipped with two reusable metal canteen water bottles. These do not keep water cold, so we strongly suggest you fill it with ice and then just fill in the spaces with whatever little water will fit to ensure you’re not drinking tepid water by midmorning while on an excursion.
Soft music pipes through the cabins and common areas thanks to the ship speaker system which provides the opportunity for important announcements to be easily made to all no matter where on board you are.
WiFi is relegated to only one user per cabin; video streaming is near impossible. Sorry – no real time IGTV or FB lives.
Three Decks
The cabins are on the lowest deck – just above sea level.
The deck above that is the lounge deck which serves as the main dining room and living room. Here’s where you can have endless coffee or chocolate or have custom cocktails shaken, blended or stirred; it is where you’ll gather for briefings as well.
The top deck is thoughtfully covered with a large canopy complete with jacuzzi hot tub, outdoor shower, bathroom as well as wet bar. Comfortable lounge furniture makes this the perfect place to spend happy hour.
Safety briefings include an itinerary overview for the rest of the week. Mealtimes, snack times, cocktail hour and excursion plans are all laid out along with a sound suggestion by the naturalists to take pictures of the itinerary for the day. This will assist in sorting and determining which pictures on your camera or smart phone belong to which island. After a few days they will all blend together without this simple categorization.
Lunch will be a showcase of native cuisine with an assortment of salads and always a delectable dessert that you must save room for!
The dining area includes a full bar with a Nespresso coffee maker; well appointed selection of coffee and espresso pods, a wide assortment of teas and an endless supply of hot water, snacks as well as Ecuadorian chocolate bars available anytime a craving hits.
The staff make it their business to know your needs. By the end of Day 2, you’ll find they have mostly learned your likes/dislikes.
El Junco
After lunch and an opportunity to refresh, fill up your water bottle, grab a sun hat and slather on the sunblock. You are boarding the panga to go back to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Here you’ll take a bus for your first land excursion of the week; a trip to El Junco. At the parking lot of El Junco, you will make your way about 700m to the top along a well laid path. El Junco is a volcanic crater lake, and is the only freshwater lake in the Galápagos Islands. It gets its name from the endemic plants that grow around the lake. The most extraordinary thing about this lake is not that it is nearly 2,200 feet above sea level, but that it is over 35,000 years old, surviving the last ice age.
Enjoy the view of great Frigate birds diving down to take sips of water and skimming the water’s surface with their bellies.
The Galápagos National Park requires all tourists to always be in the presence of a guide; meaning you can never go off by yourself once you’re on an expedition to the island of the day. EcoVentura’s small yacht sizes mean they always maintain a maximum of a 10 to 1 ratio of guests to guides. These guides are passionate about the islands and have not just a wealth of knowledge but often an excellent sense of humor. Usually the guides live in the neighboring cities; however occasionally you’ll get a guide who is actually from the Galápagos Islands.
Back on Board
After an opportunity to freshen up and change clothes, your concierge’s voice over the speaker will be inviting you to attend the briefing on the lounge deck. Here you’ll review the following day’s plans, followed by an invitation to go to the top deck for cocktails and appetizers.
A gourmet four course meal complete with wine or cocktails of your choice will follow thereafter; so be sure not to fill up on the delicious hors d’oeuvres.
Monday – Cerro Brujo and Punta Pitt
Cerro Brujo (translation Wizard Hill) is located on the north side of the island of San Cristóbal and requires a wet landing. This means jumping out of the zodiac (panga) boat into anywhere from knee to ankle deep water. The water and beach is ideal for swimming so be sure to pack a swimsuit, sunblock, towel and bug repellent. Consider investing in a small wet bag to protect your camera and smartphone to avoid them getting wet during the numerous wet landings you will do on this trip. Sturdy wet shoes are recommended because you will find yourself clambering over a few rocks that are not pleasant underfoot. For the rest of it, you could likely go barefoot on the white powder beach. The lagoon is home to many a heron and egret and you can expect to see a sea lion or two sunbathing in the shallow waters. Sally Lightfoot crabs (bright orange) can be seen scuttling in and out of the sand.
Likely here is where you’ll get your first sighting of the fabled marine iguanas endemic to the islands of the Galápagos and the only reptile known to feed underwater. Although they feed underwater, they are mainly terrestrial. They may look fierce but they are gentle herbivorous creatures whose main diet consists of seaweed and algae.
It is really important to stay on the path identified by your naturalists because at any point you could otherwise upset the natural habitat or inadvertently disrupting a nest of the endemic creatures of the islands.
After about an hour of leisurely strolling at your own pace with a serene sense that you and your fellow visitors are the only people who exist in this portion of the world, you’re back on board. You are left to your own devices for a couple of hours after lunch and a briefing, before heading out for deep water snorkeling.
The wildlife in the Galápagos Islands have not been exposed to inadvertent danger by humans due to the extraordinary efforts of Parque Nacional Galápagos. As a result it is not uncommon for sea lions to get really up close to snorkelers and divers. Your job is to try and maintain 6ft of distance between yourself and the wildlife at all times, but if circumstances make that challenging, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find yourself within an arm’s reach of a sea turtle or sea lion, or even a blue-footed booby.
For the afternoon excursions, you’ll have a choice. If you’re feeling athletic, you can do a hike up the volcanic terrain of Punta Pitt which is the only place you’ll get to see all three species of boobies; red-footed, blue-footed and nazca boobies along with frigate birds. If you’d rather not exert, you can opt for a panga ride of the area to see sea lions and the blue-footed boobies from the comfort of the zodiac.
Punta Pitt is located on the northeastern corner of San Cristóbal Island. The mile long hike takes you through some natural vista points ideal for photography. Expect to see plenty of blue-footed boobies along the way; You might see a male trying to woo a female with its very funny mating dance. Better yet you could be treated to a sighting of a very fluffy, rather big baby booby.
Back on board expect to hear a call for hors d’oeuvres and cocktails on the sun deck. Be mindful not to fill up because your exquisitely prepared multi-course dinner will be ready for you in little over an hour. If you’re not wiped out from the activities of the day, consider lounging on the sun deck and take in the magnificent star-filled skies and allow yourself to be lulled into a sense of wonder as your yacht heaves anchor and sets sail for Española Island.
Tuesday – Española Island
One of the most magical things about this trip is waking up to sights of different islands each morning. Today you’re heading out to Punta Suarez which is on the western point of the island of Española. Sturdy hiking shoes are recommended as the hike requires you to occasionally step on some rather sharp or unstable lava rocks. After alighting from the panga, you might need to navigate your way through a welcome party of sea lions. A two-mile trail over fairly arid and often unstable terrain takes you past hosts of marine iguanas sunbathing like they own the island (they do!). Along the way you can see colonies of blue-footed and Nazca boobies and ultimately you’ll end up at a plateau with extraordinary views of a blowhole known as ‘El Soplador’ that sprays water 75 feet into the air.
Once you’re back on board consider jumping into the azure blue ocean right off the stern of the boat to cool off.
After a delectable lunch, it’s time again for some deep water snorkeling off Gardner’s Islet. You might find yourself swaying as if in a gentle breeze alongside giant sea turtles.
The evening excursion will take you via panga to Gardner Bay; a powder-soft white sand beach. Walk along the beach or lay out on a towel and soak in the serenity of the islands along with the occasional bark of a sea lion.
Wednesday – Floreana Island
Today’s morning excursion starts with a wet landing at Punta Cormorant where you’ll be welcomed by the sounds of sea lions. You’ll make your way to a viewing deck before a large lagoon which is home to Bahama ducks, Galápagos flycatchers and bright pink flamingos. You might see a flamboyance of flamingos majestically walking just past the deck within what feels like touching distance. The trail will take you to a beach where you’ll find sea turtle nests dotted all across the dunes with trails leading to the ocean. Here right at the edge of the sand, you’ll find stingrays swimming in what is barely ankle deep water.
Don’t miss out the opportunity to snorkel at Champion Islet where you’ll see schools of colorful fish and coral, white-tipped sharks, sea stars and spotted rays and of course sea turtles.
The evening excursion includes a unique Galápagos Islands tradition dating back to the 18th century. Post Office Bay is the site where English whaling vessels created a little post barrel. The night before, you’ll be given a blank postcard that you are requested to write either yourself or your loved ones. You’ll then deposit this postcard in the barrel at Post Office Bay, while perusing the hundreds of postcards left by other travelers. If you find one within a personal delivery distance of your home, consider taking it to deliver once you return. Your postcard will be similarly delivered to you one day. It could be weeks, months or even years.
Thursday – Santa Cruz Island
Today’s views will be significantly different. Rather than the pristine isolated islands that you’ve been accustomed to seeing for the past many days, today you’ll see Puerto Ayora, a bustling port on the island of Santa Cruz, home to around 24,000 people. A bus will transport you into the highlands to a private ranch where you can see giant tortoises roaming free; grazing, ambling, swimming or even mating. Its advisable to use the rain boots that they provide you, because the terrain is muddy.
The next stop are the lava tunnels ‘Los Gemelos’ or ‘The Twins.’ These tunnels are really massive craters that were formed as a result of volcanic eruptions dating back thousands of years where eruptions occurred under the surface of the earth. Even though the outer crust hardened, the magma continued to flow within carving out miles of tunnels and caves under the surface of the earth. Los Gemelos has been made safe for tourists with lights and a handrail that takes you below the earth’s surface, but the floor is slippery so exercise caution.
Another highlight of Santa Cruz Island is the Charles Darwin Research Station where you can visit the exhibit of Lonesome George. This pays homage to a tortoise that was the last of his species from Pinta Island. Here you will find tortoises in all stages of evolution from tiny to nearly full grown. Once they are able to live independently, they are released back onto the islands.
Be sure to take some time to walk down art alley for some exquisite street art or do some souvenir or gift shopping at the local stores. Don’t be surprised if you see a sea lion or two catching a nap on a bench.
Friday – Bachas and Bartolome
A wet landing will land you on Playa las Bachas (Spanish for barges) on the northern side of Santa Cruz island. It gets its name from the remnants of two American army barges which were discarded on the beach during World War II. This is one of the few opportunities for a beach snorkel where you can see schools of colorful fish, and if you’re lucky a marine iguana or two diving for its supper. Bachas beach has a host of turtle nests as well as trails running from the ocean to the dunes. Watch out for marine iguanas.
Once you’re back on board, the yacht sets sail to Bartolomé Island which offers a strenuous hike up about 400 wooden steps among very arid terrain. Be sure to slather on the sunblock and pack a bottle of water and a sun hat. Stay the course and you’ll be rewarded with panoramic views of Pinnacle Rock and the rest of Bartolomé Island. You’ll get the opportunity to snorkeling off this island which will afford you the chance to swim with Galápagos Penguins, white tipped reef sharks and schools of tropical fish if you’re lucky.
For your last day of excursions, the crew has saved the best for last. You’ll find that onboard the EcoVentura yachts, the level of gastronomic excellence builds like a crescendo from the first day till the last.
During the course of the week, weather permitting you’ll find yourself on the top deck for a build-your-own-omelet for breakfast or a custom pasta meal for lunch. Due to the intimate nature of the yacht, every family is invited to dine with the Captain. It’s quite a thrill to receive an invitation to dine at the Captain’s table.
Saturday – South Plaza and North Seymour
On the final day of excursions, you’ll hit up South Plaza Island which is home to land iguanas, prickly pear cactus, swallow-tailed gulls, ground finches and bachelor sea lions. The dominant sea lion bulls retreat to the cliffs of South Plaza to recover from battles for beach territory. Used to seeing sea lions lounging at or near the beach, finding them above sea level on what appear to be precipices and cliff faces is an odd sight, one that you will not get to experience elsewhere.
North Seymour Island is home to two types of Galápagos Islands Frigate birds; Great and Magnificent which are differentiated by their tremendous wingspan and the color of their feathers. The great frigate bird has a green sheen on its feathers while the magnificent frigate bird has a purple iridescence. It is quite a spectacular site during mating season to see dozens of them in trees with their valentine-red heart shaped sacs inflated like a balloon as a sign that they seek mates. Sea lions, blue-footed boobies and land iguanas dot the landscape on this island.
The lack of fear that the Galápagos Islands creatures feel is a testimony to the work done by the Parque Nacional Galápagos. In preserving the natural habitat, curtailing tourism and choosing conservation over profit they have managed to retain the natural curiosity of these animals and birds. After all where else in the world can you get within inches of a blue-footed booby, a marine iguana or even a sea lion without them scurrying away? The naturalists that lead the excursions have a passion for conservation and education and take pride in their work. Maintaining strict discipline around what you could bring onto the islands (no snacks are allowed and only reusable water bottles are permitted) has paid off as the islands are as pristine as the day that Charles Darwin first landed here.
There’s no better way to experience the Galápagos Islands than on an EcoVentura yacht. The level of luxury, commitment to service and professionalism makes for a wonderful experience. Hospitality is not just a buzzword on board an EcoVentura yacht, it is their raison d’être.
