Galapagos Islands information

Galapagos cruises on board a small yacht allow for the closest wildlife encounters and private high end service. We consider a live-aboard cruise the best way to experience the remote & exotic natural paradise the Galapagos Islands are.

Explore the pages of this section in our site to get background information on the Islands, their formation, geology, terrestrial animals, plantlife, nature & human history. In other words a virtual tour of the archipelago above land.

You will benefit from our 20 years experience organizing cruises in the archipelago. By reading this section you will now what to expect on a visit to the Galapagos Islands.

Overview 

Set along the equator line, some 600 miles (1000 km.) off the South American coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean, is the crown jewel of wilderness sanctuaries.  The Galapagos Islands live up to their name as a haven remote and isolated, removed from usual concerns. The weather is almost always sunny, and the soft breeze from the ocean soothes the body creating a comfortable temperature to chill out.  The sea is turquoise blue and ever inviting, it blends in with the long sand beaches of crystal white, pink, volcanic black and olive green.  There are clearwater coves and lagoons of fresh and salt water surrounded by mangroves.

What truly draws nature travellers and scientists to archipelago is the unique and fearless wildlife, close up encounters with animals found nowhere else on earth.  The islands literally team with strange creatures full of character that have never learned to fear man. The fearless animals allow people to come up close almost nose-to-nose creating life enriching experiences including snorkeling with playful sea lions, looking for giant tortoises and scrambling amongst armies of marine iguanas. Carefull as you walk the trail a blue footed booby might have nested right on the walking path, or be ready for the opportunity to observe a Frigate bird inflate its red pouch just a few steps away, as an albatross takes the runway and runs off a cliff on a journey around the world only to return to its nesting site.

The Galapagos is made up of 13 major islands each the peak of an underwater volcano, 17 smaller islands and more than 40 rocks the Galapagos National Park preserves this unique environment.  The Galapagos archipelago extends itself 3100 square miles, which is comprised by 90% of the land surface and the entire marine area within the region.  Through this sheltered sanctuary of species in constant evolution there are 54 visitor sites.  The National Park Service selects these ports of call for shore excursions after an extensive study in order to minimize the effect of tourism in the islands while creating a well paced itinerary full of amazing experiences.

There are many visitor sites close a-like, yet each trail is special and some are very unique. Making the most of your Galapagos Cruise includes selecting a boat with an itinerary that includes a good cross section of sites. We include comprehensive descriptions of each site so you can plan your route based on true expectations.

The Galapagos ocean is usually very calm all year round, cruises on a smaller yacht are ideal and often the only way to see the most the islands have to offer.

Read on and get to know a little or a lot about the Islands before you go.