Galapagos Cruises 2024 & 2025

Accommodations Review

The ship was perfect, very comfortable. We were able to use the many common areas without overcrowding and even sometimes some privacy! That was amazing.

Meals Review

The food was delicious and there was lots of variety. So much food though...it was a little intimidating, but this isn't a complaint. We just aren't used to that volume.

Itinerary Review

The absolute best experiences were viewing the landscapes and the wildlife on the island or on the water from panga boats or IN the water snorkeling. The science talks were excellent and the naturalists were stellar. The trip to the market and to Cotopaxi with our guide Fatima (Metropolitan Tours) was excellent. Lunch at the Hacienda at San Agustin del Callo was delicious, and included a surprise...feeding carrots to llamas who were herded into the courtyard at the end of lunch.

Traveler Advice

Make sure your mobility and motivation, both on and off the ship matches the activities and itinerary. The staff helped everyone with mobility issues and provided alternate activities for non-walkers and non-swimmers, but the stairs on the ship are steep and multi-floor navigation is an hourly experience.

Crew & Guides Review

ALL of the staff was excellent. Estaban, the Expedition Leader provided pleasant and consistent briefings and clear instructions. He was insightful, thoughtful, helpful and present. He definitely set the tone for his staff and all activities, and the timing ran like a Swiss watch. The naturalists were all exceptional: Erika, Carmalita, Gustave, Jonathan, Alex and all of the others. Lionel (cinco veces!), Eduardo, Michael and the others demonstrated expert skill and confidence in maneuvering the panga boats so we could see the sites. These folks should not be underestimated. They know what they are doing and they are a key ingredient in the experience. Chef, sous chef cooks and servers made meals a real pleasure with good humor and expert skill. Special shout out to our server, Javier with generous patience as I practiced my Spanish. The ship crew was both present and invisible, seamlessly making the voyage and housekeeping changeovers happen. We were fortunate enough to have a very pleasant and memorable conversation about politics in Canada and Ecuador with the Ship Purser and the Hotel Manager (the gentlemen on the Santa Cruz II video) on our last evening. It was so kind of them to share their thoughts with us.

Fellow Passengers Review

Our fellow travelers were respectful, enthusiastic, cooperative and very positive about sharing their experiences seeing the creatures in the wild. We are a quiet couple, so sometimes the inner monologue voiced out loud by some of the patrons could be a bit much. We recognize that not everyone can handle silence in nature, unfortunately, so we just tried to remember that they were excited about their trip.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

The timely communication was key :) This was our first cruise and our first experience with far flung travel to South America. Everything that needed to happen--happened. Thank you!

Accommodations Review

The staff at the Finch Bay Hotel were professional and friendly, and it was an idyllic place to stay!

Crew & Guides Review

Fabian was fabulous:  well-informed, enthusiastic and humorous. We both enjoyed his company!

Fellow Passengers Review

Everyone on the trips were pleasant and good company.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

We appreciated the regular communication and advice. Your checklist really helped us be ready for all activities. I have already recommended you to an old friend who enjoyed our photos, videos & posts

Traveler Advice

Read some of the books your team recommends:  I found this very helpful.

Accommodations Review

The cabin and staff were great.

Meals Review

The chef was so passionate about the food and introducing us to Ecuadorian cuisine. Some of the set menu choices were limited but I expected that. Quality was generally very high.

Itinerary Review

We'd never been to South America and had to cross it of our list. We were torn between doing a week in Ecuador or including a trip to Machu Picchu, but after discussing it with Lauren, we believe we made the better choice, as we got to relax and explore Ecuador. [We most enjoyed]...Galapagos wildlife, birds and fauna. Experiencing the variety of birds, fish and animals in their natural surroundings. Horseback riding around Cotopaxi and seeing the volcano from different angles, as well as deer and horses.

Transportation Review

All the arrangements went off without a hitch.

Crew & Guides Review

Both the Galapagos guide, Daniel Sanchez and the land trip guide, Paola were excellent. Besides being very knowledgeable, they listened well and were always willing to accommodate and add to the experience.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Lauren was fantastic. She was always prepared to research ideas with her associates and offer suggestions. She set expectations high and exceeded them. I was blown away by her professionalism. Would absolutely recommend AdventureSmith to friends and family! We don't often use travel agents (and have not had consistently good experiences). I am glad I came across your company. You delivered.

Traveler Advice

Keep an open mind and enjoy the experience.

Accommodations Review

The room and overall experience was excellent.

Meals Review

Everything was perfect!

Itinerary Review

All of it, the Galapagos 8-day trip was to die for. I can't say we didn't enjoy it, but after the Galapagos, the Amazon rainforest was just too hot and wet, but hey, that's what we signed up for and I'm glad we had the experience.

Crew & Guides Review

Enthusiasm is the one word I would use to describe our guide. He went above and beyond to make sure we saw as much as possible and that we enjoyed the trip as much as possible.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Lauren was thorough, accommodating, and booked exactly what we wanted.

Traveler Advice Explorations Review

Sleep before and after, don't miss a thing!

Accommodations Review

Beautiful vessel, comfortable cabins, and a top deck that was the best outdoor gathering place we've ever experienced. Even the area where we off-boarded and on-boarded the pangas was designed for smooth access to equipment and for entry and exit.

Meals Review

Especially liked the breakfast and lunch being served as a buffet. Lots of options and opportunity to try new dishes.

Itinerary Review

Our whole family, especially the adults, weighs in on destinations for family trips. Our previous trip, a luxury African safari, set the bar high. Galapagos was an easy decision.[We most enjoyed]...snorkeling with the sea turtles, sea lions and fish probably took first place for everyone. Each animal, especially the first sightings of everything was always awesome, and our naturalists had so much information to enhance each encounter. On board the Theory the teenagers gave the hot tub high marks.

Traveler Advice

GO! This is a trip I would recommend with children/youth old enough to absorb the unique environment, and ecological learning of a truly one-of-a kind place.

Crew & Guides Review

Superlative, since excellent doesn't describe Gustavo and Jose Luis. Gustavo was the "fun dad" for our teenagers, creating special moments, photos and experiences (liking jumping off the top deck of the ship!) We had a 16 yr old grandson who had a fear of open waters and had never snorkeled--our guides successfully took on the challenge, and he snorkeled twice! Both Gustavo and Jose Luis were the most knowledgeable guides we've experienced.

Fellow Passengers Review

Delightful. Our cruise consisted of our party of 11 and a four-person family that was a perfect match. They had two teenagers whose ages fit right in with ours, and soon our families were blended. I think all parties would agree that our trip was enhanced for the adults and teens by the presence of our travel partners.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Well done! With special thanks and commendations to Andrew for all his help in shaping a perfect trip for our family. He was exceptional. We have had a very long experience together, with a delayed trip tangentially related to COVID that he helped us through, and he was with us start to finish. He has probably logged more than 50 email queries from me over planning this cruise (and adding an Amazon extension) and unfailingly responded often within the day, and always within 24 hours. Great advice about which company to book for the Amazon portion, and even provided counsel about logistics of our pre-cruise time in Quito.

Accommodations Review

Our room on Natural Paradise was much more spacious than I anticipated with a nice balcony for watching sunrise/sunsets. Nice too to have the option of drying wet clothing outside.

Meals Review

Unbelievable options for food every night, and always a meal unlike a previous one. I was surprised that there were always healthy options. The chef was most accommodating to anyone with food restrictions. I had wine with every meal. Our bartender, Jorge, was great. Snacks in between outings were also wonderful.

Itinerary Review

Espańola was my favorite of the islands that we visited, as was my expectation leading up to the cruise. We were there in the wrong season to see the waved albatross, but still, it was a fascinating place. Easy hiking, mostly flat, and abundant wildlife. We saw nesting Nazca boobies with chicks, many sea lions, Christmas marine iguanas, spectacular vistas of bird covered cliffs, tropic birds in flight, amazing schools of fish, sea turtles, and occasional shark when snorkeling in the warm February sea, no wet suit necessary.

Least interesting to me were the two inhabited towns that we visited, Puero Villamil on Isabela, and Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal, although, even these were pretty cool island towns. Great group of travelers on our cruise. Friendly bunch, many laughs, and good company on a small boat cruise.

Crew & Guides Review

Wow, our naturalist guide on board (Marcus) was so nice, and he provided great detail on what to expect on our excursions. His knowledge of the animals and plants was amazing. He was easy to talk to and enthusiastically answered any questions from the guests. The crew of the Natural Paradise were so very helpful and extremely friendly. I was so impressed that our cruise director, Jorge, was fluent in Chinese. Fantastic guide and great group of fellow travelers.

Transportation Review

Our internal transport from mainland Ecuador to the Galápagos Islands was smooth and nothing unexpected happened. We had been well informed as to making connections with guides and when to be where and ready.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

We felt very reassured that we were going to have a great trip and thanks to Lauren, we were confident that we were adequately prepared for this adventure.

Traveler Advice

Relax, this is a very comfortable cruise and you will be so glad that you did it.