La Pinta offers a sophisticated, upscale travel experience for 48 guests in 24 cabins that combines modern design, spacious rooms and gourmet cuisine, with top adventure. The ship offers a wide variety of aquatic activities including snorkeling, kayaking and rides in a glass-bottom boat. She’s a distillation of the wish lists generated by captains, expedition leaders, hotel managers and guests over many years.
Choose La Pinta because she has some of the largest cabins offered in the Galapagos. She is an ideal yacht for Galapagos family cruises, with interconnecting cabins available, fantastic activities and engaging natural history guides. A gorgeous 209-foot expedition yacht, La Pinta offers a relaxed yet lavish expedition atmosphere, with plush cabins, large view windows, the highest standards of service, the very best international cuisine and celebrated Ecuadorian dishes.
AdventureSmith Explorations’ La Pinta review includes a detailed description of the small ship including deck plans and a photo gallery. Our Galapagos experts have been aboard La Pinta firsthand. Please read our La Pinta review below then contact our experts to compare La Pinta with other Galapagos cruise ships, yachts and catamarans offering Galapagos cruises.
The La Pinta has been awarded a SmartVoyager accreditation due to her sound environmental, social and safety practices. This certification is awarded by the Rainforest Alliance, along with its Ecuador-based partner group Conservación y Desarrollo (C&D), to tour operators in the Galapagos Islands who meet a set of strict conservation standards. The goal of SmartVoyager members is to continually search for the best environmental practices available; permanently train staff on how sustainability works; and to continue to emphasize the importance of environment and wildlife conservation, natural resources management, and the well-being of workers and local communities.
La Pinta is equipped with 8 complimentary double kayaks, snorkel gear, a glass-bottom boat and wetsuits for guests’ enjoyment. She boasts an indoor gym, doctor’s office, boutique, laundry area, hot tub, outside sky bar and complimentary internet and WiFi (though connections are intermittent and low-bandwidth). Panoramic windows and outside decks ensure the greatest intake of the Galapagos Islands while relaxing in cabins, the sundeck, lounge or library.
A gastronomy director ensures meals are a delightful arrangement of the best international cuisine and traditional Ecuadorian dishes. Breakfast and dinner are offered in the dining room on the Main Deck at intimate tables with plush seating. Lunch is served at the Outside Sky Bar and drinks are readily available at the Outside Sky Bar and Observation Lounge & Bar.
Daily activity options include snorkeling, sea kayaking, riding in pangas, hiking, swimming and observing the ocean via a glass-bottom boat. Wetsuit rentals are included with La Pinta cruises. The convenient aft platform makes accessing the islands seamless, as does the ability to board La Pinta at sea level. Glass-bottom boats are thoughtfully designed to enhance guest experiences with shaded hand rails and a shaded canopy. A hot tub, wellness area and onboard medical officer ensure true ease of mind. A medical officer is permanently on board and available 24/7.
La Pinta is considered the ideal yacht for families traveling together, with many connecting cabins. A special feature La Pinta offers for its young travelers is a program called Young Pirates, where kids can enjoy specially designed menus, earlier dinner hours, recreational material and a Galapagos booklet full of fun and trivia.
La Pinta boasts some of the largest cabins in Galapagos expedition vessels, with nearly floor-to-ceiling windows, relaxing chairs and private bathrooms. There are 20 Luxury Cabins and 4 Luxury Plus Cabins located on the Cabin Deck. All cabins have beds that can be configured as two twins or joined as matrimonial beds according to guests’ needs (with the exception of cabin 312 which is only available with a matrimonial bed). A total of 4 cabins can be interconnected for friends or families traveling together. Bedding is fine cotton, down duvets and soft pillows. Every cabin has air conditioning, a universal docking station and in-room safe deposit box. Bathrooms have all the amenities, hair dryer and plenty of plush towels.
Cruise the Galapagos Islands aboard the 40-passenger Yacht Isabela II, one of the most upscale motor yachts in the Galapagos Islands. The yacht Isabela II offers an elegant yet relaxed atmosphere for experiencing the full adventure of the Galapagos Islands.
Isabela II offers the efficiency and intimacy of a smaller yacht yet retains the amenities of a small ship cruise. She is the perfect size for travelers seeking the ultimate in comfort and adventure, and offers family cabins that make her a great option for Galapagos family cruises. Three expert naturalists lead daily hikes and snorkeling, to point out finches, boobies, sea lions, tortoise and more incredible Galapagos wildlife. On board the Yacht Isabela II expect excellent service, comfortable cabins, fine dining, sundeck bar, hot tub, snorkeling and a glass-bottom boat.
Isabela II operates three Galapagos cruise itineraries (one 7-day cruise and two 5-day cruises), which can be combined in various ways to create longer 9-, 11- or 15-day cruises. View the Itinerary for more details, and contact our Galapagos small ship cruise experts for the inside scoop on which route is best for you. AdventureSmith Explorations’ award-winning crew has personal experience sailing in the Galapagos Islands and can recommend the best options to suit your travel interests and timeline.
Highlights of the 7-day Isabela II Central Galapagos Itinerary include San Cristobal Island’s colossal giant tortoises at Cerro Colorado and a bevy of different booby species at Punta Pitt; Espanola Island’s magnificent views and wildlife from mockingbirds to colorful marine iguanas; Floreana Island’s historic Post Office Bay and green beach of Cormorant Point; Isabela Island’s young lava formations at Punta Moreno; Fernandina Island’s fascinating mangroves; and North Seymour Island’s beauty.
Highlights of the 5-day Isabela II Northern Galapagos Itinerary include Santa Cruz Island’s Highlands; Santiago Island’s sleepy fur seals and marine iguanas; the sandy beach of Chinese Hat; “Bird Island,” Genovesa’s remote colonies of nesting birds, including the rare red-footed booby; and Santa Fe’s Galapagos hawk, sea lions, rays, and sharks.
Highlights of the 5-day Isabela II Western Galapagos Itinerary include exploring Santa Cruz Island’s lush vegetation of the Highlands, world-famous Charles Darwin Research Station and Dragon Hill’s dusty-yellow land iguanas; Bartolome Island’s panoramic views and Sullivan Bay’s white coral sand beach and dramatic lava field; Isabela Island’s wildlife at Punta Vicente Roca; and Fernandina Island’s pristine environment, where life has evolved in its natural state.
Read on for details about this trip, or learn more about AdventureSmith’s Galapagos cruises and Galapagos trips.
The Isabela II offers the amenities of a large ship with the intimacy of a 40-guest small yacht, a unique size for a Galapagos vessel. With an elegant yet relaxed atmosphere she cruises the Galapagos Islands efficiently, allowing guests to enjoy their adventure fully and in style.
Choose the Isabela II for her experienced staff, delicious cuisine and expert naturalist guides. Her comfortable cabins include family options, making her a great option for Galapagos family cruises. Add to the experience fine dining, a sundeck bar, a hot tub and a glass-bottom boat for an intimate and exploratory Galapagos adventure. Renowned Ecuadorian designer Diego Arteta, who decorated Casa Gangotena and Mashpi Lodge, refreshed her interior with new fabrics throughout the bar, lounge and dining room, new carpet, a resized business center with a desk and two shared computers and enhanced lighting.
AdventureSmith Explorations’ Isabela II review includes a detailed description of the small yacht including deck plans and a photo gallery. Our small ship cruise experts have been aboard nearly every first-class Galapagos cruise ship. Please read our Isabela II review below then contact our experts to compare the Isabela II with other small cruise ships, yachts and catamarans offering Galapagos cruises.
The yacht Isabela II is fully air conditioned and has three public decks, including the Boat Deck, Cabin Deck and Main Deck. After a fun-filled excursion, relax in the bar, sunbathe on the sundeck, borrow a book from the Natural History Library, use Wifi at the reception area, converse in the lounge and take advantage of the 24-hour snack station with snacks, coffee and tea. The updated gift shop offers accessories like hats, windbreakers and sunscreen. Throughout the ship, find TV screens outlining the day’s adventures and updating guests with necessary details. From the dining room to sundeck to stateroom, there is a superior sense of quality and high levels of service throughout.
In addition to the main dining room, some meals are served al fresco on the sundeck when weather conditions and navigation permits. Enjoy searching for whales and dolphins while dining and feel the ocean breeze on your cheeks. Indoor dining is equally lavish in the formal dining room with a 3:2 crew-to-guest ratio. Drinks are a specialty aboard Isabela II as well, created by an expert, Peruvian mixologist.
Optional activities like sea kayaking (8 double kayaks are carried on board), snorkeling and swimming are geared for all levels of ability. For non-snorkelers, a glass-bottom boat offers an ideal alternative for viewing the underwater world. On board, guests enjoy an air conditioned, 24-hour, indoor gym with glass panels to view outside on the Boat Deck. The library offers resources of natural history about the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador, while two computer stations in the business center offer free internet and WiFi (although internet connections are intermittent and low-bandwidth).
With just 20 guest cabins, Isabela II’s convivial atmosphere leads to a close-up experience of the unique Darwinian world. Four cabin categories, ranging from 124 to 170 square feet, are arranged around outer corridors. All cabins are spacious and have private bathrooms, hair dryers and a safe. New decor, linens, lighting, blackout curtains and USB ports make each cabin modern and convenient.