HOW DO WE CHOOSE OUR SHIPS?
There are 65 expedition cruise ships plying Galapagos waters. A small handful carry 90-100 passengers and a few more carry between 32 and 48 people. The vast majority (apx. 50 of them) carry 20 or fewer guests. While there are always circumstances that might make choosing a larger ship a better choice, we are generally very strong proponents of the small ship approach to Galapagos. On a small ship it is that much easier to develop the kind of intimacy with your natural surroundings that a Galapagos expedition cruise is all about.
In choosing a ship we prioritize the following criteria:
Reputation among the guiding community. We ask severral of our naturalist guide friends what they think about the ship overall. Few are better place than guides, who work on many different ships, to understand which ships are operated more professionally.
Itineraries: We prefer ships that follow logical itineraries with little backtracking - ensuring you spend more time anchored at visitor sites and less time underway.
Relationship with the owners: It makes a very big difference having a trusting friendly relationship with the ship owners / managers. So many issues can be resolved quickly and to the satisfaction of all under such circumstances.
We then inspect the ships to be sure they meet our standards - sending our representative to meet the crew, check out the zodiacs, and get an overall sense of how well it’s maintained. Using this approach, we came up with the following selection:
MONSERRAT: Natural History Tours
Built in 2005 and regularly refurbished, the 16 passenger Monserrat is locally owned and operated. It’s the ship we use for our 11 day natural history tours. We consider it as among the highest end “tourist superior” ships out there, for its relative spaciousness (designed for 20 guests, but carrying only 16) and comfortable cabins. This configuration provides added flexibility for families and solo travellers. One of the rooms is a triple (a bunk and an extra bed).
The ship has 7 twin cabins and 3 double bed cabins located in the lower and upper decks of the yacht. All cabins have a private bathroom and air conditioning. The 6 upper deck cabins all have windows while our 4 lower deck cabins have portholes with great interior natural light. All our rooms include ensuite bathrooms with hairdryers and toiletries.
SAMBA: Active Galapagos
We're very glad to feature the Samba as our charter ship for our 8 day “Active Galapagos” departures (we often recommend it to independent travelers as well). We’ve been working with the Samba for more than 20 years. The ship is owned and operated by the Salcedo family of Galapagos. The Salcedo family has been in the Galapagos tourism business for over 45 years.
The Samba is a tourist superior class ship - but its crew, naturalist guides and overall management deserve a “luxury” classification. It regularly receives rave reviews on social media.
The 78 foot (24 metre) Samba accommodates 14 guests (2 less than the usual 16 passenger standard) in 7 cabins. With the exception of cabin # 7, which has a pullman berth (double pushed against a wall), all of the Samba's cabins have an extra-wide lower bunk, which can accommodate a cozy couple, plus a single upper berth (in case the couple needs a bit of space).
The steel-hulled yacht is air conditioned and all cabins have private bathrooms. There's a cozy indoor salon and one outdoor dining area astern. All the woodwork is hand made in Galapagos from the honey coloured tropical "cigar box" cedar. The Samba is a graceful, non-obtrusive vessel - it doesn't impose itself on the Galapagos landscape you are out there to experience.
ANAHI: Photography Workshops
Of the 50 or so such small ships, which one to choose for our photography workshops? We considered reputation, price point, itinerary configuration, design and many other variables. It was a also critical that your expert photographer endorse the ship. After careful consideration, the 16 passenger Anahi rose to the top of our shortlist. More comfortable that a tourist superior ship, but not in the "luxury" class, the Anahi rests at what we consider a good price point. The catamaran Anahi is owned and operated by an Ecuadorian couple with strong Galapagos roots. Built in 2006, it was extensively refurbished in 2024. We asked our photographer/tour leader for her endorsement, and Tui de Roy gave it her two thumbs up.
