Tip Top IV Galapagos Kreuzfahrt+Flüge

Amazing Journey

First, we‘d like to say that the trip on the TipTop IV was absolutely wonderful. The Galapagos Islands is an incredible place, with the all the amazing birds, reptiles, sea lions, vegetation and weird and awesome volcanic landscapes. The 8 day tour provided ample time to view the sites at each stop.

We booked through Galapatours and our communication with Benno and Thomas was very smooth, helpful and timely. We got all the info we needed upfront, and their recommendation for a hotel in Quito (where we stayed two nights) was perfect – affordable, clean, centrally located etc.

On the cruise we were busy - and we wanted to be! Hiking (not too hard though) and snorkeling most days, were up at 6, on the dingy by 7 and shortly thereafter on one of the islands. And that’s what were in the Galapagos for! By dinner at 7 and then a short presentation after, we were ready for sleep by 9 or so.

Our guide was Etienne DeBacker – and he is fantastic! Etienne has such great knowledge about all things Galapagos, and it was a delight to learn so much from him about this unique ecosystem. With over 30 years of experience on the islands he brought more than just facts about the environment, and folded in history, culture and more. He has a very patient manner that worked well with the endless questions we all peppered him with. He was always prepared, and when he did not know something, he usually said so – a refreshing style indeed.

A minor issue was that one day (on Florentina) we were asked for an extra $5 per person to go on a bus ride to the highlands – this was such a nominal charge that it would seem obvious just to include it in the cruise cost (or add it to the total) and not have a cash charge while on the tour.

As for the boat, it was very clean, comfortable and the crew was great – they even glued my broken sneaker so I could wear it hiking the last five days instead of my good footwear. Definitely above and beyond. Morning and late afternoon snacks were great. At least once a day, and usually it seemed more often, the crew cleaned our cabins so that everything was spotless. Another great part of the cruise was our fellow passengers. With only 16 of us on board, it was real joy to connect with most of them and the camaraderie was terrific. We also were glad we booked an upper deck room. Visiting one of our fellow passengers on the lower deck we noticed a somewhat musty odor which was not present above so we were glad we booked the upper deck.

As for the food on the TipTop, I understand other reviewers have raved about it. I don’t give it as high marks. The vegetables and salads were quite good, some of the soups were excellent. The main course meats and fish were a mixed bag. Some sauces were quite tasty, but more often than not, meat or fish was overcooked. Two other comments – the chef (probably in keeping with Ecuadoran cuisine) has too heavy a hand with cilantro. For some of us (including the two of us) cilantro can be overwhelming, especially when a dish is heavily seasoned with it. A lighter touch and its use in fewer dishes would be welcome. The second point concerns my wife who is serious about being a vegan. For the most part they respected this choice, and offered her replacements for non-vegetarian/non-dairy items, but occasionally they only paid attention to the vegetarian aspects of the diet with some desserts likely containing dairy products. And their choices for main courses usually contained some fake meat soy product. This got fairly boring. Some more imagination with vegan recipes would be great.

But despite the previous paragraph this trip was fantastic. We were on the cruise to experience the wildlife and scenery of the Galapagos and indeed we did. In every regard, and much more, we fulfilled this vision.

Steven C, 16th January 2018

Unvergessliche Kreuzfahrt

Vielen Dank für diese unvergesslichen Tage!

Unsere Reise auf der Tip Top IV zählt z uden schönsten überhaupt - vielleicht sogar der beste Urlaub den wir je hatten.

Die Crew war großartig, das Essen war sehr gut und unser Guide Marian wusste unglaublich viel über die Inseln. Tolle Mischung aus Entspannung auf und im Wasser.

Wir empfehlen Galapatours all unseren Freunden, die über einen Galapagos Urlaub nachdenken.

Heather & Steve, 16th February 2017

Einfach Schön

Meine Frau und ich buchten eine 8 Tages Tour auf der Tip Top IV mit Galapatours und schwärmen immernoch von dieser Kreuzfahrt. Das Essen, die Unterkunft, der Guide Juan, die Ausflüge, die Blaufußtölpel! Alles war genauso, wie wir uns das ausgemalt haben. Das Schnorcheln hat am meisten Spaß gemacht. Sehr zu empfehlen!

Jan Schmidt, 19th October 2016