Golondrina Galapagos Cruise

A sociable 16-guest Galapagos yacht for budget-minded travelers.

A Galápagos Cruise on board the Golondrina

61 Reviews

Budget

What we love about the Golondrina

A sociable yacht for travelers who enjoy easy-going company.

Active routes mix hiking, snorkeling, swimming and panga rides.

Simple outdoor spaces and a friendly lounge keep evenings relaxed.

+18

Golondrina is one of our more affordable ways to experience the Galápagos—and its relaxed, sociable character is the point. This 16-guest yacht is a particularly good fit for backpackers, younger travellers and anyone who would rather share the trip with an easy-going, younger crew and crowd than pay for polished formality.

Life on board is simple and friendly: a wood-panelled lounge and bar, outdoor areas for swapping stories after excursions, and a sun deck for the sea breeze. The eight air-conditioned twin-bunk cabins are straightforward rather than luxurious, each with a private bathroom and hot-water shower.

What makes Golondrina especially appealing is the itinerary choice. Depending on the departure, her four-, five- and eight-day routes combine active days of hiking, swimming, snorkelling and panga rides with visitor sites such as Vicente Roca, Fernandina, Tagus Cove, Chinese Hat, Bartolomé and Kicker Rock. A bilingual naturalist guide leads the excursions, while the small scale keeps the atmosphere personal.

Choose Golondrina if you want the islands, an active programme and sociable company at a sensible price. Consider a different yacht if a quieter, more refined cabin experience or a high-end dining programme matters more to you.

Dates & Prices on board the Golondrina

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Amenities on board the Golondrina

Travel for good: Each booking supports Ventura's Conservation Project.

Air conditioning & private bathroom

Snorkeling gear is not included

Single travellers can share cabin

Water, Coffee, Tea & fresh juices

English guides

All meals

-20% for children ≤ 11

Food & Drinks on board the Golondrina

Meals on Golondrina follow the yacht's easy-going, communal rhythm: breakfast, lunch and dinner on board, with snacks after visitor sites. Water, tea and coffee are included. It is a relaxed, practical setup for active days rather than a formal dining experience.

If you have allergies or dietary requirements, tell us when you book. Advance notice gives the crew the best chance to prepare appropriately; waiting until embarkation can make this much harder on a small vessel.

Sustainable Tourism

Golondrina publishes environmental-management documentation and says it uses local products, maintains a water-treatment system and avoids short-life-cycle products. These measures sit alongside the Galápagos National Park's tightly controlled visitor routes, landing times and passenger limits.

A cruise still has an impact, so following the naturalist guide's instructions, keeping the required distance from wildlife and using designated visitor sites with care matters.

Cabins categories on board the Golondrina

Standard Double

Type:

Twins

Max. occupancy:

More about this cabin

Technical details of Golondrina

Budget

Type

Small Yacht

Main Engines

2x Kohler 13 kw, 21 kw

Beam

5 m

Electricity

110 Volts

Cruising speed

8 knots

Length

22 m

Capacity

16

Reviews of Golondrina

Izabela M

Golondrina Galapagos Cruise

Budget

Galapagos Islands are paradise on Earth. Wonderful crew and guide led us through the wonderful world of nature. All the activities and places were just perfect in every way. When planning the trip we thought it will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience but we are now planning how and how soon to come back. Thank you Galapatours for such a great adventure!

Don B

Golondrina Galapagos Cruise

Budget

Easy to book trip which was a great experience. Hitomi was awesome to work with and was quick to respond by email. Our ship, Golondrina had a great crew and although not "fancy", it was cozy and comfortable with just 8 of us on a ship that has space for 16. Our guides and tours were really good although more free time during some of the tours would have been nice.

Simon D from Norwich

Golondrina Galapagos Cruise

Budget

The Galapagos Islands are truly amazing. And the 1 week cruise I took allowed me to fully appreciate this. We were treated to island walks and snorkeling every day. The wildlife, the landscapes, the staff, the guide, and the experience all get top marks!

Inger M

Golondrina Galapagos Cruise

Budget

Fantastisk tur med mange fine steder vi besøgte, vi så de store land skildpadder, søløverne, hav og land leguaner med mange flere. Fine snorkel steder 2 x om dagen. God mad om bord, service mindede personale. Vi havde valgt 5 dage som rent faktisk kun var 4, 4 overnatninger, 3 hele dage og 2 halve.

Kwai Yeok W from Singapore

Golondrina Galapagos Cruise

Budget

Signing up to go to Galapagos is a dream come true and an indispensable part of the Bucket list for Biology and nature lovers like (all 8 of) us ! After scouring through the internet, we chanced upon the Galapatour with the Golondrina yacht (a small-ship cruise) housing only 16 guests which was also reasonably priced. Special mention and a shout-out must be given to Maciela Garcia the Travel specialist from Galapatour who facilitated our booking and answered all our questions. She even consented to a zoom meeting with us towards the last leg of our planning to answer any further questions and to give much-needed advice (e.g. booking the flight from Ecuador to Galapagos with Galapatour and to fly in at least 1 day earlier and also stay 1 extra night back in Ecuador before flying back home). We felt her absence BIG Time when she took leave for a few days and we were strapped with some issues concerning the confirmation of our payment. We were most gratified and reassured by her return and how quickly she rectified and clarified the whole issue. The small-sized cruise ship certainly has its merits. Being small it is much more personable and the crew was warm, friendly and helpful. The cabins while small was comfortable enough for us Asians. There were lots of storage space (drawers and small cupboard space) where our things could go into, from our luggage, for easier access. Food was adequate, balanced and delicious actually. Kudos to the chef who was creative and experienced. Little touches like having someone wait on us and also a slightly more formal dinner setting. Our dear waiter, Pablo, even wears a ‘suit’ every night to serve us. Our guide has had 15 years of guiding and could do animal calls to get their attention and to persuade them to approach us. Where necessary he also drew on the sand to explain differences between the closely related animals. He is definitely knowledgeable wrt to each animal and the history of the islands and the impact of humans on the wildlife there! He accompanied the guests during snorkeling and shared videos and photos of the fish and animals encountered during the snorkel at the end of the whole trip. Kudos also to the crew who kept our rooms clean and who accompanied us in the dinghy during the snorkel trips to keep us safe and who ferried us to and from the islands safely. And then of course being in Galapagos is really like paradise in the Garden of Eden – where animals come up close and were unafraid and even curious about us. The variety of wildlife here is not only diverse but many of them spectacular and amazing in their physical looks, habits and mating rituals etc. The feeling of awe and reverence is not even close to describing this experience that we have had for all the 8 days we were there. Enough to last us for a whole lifetime !!!

Edea B

Golondrina Galapagos Cruise

Budget

This was the trip of a lifetime. The Galapagos Islands are a must-visit for nature and animal lovers. Our crew on the Golondrina were warm, friendly, helpful, and kind. Though the personal cabins on the boat are tiny, you rarely do anything in them but sleep! Everything on the boat is kept extremely clean. We had the opportunity to snorkel every day of the trip - even twice a day, occasionally! Our guide was knowledgeable and always stopped to make sure that no one in the group missed anything, down to the smallest finch. Our agent with Galapatours was always very responsive and helpful. Everything about this trip was amazing!

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