Grab our latest cruise deals before they sail away!

Galapatours Logo without whitespace
Samba Galapagos Cruise

Southeast Galápagos Cruise

8 Days Galápagos cruise on board the Samba

From USD 4,410

Southeast Galápagos Cruise

8 Days, Max. 14 passengers

7 Reviews

Classic

Download PDF / Share

See Map

A 8-day Expedition Cruise

7 Reviews

Classic
The Trip Highlights

Scientific insights at C. Darwin Research Station

Gardner Bay: Pristine, white sand beaches

Playful Sea Lions in South Plaza

Mars-like landscapes at Rábida

Galapatours 'Plus' Experience

For us, the best guides

Very active itineraries

English-speaking guide for all activities

Lectures in the evening

Get to know the highlights of Galápagos with this Naturalist cruise on board the beautiful Samba! On this Expedition Cruise, you will discover the incredible wildlife of the Galápagos Islands: On Española, the oldest and arguably the greenest of the Galápagos Islands, incredible hikes await. You will get to see many endemic species, including the Española Mocking Bird, the Española Lava Lizard, and, hopefully, the famous Waved Albatross. During our visit to Floreana, you will have the opportunity for some great dinghy rides, extensive snorkeling, and learning more about the fascinating human history of the Galápagos. On North Seymour, an incredible hike and snorkeling session awaits you. This island is the archipelago condensed into very little space, and you'll be able to see almost all the iconic Galápagos species in just a few hours. During your time spent on Rábida, you will have the opportunity to watch wild Flamingos and walk on a blood-red sandy beach. On San Cristóbal, you will be able to snorkel in crystal clear waters, relax with sea lions on pristine white sand beaches and learn more about the evolution of giant tortoises. During your time on Santa Cruz, you will have the chance to observe the famous Galápagos Giant Tortoises in the wild and learn more about the preservation and scientific study of these amazing animals. Your visit to Santa Fe will involve a beautiful short hike, during which you can observe Galápagos Hawks, Darwin's Finches, Galápagos Mockingbirds. and Galápagos Sea Lions. On Santiago, an island formerly inhabited by pirates, you will be able to enjoy hikes and dinghy rides. A walk across South Plaza is one of the best visitor experiences in the Galápagos thanks to the large number of species living in such a small area.

Your ship: Samba

  • Lots and lots of land and sea excursions, perfect for active adventurers;
  • Family-owned for over 30 years;
  • Environmentally responsible vessel;
  • Local crew, local guides, local produce;
  • Only 14 guests on board.

This family-owned Dutch-built motor sailer offers, in our opinion, the best excursion and activities itinerary in the Galápagos. If you are into snorkelling, book a trip on the Samba because you'll get to jump into the sea at least 3 times every day. Captain Jose is in charge, and chef Ángel will keep you very well fed. All while operating as environmentally responsibly as … Read more about Samba

Amenities

meal

All meals

transfer

Transfers to and from ship

children

-30% for children ≤ 13

snorkeling

Snorkel gear (free of charge)

footprint

100% CO2 carbon footprint offset

kayak

Kayaks on board

air conditioning

Air conditioning & private bathroom

paddle

Standup paddle boards

shared bedroom

Single travellers can share cabin

drinks

Water, Coffee, Tea & fresh juices

wetsuit

Wetsuits

EN guide

English guide

Food & Drinks

The food on our Galapágos Cruises is among the very best you will find in South America. Most of the on-board chefs are internationally trained and have prior experience working in the best hotels and restaurants in Ecuador and indeed around the world.

You can expect a first-class selection of food, including a good variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, locally sourced poultry and fish/seafood, rice and pasta dishes. Most boats will always include some typical Ecuadorian dishes on the menu during your cruise. If you have specific dietary requirements then these can usually be accommodated by the chef providing you have given advance notice. Please make sure you tell us about any allergies or dietary requirements you have at the time you book with us. If you leave it until you arrive at the dockside, then it may well be impossible to accommodate your needs.

Most boats serve a range of options at meal times in a relaxed buffet-style. At the first class and luxury end of the market, some boats have more formal dining where you will be served at your seat. However the atmosphere is always relaxed on board our cruises, and never stuffy or formal.

Samba Galapagos Cruise
Baltra
Floreana

Reviews

Berth Keddie, USA

Samba Galapagos Cruise

Classic

Juan war ein unglaublicher Guide und die Samba ist ein großartiges Schiff Wir hatten eine tolle Zeit auf den Galapagos Inseln, danke für die Organisation und die Betreuung. Juan war ein unglaublicher Guide - es war nie zu hektisch. Jeder Inselbesuch war ein Highlight. Nochmal vielen Dank - wir werden euch und den tollen Service weiterempfehlen an andere Ecuador Abenteurer!

TTAChapelHill_NC

Samba Galapagos Cruise

Classic

Cannot say enough good things My husband, teenage daughter and I travelled on the Samba North West trip in August. I cannot say enough good things. Our guide, Jan Post, was not only extremely knowledgeable, but able to keep everyone happy. His talks on physics of flight, ocean currents, geology and volcanic activity, Darwin were fascinating and kept everyone interested. Accounts of historical scandals were entertaining as well. The crew is so friendly and caring. It is impossible to see how the chef can prepare the variety of delicious dishes in the kitchen. Meals are terrific. All your equipment needs are met: snorkels, fins, masks, wetsuits, towels to dry your feet. They think of everything. Of course, the reason you go is the wildlife, and the opportunity to see wildlife on land and in the water is incredible. You are swimming with sea lions and turtles, lots of turtles. You are standing in arms reach of nesting frigates and watching blue footed boobies court and mate 7 feet away. You walk across a lava flow and there are 3 spectacular flamingos in a small pond. You can watch flightless cormorants dive and hunt for fish a few feet from your snorkel, and see eagle rays, parrot fish, etc. Watching a flock of boobies herd small fish, and then plunge dive to catch them. Feedback from: https://goo.gl/YJzgpb

hazenyc

Samba Galapagos Cruise

Classic

It was amazing! Just got back from a 8 day trip on Samba (North & West itinerary), it was amazing! Best trip ever (except for the boat rocking and some sea sickness!- but this is to be expected). This boat is small and is able to travel to some places that most 1-week cruises do not. It goes to Genovesa, Marchena (the only non-diving boat to do so!!), Fernandina (which is also not a usual stop), Isabella in a few locations, and then down to Floreana before returning to Santa Cruz. We saw every animal we wanted to! Feedback from: https://goo.gl/YJzgpb

someguyfromontario

Samba Galapagos Cruise

Classic

Spectacular My girlfriend and I spent 8 days on the Samba in November and it was absolutely spectacular. Amazing ship, amazing crew, amazing guide and amazing itinerary. 1. The Ship: The ship itself is about 40 years old, originally designed as a fishing boat in Holland then later turned into a private yacht and finally into a cruise ship in the Galapagos. It's not the biggest boat out there by far, but it's big enough. We found our room a bit small, but there were huge drawers under the bed to store all our stuff and the crew was willing to stow any unneeded luggage in one of their many hidden compartments. Our room might have been slightly smaller though because we were at the front of the boat where it starts to narrow. However, we didn’t spend much time in our room so it wasn’t an issue. Every room had a private toilet, shower and sink, and we never had any problems with the plumbing or hot water. For a boat, especially this size, the accommodations were great. The public areas on the boat consist of the dining room (also where the daily briefings were held), two decks out back and a large deck on the front with benches and reclining chairs. Most of the long sailing trips were done at night and you knew it. Rooms at the back are fairly loud since they're right next to the engine room. At the front, you feel the full force of the sea and get thrown about in the waves. The boat is small and moves a lot! Both of us got a bit seasick, but I would say the rest of the benefits more than made up for it (but I would bring seasickness medication even if you don't usually get seasick). My girlfriend felt really bad a few times, but she keeps saying how she would do it all again in a heartbeat if she could. Also, once you are lying down, the motion wasn’t nearly as bad, and most people found that their seasickness went away (if not immediately, it got better after the first sail for sure). 2. The guide: Our guide was Juan Salcedo. Before booking our cruise, we looked at what others had to say about him and were sold. Let me just say that he is just as good (if not better) than what the reviews say about him. Very knowledgeable about the history, plants and wildlife and speaks fluent English. He speaks with what I considered to be a very slight accent, but I don't think there was a word he said that I couldn’t understand during the trip. After listening to him talk for a while, you can tell he has a great understanding of English based on the vocabulary he chooses. Juan is very passionate about his job and ensuring every passenger gets the full Galapagos experience. He is committed to making sure you are the first guests on the island each day and the last ones off (I think there was only once where another ship reached shore before us). We watched many times as other ships arrived after us and left before us. When you're with Juan, you spend a significant amount of time just watching the wildlife to the point that you begin to blend in and the animals come right up to you. 3. The itinerary: As mentioned in pembaben's reply, the Galapagos National Park has changed its rules regarding how frequently ships can visit the same sites and the Samba will now be running two itineraries, one visiting the Southern and Western islands while the other does the Eastern and Northern islands. My itinerary was very similar to their new South and West trip. We saw essentially everything we went to see and then some: turtles, tortoises, blue-footed boobies, albatrosses, flightless cormorants, sea lions, sharks, penguins, pelicans, and the list goes on. The only thing I can think of that we couldn’t see were the red-footed boobie. The itineraries are designed to truly show you as much as they possibly can. Feedback from: https://goo.gl/3wUZxs

reclinerman

Samba Galapagos Cruise

Classic

Samba I was on a 7 night trip on the Samba in January 2010 and had a fabulous time - excellent itinerary, food, crew, guide, etc. I can highly recommend it. However, the cabins are very small (although you spend very little time there) and those prone to motion sickness need to be aware of the fact that this boat is not as stable as some of the newer catamarans, or larger boats. Feedback from: https://goo.gl/3wUZxs


2023 Galapatours, a Ventura TRAVEL GmbH brand

All rights reserved

Jessica

Your contact

Jessica

Book a video consultation

15min face to face consultation

Jessica