Western & Eastern Galápagos

Loved the Legend Me and my parents recently just came back from Galapagos Island. We booked 4-Day/3-Night Legend Cruise tour through Galapatours. Our travel specialist Thomas is very helpful and quick for replying our emails. Thomas answered all of our questions and concerns before we book our tour through Galapatours. He also get us a great deal by upgrading our cruise cabin. The Legend Cruise itself is great.It's recent renovated cruise. All the staffs and guides on the cruise are so friendly and professional. The itinerary is full and well planned. Definitely worth the money.

Die Legend ist super! Meine Eltern und ich waren noch vor kurzen auf der Legend, eine 4 Tages Tour hatten wir gebucht. Der Thomas von Galapatours war sehr hilfsbereit und antwortete schnell auf Mails. Thomas beantwortete all unsere Fragen bevor wir buchten. Die Legend ist gerade renoviert worden und sieht toll aus! Alle Angestellten und Guides auf diesem Schiff sind sehr freundlich und machen ihre Arbeit gut. Die Route ist gut durchdacht. Das Geld war es auf jeden Fall wert.

Great ship My wife and I did a 4 night cruise on the Galapagos Legend last month, from May 1 to 5. We opted for the cheapest cabins on the lowest level, and of course this was still the most expensive cruise we have ever been on. We were in cabin 39 on the Sea Deck. The cabin consisted of two single beds separated by about three feet, with a narrow space at the foot of the beds. There were a couple drawers, a small closet and a small but workable bathroom with shower. We had two non-opening portholes for light and view. All perfectly functional but nothing luxurious. Preferences and budgets vary, but I would not recommend paying for a larger room for the simple reason that you will spend so little time in the cabin. We were awake at 6:00 AM every day (the ship goes by mainland time, so this is actually 5:00 AM Galapagos time). Breakfast was at 7:00, and we boarded the zodiac boats at 8:00 for our first outing of the day. Other than a couple hours of "free time" after lunch each day, we were always busy with something. And even during that early afternoon break, there are many pleasant places on the deck to hang out, so I don't see a need for a private balcony. The Legend is one of the largest ships in the Galapagos, and can carry 100 passengers. We were fortunate with our shoulder-season timing, because the ship only had 59 passengers for our cruise. Our decision to choose a large ship was primarily driven by concerns about seasickness. I know people that bobbed around on a small boat for a week and were sick the whole time. My wife is particularly susceptible to this - in a large group she will usually be among the very first to feel queasy. We also timed our trip for a period when sea conditions are usually fairly mild, and as it turned out seasickness was never an issue for us or any other passenger on that trip. However I think there are other advantages to a large ship. The Legend is 301 feet long, with several decks, so there are lots of places to wander around, or to hang out and chat, or to find a secluded spot to read or enjoy the view. They have a large dining room, and well-staffed kitchen. Breakfast and lunch are served buffet style, which we prefer since we can focus on just the foods we like. I am not the one to give a food review, but I found the meals to be very good. Although I doubt they would particularly impress people who are used to the Holland America style cruises. A Galapagos cruise is much more about the destination than the shipboard experience. There is a significant down side to a large ship, and that is the potential for crowds to disrupt your interactions with the natural Galapagos experience. According to National Park rules, each group at a Galapagos site must be limited to 16 people and have an offical guide. So if you are on a small boat with 16 passengers, you will land at each site with just your guide and that group. Your group will be the only ones there. But with a larger ship, there will be multiple groups each with their own guide. Since we had 59 passengers on the Legend for our trip, there were four different groups. Each group departs the Legend in their own zodiac boat, so they get staggered a little in their arrival time at the beach. But you will typically have one group not very far ahead of you, and another not far behind. And you may end up on a beach will all the other people, which can disrupt the experience somewhat. I found that having the extra groups roaming around was a small negative, but not terribly serious. This is because the wildlife you are viewing are not shy - they don't run and hide when the first group passes by. I think each group ends up getting a similar experience. But this is something to think about if you would like to feel a bit more isolation in your visit. I felt the Legend was a pretty decent ship. It seems well maintained (it is an older ship but recently refurbished). The crew did a good job making the cruise a good experience. Things were well-organized and made good use of our limited time in the islands. I would definitely recommend the Legend to someone who makes a well-thought out decision to choose a larger ship. In summary, we were happy with our choice of the Legend. For us, the advantages of the large ship outweighed the crowds. But we were lucky that the ship did not have a full complement of passengers.

Most wonderful time of our lifes My husband and I travelled on the "Galapagos Legend" from 26th Feb. to 5th March. At the suggestion of our Aurora Expeditions' travel expert in Sydney, (who arranged everything for us) we booked Tours B & C, because it fitted in with our other travel itinerary, and also went to most of the islands. The choice of small or larger boat was not available to us - the two small boats were fully booked. We travelled with 98 people on Tour B, and 45 on Tour C. I definitely recommend more than one tour, because every island is different, either because of the island itself or the animals on each. We were split into groups of 16, and the zodiac landings were very well organized - in no time, everyone was either on the island or riding along the coastline. We were never inundated with other groups being in the same place, and had plenty of opportunities to observe and enjoy the animals - no rush to get from place to place. All guides were very friendly and knowledgeable, and keen to give us the best experience they could. We had many landings on the islands, and snorkelled in both deeper water or near the beach, sometimes swimming with sea lions or large turtles, and seeing many varieties of fish, starfish and also a few Galapagos penguins. We saw a marine iguana feeding on the bottom, and reef sharks and rays. We slowly moved along the coastline in the zodiacs, seeing such a variety of animals and birds - brown pelicans, blue footed boobies, marine iguanas, sea lions, turtles, flightless cormorants. Sullivan Bay, on Santiago is a spectacular lava flow, as far as the eye can see. Very little else to see, except Sally Lightfoot crabs, maybe a small lizard or two, and we saw a small cactus growing out of the hardened lava. So interesting and unusual. At Urbina Bay on Isabela, we saw lots of Galapagos tortoises and land iguanas, then on to Tagus Cove, where we walked up to Lake Darwin - beautiful view. South Plaza was so different - lots of large cactus growing, with land iguanas that eat the cactus. Beautiful colours of low-growing plants - reds, browns, greens. On Santa Fe, there were many sea lions and babies on the beach, as well as mockingbirds, finches, iguanas and Galapagos doves. Pitt Point on San Cristobal was spectacular - we walked to the top of a volcanic tuff - it was like being on the moon - stark landscape with fabulous views. Some travellers didn't go - "there's only a view" they said - didn't they miss out!! One tip - don't say no to anything - you'll have a great experience, whatever you do. As for travelling on the "Legend", we had a wonderful time. The food is amazing and plentiful - the evening meal is as appealing as anything you'd get in a good restaurant (with choices for main meal and dessert), plus 2 other courses. Breakfast and lunch is buffet-style - again, very nice food. We were very happy with our cabin, and we were upgraded for the second tour - keeping a smaller number of people closer together, I suppose. All staff and guides were very friendly and efficient. The transfers for the whole trip were perfectly organized - we were never left standing and wondering where our driver was! We had a wonderful time in the Galapagos Islands - the animals are not afraid of humans, so we were able to observe them closely. The tour boats are very strictly regulated, so we had the islands to ourselves when we landed - not sharing these special places with lots of other people. What a bonus! Thank you to everybody who made this trip unforgettable.

What an unforgettable trip! Was a truly enjoyable experience would recommend to anyone who was considering a visit to The Galapagos Islands. Loved the Legend. perfect size.

Was für eine unvergessliche Reise! Es war ein unvergessliches Erlebnis und ich empfehle die Legend allen, die gerne mal nach Galapagos möchten. Die Größe ist perfekt.