North, Central, & South Galápagos

Eden Yacht - March 2017 Review Just finished 8d/7n cruise! Why a cruise? Because land options take too much time to get to the fun activities! On land, you catch a speedboat where you want to go (say, Kicker Rock). So you leave at 9am - or whenever all of the scheduled guests arrive at the pier. You spend time getting to the site. After you are done, you get back on the speedboat for the ride back to the pier - and you are wet and itchy the whole time. Contrast to a cruise: You awake in the morning to a great breakfast and you are *already at* your morning spot. You do your activity (hike, snorkelling, etc.); when you're done, it's back on the boat for snacks and a shower and some relaxation / journalling as the boat takes you to the afternoon location. At which point you do the afternoon activities - and, when finished, you are able to clean up immediately (and eat a delicious dinner). For me - no comparison. It's a cruise every time. Boat - Pictures do not do the boat justice. Our stateroom had plenty of room, the common room is large and comfy, there are two different large outdoor lounge areas (both shade and sun), and the crew was so very nice and helpful. I never felt I was on top of the others on the boat or they were on top of me - there was always someplace I could go if I wanted some alone time. Plus, showers were always hot and the room always clean (thank you Alejandro!!) Food - Vegetarian / vegan options (we had both on our trip). Food was delicious! Passengers - This is a smaller boat (max 16 persons) and caters to a more budget-oriented crowd - this basically means you can count on folks who are active and intensely interested in getting the most out of their vacation. Which worked out great for us! We had U.S. folks, Australians, Canadians, Brazilians, Germans - and all very friendly. Activities - Everything happened on time, we were kept active on all of the islands. And we had such good times - hiking up Sierra Negra, swimming in the rain on the beach at Isabela, the oh-so-excellent snorkeling at Santiago, watching blue-footed boobies *mate* on North Seymour, hikes up in the Santa Cruz highlands (where we got to see a huge tortoise at the end of mating)...so many great memories (and pictures!). I'll write about the guide separately - Che-che, you are awesome, my friend. Cost - The overall trip was extremely affordable, and our request to the Eden for an extra 3 days would have been only $200/day per person (which I believe is a *substantial* discount over the pre-booked price and reflected a "last-minute" cruise deal price). Based on what others told me, I think the pre-booked price is around $350/day per person - and even at that price is well worth it! Tipping - You get two envelopes, one for the boat crew and one for the guide. For the boat crew, the suggested amount is $12-14 a day. For my 8d/7n cruise I tipped $110 to the crew, and $80 to the guide. For the two of us, that came out to $370 total in tips. Finally - should you prebook or do a last-minute deal? As I pointed out above, our last-minute request to extend our cruise by 3d got us a quote of $200 / day which I believe is a great last-minute price. However - you can only get a last-minute price if you are willing to wait to the last minute! During the high season this means you probably will not get the boat you want and you may need to be very flexible. In effect, you are arriving on San Cristobal or Santa Cruz, heading down to "el Centro", and checking with each tourist agency to find a last-minute cruise you want. In our case, it was worth the extra money to have everything setup ahead of time - all we had to do was get to Galapagos and we were taken care of from start to finish. Quelle: goo.gl/UUQhMk

Eden Yacht Review, Feb 2015 I traveled aboard the Eden on their 8-day Itinerary "B," 22 February through 01 March 2015. I traveled with my father, and counting us there were 13 passengers (the yacht carries up to 16). I have to say it was truly the trip of a lifetime. I've told all my friends about it. Basically, we saw everything we'd seen on all the nature documentaries over the years. The wildlife was abundant and unafraid (be sure you stay more than 6 feet away in accordance with the national park guidelines). Every day we would see amazing wildlife, and in the evening we'd talk about how we wished we could see [whatever animal], and then sure enough the next day we would see them! Galapagos sea lions, Sally Lightfoot crabs, and marine iguanas were everywhere. We also saw quite a few penguins, frigate birds, blue-footed boobies, land iguanas, lava lizards, flightless cormorants, green sea turtles, and giant tortoises. Less-commonly-seen on our trip but highlights nonetheless were Galapagos fur seals, eagle rays, stingrays, reef sharks, a Galapagos Hawk, ocean sunfish, and even a sperm whale! Expectation management: this is not a luxury cruise. It's not about relaxation--it's about sightseeing and exploring the various islands you'll visit. You'll be waking at sunrise and having breakfast, then immediately getting in the panga (rubber boat) for shore to hike for an hour, followed by an hour or more of snorkeling. Then it's back to the boat for lunch while you travel to the next stop for more of the same. That being said, it's much better than a larger ship, because there is no waiting in line for meals, tours, etc., you avoid crowds on the islands and the snorkeling spots, and you get to know everyone on the yacht. The cabins are small but you're not going to be spending much time in them. There is an indoor common area for passengers, with several natural history books so you can identify what you're seeing (though I had brought some of my own as well), and lounge space on deck, both sunny and shaded. The food was EXCELLENT. The small size of the yacht (compared with larger cruise ships) means if you're prone to seasickness, you probably will be sick more than once during your trip. Though the seas are generally fairly calm during the time of year we traveled, almost half the passengers were sick at least once. Even so, there were no complaints as the overall experience more than made up for the temporary discomfort. It can be difficult to sleep if it's a night where the yacht is underway and the seas are rough. The crew were outstanding and friendly. Our guide, David, was extremely knowledgeable, humorous, and very personable. I can't recommend this cruise enough--if you prefer DOING things more than relaxing, and don't mind close quarters and a more intimate experience, this is the trip for you. Quelle: goo.gl/B9jJ5U