Aida Maria Yacht — Standard Galapagos Cruise
Wildlife-packed island hopping by sea, from 4 to 15 days
- Difficulty: Easy
- Standard-category yacht
- Certified bilingual naturalist guide
- All meals on board included
- Seven itineraries, 4 to 15 days
- Unlimited water, tea, coffee and snacks
-
Duration4 to 15 days
-
DifficultyModerate
-
DepartureBaltra Airport, Galapagos (4-day itinerary)
-
Departure daysThursday for the 4-day and 6-day E itineraries, Sunday for the 5-day, 8-day and 15-day itineraries, Tuesday for the 6-day F itinerary
-
LanguagesEnglish and Spanish
Tour overview
The Aida Maria is a Standard-category yacht built for travellers who want every dollar to go into the islands, not the chandeliers. Cabins have private bathrooms. Meals, meanwhile, run from lunch on day one to breakfast on the last day. Also, a certified naturalist guide who works in English and Spanish leads every landing.
You wake up somewhere new each morning. For example, Devil’s Crown for snorkelling over a sunken crater. Suarez Point for waved albatrosses and the Española blowhole. Also Gardner Bay for sea lions on white sand. Then Post Office Bay, home to the 18th-century barrel where sailors still leave mail for other travellers to hand-deliver.
Altogether, seven programmes run on this yacht: 4, 5, two 6-day routes, two 8-day routes and a full 15-day circumnavigation. The 4-day Floreana–Española route appears below. Meanwhile, ask us for the day-by-day of any other length.
We are an Ecuadorian operator based on the mainland. So we handle your Galapagos flights, your park paperwork and your connections ourselves — no overseas call centre in the middle.
Itinerary
-
Day 1 · Thursday: Baltra Airport and the Santa Cruz Highlands
Arrival at Baltra and transfer to the yacht. Then an afternoon in the Santa Cruz highlands, the green interior where giant tortoises roam free.
-
Day 2 · Friday: Floreana: Post Office Bay, Baroness Lookout, Cormorant Point and Devil's Crown
First the historic mail barrel at Post Office Bay, then the Baroness Lookout and the flamingo lagoon and green-sand beach at Cormorant Point. After that, snorkelling at Devil's Crown, a submerged volcanic cone.
-
Day 3 · Saturday: Española: Suarez Point, Gardner Bay, Gardner Islet and Osborn Islet
Suarez Point for blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas and the blowhole, then the white sand of Gardner Bay and snorkelling off Gardner and Osborn islets.
-
Day 4 · Sunday: San Cristobal: Lobos Islet and departure
A last morning at Lobos Islet among sea lions and blue-footed boobies, then transfer to San Cristobal airport.
What's included
Included
- All meals, from lunch on day 1 to breakfast on the final day
- Cabin accommodation with private bathroom
- All excursions listed in the itinerary
- Certified naturalist guide, bilingual Spanish/English
- Also unlimited purified water, tea, coffee and snacks
Not included
- Galapagos National Park entrance fee: US$200
- Galapagos Transit Control Card: US$20 per person (subject to change)
- Isabela docking fee: US$15 per person (itineraries B and F only)
- Baltra Airport / Itabaca Channel bus ticket: US$5 each way
- International flights and Quito or Guayaquil – Galapagos – Quito or Guayaquil flights
- Airport transfers in Quito or Guayaquil
- Snorkel equipment rental: US$5 per person per day
- Wetsuit rental: US$10 per person per day
- Alcoholic drinks and sodas (there is a bar on board)
- Gratuities for the guide and crew
- Any other personal expenses
What to bring
- Cash for the National Park entrance fee and the Transit Control Card
- Cash for tips for the guide and crew
- Your own snorkel gear if you would rather not rent on board
- Sun hat, sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen
- Light clothing for the day and also a light jacket for evenings at sea
- Swimwear, a quick-dry towel and shoes you can get wet
Good to know
-
Which fees do I pay on top of the cruise rate?
First, the Galapagos National Park entrance fee of US$200. Second, the Transit Control Card of US$20 per person, which is subject to change. Also, itineraries B and F carry an Isabela docking fee of US$15 per person, and the Baltra Airport to Itabaca Channel bus costs US$5 each way.
-
Is snorkel equipment included?
No: on the Aida Maria you rent snorkel gear on board at US$5 per person per day, and wetsuits at US$10 per person per day. However, you are welcome to bring your own.
-
Is there a discount for children?
Yes, 20% for children under 10 years old.
-
I am travelling alone. Do I have to share a cabin?
Certainly: a cabin for sole use carries a single supplement of 80%. Ask us about pairing you with another traveller of the same sex instead.
-
Which language does the guide speak?
A certified naturalist guide who works in both Spanish and English leads every excursion.
-
Are drinks included?
Certainly: purified water, tea, coffee and snacks come unlimited with the rate. Meanwhile, the bar on board sells alcoholic drinks and sodas, and you pay for those separately.
Book this tour
Tell us your dates and we will confirm availability within 24 hours.
More tours in Galapagos Cruises
Luxury cruise with two 5-day routes and a 7-day western programme
- Luxury category
- Two 5-day routes plus a 7-day western programme
- All meals from day 1 lunch
- Snorkel equipment included
- Certified bilingual naturalist guide
Luxury catamaran with Eastern and Western routes of 4, 5, 8 and 15 days
- Luxury category catamaran
- Routes of 4, 5, 8 and 15 days
- Eastern and Western 8-day circuits
- All departures from Baltra
- Inclusions and rates on request
Luxury yacht whose rate normally already includes the Galapagos flight
- Galapagos flight normally included in the rate
- Luxury category yacht
- Use of kayaks included
- Snorkel equipment included
- Routes of 4, 5 and 8 days
Luxury catamaran with kayaks on board and routes from 5 to 15 days
- Luxury category catamaran
- Use of kayaks also included
- Snorkel equipment included
- Routes of 5, 7, 9, 11 and 15 days
- Certified bilingual naturalist guide
