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The last glow of sunset behind the silhouette of Fernandina Island, seen from the sea in the Galápagos

Sample journey · 9–11 days

The far Galápagos, by small ship

Quito, Genovesa, Santiago, Fernandina & the west coast of Isabela

Photo: Dylan Shaw / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Our other Galápagos journey moves between the inhabited islands, Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristóbal, and comes back to a town each day. This one leaves the towns behind. It begins in Quito, and on the islands your home is a small expedition yacht that crosses between islands at night and, in the mornings, lowers its boats beside shores that day trips from the towns can't reach. In the north is Genovesa, the caldera of a sunken volcano where red-footed boobies and frigatebirds nest. In the west lie Fernandina and the coast of Isabela, the youngest and wildest part of the archipelago, where a cold current feeds penguins, cormorants that no longer fly and, at times, whales.

Galápagos National Park sets each ship's itinerary, so the ship doesn't bend to you: you choose the ship and its route. That choice is the heart of this journey: finding the week that reaches the islands you most want at the right time of year, on a yacht that carries only a dozen or so guests, with a naturalist guide who knows every trail. It suits travellers for whom wildlife matters more than comfort ashore: days start early, landings are often wet, straight into the shallows, and snorkelling in the west means cool water.

The route

The journey

  1. Quito
  2. Baltra
  3. Genovesa
  4. Santiago & Bartolomé
  5. Isabela's west coast
  6. Fernandina
  7. Guayaquil
  1. Quito's historic centre and the towers of its basilica, seen from El Panecillo, with mountain slopes beyond

    01Days 1–2 · Quito

    One night high in the Andes

    After the long flight, one night in Quito, nearly three kilometres up. It's enough to settle after the journey and get a feel for a city whose old town was among the first places inscribed by UNESCO. If you arrive early, an afternoon walking slowly between the Plaza de la Independencia, the gilded Jesuit church and the monastery of San Francisco, and an early dinner, because the altitude tells on the first evening. From El Panecillo, the hill crowned by its statue of the Virgin, the whole old town lies spread between the mountain slopes. The next morning, the flight to the islands, usually with a short stop in Guayaquil, about three hours in all. At Baltra airport, park formalities and baggage checks, and then your guide and the yacht's boat are waiting at the dock.

  2. A male frigatebird with its red throat pouch inflated among dry scrub in the Galápagos

    02Days 2–4 · Genovesa

    A caldera full of birds

    On the first afternoon, a short landing near Baltra to get your eyes used to animals that don't step off the path, and a briefing with your guide. Overnight the yacht heads north to Genovesa, slipping at first light into Darwin Bay, the caldera of a sunken volcano whose walls rise straight from the water. In the morning, a trail among mangroves and saltbush where red-footed boobies nest and male frigatebirds inflate their scarlet throat pouches. In the afternoon, Prince Philip's Steps: a steep scramble up the rock to a flat lava field where Nazca boobies nest and short-eared owls hunt storm petrels among the cracks. Between landings, snorkelling along the caldera wall, where sea lions often appear and, at times, the shadows of hammerhead sharks pass in the deep. In some seasons the crossing to Genovesa can be rough; your guide will warn you in advance.

  3. A wet Galápagos penguin standing on a dark lava rock above green-blue water

    03Days 4–5 · Santiago & Bartolomé

    Black lava and fur seals

    Coming back through the centre of the archipelago, two days in what looks like a freshly cooled world. At Sullivan Bay on Santiago, the trail crosses lava little more than a century old: like coiled rope, like poured honey, with frozen bubbles and the first cacti in the cracks. On Bartolomé a boardwalk climbs to a viewpoint over two sandy bays and Pinnacle Rock, one of the most photographed views in the Galápagos. Below the rock, Galápagos penguins often appear, the only penguins in the world living this close to the equator. At Puerto Egas, a black beach and rock grottos where fur seals lie in the shade and marine iguanas graze in the tide pools. In the afternoon, snorkelling, a boat ride along the cliffs and, if the sea allows, dinner on deck.

  4. A flightless cormorant standing on a lava rock above shallow water in the Galápagos

    04Days 6–8 · Isabela's west coast & Fernandina

    The youngest islands, the coldest water

    In the west everything changes: the water turns cool, green and alive, because a cold, nutrient-rich current rises to the surface here. Past Punta Vicente Roca and Tagus Cove, where names carved by nineteenth-century ships' crews still mark the rocks, a trail climbs to the crater of salty Darwin Lake. At Urbina Bay, in 1954, the seabed rose above the water almost overnight; coral remains now lie among the scrub, and yellow land iguanas, sometimes giant tortoises, rest beneath the trees. The next day, Fernandina, one of the least disturbed islands anywhere: at Punta Espinoza marine iguanas warm themselves on black lava in their thousands, flightless cormorants nest alongside, and penguins often fish just offshore. In the Bolívar Channel the guides always watch for whales and dolphins; sometimes they come, sometimes not. You'll want a wetsuit for snorkelling here.

  5. Guayaquil's cathedral and an equestrian monument in Parque Seminario, among palm trees

    05Days 9–10 · Guayaquil

    Iguanas in a city park, too

    On the last night the yacht returns to the centre of the archipelago, and the final morning brings a short landing, often on North Seymour, where blue-footed boobies and frigatebirds nest among the boulders, before farewells to the crew and the boat to Baltra airport. In the afternoon, the flight to Guayaquil, a warm, humid port city on the Guayas River, and one night here: it makes onward flights home easier and avoids a rush on the same day. In the evening, a walk along the riverside promenade and up the steps into the colourful Las Peñas quarter, where the lighthouse hill looks out over the river and the city lights. With an hour to spare in the morning, Parque Seminario beside the cathedral is worth a stop: land iguanas doze under its trees, a fitting send-off after a week full of them. Alternatively, fly home via Quito and add a day or two in the Andes.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Morning in Darwin Bay

    The yacht slips into a sunken volcano's caldera, with red-footed boobies and frigatebirds waiting ashore.

  2. 02

    Fernandina's iguanas

    Black lava covered in thousands of marine iguanas, and the nests of flightless cormorants a few steps away.

  3. 03

    Penguins on the equator

    Snorkelling in the cold western water, penguins often shoot past within arm's reach.

  4. 04

    Life aboard

    A dozen or so guests, one naturalist guide and night crossings that bring a new island every morning.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • A second week to the south

    With two of the yacht's loops back to back, we add Española, where waved albatrosses nest roughly from April to December, plus Floreana and San Cristóbal, stretching the journey to around two and a half weeks.

  • For a honeymoon

    A yacht with fewer, larger cabins, followed by a few quiet nights at a hacienda beneath Cotopaxi.

  • By season

    In the warm season (roughly December to May) the sea is usually calmer and the water warmer; in the cool season (roughly June to November) the west is richer in marine life, but the swell is bigger.

  • With the Amazon or cloud forest

    Before the islands, four or five nights in the Mindo cloud forest or at an Amazon lodge by a river, turning Ecuador into a full two-week journey.

Practical considerations

  • Galápagos National Park sets each ship's itinerary and visitor limits apply at landing sites, so the order of islands and the exact sites depend on the yacht and the week. Few yachts run the outer-island routes, so it's worth planning well ahead.
  • Every landing is made with a park-licensed naturalist guide, on marked trails. You go ashore by small boat, sometimes onto rocks and sometimes straight into the shallows, so reasonable mobility and confidence stepping in and out of the boat are needed.
  • Crossings are mostly made at night, and the sea around the outer islands can be rough in some months. If you're prone to seasickness, tell us: it shapes the choice of yacht and of cabin.
  • We check park fees, the rules for travelling to the islands and other current requirements before you travel, as they change.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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