We were so very lucky to stumble upon the Endemic and Golden Galapagos for our trip to the Galapagos. Truly the best you can choose. Made only better by... read more the incredible accompaniment of our Naturalist on board, Ivonne T. A truly amazing guide with a love and dedication for the preservation of this beautiful place, and she was the absolute icing on the cake for this amazing trip. Granted, there are less expensive trips, but, if you are only able to get to the Galapagos once in your lifetime, do it the right way. We booked via Columbus Travel, and they were delightful, handling every little detail. (Thank you Pablo R.!)

Huge cabins, private verandas, amazing views, great service, tons of excursions that are meaningful and stunning. Equipment was top notch, made us regret dragging our own equipment and wet suits along. Your equipment is designated to you for your entire cruise.

To walk upon these pristine and uninhabited places as Darwin saw them, with an amazing Naturalist, is indescribable. Crew to guest ratio is fabulous with a maximum of 16 guests, and the food was awesome. I have gluten issues and can't eat seafood, and they were lovely and very accommodating. If you mention one preference, you can rest assured they will remember and provide it again. Fernando and Victoria were our favorites, as they really did an amazing job of taking care of us. I would steal them away if I could! (Don't worry Luisa, they don't seem willing to move to San Diego!)

Let me respond to some prior reviews. First, do some very minimal research and you will find that if you get seasick, you need to come prepared. (Columbus did a great job at preparing us on this!) You are on a smaller boat than a regular cruise ship, which does not come with stabilizers, so if you are extremely sensitive, book the big boat with 100 people. It's an ocean, it rocks the boat. And again, with minimal research, you will learn that the Galapagos in October is has rougher seas than most of the year, but brings you more wildlife due to the Humboldt currents. It was very manageable if you prepare. Do your homework, and you will be fine. We had one bad evening, due to trying to make the next island timely, and trying to get a sick crew member to medical assistance. (My only recommendation....inform the staff and guests of when it will possibly get rough and to hunker down. That did not occur for us.) We would wholeheartedly do it all again. As for the jacuzzi complaints, the ship uses desalinization systems for water. Depending on the harbor and other boat traffic, they may not be able to run the pumps and fill the Jacuzzi. First world problems, lol. Try to let them know your desires in advance.

The Captain (and Naturalist) did a great job of keeping us on task. The Galapagos National Park highly regulates visitors as well as the time that the boat guests can come assure, so their attention to timeliness matters! Not to worry, you can always skip excursions if you want to hang back and relax on the gorgeous ship. The Captain also invited us to visit the wheelhouse when we crossed the equator, which was very cool.

If you want to see as much as possible on your time here, this is the boat for you. We had guests of all ages and abilities, and our crew took great care of all of us. And trust me, we had one VERY difficult guest, as there is always one, right? Kudos to our Naturalist and crew for putting up with him and babysitting his rule-breaking tendencies, he was a piece of work.

Again, a great time, and Ivonne T, our Naturalist, really made the complete difference on this vacation of a lifetime! Book it! Luisa and team, thank you!

  6 days unforgettable cruise. The entire Galapagos trip exceeded our expectations.

Advantages:
- Spacious, well-equipped cabins.
- Program from the day of embarkation to landing.
- Food quality.
-... read more Staff level.
- Neoprene and snorkels are available on the boat.

Disadvantages:
- Count on a tip for the crew - the ship's recommendation is about $160 per person per stay (this is only a recommendation!)

Our tip:
Pack earplugs and seasickness tablets.
In November, the water temperature is around 16 degrees.
Be prepared to get up early, but most of all, it's worth it!!!

  We have just returned home after a magical 4 night cruise around the Galápagos Islands on the Ocean Spray (one of four boats the company owns). Every part of the... read more holiday was perfect - a great boat and cabin, fantastic staff, a brilliant guide and excellent food and drink.

The cruise started with an early morning pickup from our hotel in Quito and meeting one of the company’s representatives at the airport to hand us our boarding passes, visitor tax certificates and face masks for the flight. Wish all check ins could be so simple! The company take control of the flight bookings to ensure everyone arrives in the Galápagos on the same flight to aid transfer to the boat.

The airport is small but well organised - the cruise representatives were at the airport to welcome us and to transfer to the bus and then dingy transfer to the boat. Most of the boats sailing round the Galapagos have space for 16 passengers - our boat was called the Ocean Spray and was set up with 4 cabins on each of 2 floors. Our cruise was half full so there were just 8 of us which was great - allowing us to eat at one table and be transferred to our activities in one dingy. We had great fellow passengers which also helped to make the trip so memorable.

Our cruise was for 4 nights (one of the shorter cruises) and this turned out to be a good choice for us as we still saw so much. Each day is briefed to you the night before and a typical day would be a combination of nature hike, snorkelling, swimming and kayaking. The team runs this like clockwork with a combination of fun and safety in mind. There is no pressure to do any of the activities - you can opt out and stay on the boat if you wish.

There are around a dozen members of staff and it was fair to say that they were all excellent and were such a happy team. Special mentions to Enrique who was our guide on all the trips from the boat and Gabriella who ensured all the boat based activities went according to plan - food, drink, room cleaning etc.

The food on the boat was excellent and consisted of a ‘continental’ and/or cooked breakfast, a buffet lunch with cooked fish/meat and salads and vegetables and then a ‘served’ meal in the evening. They were excellent in accommodating everyone’s dietary needs. Soft drinks, coffees etc are included in the price but you have to pay for wine and other alcoholic drinks (prices similar to a hotel bar).

The cabins are a really good size and the bathrooms too so you never felt short of space. Each room had balcony to sit and relax. The rooms were well decorated and cleaned and replenished frequently through the cruise. Each room has AC which was great.

Enrique, our guide, made our activities off the boat so enjoyable. Such a great personality with all the knowledge of the islands and it’s animals, birds and fish to help us on our nature walks and snorkelling.

The last day has to be a little rushed to get the boat ready for next group joining late morning so we had the option of a nature walk at 6am followed by breakfast at 7 then a dingy transfer to the shore at 8. Airport check in is well organised by the boat staff.

Envelopes are provided on the last evening to tip the guide and boat staff. Suggestions are made as to the size of the tip but it’s up to you and the envelopes are anonymous.

This was a super special trip for us - surely there is no place on the planet where you can see animals in the natural environment without any of them being afraid of you. This was everything we had hoped for - and more!

  The trip was simply incredible and as my daughter said, may go down as our best trip yet! When the kids were little we used to always "go off... read more the grid" and after our week in Galapagos, I am reminded how awesome it is to really disconnect so you can be present for all that is amazing around you! Swimming with all things marine but in particular sea lions, turtles, sharks and penguins to being surrounded by all things avian....blue & red footed boobies, frigates, gulls, cormorants, finches galore and 2 flamingos! And tortoises WAY older than me!!! Additionally, I am not sure we could EVER (at a price we could afford) recreate having the whole boat to ourselves with 11 outstanding crew lead by Captain Patricio and Joseph, the Cruise Director and with Morris Garcia, our Naturalist who delivered in depth knowledge re plant, animal and geography all with great humor ("you won't die but you may cry!"). Ocean Spray, Golden Galapagos and Happy Gringo were awesome....from anticipating challenges in this crazy Covid world to delivering exceptional service. We will be back! …

  Let me start with the positive, the crew was amazing the cabins were large and the housekeeping man was a ninja, our cabins were always clean and tidy yet we... read more never saw him. the food was excellent and every time we came back from an excursion there were refreshments, the vessel

  I spent 5 glorious days visiting the Galapagos Islands aboard the luxurious catamaran 'Endemic'. It was one of the most enjoyable and thrilling travel experiences I've ever had. ... read more The ship was extremely clean and in 'like new' condition (I understand it is less than 2...More

  We really wanted to write a good review, but the more we thought about it the more we realised that after paying the most we have ever paid for a... read more holiday, and we have enjoyed some amazing 5 star holidays, the overall experience just didn’t...More

  This was long-anticipated, bucket list trip. It is so rare when something not only meets your considerable expectations, but far exceeds them! We spent 2 weeks on the Elite, and... read more could not have been happier with our choice. The crew took exquisite care of us: for example, Michael, our cruise director, attended to our every need, Romolo kept us plied with excellent cocktails, El Capitan Douglas allowed us to share his bridge as we crossed the equator, and Jose attended to our rooms with great attention to detail. Our mates and sailors, Pablo, Jordan, Marcos, and Francis gave us great and occasionally thrilling panga rides, all with great good humor--they were a lot of fun. Angel and Bolivar gave us tasty, fresh meals, including barbeques on the top deck and a cake for on my birthday!Finally, our naturalist guides Carlos (week 1) and Enrique (week 2) were incredible at spotting animals and even predicting imminent behavior so we could get our cameras ready. The itineraries were well thought out and we never felt rushed as I've heard can happen on larger ships (ours held 16 passengers). In short, best money I ever spent, and I will carry memories of these weeks with me forever.

  We travelled on the Endemic. We enjoyed the cruise- lovely fellow guests, great crew that anticipated your needs and prepared a tasty variety of food for each meal, and... read more made the best towel animals- our guide Walter was terrific, funny, knowledgable, informative. Would highly recommend