Galapagos tours - M/V Evolution tour planner & advisor

Galapagos tours planner

Galapagos tours are usually done by boat, either a yacht cruise or onboard a small expedition style ship.

In this section of our website we want to help you with your Galapagos & Ecuador travel arrangements so your tour is well planned, well paced out and carefree.

We invite you to read on and unravel all the secrets and small details behind Galapagos tours and cruises. Our tour planner covers several topics that will help you make the right selections when time comes to booking your vacation.

Choose a boat: Price and quality

For a lot of people, an important factor in choosing a boat is price, there is a wide range of prices in the Galapagos fleet with corresponding levels of quality, comfort and service. In the majority of cases, if you pay more, you'll get a yacht or expedition ship with more space and amenities, better service from a well trained crew, more educated guides with a greater command of your language, and hence, a better once-in-a-lifetime experience

The Galapagos islands are in themselves the same for every visitor, you will be spending your nights and navigation time on your boat, all the time you are not on the islands and in the water, it will be your abode for a week.  Basically: "you get what you pay for."

Low-priced tours can range from $350 - $700 for a 4 day and 5 night tour and from $550 - $1200 for a 7 day and 8 night tour.  The service and quality of your tour is variable.

Mid-priced tours can range from $700 - $1000 for a 4 day and 5 night tour and from $1200 - $2000 for a 7 days and 8 night tour. Service and guidance is much more consistant

High-priced tours can range from $1000 - $1900 for a 4 day and 5 night tour and from $2000 - $4500 for a 7 day and 8 night tour.

The M/V Evolution is in the high price range, we are focused on delivering the best Galapagos experience, we focus on every small detail. the Galapagos Evolution is a boutique cruise ship with a lot of space and ammenities for travellers, many boats its size carry twice as many passengers. We believe small groups with a lot of space and privacy are the finest way to enjoy the Islands.

Should the Galapagos Evolution not meet your standards or specific needs, we can recommend other boats that do. We invite you to continue reading through our tour planner so you can make the right decisions.

Specialty Galapagos tours

Tours for those interested in activities like, Scuba diving, snorkeling, sea kayaking, birdwatching or photography are available on some yachts.

For how long?

The Galapagos Islands are a constant laboratory of evolution and the wildlife is unique and edemic even from island to island.  With so much to discover, 4 days only provides for a quick overview, few days to really enjoy and understand this rich archipelago.  Another point to ponder is the expenses you have to reach the Islands - $389 roundtrip airfare from Ecuador mainland + $100 park tax just to get in.... plus whatever your airfare is to reach Ecuador.

For this reason, we highly recommend taking a cruise for at least 7 days and 8 nights (which is what we offer on board the M/V Evolution) to have time to fully experience the Islands. Cruises of 4 days and 5 nights should only be an option if you're very short on time or money. Some cruise operators offer Galapagos tours of 3 days/4 nights, we feel we cannot recommend  these tours.  Between the flight & transfer from mainland to the Islands and the time getting situated on the boat, they leave very little time to see the wilderness wonders of the Galapagos.

Read on and find out other important information when planning a tour to Ecuador & Galapagos.