How to Find the Best Cruise For Touring The Galapagos

While there are many amazing places you can travel to around the world, one that is a great option for many are the Galapagos Islands. Located just off the coast of Ecuador, these islands are home to beautiful scenery, and a ton of animal and plant life that cannot be seen anywhere else on the planet.

One of the best ways to see and experience this amazing destination is to take a cruise. But with many Galapagos cruises being offered, how do you know which is the right choice for you and your family?  Without any further ado, this article is going to go over a few tips to help you choose the best Galapagos cruise for your needs.

Plan Ahead

Perhaps the most important part of planning your trip to the Galapagos and finding the right cruise is to plan ahead. The Galapagos Islands are a very popular destination, and cruises can fill up very quickly with people looking to get away to the beautiful scenery and weather.

The area is quite remote, and doesn’t have the capacity for a ton of visitors at a time, so you need to act fast to ensure you get a spot. While it can vary, you may want to book as much as 9 months or so in advance, to make sure you can take your vacation when and where you want it.

Know When You Want to go

Another important part of deciding on the right cruise is knowing when you want to go. In the Galapagos, the weather is generally good all year, and there really aren’t too many storms. As a result, there are good times and plenty of fun to be had all year round. June to November are generally cooler in the Galapagos, but even then the weather is still beautiful.

If you are going to see a certain type of animal in particular, be sure to familiarize yourself with the seasonality of the wildlife. The sightings of wildlife can change from season to season, and certain behaviors and events will only take place once a year, so do some reading to learn when to go in order to see what you want.

Decide Where Exactly You Want to go

As its name suggests, there is more than one island that you can visit. In fact, the area features 13 major islands and many smaller ones that can be explored and checked out. Each offers a slightly different mix of plant and wildlife to check out, so you certainly need to do your research.

Of course, you can visit multiple islands, but this will normally involve a longer trip. If you can only take a short trip for one reason or another, take time to consider the type of experiences that are most important to you, and the things you truly 100% need to see while you’re there.

Think About Your Ship Size Preferences

Another thing to think about when heading to the Galapagos for a cruise is the size of the ship. There are sizes that range from very small ships or yachts that may only fit a few dozen people (or even less), up to mega-sized ships that can carry thousands.

Since mega ships aren’t allowed, the largest option you have is one that will likely carry around 100 people, but that is still quite a substantial cruise ship. The experience you have on a smaller ship can often be vastly different than a larger one.

A smaller ship will often provide a more intimate and authentic experience, but it may lack some of the amenities you may have wanted, and may be a bit of a bumpier ride. On the other hand, a larger cruise will be more comfortable and come with more features, but may not give you the same up close and personal experience with the islands.

There is no right or wrong answer here, as it simply depends on the kind of experience and vacation that you are looking to have.

Don’t Forget About Your Budget

Of course, when taking any sort of vacation (or buying anything in general), it is always a good idea to have a budget. It can be easy to overspend if you don’t think about what you can afford, so take some time to go through your finances and decide just how much you’ll be able to comfortably spend on the trip. Work through not only the things like flights and booking the cruise, but also any extra things you may want to do or excursions that you feel like taking.

There are options for different budgets, it’s all about simply doing enough research to find the  options that are right for you. Having a budget is great, but you want to make sure you can actually stick to it, too.

In conclusion, we hope that this article has been able to help you find your perfect cruise for traveling in the Galapagos Islands.