A thousand kilometres out into the Pacific, the wildlife has never learned to fear us, so you can sit among sea lions, step over marine iguanas and snorkel with penguins on the equator. We've been arranging Galapagos holidays for over twenty years, and we'd love to plan a trip built entirely around you, whether by cruise, from a hotel on the islands, or below the water with a dive tank on.
Nowhere else on earth lets you get so close to wild animals. Because the islands had no native predators, the wildlife simply never learned to run, so a sea lion will flop past your feet on the sand and a mockingbird will land on your hat. It is not a zoo and nothing is fenced, it is just how the Galapagos has always been.
It is also two wildernesses in one, above and below the water. The same morning you might walk past nesting boobies and then snorkel with penguins, turtles and reef sharks in the afternoon. We have been arranging trips here for over twenty years, and we still find it hard to describe without sounding as though we are exaggerating.
See our holidays →Every trip is planned from scratch. Tell us what you are hoping for and we will shape it until it fits, rather than selling you a package.
We will tell you when a boat is not quite right for you, when a quieter month would suit you better, and when a cheaper trip makes just as much sense. It is why people come back.
We are ATOL licensed and ABTOT bonded, so every pound you pay us is protected from the day you pay it. How that works.
A few of the trips our travellers ask for most often. Each is only a starting point, and we tailor-make every itinerary around you, your dates and the boat or hotel you like the look of.
Two of South America's most iconic sights in one trip: the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, then a cruise through the islands that inspired Darwin.
A wildlife lover's dream, joining the birdlife and river life of the Ecuadorian Amazon with eight days cruising the islands.
Based at a lovely tented lodge in the highlands, you head out each morning with your guide to a different corner of the largest island.
See the wildlife and the changing scenery of the islands while staying in comfortable hotels on three different islands.
Each island has its own character and its own wildlife, shaped by how old it is and where the currents run. Tell us what you would most like to see and we will build a route around the right ones.
A really good Galapagos trip is made up of lots of small moments. Here are a few of the experiences we'd hate for you to miss while you're out there.
Young sea lions are as curious as puppies and will loop and somersault around you in the shallows. It is the moment nearly everyone comes home talking about.
On Espanola and North Seymour you walk right past blue-footed boobies doing their comical courtship dance, close enough to see every foot lifted in turn.
In the Santa Cruz highlands you wander among wild tortoises the size of armchairs, grazing and wallowing exactly as they have for a century or more.
The Galapagos penguin is the only one found north of the equator, and off Isabela and Bartolome you can actually snorkel alongside them.
Nowhere else on earth has a lizard that swims in the sea. Watch them cling to the black lava and sneeze out salt as the waves break over them.
On a cruise you fall asleep at anchor and wake somewhere new, out at wild Fernandina or Genovesa where day boats simply cannot reach.
The Galapagos is a year-round destination, and the wildlife never really stops. What changes is the sea: the warm season brings calm water and superb snorkelling, the cool season brings green islands and busy seabirds. Here's the short version, with a full month by month guide if you want the detail.
Warmer, calmer seas and the best underwater visibility. Sunny days with short afternoon showers keep the islands green. Wonderful for snorkelling and families.
The Humboldt current brings cooler, richer water and hungry seabirds. Choppier crossings, but superb wildlife and the famous garua mist over the highlands.
Boobies, albatross and frigatebirds are busy courting and nesting. The waved albatross is on Espanola from roughly April to December.
Cooler, plankton-rich seas draw whale sharks to the far north, along with penguins, sea lions and plentiful fish. A fine time for divers.
Not a call centre, and not a different person each time. One of our Galapagos specialists looks after you from your very first question to your last snorkel of the trip.
The Galapagos is one of the most fragile places we send anyone, and almost every species here lives nowhere else on earth. The National Park entry fee you pay goes directly towards protecting it, and we will always point you towards the boats and lodges that take that responsibility as seriously as we do.
We only work with local partners we know and trust, so the money you spend out there genuinely helps to keep the islands protected, both for the next traveller and for the next generation.
More about how we travel →You'll have one specialist looking after you from start to finish. We'll listen to what you're after, give you our honest advice and put together a trip that's just for you.
