Galápagos yacht charter
A national park almost everywhere, where animals do not fear people and landings need a certified guide. Warm from about December to May; cool and richer in marine life from June to November. It suits families and wildlife lovers.
The Galápagos are unlike anywhere else you can charter a yacht. The animals are not afraid of people. Sea lions sleep on the landing steps, boobies nest by the path, and marine iguanas lie on the lava. Almost all of the islands are a national park, and the park decides where a yacht may go, when and with whom. A charter here is closer to a private expedition than to a week of island-hopping, and that is the right way to think of it. The islands belong to Ecuador, and sit on our Central and South America page with the region's other wildlife coasts, Costa Rica and Mexico's Sea of Cortez.
Why go, and whom it suits
Families
This is one of the best trips there is for children old enough to walk the trails and snorkel. Every day brings animals close up, with a naturalist to explain them.
Couples and honeymoons
For a couple who want something extraordinary rather than a beach, yes. It is an active week, with early starts and landings by tender.
Friends and celebrations
For a group of friends who share a love of wildlife or diving, very much so. It is not a party destination.
Less suited to anyone who wants freedom to change the route on the day. The park coordinates the visits to its sites, so the route is planned ahead.
How the park shapes a charter
These are the rules that decide what a Galápagos week can be. Each needs confirming for the year you travel.
- Visitors explore the park's sites only with park-certified naturalist guides, and every live-aboard yacht carries licensed guides who go with her guests.
- The park coordinates the group visits to its sites, so a yacht's route is planned within the park's system rather than chosen on the day.
- Visitor sites have marked trails and set visiting hours, and you keep at least 2 metres from the animals.
- Independent travel is limited. So in practice, a private charter in the Galápagos means chartering a yacht that works in the islands, for your group alone.
- Every visitor pays the park's entrance fee on arrival in the islands, and needs a transit card before flying in from the mainland. We give you the current amounts.
Our job here is to find the licensed yacht and the itinerary that fit your group, and to say plainly what each one offers.
The areas
The central islands
Santa Cruz, with the giant tortoises in the highlands and the research station; North Seymour, with frigatebirds and blue-footed boobies; Bartolomé, with its view of Pinnacle Rock; and Santiago.
The west
Isabela, the largest island, and Fernandina, the youngest. There are flightless cormorants, penguins and marine iguanas. The cool, rich water here is where the whales and dolphins come.
The south and east
Española, with the waved albatross in season, and Floreana and San Cristóbal.
The north
Genovesa, a collapsed crater full of seabirds, reached by a longer passage.
When to go
The Galápagos can be visited all year. They have two seasons, warm and cool, and each has its own attractions.
- About December to May is warm. The water is warmer and calmer, there are short showers, and it is green on land. The snorkelling is easier.
- About June to November is cool. The Humboldt Current brings colder water, and marine life is richer. It is the best time for divers.
- The busiest times are mid-June to early September and mid-December to mid-January.
Months | Weather and sea | Crowds | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
About December to May | Warm: warmer, calmer water, short showers, green on land | Busy from mid-December to mid-January | Easier snorkelling |
About June to November | Cool: the Humboldt Current brings colder water | Busy from mid-June to early September | Richer marine life; the best time for divers |
What it costs
The charter fee is the yacht's own weekly rate. Her page shows it "from". Ecuador uses the US dollar. Each yacht's rate is in its own currency, often US dollars outside Europe.
- Tax: any Ecuadorian tax due on the charter is added to the fee and shown in the quote.
- The park entrance fee and the transit card are per person: the transit card before flying in from the mainland, the entrance fee on arrival. We give you the current amounts.
- APA, or what is included: what the fee includes, and any APA, is agreed per voyage and set out in the quote. Where an APA applies, the captain holds it for fuel, food, drinks and similar costs, spends it on your instructions and accounts for it at the end, and anything unspent is returned.
- Flights to the islands from mainland Ecuador are extra.
Our guide sets out what a crewed charter costs, line by line.
The weekly rate on each yacht’s page. "From" is her lowest season.
An advance for fuel, food, drinks and berths, spent on your instructions and settled at the end.
Set by the country the charter starts in, added to the fee.
The west
This is one example of the kind of itinerary a licensed yacht sails. The real route is planned within the park's rules, which coordinate which groups visit which sites, and when.
Fly in, board, and go to the highlands to see the giant tortoises.
Frigatebirds and blue-footed boobies nesting beside the trail, and a swim.
A walk ashore, and snorkelling along the cliffs, where penguins and turtles may swim by.
Punta Espinoza's lava, with marine iguanas and flightless cormorants.
Another landing, and whales offshore if you are lucky.
A walk on Santiago's lava shore, and the climb on Bartolomé for the view.
Disembark and fly back to the mainland.
The yachts that cruise here
We arrange crewed yachts in the Galápagos. Whether a yacht may carry guests among the park's sites depends on her licence, which we confirm for each yacht. Most Galápagos charters are on locally licensed yachts, and we look among them for every enquiry. The yachts on this site are a selection, not the limit of what we arrange: ask about any yacht, of any size.
Practical questions
Rene GaspersicYour broker
Can we choose our own route?
Not freely. The park coordinates the visits to its sites, and every landing is made with a park-certified guide. You choose the yacht and her route, and we explain the differences.
How far ahead should we plan?
Well ahead, especially for the peak seasons, mid-June to early September and mid-December to mid-January. Tell us your dates, even loosely.
Is it good for children?
Very good, if they can walk the trails and snorkel. Tell us the ages, and we say which yachts suit them.
How do we get there?
Fly to Quito or Guayaquil, then on to Baltra or San Cristóbal, the islands' two main airports.
What is the sea like?
Seas tend to be calmer from December to May, and the longer passages between islands are often made at night. Tell us if anyone is prone to seasickness: the yacht and the route make a difference.
Can we dive?
Some yachts do. The park authorises a select number of operators to offer diving, so we check that yours is one of them.
What should we bring?
Walking shoes for lava, reef-safe sun protection, and layers for the cool season. Many yachts carry wetsuits. Ask us what yours has.
Do we need a visa for Ecuador?
That depends on your passport. Check your government's travel advice before you book.
Can we add the mainland?
Yes. The flights to the islands leave from Quito or Guayaquil, so time in Quito and the Andes, or in the Amazon, fits before or after.
Talk to a broker
Tell us roughly when, how many of you there are, and what the week is for: a family adventure, a honeymoon, a birthday with friends. Dates and budget can stay loose. We come back with a short list of yachts that fit, say plainly what each one is like, and stay your contact from the first email to the last day on board.
Rene Gaspersic
charter broker
Email info@soretoyachting.com · Phone +44 7342 933198 · WhatsApp +44 7342 933198
Plan
Galápagos.
Two short steps. Dates and budget can stay loose. We reply personally, by email, phone or WhatsApp.