Galapagos Islands News

The Galapagos Islands are a dream destination. Who hasn’t seen one of the many Galapagos TV specials featuring frolicking sea lions, majestic tortoises and beautiful fish and not wanted to come? Since the 1960’s, visitors have flocked to Galapagos and experienced the one-of-a-kind experience they can only get there. But how is the best way to see the Galapagos Islands? There are basically three options: small ships, large ships and land-based Galapagos tours. Which is best for you?

Small Ships: Most of the eighty or so ships currently serving Galapagos are smaller: that is, they hold up to 16 passengers, which is the maximum that one guide can legally supervise. The small ships are great for making new friends and getting to really know the crew and guides.

Large Ships: There are several large cruise ships as well: the largest holds about 90 passengers. These ships are stable and stately and fun to explore. There are often many languages and cultures onboard, which can be fun.

Land-based Tours: Growing in popularity, the land-based tour is just what it sounds like: you sleep in a hotel in Santa Cruz or Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and take day trips to visit island sites. You can relax in town if you want, go SCUBA diving, and basically make your own itinerary.

So how do these options stack up?

Visitor Sites:

The park service vigorously monitors and controls the visitor sites. Some fragile ones can only be visited by smaller ships (thus lessening the immediate impact) while some of the more “tourist-proof” sites are allocated to the larger ships. It’s not possible to say that the sites themselves are any better or worse, and the Park Service switches them around often.

Winner: small ship.
Second place: large ship.
Loser: land-based tours.

Why? On a larger ship, visitors have to wait their turn to get on and off, losing valuable hiking and snorkeling time. Land-based tours cannot day-trip to distant visitor sites such as Genovesa and Española, which are some of the best in Galapagos.

Service:

Every ship in Galapagos has highly trained guides, crew, sailors, etc. The Park Service closely monitors all licensing and they are all certified. On most cruises, you’ll find good food, friendly staff and dedicated professionals.

Winner: small ship.
Second Place: large ship.
Loser: land-based tour.

Why? Assuming that you’re on one of the reputable small ships like the Athala, the snug conditions will mean that you personally get to know the crew (on the disreputable small ships, beware: many visitors complain of petty theft and sexual harassment). On the larger ships, you’ll never even see half the crew. Obviously, on a land-based tour, you won’t have much time with any locals and the guide may even change daily.

Seasickness

Face it: seasickness happens. If you’re prone to it, you may want to take it into consideration.

Winner: large ship.
Second Place: small ship.
Loser: land-based tour.

Why? I know, I know, your logic tells me I’m out of my mind. Of course, the large, stable ships are best, everyone knows that. But many of the smaller ships are catamarans with two hulls, making them more stable than you’d think. If you’re based on land, you’ll still be taking lots of boat rides and often you’ll find yourself in barely-seaworthy buckets that smell like diesel as you travel from one site to the next.

Eco-tourism

These days, we all want to make a difference. No one wants to perpetuate environmental damage and we all want to be responsible tourists.

Winner: land-based tour.
Second place: tie, small and large ships.

Why? The land-based tours leave the least impact now that the Galapagos towns finally are recycling. The tiny motorboats do not have the impact of the larger ships and the locals get to keep more money. The large ships are subject to very strict anti-pollution laws, so the worst offenders are the low-end small ships that carelessly pollute. If you want to be ecologically sensitive, your best bet is to look into the company that owns the ship: many of them actively support the environment and local programs: two leaders in this are Columbus Travel (small ships) and Metropolitan Touring (large ships).

Overall

Winner: small ship.
Second Place: large ship.
Loser: land-based tour.

This is assuming, of course, that you are booked on one of the reputable, high-end smaller ships such as the Nina or the Athala. The very best and the very worst ships that Galapagos has to offer are smaller: the large ones are in the middle. What the smaller ships give up in stability they make up for in personalized service, flexibility and intimacy. The large ships are stable and comfortable, but you’ll never feel like you really get to know anyone besides the other tourists. As for land-based tours, they’re best for those who want to do a lot of SCUBA diving or who can’t afford a cruise.