A Galapagos cruise is the best way to explore the Galapagos Islands, one of the world’s most extraordinary wildlife destinations. The vacation of a lifetime awaits aboard our first-class fleet. Multi-guided adventures and aquatic and land activities led by our naturalist guides will surpass your expectations when you hop aboard any of Metropolitan Touring’s Galapagos Islands cruises.
Get ready to fall in love with the most beautiful sunsets, mesmerizing wildlife, and world-class hospitality!
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Our Galapagos Cruises are the perfect, sustainable option for enjoying a fantastic expedition throughout the magical archipelago. Our dedicated team is readily available to make your trip the best it can be, and more! We guarantee that you’ll amass unforgettable stories when you travel aboard with us and experience a perfect balance of adventure and relaxation.
Seize this opportunity to enjoy a Galapagos experience like no other!
Explore two unique ecosystems: The Galapagos Islands and the Ecuadorian Cloud Forest on this high-end ecological adventure. This all-inclusive tour will see you exploring Quito’s historic downtown followed by the wonderful cloud forest surrounding the luxurious Mashpi Lodge. Last but not least, the Galapagos Islands await to take you on an exciting expedition cruise.
Experience the Galapagos and then explore Quito, the capital city of Ecuador nestled high in the Andes Mountains. This all-inclusive Galapagos tour will see you exploring the spectacular historical center of Quito followed by the Galapagos Islands for a once-in-a-lifetime expedition cruise.
Metropolitan Touring pioneered travel to the Galapagos Islands in the early 1960s. We pride ourselves in the quality of our trio of Galapagos Islands expedition vessels and our eco-hotel, as well as our safety standards, our loyal and outstanding staff, and our commitment to giving our guests an incomparable experience of the Islands while preserving their riches for future generations.
70 years of experience in Metropolitan Touring Galapagos cruises have demonstrated the positive change in sustainable tourism, the preservation of wildlife, its natural beauty, and the protection of tourists, as well as the value of each destination.
Metropolitan Touring Galapagos Cruises is the pillar of caring for nature and the ecological responsibility we practice and instill through tourism, allowing us to enjoy nature and providing each traveler with the best experience together with our team of experts.
There is no place on Earth like the Galapagos Islands. Far out in the Pacific Ocean, this archipelago was formed by titanic geothermic upheavals that created volcanic islands, some of which are still in the throes of creation today.
When Charles Darwin visited in Galapagos in 1835, he observed a pristine, naturally-isolated living laboratory that would inspire and refine his theories, which he would release upon the world – to shattering effect – decades later. The islands have not lost their ability to inspire: the magic Darwin found over 150 years ago is still thriving in this unique environment.
While you experience our Galapagos cruises, you can walk among unique species, such as marine iguanas basking in the sun, and observe the elaborate mating rituals of blue-footed boobies, albatrosses, and frigate birds. Unthreatened by predators, Galapagos island cruise creatures are undisturbed by visitors, who come away inspired and changed by their experience of nature here.
Metropolitan Touring is a pioneer in Galapagos Cruises.
From the relaxing, informal atmosphere of the Santa Cruz II to the flawless service on Isabela II, there is something for everyone aboard our irresistible ships. What are some of the best reasons to cruise the Galapagos with us? Discover the perk that suits your style here.
Our captains, naturalist guides, and expedition leaders are all dedicated to ensuring that your lifetime trip is surrounded by safety and comfort. We employ naval-ranked officers and staff our ships with experts in the field so that you can experience the region from an enriching point of view. Whether you’re taking in a natural history lecture on the Santa Cruz II or simply enjoying the delicious cuisine aboard the La Pinta, everyone who serves you is passionate about providing the best possible experience.
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One history, a thousand inspiring stories
Cruise the Galapagos Islands with the passionate experts – established in 1953! We own and operate the finest Galapagos Island Expedition Small Cruise Ship, Yacht and Vessel. Get special deals and come explore with us!
© 1953-2023 Metropolitan Touring - 70 years of travel experience
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When this modern, minimalist, glass-walled jungle lodge opened in 2012, it changed the accommodation game in South America. Arquitect Alfredo Ribadeneira’s “protective cocoon” would impress in a modern city; in the depths of an Andean cloudforest, it is wild, audacious and beautiful. Though only 70 miles from Quito, Maspi Lodge sits in splendid isolation, perched on a cliff at the end of an unsealed road.
This small, secret rooftop of the restored Casa Gangotena mansion peers over Plaza San Francisco in the center of Quito’s colonial Old Town, the world’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Order a Cedrón Spritz, a refreshing mix of rum, lemon, sparkling wine, and fresh lemon verbena (cedrón) syrup and leaf, then revel in the mesmerizing, real-time montage of daily life in Ecuador’s capital as it parades past.
Santa Cruz II is a replacement for the much-loved Santa Cruz, which plied the waters of the Galapagos for 36 years. It is not a new ship; it was built in 2002 and sailed as Mare Australis under the Australis cruise brand, operating expedition cruises around Cape Horn and to Antarctica. Metropolitan Touring bought the ship in 2015 and completely refurbished it, launching it as Santa Cruz II in October 2015.
A Font of information, Klaus has spent decades in the field, leading tours in the Amazon, Andes and Galapagos Islands. He hung up his guiding boots a few years back and now creates itineraries for the tour operator, Metropolitan Touring. Adrift in the Pacific Ocean, hundreds of miles from mainland South America, Galapagos is one of the most biodiverse locales on Earth.
The Galapagos Archipelago sits 926 km (575 mi) off the coast of Ecuador and covers an area of almost 8,000 km2 (3,030 mi2). They consist of 19 islands spread out along the equator, 14 of which offer visitor sites and 4 of which are inhabited. Flights to Galapagos from Quito and Guayaquil on the mainland take under 2 hours. Fun fact: As a result of its equatorial location, days in the archipelago are 12-hours long no matter when you go!
No seasons exist in the Galapagos Islands due to fact that they’re along the equator. However, there are two weather patterns that are recognizable every year:
They have belonged to Ecuador since 1831. Before that they remained unclaimed.
Eleven languages are spoken in Ecuador but Spanish and Kichwa are the official languages of the country. Kichwa is mostly spoken by indigenous groups in the Andes region and, to a lesser extent, in the Amazon region. Most tourism-related services/providers have multi-lingual staff, particularly in English with some German, French, and Italian speakers.
The United States Dollar is the official currency of Ecuador.
Galapagos Time is 6 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC): this is 7 hours behind time in the UK, 2 hours behind standard time in New York, and 14 hours behind time in Canberra. The mainland of Ecuador is 5 hours behind UTC.
Locals of the islands are known as galapagueños and the last census, which was carried out in 2010, estimated their population to be at around 25,000. Most of them have come from mainland Ecuador to live on the islands within recent years. The majority of them are part of the Mestizo ethnic group, and as such are descendants of Spanish and indigenous ancestors. A small minority consists of purely European families.
Near the end of the century, members of the ethnic group called the Salasacas started migrating from the mainland to the most populated islands of the archipelago and formed small colonies. They keep mostly to themselves in closed communities, in which they have their own schools and speak only Kichwa. However there are no indigenous groups autochthonous to the Galapagos Islands.
The name Galapagos is said to come from the Galapagos giant tortoises that are endemic to the archipelago. It turns out the Spanish word for a type of saddle is galapago, and it was often used by the Spanish explorers to refer to the giant tortoises that populated the islands with their iconic saddle-like shell.
Itinerario de 5 días / 4 noches: Basado en la tarifa regular (4214 USD + impuestos por persona)
Itinerario de 7 días / 6 noches: Basado en la tarifa regular (5672 USD + impuestos por persona)
No reembolsable. Aplica únicamente para residentes ecuatorianos en nuevas reservas directas realizadas, hasta el 30 de junio del 2022, con un ejecutivo de ventas del hotel. Válido para estadías hasta el 31 de agosto de 2022. No puede ser combinada con otros descuentos, promociones u ofertas. El descuento no aplica para otros servicios. El precio no incluye recargo de combustible de $20 por noche de crucero.
