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Yacht Isabela

Galapagos Natural Selection Wildlife Cruise

The Definitive Southeastern and Western Galapagos Journey

7 Days

Friday to Thursday

14 of 15

Galapagos Iconic Species

From

USD 6150
per guest

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Discover the Wonders of the Galapagos on Yacht Isabela II

  • 2026: 7 Days from USD 6150 per guest
  • 2027: 7 Days from USD 6250 per guest

Embark on an unforgettable journey through the stunning Galapagos archipelago aboard the Yacht Isabela. This 7-day adventure will immerse you in a breathtaking world of wildlife, beginning with vibrant flamingos and culminating in the majestic display of preening frigatebirds.

As we traverse these captivating islands, you’ll encounter the awe-inspiring giant tortoises at Cerro Colorado and witness all three species of boobies at Punta Pitt. On Española Island, prepare to be enchanted by iconic waved albatrosses and the striking beauty of colorful marine iguanas. In Floreana, explore the historic charm of Post Office Bay and bask on the picturesque green-hued beach at Cormorant Point. Our journey continues westward, where you will walk across unique young lava formations at Punta Moreno and discover the intriguing mangroves and flightless cormorants of southern Fernandina.

The expedition concludes with a visit to the stunning Eden Islet, and to finish on a high note, you’ll trek across the breathtaking landscape of North Seymour. Join us for this remarkable adventure and experience the wonders of the Galapagos like never before!

  • Baltra
  • Santa cruz
  • San Cristobal
  • Española
  • Floreana
  • Isabela
  • Fernandina
  • North Seymour
Galapagos land iguana perched on lava rock with Yacht Isabela II anchored offshore southeastern Galapagos

Day by Day

Day 1: Baltra Island & Santa Cruz Island

Welcome to the Galapagos Islands!

Arrival at Baltra Airport and Santa Cruz Island

  • Land at Baltra and transfer directly to the humid highlands of Santa Cruz Island.
  • Your naturalist guide leads you to Galapagos giant tortoises roaming freely across ancient calderas — the same landscapes that informed Darwin’s theory of natural selection.
  • Lunch is served aboard Yacht Isabela II after the morning’s activities.

Explore Las Bachas on Santa Cruz Island

  • Visit Las Bachas on Santa Cruz’s north shore — white coral sand meets brackish lagoons alive with wading birds
  • Swim in the calm waters or explore the lagoon edges with your naturalist guide
  • Board the ship for the welcome cocktail and expedition briefing

Wildlife: Galapagos Giant Tortoise · American Flamingo · American Oystercatcher · White-cheeked Pintail · Green Sea Turtle (nesting sites)

Explore Punta Pitt on San Cristobal Island

  • Hike the ascending trail at Punta Pitt — the only site in the Galapagos where all three booby species nest in a single colony.
  • Spot both frigatebird species soaring overhead and bachelor sea lion groups on the volcanic rocks below
  • Weather permitting: swim, kayak, snorkel, or take a panga ride from the beach

Visit Cerro Colorado on San Cristobal Island

  • Disembark at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno — Darwin’s first landfall in 1835 — and drive 40 minutes to the island’s interior
  • Visit Cerro Colorado Giant Tortoise Breeding Center, dedicated to San Cristóbal’s endangered tortoise subspecies
  • Walk through a deciduous forest with San Cristóbal mockingbirds, lava lizards, and small ground finches

Wildlife: Blue-footed Booby · Red-footed Booby · Nazca Booby · Magnificent Frigatebird · Great Frigatebird · Galapagos Sea Lion · Galapagos Giant Tortoise (San Cristóbal subspecies) · Mockingbird · Lava Lizard · Small Ground Finch

Discover Gardner Bay on Española Island

  • Walk one of the archipelago’s finest white coral beaches alongside Española sea lions and curious mockingbirds.
  • Darwin’s finches forage at the tideline just meters from your feet
  • Snorkel in exceptional clarity over a volcanic reef; optional kayaking and glass-bottom boat available

Explore Punta Suarez on Española Island

  • Trek across lava and boulder fields where waved albatrosses perform their elaborate courtship dance — a ritual unique to this island
  • Nazca boobies guard chicks centimeters from the trail; swallow-tailed gulls perch above the Pacific blowhole
  • Observe Española marine iguanas — the most colorful in the archipelago, brilliant red and green during mating season

Wildlife: Sea Lion · Mockingbird · Darwin’s Finches · Galapagos Hawk · Green Sea Turtle · Reef Shark · Eagle Ray Waved Albatross · Nazca Booby · Blue-footed Booby · Swallow-tailed Gull · Marine Iguana · Galapagos Hawk · Hood Mockingbird · Galapagos Dove

Explore Cormorant Point on Floreana Island

  • Walk Cormorant Point’s green beach — its olivine-crystal sand gives it an unmistakable emerald tint unlike any other in the Galapagos
  • Visit the brackish lagoon to watch American flamingos feeding in mirror-still water
    • Explore the white-sand beach around the headland — an active green sea turtle nesting ground
  • At Champion Islet: snorkel, panga ride, or glass-bottom boat with sea lions, king angelfish, and grazing sea turtles

Visit Post Office Bay & Baroness Cove on Floreana Island

  • Visit the famous wooden barrel at Post Office Bay — an 18th-century postal tradition still practiced by expedition visitors today
  • Your naturalist guide brings to life Floreana’s layered history: Darwin’s 1835 stop, unique mockingbird and finch populations, and the island’s eccentric settler stories
  • End the afternoon snorkeling off the beach in waters patrolled by Galapagos sea lions and reef sharks

Wildlife: Mockingbird · Medium Ground Finch · Green Sea Turtle · Galapagos Sea Lion · White-tipped Reef Shark American Flamingo · Galapagos Penguin · White-cheeked Pintail · Green Sea Turtle · Sea Lion · King Angelfish · Parrotfish

Experience Punta Moreno on Isabela Island

  • Walk across the youngest volcanic landscape in the Galapagos — raw, hardened lava punctuated by hidden oases of brackish water.
  • Your naturalist guide reveals Galapagos penguins, flightless cormorants, great blue herons, and white-cheeked pintail ducks thriving in the lava field.
  • Optional glass-bottom boat ride and deep-water snorkeling over a volcanic reef with sea turtles

Discover Punta Mangle on Fernandina Island

  • Cross the Bolívar Channel — one of the Pacific’s richest marine corridors, where dolphins and sea turtles surface alongside the panga
  • Reach Fernandina: the most ecologically pristine island on Earth, with no invasive species and no permanent human settlement
  • Your panga glides through red mangrove forests where flightless cormorants, marine iguanas, and sea lion pups crowd every rock and root

Wildlife: Flightless Cormorant · Galapagos Penguin · Marine Iguana · Galapagos Sea Lion · Bottlenose Dolphin · Manta Ray · Green Sea Turtle · Galapagos Hawk Galapagos Penguin · Flightless Cormorant · Great Blue Heron · White-cheeked Pintail · Green Sea Turtle · Marine Iguana · Sally Lightfoot Crab

Explore Eden Islet

  • Take a scenic panga ride to Eden Islet, just off Santa Cruz’s coast
  • Blue-footed boobies dive-bomb the surface, reef sharks patrol the shallows, and frigatebirds ride thermals overhead
  • Snorkel among sea turtles, spotted eagle rays, and colorful reef fish; a glass-bottom boat is also available

Discover North Seymour Island

  • Walk through nesting magnificent frigatebird colonies — males inflate brilliant scarlet throat pouches just meters from the trail
  • Observe blue-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, land iguanas, and Galapagos sea lions sharing the scrubland in close quarters
  • End with a dinghy ride and snorkel, then the expedition farewell cocktail and dinner

Wildlife: Blue-footed Booby · Magnificent Frigatebird · Galapagos Sea Lion · White-tipped Reef Shark · Spotted Eagle Ray · Green Sea Turtle · King Angelfish Magnificent Frigatebird · Great Frigatebird · Blue-footed Booby · Swallow-tailed Gull · Galapagos Land Iguana · Galapagos Sea Lion · Marine Iguana

Departure from Baltra Island

  • Transfer to Baltra Airport for your return flight to the mainland
  • Your naturalist guide is available for a final conversation about what you witnessed and the conservation work that protects these islands
  • Thank you for joining Metropolitan Touring on this remarkable Galapagos expedition
View all Itineraries

Itinerary Map

Day 1

Baltra Island & Santa Cruz Island

Day 2

San Cristobal Island

Day 3

Española Island

Day 4

Floreana Island

Day 5

Isabela Island & Fernandina Island

Day 6

Eden Islet & North Seymour Island 

Day 7

Baltra Airport

land-iguana
galapagos-penguin
blue-footed-booby
galapagos-fur-seal
american-flamingo
galapagos-hawk
nazca-booby
frigatebirds
marine-iguana
galapagos-sea-lion
galapagos-giant-tortoise
red-footed-booby
cormorant
galapagos-albatross

Prices

Prices in 2026

Starting at USD 6150 per guest

Prices in 2027

Starting at USD 6250 per guest

Sailing Dates

Contact us for availability

The Big 15 Iconic Species of the Galapagos

Because the Galapagos Islands are so extensive, deciding where to go and what to see can be challenging. In crafting our itineraries to ensure our guests experience the optimum array of Galapagos species, we spoke with experts, Naturalist Guides, and island enthusiasts to identify the archipelago’s most unique and fascinating animals. Their choices influenced our creation of the Galapagos BIG15, which showcases the most iconic Galapagos wildlife.
Galapagos Albatross
Blue-footed Boobies
Nazca Boobies
Red-footed Booby
Flightless Cormorant
American Flamingo
Great and Magnificent Frigatebirds
Galapagos Hawk
Land Iguanas
Marines Iguanas
Galapagos Penguin
Galapagos Sea Lion
Galapagos Fur Seal
Galapagos Giant Tortoise

Why Book With Us

Unmatched Experiences & Expert Care

Choose expedition vessels for an authentic and intimate experience.

Consider the comfort level with the ideal space-to-guest ratio during your journey.

All our itineraries allow you to discover 11 to 12 of the Big 15 iconic species and the top 4 islands in just 5 to 7 days.

Take part in the multi-guided itineraries for a unique experience of the Galapagos Islands.

Our carefully designed itineraries guarantee exclusivity and optimal wildlife viewing opportunities during island visits.

Enjoy multiple activities around the islands at no extra cost during your Galapagos expedition.

Rest assured, our Galapagos cruise ships have onboard medical professionals to attend to any medical needs.

Ensure the Galapagos National Park authorizes your cruise for activities and island visits.

Gallery

Yacht Isabela – Galapagos Islands
Kayaking – Galapagos, Yacht Isabela
Classic cabin aboard Yacht Isabela – Galapagos Islands
Expedition room – Galapagos Islands
Expedition room aboard Yacht Isabela – Galapagos Islands
Galapagos giant tortoise spotted during Yacht Isabela expedition
Owner’s cabin aboard Yacht Isabela – Galapagos Islands
Snorkeling in the Galapagos Islands
Restaurant aboard Yacht Isabela – Galapagos Islands
Yacht Isabela – Galapagos Islands
Hiking aboard Yacht Isabela – Galapagos Islands

Included

  • Shared transfers between select Quito hotels and the airport for Galapagos flights
  • Accomodation and all meals on board
  • Island expeditions with Park-certified Naturalist Guides
  • 24/7 On-board Medical Officer
  • Luggage assistance
  • Starlink WiFi
  • Kayaks, paddleboards, and a glass-bottom boat
  • Snorkeling equipment: wetsuits, masks, fins, vests
  • Informative lectures
  • Soft Drinks

Reminder: We can assist with tickets and fees for entry to Galapagos.

Not Included

  • International airfare
  • Galapagos National Park fee (USD 200)
  • INGALA migration card (USD 20)
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Personal expenses, gratuities & taxes
  • Fuel surcharges*
  • Non-alcoholic beverages are included on board only.
  • Fees and surcharges are subject to change without prior notice.

Tours you can Combine this Itinerary with

Mashpi Lodge & Galapagos Islands: Rainforest and Wildlife Expedition

  • Mashpi Rainforest & Reserve, Galapagos Islands
  • 10 days /
  • 9 nights
  • USD $9399 per guest

Itinerary details

Machu Picchu & Galapagos Expedition

  • Quito, Galapagos Islands / Machu Picchu
  • 12 days /
  • 11 nights
  • USD $11199 per guest

Itinerary details

Galapagos Northwest Islands of Fire Cruise – Yacht Isabela II

  • Baltra, Bartolome, Fernandina, Isabela, Santa Cruz, Santiago
  • 5 days /
  • 4 nights
  • USD $ 4650 per guest

Itinerary details

Galapagos Northeast Islands of Fire Cruise – Yacht Isabela II

  • Baltra, Genovesa, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santiago, South Plaza
  • 5 days /
  • 4 nights
  • USD $4650 per guest

Itinerary details

Talk to an expert that´s
Sailed aboard!

Melissa Altamirano

“Melissa has been fantastic! She answers all my questions, gets back to me quickly, and has mapped out a wonderful trip for us. I couldn’t be happier with the service I have received.”

– Mary Kabat

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Four Galapagos penguins standing on black lava rocks near a sandy beach shoreline
Are you a Travel Agent?*
At Metropolitan Touring we process the information you provide us with in order to respond to the request made by you in relation to the services we provide and the products we supply. You can exercise the rights of access, rectification and updating of inaccurate data or, where appropriate, request the deletion or elimination, limitation or suspension of the processing of your data or oppose the processing of your data. Contact us at dpdecuador@metropolitan-touring.com