Northeastern Galápagos - Galaxy Sirius
Cruise in style on this stunning 16-passenger yacht designed to show you the best of the Galápagos in luxurious comfort.
SPECIAL OFFER
8.9*
ECO SCORE
16
PASSENGERS
6
DAYS
3/5
ACTIVITY LEVEL
Galápagos: Drink It In
Welcome Aboard the
Galaxy Sirius
Set sail on a captivating adventure through the enchanted Galápagos Islands, stepping foot in a living nature documentary. Begin with a warm welcome at Baltra, then glide through the serene waters of Black Turtle Cove, where sea turtles and reef sharks abound. Explore the red sands of Rabida Island, snorkel alongside sea lions, and marvel at the volcanic beauty of Chinese Hat and Sullivan Bay. Encounter dancing blue-footed boobies on Seymour Island, playful sea lions at Mosquera, and iconic views from Bartolome Island. Conclude with a deep dive into Galápagos history at the Interpretation Center, leaving you with memories as rich and wild as the islands themselves.
- • Catamarans are more stable for travelers who prefer small yachts yet are sensitive to choppy seas.
• Offers spacious, well-designed cabins, each with its own private balcony!
• 16-passengers is a great size if you like to get to know your fellow passengers or prefer a charter for your group.
Travel Curator’s Insights:
SPECIAL OFFER:
Rates:
From $5,900 per person
Departs Thursdays, year-round.
The Galápagos Islands are a year-round destination, but the best time to visit depends on your interests. From December to May, the warm season offers calmer seas, sunny skies, and excellent snorkeling with vibrant marine life. From June to November, cooler waters bring nutrient-rich currents, attracting diverse wildlife and making this the prime time for birdwatching and observing unique animal behaviors.
Inquire with your preferred dates.
Year-round departures;
Hover here for more information.
Departures:
Trip Sustainability Awards
Water
Adjustable system pressure tank onboard provides efficient saving of fresh water
Food
Cuisine made from locally-sourced ingredients from the Galapagos Islands
Conservation
Works with local reforestation projects and reduces wood used in ship construction
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Galapagos
AM: Baltra Airport | Beginning a New Adventure
Departure to the Galapagos Islands, arrive at Baltra airport, where a National Park-certified naturalist guide will warmly welcome you to this biodiversity-rich paradise. Your exciting journey in the footsteps of Darwin is about to start!
PM: Black Turtle Cove | A Sanctuary of Marine Life
At Black Turtle Cove, named for the abundant green sea turtles, locally known as "Tortugas Negras," you're in for a delightful boat tour onboard the dinghies. Your adventure here is a peaceful exploration of shallow channels, small coves, and beautiful mangrove forests surrounding the area.
Reef sharks, sea turtles, and several species of rays inhabit this tranquil sanctuary, which is considered a crucial mating area for turtles and a nursery for various shark species. Look out for herons, pelicans, and boobies who make this their feeding ground, preying on schools of anchovies. There's no landing at Black Turtle Cove. Still, the rich biodiversity experienced from the boat more than makes up for it, offering up-close encounters with the wonderful marine life of the Galapagos.
Highlights: White-tipped and black-tipped reef sharks, green sea turtles, rays, herons, blue-footed boobies, and mangroves.
Day 2: Rabida & Chinese Hat
AM: Rabida | A Reddish Haven
Rabida Island, recognized for its unique reddish lava rocks enriched with iron, has a distinct appearance in the Galapagos. The beach's unusual red hue reflects this characteristic, serving as a home for a small sea lion colony. If you're lucky, you'll discover a small saltwater lagoon inhabited by ducks, stilts, and flamingoes.
The trail invites you inland, offering spectacular beach and lagoon views. Keep an eye out for Darwin finches, flycatchers, and mockingbirds. Along the coastline cliffs, you can observe Nazca & blue-footed boobies, brown noddies, herons, and the two species of sea lions: the Galapagos and fur seals.
Snorkeling Experience: Embark on a snorkeling adventure from the beach and explore a protected rocky area brimming with fish, sea lions, and reef sharks. The vertical walls are a natural canvas showcasing an impressive variety of small invertebrates.
Highlights: Red-sand beach, Galapagos sea lions, Galapagos hawks, flycatchers, Darwin finches, Galapagos mockingbirds, ducks, flamingoes.
PM: Chinese Hat | A Perfect Volcanic Cone
Chinese Hat, named for its perfectly symmetrical volcanic cone shape, is a small islet separated from Santiago by a narrow channel, forming one of the most beautiful bays in the Galapagos. The contrast of the blue-turquoise water, coral sand beaches, and dark lava rocks add a real tropical flair to the area, making the sight of penguins resting on the rocks even more astonishing. The trail guides you along the shore, leading you through a small sea lion colony.
Snorkeling Experience: As you swim in these vibrant waters, the incredible colors of the fish and the sleek shapes of reef sharks will captivate you. It's common to witness a penguin darting through the water in pursuit of anchovies, resembling a small, agile torpedo.
Highlights: Galapagos sea lions, Galapagos penguins, lava tubes, oystercatchers, Galapagos hawks.
Day 3: Seymour & Mosquera
AM: Seymour | A Birdwatcher's Paradise
Seymour Island is a paradise for bird lovers, with large colonies of magnificent and great frigatebirds showcasing their impressive red gular pouches to attract females. Blue-footed boobies nest on the ground and perform their famous courtship dance in the open areas. At the same time, swallow-tailed gulls can often be seen perched on the cliff edges. Land iguanas, their numbers restored through a successful conservation program, are a common sight inland, while their marine cousins bask in the rocks by the sea, not far from playful sea lions that frequently body surf in the waves.
Snorkeling experience: Don't miss the opportunity to explore the underwater world here; the site offers tremendous diversity and an abundance of sea creatures such as fish, sea lions, sharks, eels, turtles, rays, and many more.
Highlights: Galapagos sea lions, blue-footed boobies, magnificent & great frigatebirds, land & marine iguanas, swallow-tailed gulls, shearwaters, and Darwin finches.
PM: Mosquera | A Sea Lion Playground
Mosquera, mostly a barren sandbar with some rocky areas and scattered salt-resistant plants, offers an incredible experience of watching playful sea lion pups surfing the waves and enjoying the tide pools. While strolling along the beach, keep an eye out for the endemic lava gulls often seen flying overhead in search of food.
Snorkeling Experience: Depending on the waves, you can snorkel at the northern tip of the island or one of the small beaches on the sheltered side, offering another chance to observe the vibrant marine life of the Galapagos.
Highlights: Galapagos sea lions, lava gulls, oystercatchers, shorebirds.
Day 4: Sullivan Bay & Bartolome
AM: Sullivan Bay | A Volcanic Wonderland
Walking through Sullivan Bay offers an extraordinary journey into the volcanic origins of the Galapagos Islands. Your hike will take you across a perfectly preserved Pahoehoe lava flow, providing endless opportunities to observe the delicate textures of this rare type of lava. While the landscape may appear barren and lifeless at first, a closer look reveals resilient pioneer plants, scurrying lava lizards, and small birds. Along the shore, penguins, pelicans, and oystercatchers add a touch of life to the stark environment.
Snorkeling Experience: Following the hike, you can swim or snorkel from a coral sand beach or the dinghies. The underwater world here starkly contrasts the sparse land, teeming with schools of fish, Galapagos penguins, reef sharks, turtles, and rays.
Highlights: Pahoehoe lava, Galapagos penguins, oystercatchers, Galapagos hawks.
PM: Bartolome | Iconic Views and Penguin Encounters
Bartolome Island is one of the most iconic places in the Galapagos, renowned for its accessible penguin population and the beautiful Pinnacle Rock. The beach nearby the rock is painted with peach-colored sand, adding to the surreal beauty of the landscape. A hike to the island's summit will offer you panoramic views of lunar-like landscapes dotted with volcanic cones, numerous islands, Sullivan Bay, and, of course, the towering Pinnacle Rock.
Day 5: El Barranco & Darwin Bay
AM: El Barranco | Birdwatcher's Paradise
Located on the northern coast of Santa Cruz, Dragon hill gets its name from the land iguanas that inhabit this area, the only location in the whole island of Santa Cruz where you can see this large species of reptiles. Thanks to a very successful breeding program, this population of land iguanas, which was on the brink of extinction during the 70’s and 80’s, has rapidly recovered. There is also a small salt water lagoon where we can often see flamingos, ducks, stilts, sandpipers and other shorebirds.
Snorkeling Experience: Snorkeling alongside these cliffs is an exhilarating experience, teeming with diverse fish and providing great chances to see sharks, rays, and playful sea lions.
Highlights: Nesting great frigatebirds, red-footed & Nazca boobies, Galapagos sea lions, Galapagos fur seals, lava & swallow-tailed gulls, yellow-crown night herons, Genovesa ground finch, Genovesa cactus finch, Galapagos mockingbirds.
PM: Darwin Bay | Ultimate Wildlife Experience
Darwin Bay on Genovesa Island is a birder's dream come true. When you set foot on the beach, you will be amazed by the spectacle of hundreds of boobies, gulls, and frigatebirds soaring above, nesting in the bushes, or roosting on the sandy terrain. This immersive wildlife trail hosts sea lions and marine iguanas by the sea, and inland you'll encounter night herons, lava and swallow-tailed gulls, Darwin finches, Galapagos doves, mockingbirds, and more.
Snorkeling Experience: Darwin Bay offers a variety of snorkeling locations, from deep waters along the bay's cliffs to shallow waters near the beach. Regardless of where you choose, a colorful variety of fish awaits your visit, with a high chance of spotting sharks, rays, and sea lions.
Highlights: Nesting great frigatebirds, red-footed & Nazca boobies, Galapagos sea lions, lava & swallow-tailed gulls, yellow-crown night herons, Genovesa ground finch, Genovesa cactus finch, Galapagos mockingbirds.
Day 6: Interpretation Center & Departure
AM: Interpretation Center | A Journey Through History
Situated on the outskirts of Puerto Baquerizo, the Interpretation Center serves as a rich repository of the history of human presence in the Galapagos Islands. Its exhibitions chronicle the stories of early Spanish explorers up to the present day, highlighting prominent visitors such as Charles Darwin. The displays at this center illustrate the challenges and perils faced by the first settlers as they endeavored to survive in the rugged Galapagos environment.
Following your visit to the Interpretation Center, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to continental Ecuador. This marks the end of your Galapagos journey, leaving you with memories of incredible wildlife and landscapes that will last a lifetime. Safe travels!
Galaxy Sirius
Welcome to an unforgettable adventure in the Galapagos Islands aboard the luxurious Galaxy Sirius. Experience exceptional service and personalized attention as you relax in a comfortable, exclusive, and sophisticated atmosphere.
The luxurious facilities are meticulously crafted to offer unparalleled comfort and the rich experience you deserve. Whether you seek adventure or relaxation, our deluxe amenities are the perfect hub for your Galapagos Islands retreat. Immerse yourself in the comfort and extravagance aboard the Galaxy Sirius.
ACHIEVEMENTS
2023 South American Beach Gems Nomination
2019 LATA Cruise Operator of the Year
"The Galaxy Sirius is a brand-new catamaran built with luxury in mind. The ship itself is impressive, with tasteful decor and ample space both inside and out, perfect for resting between excursions or socializing with shipmates. Cabins are bright and spacious, each notably featuring a private balcony. Paired with two knowledgeable naturalist guides and a wonderful educational program, the Galaxy Sirius is an excellent choice for travelers who value service and style."
Wild Nectar
Life On Board
Deck Plan
Click to enlarge
Questions?
Rates
If you’re looking for style, the Galaxy Sirius is a brand new ship with loads to spare. Relax in a spacious living room or head up to the solarium for some lovely lounging. Add very good guiding to this fabulous yacht and you’re wonderfully equipped to see the amazing animals in the Galapagos. Great for charters too!
Joy Martinello, Founder
Questions?
What’s Included & Cancellation Policy:
WHAT'S INCLUDED:
Airport assistance on the cruise departure dates; Transportation and fuel surcharge in the Marine reserve of Galápagos; Accommodation in single, double or triple cabin according to your booking (except M/C Galaxy Sirius & M/C Alya); Bilingual naturalist guide (English-Spanish); 2 Bilingual naturalist guides (English-Spanish) on M/C Galaxy Sirius; Personalized crew service; All meals during the cruise, from lunch on the first day to breakfast on the last day; One snack after each activity (except last day); Welcome cocktail; Unlimited purified water, coffee and tea; All visits, excursions & activities according to the itinerary; Transportation Airport-Channel/ Channel-Airport (Lobitos Bus); Private Transportation Airport-Channel/ Channel-Airport only on M/C Galaxy Sirius on cruise departure dates; VIP Lounge at Baltra and San Cristobal airport on M/C Galaxy Sirius on cruise departure dates; Snorkeling gear (mask, tube, and fins); Use of kayaks and paddle boards in authorized places; Wetsuits; Beach towels; Soft drinks (only onboard M/C Galaxy Sirius & M/C Alya); Hair dryer in the cabins (not available onboard M/Y Bonita & M/Y Galaxy Orion)
NOT INCLUDED:
International flights to/from Ecuador; Travel insurance (Highly recommended); Galápagos Islands airfare from/to mainland (Quito or Guayaquil) Galápagos; Galápagos National Park entrance fee ($200 per person); Transit Control Card ($20 per person); Alcoholic and soft drinks; Personal expenses; Tips and gratuities; Additional services not indicated.
