Ecuador & The Galapagos Islands: An ultraluxe private yacht charter
(10 days)
Tour Operator
Blue Parallel
Quito, EcuadortoGuayaquil, Ecuador
Valid for Departures Now Through: 26 Feb 2025
Virtuoso Benefits
For availability and pricing:
For a true five-star luxury experience, charter a private yacht in the Galapagos Islands to explore the archipelago in complete privacy. The journey begins in Ecuador’s lively capital Quito, a cityscape nestled among the picturesque volcanoes of the Andes. With your private expert guide, admire the impressive architecture as you wander the charming streets of the city’s colonial center. From there, head to the Galapagos Islands to board your luxury yacht. As experts in the region, we work with the very best yachts in the Galapagos and will hand-pick the perfect one for you, depending on your needs and personal tastes. Staffed according to your requirements, an expert crew and private chef will accompany you. As you spend the following days private yachting in the Galapagos Islands, you will witness the unique flora and fauna that characterizes this volcanic archipelago. Wildlife native to the Galapagos includes penguins, sea lions, giant tortoises, red-and-blue-footed boobies, and land iguanas - just to name a few. In addition, as you island-hop with your expert natural guide, there will be ample opportunities for hiking, kayaking, swimming, and snorkeling.
Itinerary
Day 1
Quito, Ecuador
Hotel:
Casa Gangotena
Meals:
None
Please note that the following itinerary is an example, as all of our journeys are custom-made. The Galapagos Explorer is an example of one of the many luxurious boats available in the Galapagos and Blue Parallel will choose the best ship according to your client's private charter needs.
Begin your ultraluxe tour to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands in Quito. As you exit the airport with your luggage, you will be greeted by your personal guide who will take you to your car for your private transfer to your luxury boutique hotel where you can rest for the evening.
Day 2
Quito, Ecuador
Hotel:
Casa Gangotena
Meals:
Breakfast
Depart your hotel with your personal guide to visit Quito's main historical highlights including the Monasterio de San Agustin, the elegant church of San Francisco, the Presidential Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace, and the Compañía de Jesús church, one of Quito’s most renowned churches, known for its profusely gold-adorned interior and baroque design.
Savor a recommended lunch in Quito before visiting the Guayasamin Museum along with the Chapel of Man, accompanied by your expert guide. Oswaldo Guayasamin was an Ecuadorian master painter and sculptor of Quechua and Mestizo heritage and is lauded as a national treasure of Ecuador.
As the sun sets, head into the colonial center of Quito where you will experience exclusive private access to the Convent of Santo Domingo. Enjoy delicious appetizers and drinks from your privileged vantage point in the city with incredible views of Quito and its surroundings.
Day 3
Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Hotel:
Galapagos Explorer Private Charter Galapagos Cruise
Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The next day, begin your luxury private yacht charter around the Galapagos Islands. Your personal guide will greet you in the lobby of the hotel and you will take a private transfer to Quito airport for your flight to the Galapagos Islands (via Guayaquil depending on flight schedules). You will be greeted by VIP personnel upon exiting the airport and escorted to the VIP lounge area while your immigration and national park paperwork is being processed.
Upon arrival, your personal host will greet you and you will transfer to your private cruise ship, the Galapagos Explorer. The Galapagos Explorer is the most luxurious Mega Yacht based in the Galapagos Islands. It accommodates up to 13 guests, with four suites on the aft below deck as well as two suites on the front main deck. There is also a master suite on the second aft deck which features its own private access to an outdoor lounge. In addition, the 38-meter-long yacht is specially designed and refitted to be as ecologically-friendly as possible so that it does not disrupt the delicate balance of the islands. In addition to the staff and cruise personnel on board, Blue Parallel can provide a professional masseuse for relaxing massages, a nanny for children's day-care, and a professional diving team for divers in your party who are interested in an exclusive scuba-diving excursion.
After lunch, visit Santa Cruz Island and explore the Charles Darwin Research Center, which will introduce you to the history of the wildlife and the Galapagos Islands. You will also visit the Galapagos tortoises in their natural habitat.
Later, board your ship and enjoy a welcome cocktail and dinner onboard.
Day 4
Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Hotel:
Galapagos Explorer Private Charter Galapagos Cruise
Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
In the morning, visit Sombrero Chino, named after its shape formed by volcanic rock similar to that of a traditional Chinese hat. Since it was given a maximum visiting capacity by the National Park Service, this region offers rare, up-close viewing of Galapagos wildlife and well-preserved remnants of fragile volcanic rock that can’t be found in such a unique condition anywhere else. The islet is home to a colony of sea lions on the white coral sand beach. Here you can see American Oystercatchers, Galapagos Penguins swimming along the shores, and Sally-Lightfoot Crabs in bright contrast to the dark volcanic rock. Later, return to the ship and enjoy lunch.
In the afternoon, visit Rabida Island, known for its red sand beaches. The high amount of iron contained in the lava at Rábida gives it a distinctive red color. White-Cheeked Pintail Ducks live in a salt-water lagoon close to the beach, where brown pelicans and boobies have built their nests. Up until recently, flamingos were also found in the salt-water lagoon, but they have since moved on to other islands, likely due to a lack of food on Rábida. Nine species of Finches have been reported on this island.
In the evening, savor a delicious dinner onboard.
Day 5
Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Hotel:
Galapagos Explorer Private Charter Galapagos Cruise
Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The outdoor adventure continues; in the morning, go swimming and snorkeling off of Santiago Island. Visit Espumilla Beach where the large coffee-colored sand beach is just north of the prized fresh water supply that once attracted pirates and whalers. A short walk inland will take you through a mangrove forest normally inhabited by the common stilt. Sea turtles also visit these mangroves to nest. Beyond the mangroves is a brackish lagoon where flocks of pink flamingos and white-cheeked pintails can be seen. Sea turtles often lay their eggs on Espumilla Beach. Later, sail to Buccaneer Cove on Santiago. Here you can learn how Santiago Island was once a refuge for British buccaneers. These pirates would anchor in the protected bay to make repairs and stock up on tortoise meat among other things. The steep cliffs, where hundreds of seabirds perch in front of the dark red sand beach, are a magnificent site. Return to the yacht to enjoy lunch.
In the afternoon, visit Puerto Egas in Santiago, well-known for its black sand beaches. It once was the site of small salt mining industry in the 1960s. A hike inland to the salt crater grants an excellent opportunity to sight land birds such as finches, doves, and hawks. A walk down the rugged shoreline will turn up many marine species. Iguanas bask on the rocks and sea lions laze in the tide pools. At the end of the trail there is a series of grottoes or sea caves where fur seals and night herons are found.
Return to the ship and enjoy dinner a wonderful dinner on the Galapagos Explorer.
Day 6
Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Hotel:
Galapagos Explorer Private Charter Galapagos Cruise
Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
In the morning, visit Espinosa Point on Floreana Island. Punta Espinosa is a narrow stretch of land where hundreds of marine iguanas gather largely on black lava rocks. The famous flightless cormorant inhabits this island and Galápagos penguins, pelicans and sea lions are also abundant. Different types of lava flows can be compared and the mangrove forests can be observed. Return to the yacht to enjoy lunch.
In the afternoon, visit Tagus Cove on Isabela Island. Named after a British warship which anchored here in 1814, this cove is located to the west of the island and you can take a panga (zodiac) trip below the high cliffs. Here there is an opportunity to see penguins as well as marine iguanas, Sally Lightfoot crabs and sea lions. Blue-footed boobies are also in abundance.
In the evening, savor a delicious dinner onboard.
Day 7
Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Hotel:
Galapagos Explorer Private Charter Galapagos Cruise
Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
In the morning, visit Elizabeth Bay on Isabela Island. Elizabeth Bay is a marine visitor site. As enter you the bay Galápagos hawks can soar overhead and schools of pompanos and dorados can be seen swimming underneath you. Las Marielas, the small islets just outside the bay, are home to the largest concentration of Galápagos penguins living in the Islands. You can also see a red mangrove cove, passing through the red root and green leaf breeding ground for fish. Return to the yacht for lunch.
In the afternoon, visit Moreno Point on Isabela Island. Here you can see beautiful rocky shores where penguins and shore birds, including great blue herons, are usually spotted. You can also enter a grove of mangroves, where oysters can be seen at the base of the trees. A trek traverses the sharpest lava rocks in the Islands where dry lava is interspersed with lagoons and small ponds containing abundant wildlife.
Return to the ship in the late afternoon to freshen up prior to savoring dinner on the Galapagos Explorer.
Day 8
Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Hotel:
Galapagos Explorer Private Charter Galapagos Cruise
Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
In the morning, go on a snorkeling excursion a short distance from Puerto Villamil is the small island known as Las Tintoreras. Here a colony of white tip sharks can often be seen resting in a lava canal. You can snorkel or swim in the unique habitat of these animals. On the nearby sandy beaches, sea lions play and relax in the sun. This is one of Isabela's most beautiful visitor sites. Later, head to the wetlands of Isabela. The Wetlands consist of lagoons, swamps and mangroves and are home to a variety of unique bird species such as common stilts, whimbrels, white-cheeked pintails and gallinules. The Wetlands can be visited on foot via a path that winds through the swamps. Return to the ship for lunch.
In the afternoon, head to the Wall of Tears on Isabela where you can learn about the human history of the island. Between 1946 and 1959 Isabela was a penal colony, where prisoners were made build a wall with huge blocks of lava as punishment. Due to the arduous labor and harsh conditions in which the prisoners lived, this site is known as the wall of tears. A set of stairs provides a bird's eye view of the wall and the surrounding landscape. You can still see the foundations of a USA base from the Second World War.
Later, visit the Tortoise Breeding Center. This center was created to protect animals in their first years of life from the threats of foreign species such as pigs and donkeys. Giant tortoise eggs are collected and brought to the center where they are hatched and kept for five years before being released to their natural environment.
Return to the ship and enjoy dinner onboard in the evening.
Day 9
Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Hotel:
Galapagos Explorer Private Charter Galapagos Cruise
Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
In the morning, head to El Chato Volcano on Santa Cruz Island for some light hiking. El Chato is a reserve in the highlands of Santa Cruz, where you have the amazing opportunity to observe the magnificent giant tortoise in the wild. This area is vegetated with transition zone vegetation and is located in the humid zone of the highlands of Santa Cruz. The walk to the reserve is one of the best places to observe ground birds, tree and ground finches, the vermillion flycatcher, cattle egrets and occasionally Galápagos rails. Continue to the highlands located in the northern part of the island and can reach elevations up to 1500 meters. On a journey into the higher elevations of Santa Cruz you will experience all seven different vegetation zones. The vegetation here is abundant and lush and the weather moist. Return to the yacht for lunch.
In the afternoon, visit Tortuga Bay on Santa Cruz. This is a pristine location with a beautiful white-sand beach where you can swim, snorkel, and kayak. Tortuga Bay is also a favorite place for sea turtles (which gave the beach its name), sea lions, marine iguanas, pelicans, flamingos and lava gulls which are endemic to the Islands and are commonly found along the shore of most beaches.
In the evening, savor a delicious farewell dinner onboard the Galapagos Explorer.
Day 10
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Hotel:
None
Meals:
Breakfast
Dry landing on San Cristobal Island where the Interpretation Center was opened in 1998 as a phase of the project “Interpretation and Environment Education Project.” Visitors enjoy expositions on natural history, human history, and conservation. The conservation efforts represent the movement to protect the wildlife and natural environment through means of population and tourist control. The Interpretation Center has an outdoor stadium, audio-visual equipment, and meeting rooms.
Afterward, head to the San Cristobal airport where you will board your flight to Guayaquil on the mainland. Upon arrival in Guayaquil, you will be greeted by your Blue Parallel host who will assist you with your luggage and check-in for your international flight home.
Virtuoso Benefits
Blue Parallel is a Virtuoso Preferred Tour Operator whose mission is to take discerning, time-constrained travelers to the most spectacular natural and cultural wonders of both Latin America and the Mediterranean. We create private, tailor-made journeys to UNESCO World Heritage destinations designed around the themes of insider access, privacy, breathtaking outdoor adventures, and white glove service. Virtuoso travelers receive amenities and VIP treatment on all Blue Parallel tours such as upgrades upon arrival (if available), Virtuoso-only amenities (spa credits, etc.), daily breakfast for two, and early check-in/late checkout (subject to availability).
Product Terms & Conditions
Terms & conditions vary by product/tour. Details will be provided upon request/booking.