TL;DR A wet landing means stepping off the panga into ankle to knee-deep water and wading ashore onto a sandy beach. A dry landing means stepping directly from the panga onto a rock platform, dock, or concrete surface without getting…
TL;DR A panga is a small motorized inflatable dinghy that carries up to 10 passengers from the cruise vessel to shore and back. Every Galapagos cruise uses one. It is the only way to reach most visitor sites. There are…
TL;DR Lower deck cabins experience less motion, suit seasick-prone travelers best, and cost less. They typically have porthole windows and sit near the waterline. Upper deck cabins have more motion but come with larger windows, better natural light, better views,…
TL;DR Galapagos cruise cabins range from compact lower-deck bunks with portholes to full suites with private balconies on the upper deck. Most travelers spend so little time in their cabin that the upgrade decision matters less than they expect. The…
TL;DR A naturalist guide is a National Park-certified professional who accompanies every visitor to the Galapagos on every shore excursion, legally required since 1975. They lead wildlife walks, enforce park rules, deliver ecological interpretation, and submit detailed site reports after…
TL;DR The Galapagos caps all vessels at 100 passengers. Below that, ships cluster at three practical sizes: 16-passenger yachts, 40 to 48-passenger mid-size ships, and 90 to 100-passenger large expedition vessels. All three land in groups of 16 per guide,…
TL;DR A Galapagos liveaboard is a dedicated scuba diving vessel carrying up to 16 divers on 7 to 10-night expeditions. The key difference from a regular wildlife cruise: liveaboards access Darwin and Wolf Islands in the remote north, the highest…
TL;DR True sailing vessels are rare in the Galapagos. The S/S Mary Anne is the only vessel that can navigate by wind power alone, and even she uses her engine for most inter-island transits. The rest of the fleet is…
TL;DR Catamarans have twin hulls, wider decks, more cabin space, and less side-to-side rolling. Monohull yachts sit lower, feel more like traditional boats, can have more interior depth, and tend to pitch less violently in certain sea states. Neither hull…
TL;DR Sixteen is not a random number in the Galapagos. It’s the maximum group size one certified naturalist guide can legally supervise on shore, which makes a 16-passenger yacht the most efficient wildlife expedition format available. Your entire boat goes…