10 Reasons To Cruise the Galapagos Islands With Ecoventura

When booking your travel to the Galapagos Islands, you’re likely to come across a multitude of options given the increase in local tourism over recent years. You can rest assured that there’s no better cruise company than Ecoventura to show you the Galapagos Islands in an intimate, enjoyable, and eco-friendly manner.

However, for those of you that need some reassurance as to why we’re the premier tour operator in Galapagos tourism, here’s a few quick reminders. . .

1.  Smooth Operator

Ecoventura is an award-winning, family-owned expedition cruise company based in Guayaquil, Ecuador that has been in business since 1990. We own and operate our entire fleet of yachts, which gives us top to bottom control over our operations. This allows us to provide a level of excellence and consistency that sets us apart from the competition.

2. Small Compatible Groups

We offer the smallest guide-to-passenger ratio found in the Galapagos to ensure our passengers experience an intimate and peaceful visit on shore. With Ecoventura, you’re able to visit the Islands in a group size of no larger than ten passengers per guide (vs 12-16 per guide on most other vessels).

This intimacy translates to a higher level of enjoyment allowing for our guests to feel like Charles Darwin himself! 

3. Authentic Galapagos Itineraries

Don’t cut yourself short! Our yachts depart every Sunday offering two distinct and comprehensive 7-night itineraries. Itinerary A follows a Southern/Central route whereas Itinerary B follows a Northern/Western route.  We do not offer shorter cruises which means you will not be traveling back to the airport during your week long cruise.   

4. Gastronomy & Service

Feel at home on your private Galapagos yacht. Our crew strives to prove the most personalized service and locally sourced, gourmet-style menus featuring International and Ecuadorian specialties from our culinary-school-trained chefs. We also offer vegetarian and vegan, gluten-free and kid-friendly options as well as a whole array of custom cocktails. To satisfy your sweet tooth, our chefs concoct the most decadent desserts your heart could desire!

5. Exclusive Family Departures

Our designated Galapagos family departures are exclusive to families and are offered during school breaks. They feature age-appropriate activities geared toward children and teenagers ages 7 to 17 and up, and offer a wide variety of activities specifically geared towards the younger people in your lives.

One such activity that’s wildly popular aboard family departures is our food-focused fun for kids. 

6. Variety of Activities

Our Galapagos expeditions are active!  You will enjoy guided nature walks twice daily with expert naturalists, swim from pristine beaches or snorkel from deeper water, take zodiac rides along the shoreline or choose to explore by kayak or stand up paddle board. 

Downtime is only there if you choose it, in which case we also offer serene relaxation aboard our sundecks complete with day beds and lounges or in secluded sections of our yachts, such as the library aboard our luxury vessel, the MV ORIGIN.  While on board the ORIGIN you can use the fitness center or relax in the Jacuzzi.   Bottom line, you will never be bored while cruising with Ecoventura.

7. Extraordinary Diving

Experienced scuba divers can dive the northern Islands of Wolf and Darwin on the 16-passenger dedicated scuba dive liveaboard, MV Galapagos Sky providing divers with extraordinary underwater experiences. Depending on the season you choose, you’ll be able to swim with hammerheads, manta rays, whale sharks, and more!

8. Environmental Sustainability

Ecoventura was the first company to earn and maintain the ecological certification Smart Voyager since 2000. With 40 solar panels and two wind generators, our yacht, the Eric, became the first hybrid vessel operating in Galapagos.  In 2016, The ORIGIN was custom designed and built in Ecuador for both comfort and fuel efficiency using techniques to provide a smooth voyage.

We’re currently building our newest luxury vessel (the MV Theory) which will operate as the sister ship to the MV ORIGIN and bring even further sustainability to Galapagos cruising

9. Building Partnerships

We’ve since undertaken many more initiatives to bring conservation to the islands, including our most recent partnership with Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF). On July 31, 2017, an agreement was signed by the leading dignitaries from the Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos National Park Service and Ecoventura establishing the Galapagos Biodiversity and Education for Sustainability Fund (GBESF). 

Together we aim to combine our resources in a collective effort with the goal to bolster conservation in the Galapagos Islands ensuring the diverse plant, animal, and marine life of the archipelago are here for generations to come.

10. Social Responsibility

Ecoventura has supported the Alejandro Alvear School for the past two decades – funding the salaries for teachers, therapists for children with physical disabilities, and adults who are hearing impaired. Ecoventura also teamed up with Pack for a Purpose so that passengers can pack supplies (from a list of needed items) to benefit the local schools. This provides yet another way for our company and our guests to give back to the inhabitants of this magical archipelago.

Have more questions regarding our cruises or just wish to learn more about what you can expect during your Galapagos vacation with Ecoventura? Feel free to contact us at any time!