5-Day Northern & Western: North Seymour's Gulls
4 nights aboard the OCEAN SPRAY
4 nights aboard the OCEAN SPRAY
Swallow-tailed gulls perched between flights out to open ocean, red-footed boobies nesting in one of the archipelago's few colonies, a fur seal colony tucked into shaded grottoes - five days aboard Ocean Spray cover Genovesa, Santiago, and North Seymour in the northern and western Galapagos. Darwin Bay opens the trip inside Genovesa's caldera, frigatebirds crowding its shore, and Prince Philip's Steps climb to cliffside colonies nearby. North Seymour's cliffs hold swallow-tailed gulls perched between flights out to sea, alongside more frigatebirds and courting blue-footed boobies. Puerto Egas shelters a fur seal colony, Mosquera's sea lions crowd the beach, and Pinnacle Rock's staircase closes the trip.
built 2011 · First Class cruise
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0 available departures. Prices per guest based on double occupancy.
Single supplement: Sole occupancy of a double cabin usually carries a surcharge of 70 to 100 per cent. On many departures we can offer cabin sharing instead, in which case the supplement is waived entirely. Just mention it in your inquiry.
On top of the cruise price, budget around 200 USD for the national park fee, 20 USD for the transit control card and 400 to 600 USD for the domestic flight from Quito or Guayaquil. International flights to Ecuador come on top of that.
Good all year round. From December to May the water is warmer and the sea calmer, which is ideal for snorkelling. From June to November it is cooler and rougher, but wildlife density in the water is higher because the Humboldt Current brings more food.
Citizens of the EU, the UK, the US and many other countries do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days. There are no compulsory vaccinations. For recommendations please speak to your doctor or a travel health clinic.
Crossings between the islands can be noticeably choppy, especially at night in the west of the archipelago. Catamarans such as the Endemic sit steadier than single-hull yachts. If you are sensitive, bring motion sickness tablets.
Yes. Either with a single supplement or through cabin sharing, where we pair you with another solo traveller of the same gender. Just mention it in your inquiry.
You send a non-binding inquiry through the website. We check availability directly with the operator and usually come back to you within one working day with a concrete offer. The booking is then handled personally by us, not online.
We will check availability with the operator and get back to you personally.
Most Galapagos itineraries begin here. Baltra's airport is the world's first fully ecological airport, run on solar and wind power and built largely from recycled materials, including old oil pipes repurposed into the terminal structure. Land iguanas, wiped out here by the 1950s and reintroduced through a decades-long breeding program, now number in the hundreds again, some right around the airport grounds. From the terminal, a short bus transfer brings you to the pier for the panga ride out to your ship.
A wooden staircase of 372 steps climbs Bartolome's extinct volcano from a lava-and-concrete dock or sandy beach, depending on conditions. Along the way, red, orange, black, and even green volcanic layers mark the slopes, home to pioneer plants like the island-endemic Tiquilia nesiotica, lava cactus, and scattered Scalesia. With some luck, a lava lizard crosses the trail. At the top, the view over the twin bays and the iconic Pinnacle Rock is the reward for the climb. Back at sea level, a snorkel around the coral reef and submerged lava rocks is a good bet for Galapagos penguins and white-tipped reef sharks, with sea turtles and manta rays turning up now and then too.
Darwin Bay sits inside the flooded caldera of Genovesa, and a wet landing on its white coral-sand beach puts you right in the middle of a working seabird colony. Great frigatebirds display along the shore, males inflating scarlet throat pouches to catch a female's eye, and red-footed boobies nest low in the surrounding trees and shrubs, unusual for a booby. Nazca boobies are just as much a fixture here, while blue-footed boobies are a rarer, luckier sighting. Swallow-tailed gulls and red-billed tropicbirds work the cliffs nearby. If you're a confident swimmer, the bay's calm water is a good place to snorkel or kayak afterward, with a chance of white-tipped reef sharks and sea turtles along the rocky shore.
A quiet landing on Santiago's western coast, best known as a nesting ground for Pacific green sea turtles, who come ashore to lay their eggs between December and June.
A dry landing sets you down on North Seymour's flat, sun-baked terrain, and the trail wastes no time getting to the action: magnificent frigatebirds display from low shrubs right along the path, males inflating their scarlet throat pouches into balloons to catch a female's eye. Blue-footed boobies are a near-constant presence along the same stretch, and during the breeding season you may catch their high-stepping courtship dance just a few feet from the trail, showing off the bright blue feet that give the species its name. Land and marine iguanas share the coastline as the trail loops back toward the water, and sea lions haul out along the shore. Keep an eye on the cliffs above the surf too, where swallow-tailed gulls sometimes perch between flights out to sea.
A tiny, flat islet of white coral sand between North and South Seymour, Mosquera is best known for its resident sea lion colony, sprawled across the beach for much of the day. Shorebirds and lava herons work the shoreline fairly reliably, and sharks and rays are a possibility for anyone snorkeling or diving nearby.
A stone stairway carved into the cliff climbs to a wide plateau holding one of Genovesa's largest seabird colonies. The trail passes through a small Scalesia forest, home to the short-eared owl, one of the few predators on the island, before reaching cliffside colonies where Nazca and red-footed boobies nest side by side, frigatebirds wheel overhead, and thousands of storm petrels dart in and out of cracks in the lava. A small colony of fur seals sometimes gathers near the landing. Red-footed boobies nest in only a handful of places across the archipelago, and this is one of them.
Puerto Egas stands out for its black volcanic sand and a shoreline where land and sea meet in close quarters. Galapagos hawks are often seen along the walk, and at the far end waits a colony of Galapagos fur seals tucked into shaded rock grottoes, one of the more reliable places in the islands to see this endangered species.
Set on the grounds of the Galapagos National Park Service on Santa Cruz, this station was once home to Lonesome George, the last known tortoise of the Pinta subspecies. A series of interpretive buildings walks you through the conservation science underway across the islands, and the surrounding native vegetation is a good place to look for Darwin's finches going about their business.
The return transfer is straightforward: a panga ride from your ship to the pier, then a short bus ride to Baltra's airport, the world's first fully ecological terminal, run on solar and wind power. Land iguanas, reintroduced here after being wiped out decades ago, are sometimes seen right around the grounds on the way to your flight.
Ocean Spray is a 16-guest first class catamaran built in 2011, featuring a library, spacious staterooms, and a sky-deck jacuzzi/whirlpool across the fleet's standard 3 to 14 night route range.
A library on board lets guests read up on marine life between excursions, and outdoor balconies invite direct observation. The sky deck's jacuzzi-style whirlpool and 360-degree views make it a standout relaxation space, alongside the fleet-wide Epicure Cuisine program.
A good fit for curious, book-loving travelers and solo bookings, thanks to the single suite, who still want full first-class catamaran comfort.
