Just reserved space on the Explorer II for 4 days/3 nights in August. Will cost $6000 for a family of 4 including internal flights. We are hesitant to go on a longer trip because my older son gets seasick. Trip goes to Espanola, Santa Cruz, San Cristobal and Bartome. Seems like an outrageous price for 3 nights...Is it worth it?

I have to say that is is a high price.

Does this include your airfare from your home destination ?

You will just bearly get the flavour in 3 night, because the 4th day you are heading back to Baltra island where the airport is.

Look , why do you not contact a friend of mine in Quito Ecuador who own and operates the Sangay Tour Company.

He will give you all the information you need and you are not obligated to book with him.

He booked my complete trip including 4 days in Quito and touring the country side everyday.

Martin Slater
E-mail Address(es):
[email protected]

Tell Martin that Percy told you to contact him.
He knows me well.

I went in late August of 2003. It was the bird hatching season .

I went to all the islands you mentioned and more.

You are going a loooong way and it is one of those "trips of a lifetime."
so there us no use rushing through.

I have to that 4 days in Quito and all tours and meals and hotel accommodations and and transfer to the airport for the flight from Quito to the Galapagos..then staying
a week on the Luxury Yacht , the Isabell 2, did not cost the two of us anywhere near $6000.00 !!!!! hmnmm!

Percy

Three full days not 2 1/2 is just right. Santa Cruz, where you normally land is worth 3 hours tops. While $6000 is high if it is a semi-luxury ship (31/2-4 star) with cabins of 150 sq.ft and less than 75-80 passengers it is worth it. Six days will only give you more of the same. Go on the Equadorial part of the Amazon in an A/C ship of the same calibre for 3 days and that will make a 1 week trip well worth the trip althogh add to your cost.I did 7 days in the islands and I could not wait until it ended.

$6000 sounds about right for a luxury class ship for 4 passengers including internal airfare. In high season (which August is part of) roundtrip airfare from Quito to the Galapagos is about $400, so that's approx $1100pp for the 3 night cruise which is what most luxury class yachts charge. You should be able to get a comfortable first class vessel for $700-800pp for 3 nights in high season. In depends on what size vessel and what amenities you're looking for. I've sailed on the Archipel (a 16 passenger first class catamaran) and can highly recommend it. The 3 night itinerary starts in San Cristobal, sails to Espanola, Floreana, then arrives in Santa Cruz.
This vessel tends to book up early so may not have availability at this point for August, unless you're talking about August 2006.

Percy,
I think you got a special 'never to be repeated, almost too good to be true' deal when you went on your trip. When you told me the price, I could hardly believe it!

Yes, Patty, I realize that I got a good deal...but at the time I did not think so.!!!

You know it seems like just yesterday that I was at the Galapagos.

When I was going ,there was not a Travel Agency anywhere in my City that was booking tours to the Galapagos.

Now , it seems like every other Agency has a "Tour of the Galapagos."

Boy how times change, when Travel Tour Companies can make a dollar.

I am glad I went for the duration that I did . I was never bored and enjoyed what each island had to offer.

The bird hatching season just added to the delight.

The Galapagos is not for everyone.
We all have different tastes and expectations.

Some of my friends go to Cuba every year for the last 18 years!!!!!!!
Some go to Ixtapa Mexico for their 10th time!!!

I would never go back to the Galapagos because I have memories for a lifetime and pictures to help me remember.

The reason I tell people to contact Martin in Quito is because he knows when a good deal becomes available.

Martin sent me an e-mail and said to me:

'Percy I have this great deal on the Isabella 2 but you have to leave within six weeks... so off I went.

Take care all of you

Percy

thanks, all. i guess the bottom line is that it's worth checking with martin, but if he can't beat the price, it's not such a bad deal. i feel we should stick because of my seasick-prone teenager...

percy - got quote from martin and it's around $2000 more than the quote from the explorer people. oh well....

Wow, $2000 more is a lot !!!!

You know so many people are going to the Galapagos now ...that it is no surprise that the prices have sky rocketed.

I was fortunate that I was able to go anytime( at the drop of a hat !!),so when this good "deal" came up I went.

I realize now that the price I paid was exceptional.

I had two Travel Agency people working on my trip when I was going...but both of them came to the same conclusion...they "could not match Martin's price".

However, Martin tells me that good deals are available, it is just that you have to be able to go quickly.

That is why I tell people tocheck with him...because you never know !

Anyway...have a good time, you will enjoy the islands and animals and birds.!!

Percy

Crosscheck,

I think the price is right. I would definitely go for a 7 day tour if I were you. BTW, are you aware that seas are not calm in August? If you are worried about being sea sick, I would change the booking to a different month.
I went to Galapagos last December. There were a couple of people who were sea sick even though it is a calmer month. These people started feeling better by the third day. By going for such a short trip only, you might not have enough time to get used to the seas.
Oh, and the trip is definitely worth the money and some discomfort!

If you need a seasickness remedy, ask your doctor for a prescription for Scopace. It is oral scopolamine, same drug as the Transderm Scop patch but much easier to use on various ages and sizes since it is a pill. You can read more about it on www.motionsickness.net

I am a physician and a scuba diver prone to seasickness and this drug saved my diving. I do NOT own stock in this company but I do use the product myself, and sent my nurse out with a prescription that saved her whole family's cruise this spring.

Hey Crosscheck,

Did a trip about the same length of time you will island hopping on Galapagos. I have to say, anything longer and I would have jumped overboard. It's not that our crew or boat was poor, or the food unbearable. All of these things were fair/mediocre. It was being stuck on a medium-size yacht with 18 or so crew and passengers and having long voyages between islands on choppy seas. If your son has a sea-sick tendency, bring preventative medication (OTC) from the States, and see if you can find some Coca leaf tea to bring on board. This is NOT cocaine tea or illegal in South America. Coffee has more stimulation than this tea. It's just dried coca leaves you brew with hot water. It will help soothe either sea sickness or soroche (altitude sickness), and by this I mean stomach and head.

Also, bring activities to do. Our boat provided nothing but some hand-me down novels in German and Italian. We brought a portable dice game which we gave to the crew upon departure. This alleviated boredom for the entire ship!

Tell your son to focus on the horizon, don't sit up in the forecastle, and over-hydrate, and get off the boat any chance he gets!

I don't think the price you paid is bad for a decent size boat. Galapagos has more to offer than Quito for a family in my opinion.

thanks, everyone. we might wait until the seas are calmer, but will decide for sure by next week.