Galapagos Family Cruises

Giving the whole family a unique opportunity to experience the most remarkable wildlife on the planet.

Galapagos Cruises

Combining nature, wildlife, adventure and fun a Galapagos family cruise gives the whole family a unique opportunity to experience some of the most remarkable wildlife on the planet. From snorkelling with sea lions to ambling alongside giant tortoises the Galapagos never ceases to amaze and inspire travellers of every age.

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Company founder and Galapagos expert, Rachel is on hand to help you plan your trip of a lifetime!

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Rachel

“We create truly exceptional Galapagos holidays for each of our guests. All Galapagos cruises, lodges & hotels have been handpicked for their individual qualities, tried and tested by us.”

Travel in a time of uncertainty…

As a part of the global travel community, we’ve been following recent news of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) incredibly closely. Most importantly, our thoughts are with all those affected, be it directly or indirectly. In particular, we’re working closely with our guides and local partners in Ecuador, Galapagos and Peru to minimise the disruption to their livelihoods.

We also recognise the increased uncertainty that COVID-19 may be causing in your own holiday planning. Thanks to collaboration from our local teams and suppliers we are able to are offering an exceptional cancellation policy: For all new bookings made after 20 March for travel in 2020 we will offer a 100% refund on cancellations made up to 15 days prior to the tour.

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Why Travel with Think Galapagos?

We listen to you. We take the time to understand what you want your Galapagos family cruise experience to be. We then use our decades of experience and unrivalled network of local contacts and team of top guides to make it happen.
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Guest Reviews

Itinerary was fantastic
Antonia Tucker and family
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Our guide was just brilliant. He was extremely knowledgeable and always went out of his way to help us learn and understand the environment we were in. No question fazed him. The itinerary was fantastic and I am not sure there wasn't anything we didn't see!
Feels like a dream
Dominique Evans and Family
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We had an amazing time! Feels like a dream now. From a logistics point of view - it could not have been smoother and more stress-free, which was absolutely wonderful…The boat was other-worldly and really indescribable. Incredible luxury and service and just a totally amazing experience all round.
Perfect, perfect trip
Emily and Family
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Wow. I knew we would be snorkelling and walking trails. I realize I had no idea of how busy we would be, how perfectly coordinated nearly every second would be, and how it would feel to have all those experiences. Thank you again for helping us choose the perfect, perfect trip.
Could not have gone better
Anthony and Teresa Myers and family
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We had a truly fantastic time and this was a unanimous verdict. The Beagle is a great vessel but it is made fantastic by the competence, friendliness, commitment and professionalism of the Captain and crew….Thank you very much for all your help and advice over the last year or so, the whole trip could not have gone better.
Stunning and brilliant
Joanne Demirkazik & family
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The Galapagos was stunning and brilliant. The best moment of the trip was playing and swimming in the sea with 9 sea lions. It was a moment I will treasure forever. We were so well taken care of by every guide and driver we came into contact with. Rachel and the team at Think Galápagos are great at what they do.
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GALAPAGOS Family CRUISES

Our hand-picked selection of the very best family friendly Galapagos yachts and catamarans with top guides and exceptional wildlife encounters.

When is the best time to cruise in Galapagos?

The majority of families travelling to Galapagos with children will only be able to visit during school vacations. Thankfully Galapagos is a year round destination thanks to its location on the equator with each month holding its own special attractions, so all the key school holiday periods work well to travel to Galapagos.

Easter or Spring Break are particularly good school holiday times to plan for a trip to Galapagos, as the weather and wildlife activity in Galapagos in April and March is very good. Summer holiday time is also good, but for this time slot we recommend families try to schedule the trip for July or early August. Later in August as you head into September the sea can become more choppy. The great thing about travelling at this time, is that in addition to all the other amazing Galapagos wildlife you also have the best chances to see whales and dolphins when navigating. Western itineraries are best for this, so for families planning a Galapagos cruise in the summer holiday period we always suggest going for a western itinerary.

Finally the Christmas/New Year break is also a good time for Galapagos family cruises, with great weather and wildlife activity. The only downfall with this time of year is that you really need to plan a LONG time in advance as these two weeks are the busiest in the year in Galapagos and can get booked a long time in advance.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Daily High
ºC (ºF)
29 (85)
29 (85)
31 (87)
31 (87)
27 (81)
26 (79)
25 (77)
24 (76)
24 (76)
25 (77)
26 (78)
26 (78)
Daily Low
ºC (ºF)
22 (71.6)
24 (76)
24 (76)
24 (76)
22 (71.6)
21 (69.8)
20 (68)
19 (66.2)
19 (66.2)
20 (68)
21 (69.8)
22 (71.6)
Sea Temp
ºC (ºF)
24 (75.2)
25 (77)
25 (77)
25 (77)
24 (75.2)
23 (73.4)
22 (71.6)
21 (69.8)
22 (71.6)
22 (71.6)
23 (73.4)
23 (73.4)
Rainfall
mm (inch)
68.6 (2.7)
91.4 (3.6)
94 (3.7)
71.1 (2.8)
33 (1.3)
22.9 (0.90)
15.2 (0.60)
5.1 (0.20)
5.1 (0.20)
5.1 (0.20)
7.6 (0.30)
30.5 (1.20)

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Galapagos Family Cruise Travel Guide

Whether your family consists of a twosome, a nuclear family or a large multi-generational clan, a Galapagos live-aboard wildlife cruise is the best way to experience the amazing wildlife of Galapagos. Creating exceptional family holidays to the Galapagos and knowing just how transformational a trip like this can be for kids really is one of our favourite parts of the job!

Each Galapagos family tour we create is as unique as the family booking it. We listen carefully to what you want and then work with you to create a trip that will ensure each member of the family gets the very most out of their experience.

The best way to start planning your Galapagos family cruise is to give us a call or contact us by email. We are always genuinely delighted to answer any questions and help get you started planning your trip. But in case it is helpful, here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about family travel to the Galapagos Islands.

IS A FAMILY CRUISE THE BEST WAY TO SEE GALAPAGOS?

Most definitely. A live-aboard wildlife cruise is the best way for your family to experience Galapagos. The yachts cruise mostly at night between the islands which ensures you maximise your wildlife viewing during the day rather than spending valuable time travelling in the day to get to each destination. They also take you to the most remote and pristine parts of Galapagos. For a family it also makes life much easier, you don’t need to pack and unpack your bags multiple times, you arrive, are assigned your cabin, and then all the activities, meals and excursions are taken care of.

IS ISLAND HOPPING A GOOD WAY FOR FAMILIES TO EXPERIENCE GALAPAGOS?

Although the option of island hopping, that is staying in inhabited islands and taking day trips out can initially sound more appealing, in reality you spend too much of daylight hours travelling to get to places, which uses valuable wildlife viewing time and means your actual visits are often shorter and often the crossings to get there are in small speedboats which can be pretty bouncy in the water. Also as you are always staying in inhabited islands, you never get to see the most remote and pristine parts of Galapagos which you can only get to see on board a live-aboard wildlife cruise.

HOW DO I CHOSE THE BEST GALAPAGOS CRUISE FOR OUR FAMILY?

This is where we really come in and can help. Just looking online can be really overwhelming as it is very difficult discern which yachts are actually the best and there are so many options out there. What we have found over 20 years of organising trips here is that some of the best yachts don’t have very slick marketing, yet are fantastic locally owned operations with strong ethics but may slip under the radar. On the flip side others may be very good at marketing, but not so good at delivering what is promised! We make regular inspection visits to Galapagos and have a team on the ground to ensure we are always working with the very best available yachts and catamarans in Galapagos.

Usually the key things to consider when thinking about Galapagos family cruises are the size of the vessel you want, the size of your family group (sometimes it could make more sense to charter an entire vessel if you have a large family group or two groups travelling together), the style (mono hull or catamaran), would you want a dedicated Galapagos family cruise or to join a standard departure, the dates you can travel and your budget.

WHICH GALAPAGOS FAMILY CRUISE ITINERARY IS BEST?

There is no right answer to this one. It really depends on your families interests and when you are travelling. We would say generally, for families travelling to Galapagos in the summer holiday period, itineraries that visit the Western part of Galapagos are better as you have the added bonus at that time of year in that part of the islands of seeing whales and dolphins. For the rest of the year, we would say itineraries are equally good for an overall wildlife experience, but if you have a particular species you want to see, one itinerary could have the edge over the other and we would be able to help give advice on this.

Pre-Trip Information

This downloadable pre-trip information document will help you plan for your Galapagos wildlife holiday as well as answering some key questions you may have. Despite being quite long it is by no means exhaustive, so please do get in touch with any questions you may have and we would be delighted to help.

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Why is Galapagos the Ultimate Family Wildlife Cruise Destination?

We could talk all day about how amazing the wildlife of the Galapagos are, and why they make for such an amazing family wildlife cruise! Here we have narrowed down to four key points why we think this group of 127 islands, islets and rocks that emerged from the ocean floor only a few million years ago and are still forming today make for such a special family trip.

1. No fear of humans

What makes the Galapagos Islands truly unique is that they have remained isolated from predators (most notably humans) for most of their history. The result is a unique and diverse range of animals that are totally unafraid of humans. From breeding boobies, to flightless cormorants, to iguanas and giant tortoises, the fearlessness of the fauna here is astounding.

2. A living laboratory

Each island is host to its own extraordinary mix of flora and fauna that has been blown or washed across from mainland South America and forced to adapt to survive. From the youngest Island Fernandina which is still being formed, to the oldest island Espanola formed 3.5 million years ago, each has its own unique landscape and set of ecosystems.

3. Pristine natural habitat

97% of the total land surface of Galapagos was declared National Park in 1959 and thanks to ongoing conservation work by the Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Research Station, the Galapagos remain largely the way Darwin saw them almost two centuries ago — a pristine natural habitat and an inspiration for anyone with a love of the natural word.

4. Amazing marine life

The Galapagos Marine Reserve is the largest marine reserve of any developing country and second largest in the world. It covers over 133,000 square klm (51,352 square miles) surrounding the archipelago. Sea lions, marine iguanas, rays, flightless cormorants, penguins, whales and dolphins are just some of the amazing underwater life found here with over 2,900 marine species identified according to the Galapagos National Park.

Galapagos Family Cruises

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