© Adobe Stock / paulacobleighGalapagos
Galapagos Cruise
The islands as an expedition aboard the Silver Origin: the wildlife close enough to touch.
Arrange a personal consultation for your Galapagos expeditionIn the highlands of Santa Cruz, mist still hangs over the grass in the morning. Two giant tortoises stand face to face, each so old that no one knows its age. Slowly one lifts its head, stretching the wrinkled neck until both pairs of eyes are level. The other answers with the same movement. A deep hiss passes from one to the other, almost a creak, and then the ancient heads sink back into the wet grass. It looks like a conversation, held in a language older than any human one. On the Galapagos Islands you are not a spectator but a guest in a world that has kept its own time.
Six hundred miles off the coast of Ecuador lies an archipelago that changed natural science. When Charles Darwin came ashore here in 1835, he found species of its own on every island, and from that observation grew a theory that explained the world anew. Even today the Galapagos are a living laboratory: black lava fields where marine iguanas lie in the sun, the only lizards in the world that graze in the sea. Blue-footed boobies performing their courtship dance as though no one were watching. Giant tortoises easing their way through the highland grass as if they had all the time in the world. Penguins at the equator, and a cormorant that has forgotten how to fly because it never needed to.
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Because the islands are a strictly protected national park, you may go ashore only aboard small ships and in the company of naturalist guides. This is exactly what the Silver Origin is built for, Silversea's own Galapagos ship: small, with many expedition guides and with Zodiacs that take you to anchorages which remain closed to the larger ships. A day begins with snorkelling at Kicker Rock, where whitetip sharks and rays glide beneath you, and ends on a beach full of sea lions that pay you no mind. In between: Fernandina, the most pristine of the islands, the rock spire of Bartolomé, the flamingo lagoon of Floreana.
The voyages last seven nights, and the islands reward a visit all year round. From December to May the sea is calmer and the landscape greener; from June to November the cool Humboldt Current brings more food and more life to the shores. There is no bad time.
Why ivent-sailing
Why book with ivent-sailing
A Galapagos expedition is a journey worth investing in, and that is exactly why honest advice pays off.
Fair prices
You pay not a single euro more than with the cruise line. We have agreed a commission with our partners.
Independent advice
We recommend the voyage that suits you, because we have no ship of our own to fill. In our consultation we can go into the small differences that make the experience yours.
Travel-security certificate under German law
With us you receive a travel-security certificate and book with insolvency and consumer protection under German travel law.
All-round package
If you wish, we arrange the whole experience including travel there and back.
Expedition
An expedition of its own
Galapagos is not a port on a long route. It is a destination entirely of its own. Here the Silver Origin sails alone, small and purpose-built for the islands, with naturalist guides and Zodiacs on board. Those who wish can combine the islands with the South American mainland, with Peru and Machu Picchu or the Amazon.
More on this: South America Cruise.
Our voyages
Current Galapagos expeditions
Filter by date, each row a departure with prices.
Personal advice
Tell us what you dream of
Which season, which route, which combination with the mainland, we settle that best in conversation. Without obligation and free of charge, and you book secured by the travel-security certificate under German law.
Your expert
Kristina Karg
Frequently asked questions
