How to Travel the Galapagos Islands: An Amazing Week Aboard the Samba

The Galapagos are amazing. There is no other place on Earth where you can see such a variety of animals, plants, and landscapes. With so much to explore, it can be a bit overwhelming to plan a trip. Luckily, we've got you covered! In this post, we'll take you on our journey through the southeastern islands of the Galapagos Islands aboard the Samba.

You may be wondering why Kate and Norah, two avowed cruise haters, took a cruise to begin with. Well.. we had no choice. The Galapagos Islands are strictly protected, and the only way to explore most of them is with a certified tour guide. Plus, some of the most interesting islands are remote enough that a cruise is the only practical way to visit them all. But honestly, our week aboard the Samba was amazing, and we would both absolutely take another cruise on the Samba.

The Samba

The Samba, a classic sailing yacht, is a perfect vessel for exploring the Galapagos. At 78 feet, the Samba can accommodate up to 14 passengers, which really ensures a personalized journey. Its wooden design and traditional sail add a touch of elegance to the overall experience. The yacht boasts of three spacious decks where passengers can relax, unwind, and soak in the breathtaking views of the surrounding azure waters. My favorite spot was the oversized, padded bench on the upper level. It was the perfect place to sit back, relax (nap), and watch the sights go by. (Pro tip: it was also the perfect spot to air-dry my hair).

The absolute highlight of sailing aboard the Samba is the exceptional crew. I cannot say enough about all of them. Highly trained and knowledgeable, they are dedicated to ensuring a memorable experience for every guest. From expert naturalist guides to skillful sailors, the crew members go above and beyond to make the experience magical.

Day 1: Arriving in the Galapagos

Since we had been planning this trip since August 2019, we were pretty excited to finally land in the Galapagos. And we didn’t even have to leave the airport to see our first iguana! Once we collected our luggage from the bio searches and met up with our fellow travelers, we took a short bus ride down to the dock and then a three-minute ferry ride from Baltra to Santa Cruz. Yes, we asked multiple people why they didn’t just build a bridge between the two islands and were told, “that will never happen.” 🤷‍♀️ Then it was a private coach to the highlands of Santa Cruz and El Chato Ranch, a Giant Tortoise Reserve. We had a delicious lunch and took a walking tour around the reserve and into the nearby Lava Tunnel.

After our walking tour, we were back on the private coach and into Puerto Ayora, where we dropped our luggage off with the crew and had about 45 minutes to wander around town. Norah and I spend our 45 minutes checking out the shops we wanted to prioritize when we were back. After a quick wander, we were on the Samba in time for dinner!

Day 2: Floreana Island

We started early the next morning, with a wet landing at Punta Cormorant and a hike to a lagoon where flamingos nest and feed. Then it was over to the other side of the northern shore to a white sand beach. Then we were back on board for our first snorkel, and we saw lots of sea turtles! You’re going to hear about a few “greatest experiences” in this post, but one of the greatest experiences aboard the Samba was the hot chocolate and cookies they served on deck after every snorkeling trip. It is just what you need when you’re struggling out of a cold wetsuit!

While we were eating lunch, the Samba navigated over to Champion Islet. After a quick trip in the zodiac, we were back in the water for more snorkeling and lots of sea lions this time! The sea lions were very playful, doing tricks and playing around with the swimmers.

Day 3: Española Island (the best day ever)

During the night, we navigated over to Isla Española, and the next morning we landed at Punta Suarez for a hike along a beach where sea lions and iguanas were sunning themselves. Then we hiked further into the island to one of the finest seabird colonies in the world. And then over to the cliff where the only tropical Albatros in the world throw themselves over to take flight. Did you know that the Albatros are too heavy to take flight from land, which is why they throw themselves over a cliff? One of the many interesting facts learned from our guide. Then it was back on board to navigate over Gardner Bay and snorkel before some lunch.

Lunch had to be slightly delayed because right after we got back from snorkeling, the crew spotted whales off the bow of the boat. The naturalist guide made an announcement for us to return to the zodiacs, we were going to try to get closer to the whales. Almost all of us (more on that in a bit) hopped back into the zodiacs and raced off to spot the whales.

After about 10 minutes of searching, we were starting to get disappointed because we couldn’t find them. We were just about to give up and return to the Samba when we realized we had wandered into a huge pod of dolphins! The dolphins started playing around the zodiacs, racing us and crossing back and forth in front of us. Some of us hadn’t had a chance to change out of our snorkeling gear, so we jumped in the water (holding onto the side of the zodiac) to hear the dolphins talking to each other underwater. Those who had changed didn’t miss the experience - they were able to lean over the zodiacs and put their heads underwater. The crew had a spare snorkel mask on each zodiac, so we could take turns dunking in.

To complete the story of how amazing the crew of the Samba is - two passengers had been in the shower when the announcement was made that we were heading back out on the zodiacs. When we found the dolphin pod, we were quite a distance from the Samba, so we couldn’t go back for the two left behind. The captain pulled the anchor and brought the two passengers left behind over to where we were, so they could enjoy the show too. This was just a great example of how the crew went the extra mile to make sure we all had an amazing experience. I’ll also add that there was another, bigger, ship anchored right behind us when all of this was happening. We never saw them heading out on the zodiacs trying to find the whales.

After lunch, the crew took us over to Gardner Beach so we could explore the beach or relax until dinner, which wrapped up Day 3!

Day 4: San Cristobal Island

Day 4 was another early morning! Up in time for an early breakfast before a 1.5-mile trail hike up the cliff of Punta Pitt. On the way up, we had some amazing views of the bay below us. And we got to see some more blue-footed boobies (my second favorite bird - the puffin is still my fave).

We were back aboard the Samba in time for a quick snorkel before lunch, and then we navigated over to Isla Lobos for an afternoon hike. Isla Lobos was named after the large colony of sea lions that practically filled the entire area of the island. After lunch, it was time for another snorkel in the calm waters between San Cristobal and Isla Lobos, where we got to see lots of colorful fish and turtles.

Day 5: Santa Fe and Plaza Islands

All of our longer navigation was done at night while we were asleep, which was really quite soothing and something I really missed when we got back on land. It also meant we got to places before any other tourists and nearly always had the entire island to ourselves. On the morning of Day 5, we woke up in Barrington Bay, just off Santa Fe.

Santa Fe is an ancient extinct volcano and has its own land dragon. Okay, it’s not really a dragon - it’s an iguana that’s paler than its relatives on other islands and got nicknamed a dragon. But I might still go around saying I saw a dragon. During the hike along Sante Fe, we saw hawks, mockingbirds, and finches.

We were back aboard the Samba in time for lunch and to navigate over to South Plaza. An afternoon hike brought us land iguanas wandering through the bright red carpet weed, and swallow-tailed gulls nesting. We ended the afternoon with a snorkeling trip (of course)!

Day 6: Sombrero Chino and Bartolome Islands

Day 6 brought us first to Sombrero Chino, which is another extinct volcano and one of the least visited islands in the Galapagos. The Galapagos National Park deemed the lava fields on Sombrero Chino to be sensitive to the impact of tourism, so only small boats are allowed to make the stop. Luckily, because we were on the Samba, we qualified.

We hiked along the island trail to see the volcanic rubble, sharp outcroppings, and lava formations. We also saw marine iguanas, sea lions, and Sally Lightfoot crabs. Before heading over to Bartolome Island, we took the opportunity to snorkel in the lagoon and saw our first penguin! Then it was back aboard the Samba for lunch and to navigate over to Bartolome Island.

Bartolome Island is home to the longest staircase in the Galapagos. When we got to the top, we could see the most iconic views of the Galapagos Islands. After getting back to the Samba, we ended the afternoon by taking the kayaks out and saw more penguins!

Day 7: Santiago Islands

We woke up on day seven at Puerto Egas, which is also known as James Bay. We started the morning (early) with a 1.5-mile hike up the lava and sand trail and saw the spot where Charles Darwin spent most of his time in the Galapagos Islands. We were back on board for breakfast and a two-hour navigation over to Rabida Island.

We started our time at Rabida Island with a snorkeling trip where we saw starfish and turtles, and swam with a shark! After lunch, we went onto the island for a short hike around the island before navigating back to Baltra Island.

Day 8: North Seymour (and our last day)

We started our last day with a sunrise hike on North Seymour. We saw nests of frigate birds and watched while the males tried to impress the females by inflating their necks (with mixed success). After the hike, we went back to the Samba for breakfast and made sure we had all our stuff before saying goodbye and disembarking.

In conclusion, the week-long journey aboard the Samba was an experience that there aren’t enough adjectives to fully describe. Our adventure in the Galapagos was elevated to an entirely new level by the unparalleled experience we had aboard the Samba. The crew, whose praises we simply cannot sing loudly enough, played an integral part in making our journey as memorable as it was. Their dedication, professionalism, and genuine passion for what they do were evident in every interaction, creating an atmosphere that made us feel at home.

There will never be a cruise that tops my experience aboard the Samba and I cannot recommend sailing with them enough.