Galapagos Sea Star Luxury Yacht: Central & Southern Islands Cruise

This is a 5-night, 6-day cruise of the central and southern islands. Starting on a Tuesday at San Cristobal, it visits Espanola (Suarez Point and Gardner Bay), Floreana (Cormorant Point, Devil's Crown and Post Office Bay), Santa Fe, South Plaza, North Seymour, Bachas Beach on Santa Cruz and Mosquera Islet, ending at Baltra on Sunday morning.

The Sea Star is a 16-guest luxury motor yacht with seven Galapagos and Balcony Suites and one larger Sea Star Suite. Every suite has panoramic windows, a private bathroom with hot water and air conditioning, and several suites connect or convert between twin and king beds, which makes the yacht popular with families and friends travelling together.

Fares start at US$6,045 per person sharing a Galapagos Suite. Each Tuesday departure is listed on this page with its live fare and a booking button. The price includes the cruise, meals, guided excursions and island transfers; flights to the Galapagos, the National Park fee and the transit card are additional.

All meals throughout the cruise, all guided excursions, all transfers within the islands, a bilingual Galapagos National Park naturalist guide, airport assistance, one hotel night in Quito or Guayaquil on the evening before the cruise and one airport transfer for your Galapagos flight. The complimentary hotel night and transfer are subject to restrictions, so please confirm them with us.

Mainland-to-Galapagos return airfare, the US$100 Galapagos National Park fee, the US$20 Transit Control Card, alcoholic drinks, travel and medical insurance, gratuities and personal expenses. We are happy to quote the Galapagos flights alongside the cruise.

Yes. A suite can be reserved for one traveller and the supplement is quoted on request, as it varies by date and availability. Ask us before booking and we will confirm the single fare for your preferred departure.

Espanola is the oldest and most southerly island and the only nesting site of the waved albatross, which is present roughly April to December. Suarez Point also has blue-footed and Nazca boobies, marine iguanas with red and green colouring, and a dramatic blowhole, while Gardner Bay is a long white beach of sea lions with excellent snorkelling off Gardner and Osborn islets.

Devil's Crown is a sunken volcanic crater off Floreana whose jagged rim shelters a coral garden. It is widely considered one of the best snorkelling sites in the Galapagos, with schools of reef fish, rays, sea lions and reef sharks in the current. The Sea Star visits it on the Thursday morning together with Cormorant Point's flamingo lagoon.

In the late 18th century whalers left letters in a wooden barrel at this bay for homeward-bound ships to carry. The tradition continues: you can leave a postcard and take one addressed to somewhere near your home to deliver by hand. The Sea Star stops here on Thursday afternoon after the Baroness Viewing Point.

Santa Fe and South Plaza, both on the Friday. Santa Fe has its own endemic pale land iguana species living among giant opuntia cacti, and South Plaza's small cliff-top island has land iguanas, a large sea lion colony and swallow-tailed gulls against a carpet of red sesuvium.

Yes. On the first afternoon the group visits the David Rodriguez Breeding Center on San Cristobal, where giant tortoises are raised for reintroduction to the island. Wild tortoises in the highlands are not on this route, so if that is a priority tell us and we can suggest a pre- or post-cruise day on Santa Cruz.

Almost every day offers a snorkel: Gardner Bay and its islets, Devil's Crown, Santa Fe's bay, Bachas Beach and Mosquera. Sea lions, turtles, rays and reef sharks are common. Equipment is provided on board; a wetsuit is worth having between June and November when the water is cooler.

Walks are easy to moderate, mostly one to two hours on marked trails. Suarez Point on Espanola is the longest and rockiest, and South Plaza involves a short climb to the cliff top. Landings alternate between dry landings onto rocks and wet landings onto beaches, so pack both closed shoes and sandals.

Yes. The connecting twin and king suites were designed with families in mind, and the route mixes short walks with beach and snorkelling time. Children under 5 and from 5 to under 12 have separate fare bands, with age counted on the departure date; ask us for current child rates.

The Sea Star carries a maximum of 16 guests with one licensed Galapagos National Park naturalist guide, which is the standard ratio for small luxury yachts and keeps every landing personal. The crew of around ten includes the captain, chef and cabin staff.

A 20% deposit confirms your suite and the balance falls due 65 days before departure. Bookings made within 65 days are paid in full. You can pay securely online on this page or through our concierge.

The yacht departs on Tuesdays from San Cristobal, and dates are currently on sale from October 2026 through December 2027. The live departure list on this page is updated directly from the vessel's inventory, so what you see is bookable.

Book an open-jaw Galapagos flight: mainland to San Cristobal on the Tuesday morning and Baltra back to the mainland on the Sunday. Both airports have daily flights from Quito and Guayaquil. Arrive in Ecuador at least a day early; a hotel night before the cruise is included in the fare.

April to December is the waved albatross season on Espanola, the single most sought-after sight on this itinerary. December to May brings warmer water and calmer seas for snorkelling at Devil's Crown, while June to November has cooler, nutrient-rich water and more active sea lions and seabirds. Any month works; tell us your priorities and we will advise.

Reserve directly on this page, or contact us first: email travel@palacetours.com, call 786-408-0610, or WhatsApp https://wa.me/17864080610, where a travel specialist or our AI assistant replies within minutes most of the day. We can hold a suite briefly while you confirm flights.