Trip Details
Our photo adventure trip to the Galapagos Islands will be an experience of a lifetime. Each day will feature a different area of the amazing Galapagos Islands. Our expedition yacht has the ability to anchor close to our attractions and our small group size means that we can be nimble while photographing nature’s splendor.
Our trip includes 7 nights on a Galapagos cruise and two nights in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
The food on our yacht is wonderful and cooked by some of the best chefs on the water. We’ll have access to snorkel equipment and kayaks. We’ll also have the opportunity for underwater photography if you decide to take on that challenge.
Our outfitters run some of the best trips in the Galapagos. They are certified with SmartVoyager, a voluntary environmental program developed by Corporacion y Desarollo from Ecuador and The Rainforest Alliance from New York since 2000. This program gives a “green seal of approval” to tour boats that comply with strict requirements to tread lightly on the area’s fragile ecosystem.
Temperatures during our adventure will range from the low 60’s F at night to the upper 70’s F during the day.
Galapagos is a sub-tropical destination and most of the seabirds and reptiles nest year round. Because of this, it is possible to see courtship, mating, chicks hatching and rearing during the trip.
Each day typically begins with an early 7:30am breakfast followed by the first shore excursion. We return for lunch followed by a siesta while the vessel navigates to the next island. Mid-afternoon, we disembark for the second excursion and return to the boat by sunset.
Before dinner, we hold a briefing for the next day’s shore excursions. In the evenings, we motor to the next island arriving early in the morning for a new adventure.
We must be accompanied at all times by our naturalist guides who have been trained by the Darwin Station and licensed by the National Park. They know each visitor site intimately and share their knowledge on nature walks during the day and in briefings in the evenings.
Our vessel will anchor offshore at two visitor sites per day while we are ferried to our landing points in small zodiac-style tenders (locally called “pangas”). The landings are either wet (where one must step into water anywhere from your ankles to your knees and wade to shore) or dry (where one steps from the zodiac directly to the volcanic rock). Your guide and dingy driver will assist you with a steady hand.
On the Islands, one must follow marked trails set by the National Park walking at a leisurely pace. The guides will interpret and explain the unusual sights you see. You’ll spend 3-4 hours at each site allowing plenty of time to explore and photograph the abundant wildlife. There are opportunities to swim or snorkel almost every day during the week and sometimes twice a day. Kayaks can be used only at designated sites approved by the National Park.
This is the perfect trip for couples to participate in a safe, yet intrepid adventure together. If you’ve been looking for a time to check Galapagos off your bucket list, then this is it!
Trip Itinerary
Saturday
Arrive Guayaquil, Ecuador and transfer to hotel.
Sunday
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (airport) to Cerro Tijeretas & Leon Dormido, SAN CRISTOBAL
Monday
Cerro Brujo & Punta Pitt SAN CRISTOBAL
Tuesday
Punta Suarez & Gardner Bay ESPANOLA
Wednesday
Punta Cormorant, Devil’s Crown or Champion, Post Office Bay, Baroness Point, FLOREANA (Charles)
Thursday
Highlands of SANTA CRUZ (Indefatigable), and CCFL (Darwin Station)
Friday
Bartolome, Las Bachas or Black Turtle Cove or Sombrero Chino
Saturday
South Plaza Island, North Seymour
Sunday
Interpretation Center, SAN CRISTOBAL (Chatham), then airport to mainland
The specific itinerary is subject to change at any time for any reason and without prior notice. Reasons can include changes to National Park rules, the discretion of the captain of the vessel, mechanical failure or weather.
Our Expedition Yacht & Accomodation
Our expedition yacht is designed for small, intimate groups. The boat has a maximum capacity of 20 passengers and our group will take 10-13 of those positions. Therefore, we’ll be sharing the boat with other travelers. However, our photography group will operate as an independent team with our own professional photographer leader and guide.
We will have two naturalist guides on board who will accompany us during our shore excursions. Each day we will have intimate access to animals and landscapes as we traverse the island chain. We will also be snorkeling and kayaking at many of the locations. The boat provides wetsuits, snorkel gear and kayaks for us to use.
Our yacht was built in 1991 and was custom designed for Galapagos cruising. It is refurbished annually and features three decks of spacious staterooms with polished teak interiors trimmed with brass.
Accommodations include ten double outside-facing cabins with a window or porthole view. Each room is fully air conditioned with private bath, drawers, intercom and climate controls. We have a dining room, well stocked bar and a conference area with flat screen TV. Every day we’ll be able to relax in a lounge chair on the sun deck enjoying the sea breezes, sunshine or a sky full of stars.
Animals We’re Likely to Encounter
– Blue Footed Booby
– Nazca Booby
– Red-Footed Booby
– Magnificent Frigate Bird
– Great Frigate Bird
– Swallow-Tailed Gull
– Storm Petrel
– Lava Gull
– Red-billed Tropic Bird
– Galapagos Penguin
– Greater Flamingo
– Brown Pelican
– Flightless Cormorant
– Darwin’s Finches
– Galapagos Dove
– Galapagos Mockingbird
– Galapagos Hawk
– Vermillion Flycatcher
– Short-Eared Owl
– Sea Lions
– Fur Sea Lions
– Galapagos Giant Tortoises
– Galapagos Land Iguana
– Galapagos Marine Iguana
– Whales
– Dolphins
– Tame sharks
Mike Hagen
Mike Hagen is an author, photographer, workshop leader, entrepreneur, husband and father. At a young age, he merged his passion for adventure with his camera and later found the two to be the perfect pair for a business. He started his professional photography career in 1998 with his first photography company called Out There Images, Inc. Since then, he has continually pushed himself artistically and technically by expanding into books, video, workshops, lectures, consulting, and retail.
Mike currently owns and operates Visual Adventures (www.VisAdventures.com) along with his wife and business partner Stephanie Hagen. Over the course of their career, they have traveled, taught, and photographed in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Mike’s growing body of books include The Nikon Autofocus System, Thousands of Images, Now What?, The Nikon Creative Lighting System (1st, 2nd and 3rd editions), Nikon Capture NX 2 After The Shoot, and contributing author for The Wild Side of Photography. In addition to writing his own books, Mike has worked extensively with publishers as a technical editor for topics including Photoshop, Lightroom, camera bodies, workflow and travel guides.
Mike is well known for his engaging style, his humor and his ability to make complex topics easy to understand. He works exceedingly hard to make sure customers get more than they expect and his overriding desire is to help others learn to master photography and accomplish their photographic goals. As one of his Safari participants said best, “Mike should be called the fulfiller of dreams.”
Contact us with any questions you have for Mike, or connect with Mike on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram!Pricing
Total Cost: USD From $6,300.00
Deposit: USD $630.00
Price Includes
- Hotel in Guayaquil before ship excursion (breakfasts included)
- Airfare from Guayaquil to Galapagos Islands
- Cabin accommodation on yacht
- Park entrance fees
- All transfers
- Transit control card
- All meals on board ship (full breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks)
- Purified water
- Non-alcoholic beverages (local beer/wine is included with dinner)
- Wet suits
- Pro snorkeling equipment
- Sea kayaks use
- One night hotel in Guayaquil after ship excursion (breakfast included)
Not Included
- International airfare from your home to Ecuador
- Gratuity for yacht crew and guides (typically $175-$200 per participant)
- On board purchases (bar and boutique)
- Land based purchases such as souvenirs, clothing, etc.
Payment Details
A non-refundable down payment of $630 is required to secure your seat for this trip. After the down payment, you will need to pay the remainder of the trip fee via a wire transfer or check. This remainder needs to be sent as soon as possible, but no later than 180 days before our departure. Bank information will be forwarded to all those who have paid the initial deposit.
All trip fees are quoted in US dollars and must be paid in US dollars.
There are three options for rooms on our excursion. Cabin Class determines the type of room you’ll be staying in. Here are the rates:
- Iguana Cabin = $6,300
- Booby Cabin = $6,800
- Dolphin Cabin = $7,300
All rooms are double occupancy. Single Occupancy rooms are $8,100.
DOLPHIN DECK – Cabins 1, 3 and 4 have two twin lower beds or one double bed and picture windows. Cabin # 2 has one double bed and picture window. (cabins average 95 square feet/ 8.8 square meters)
BOOBY DECK – Cabins 5 and 6 cabins have one double bed and picture windows. (cabins average 90 square reef/ 8.4 square meters)
IGUANA DECK – Cabins 7 and 8 have two twin lower beds and port lights. Cabins # 9 & 10 have two twin lower beds and one upper berth with port lights and can be sold as triples. (cabins average 110 square feet/ 10.2 square meters)
SINGLE – Cabins are assigned by our operator to the best cabin available at the time of sailing.
Special Considerations
Please let your tour leader, Mike Hagen, know if you have any special needs for this trip. He has lots of experience accommodating disabilities, dietary issues, or just about anything else. He’s happy to help you work through the logistics of getting you on this trip.
Cancellation Policy
90 days or more before departure: $1,000 per person in addition to the non-refundable deposit.
89 – 61 days before departure: 50% of trip fee
60 days or fewer before departure: 100% of trip fee.
No partial refunds are made for unused portions or services of a trip for any reason whatsoever. Trips are sold as a package only.
What to Bring (Required):
- Camera (bring a backup if you can)
- Wide Angle Lens (i.e. 12-24m)
- Medium/Normal Lens (i.e. 24-70mm)
- Telephoto Lens (i.e. 70-200mm or 80-400mm)
- Tripod
- Memory Cards
- Battery Chargers
- Data Backup (Disks, Computer)
- Long Pants (Lightweight)
- Shorts
- Short Sleeve and Song Sleeve T-Shirts
- Polos
- Windbreaker or Lightweight Rain Jacket with Hood
- Sweatshirt
- Walking Shoes or Light Hiking Boots
- Boat Shoes (Rubber Sole) or Flip Flops
- Sandals (i.e. Teva or Chacos)
- Wide-Brimmed Hat
- Bandana
- Swim Suit
- Sunscreen
- Lip Balm
- Sunglasses (and Strap/Lanyard)
- Earplugs
- Toiletries
What to Bring (Optional):
- Extra Camera Bodies
- Laptop
- Underwater Housing
- Macro Lens
- Video Camera
- Small Binoculars
- Motion Sickness Medication
- Walking Stick
Testimonials
This was my first photography workshop and you all helped to make it a great experience. I had a wonderful time and learned more than I probably even realize yet. Special thanks, of course, go to Mike for his patience in working with this rank amateur and her – gasp! – Canon camera!
Linda Pritchard
-----I just want to make sure that I thank you one last time! My photography has improved so much since attending your workshop. I have so much more confidence and it has improved every aspect of my work.
Leah Haraden
-----Just a quick note to let you know how much I enjoyed the workshop. It was an action-packed four days with a lot of learning, some great photos and a chance to meet some very nice photographers. My wife, too, enjoyed her long weekend. We both must have been tired as we slept almost 11 hours our first night in Vancouver.
The food at the lodge was terrific! I really appreciate your high energy level and willingness to answer any question. As you probably guessed we are seriously considering the next Africa trip. Of course there a few things we must think about but at this point I would say that we are very interested.
John Davis
Exclusive Offers
Book or apply for a workshop through PhotoEducate and get:
- Two Months Free Portfolio Website From PhotoShelter
- 15% off of Photo Mechanic Software form Camera Bits
- Free Rocky Nook Photography E-Book from their comprehensive list
- 20% Off Your Workshop Rental at LensRentals.com
- Curated Travel Insurance from Allianz Travel
Book today through PhotoEducate and get these exclusive offers, or contact us if you have any further questions.