The Enchanted Islands, this archipelago, keeps drawing me back. I returned for the third time at the end of January 2023. And in February, I boarded the Solaris Yacht.
In this post, I review the Solaris Galapagos Yacht — a first-class cruise through the islands.
Is a Galapagos Cruise Worth It?
Doing a land-based tour of the Galapagos with a few day tours is fine. You’ll still see a lot of wildlife on land and below the surface.
However, day tours can’t reach all the visitor sites, including the Fernandina and Genovesa Islands and the western side of Isabela Island.
The main reason I chose the Solaris Yacht is it included Genovesa in its route at that time; Genovesa was the last island on my list to visit. The next stops will be the dive spots at Darwin and Wolf.
Overall, Galapagos cruises are worth it, especially if you can get them at a discount.
What I Paid for the Solaris Galapagos Cruise
This was a blessing in disguise.
Before the Galapagos, I was in Medellin.
Something bit me about two weeks before my flight to the Galapagos. I think it was a spider. The bite became infected, and I had to visit the hospital a few times to remove the infected flesh and clean the wound. I was in pain.
Luckily, my travel insurance reimbursed me for the medical expenses.
I was thinking of canceling my flight to the Galapagos because I couldn’t get the wound wet. Yes, I showered with saran wrap. But I didn’t want this wound to slow me down. So, I went to the Galapagos anyways.
I didn’t swim at Tortuga Bay for the first three weeks in the Galapagos. At most, I would only enter the water knee-high since my wound was on my left thigh.
And then I got lucky. I paid only $1100 for a 4-night/5-day cruise on the Solaris with a room all to myself. Thanks to that spider bite. And the wound was healing.
The starting rate at the time was at least $3500. This is what one of the other passengers paid — he was a well-known MIT physics professor.
If you are flexible with your dates, I recommend going to the Galapagos with no tours or cruises booked. Just book them once you’re there to save money. Check out G Adventures or Celebrity if you’re pressed for time.
Solaris Galapagos Yacht Review
This cruise was mind-blowing.
Here are a few animal highlights in addition to the beautiful landscapes:
- Super close encounters with blue and red-footed boobies.
- Swam with spotted eagle rays.
- Saw a yellow puffer fish.
- Plenty of sea lions and sea turtles.
- Marine and land iguanas.
- White tip reef sharks.
Furthermore, a Swedish backpacking couple was married on the boat.
There was plenty of room for the Solaris Yacht, and I consider it first-class. By the way, the luxury class is the highest cruise class in the Galapagos.
The lounges at the top were relaxing and quiet. The staff was friendly. Nobody complained about the food; it was delicious. And our naturalist guide was fantastic.
The Solaris has kayaks for use, but nobody used them. Everybody wanted to be underwater snorkeling.
Another reason I chose this cruise and itinerary was it embarked at Santa Cruz and disembarked at San Cristobal. I flew into Santa Cruz and out of San Cristobal, and I wanted to avoid taking a ferry (speed boat) between the islands in choppy waters. One of these ferries sank in 2022.
A few notes about the itinerary:
We couldn’t visit Mosquera Island because the waters were too choppy to land safely from the dinghy. I believe another reason we couldn’t do the landing was that some passengers had mobility issues. I personally could have done it.
Anyways, the Mosquera visit was replaced with snorkeling, and I was able to swim with spotted eagle rays for about 30 minutes. I loved it.
Initially, this itinerary had a Kicker Rock visit and snorkel. It was canceled because rocks fell from the top of Kicker Rock during the rainy season, and someone was recently injured. Some of the passengers were bummed about this.
It wasn’t a big deal for me because Kicker Rock wasn’t on my itinerary since I booked last minute, and I have already visited this place several times, including completing my scuba diving certification here.
On the other hand, Kicker Rock is an excellent place to see adult hammerhead sharks while snorkeling. These sharks are one of the main reasons many divers love the Galapagos.
Related: Aida Maria Galapagos Review
Verdict
The Solaris cruise in the Galapagos lived up to my expectations. I wouldn’t have boarded at the starting price. I was lucky with the last-minute offer.
Hola Parceros,
I’m the founder of Aperlust. I enjoy web development and SEO and am into snowboarding and linguistics. In my spare time, you can find me destroying my opponents in chess across the globe.
