What to Expect on a Galapagos Cruise

After 30 countries together as a family, we officially have a new all-time favorite destination!  Especially in regards to wildlife, the Galapagos is simply on a level of its own. 

The interactions we experienced with animals in their natural habitat will be lifelong memories for our family.  What other destination in the world offers the ability to swim with hammerheads, dive with penguins, stroll with 100+-year-old tortoises, and witness manta rays jumping from the water in a single week?  

At first glance, traveling to the Galapagos with kids may seem daunting.  The distance, cost, or planning process may give you pause, but we can affirm there is no better place for your family!  Our kids learned more on our one-week trip to the Galapagos than during a month in a classroom.  If you choose a cruise option and book with Ecoventura like we did, the entire planning process is completely done for you!  Cruising around the Pacific means there are zero distractions from cell phones or the internet, and families have a chance to reconnect and strengthen relationships.  

When determining the value of cruises like this, always consider what’s included in the cost and daily itinerary.  During our first day alone, Ecoventura planned FOUR completely different activities for us!  We explored and hiked on the island first, then went deep sea free diving before lunch, kayaked in the afternoon, and snorkeled from shore to end the day.  Any one of them could have been a day excursion on their own if we had been paying a-la-carte.

From moment one on embarkation day, we were greeted by tons of sea lions as we boarded the dinghies or “pangas” to transport us to our home for the week!  At one point, they had to literally shoo a large male to the side for us to pass on the small dock.  We quickly learned that animals have no fear of humans in the Galapagos, making every wildlife encounter incredibly unique and up-close.  Throughout the week, we had countless more bucket list experiences like this exploring by water, land, boat, and kayak! 

By Water

Swimming with marine life in the Galapagos makes you feel like you are straight out of Finding Nemo!  This was our family’s favorite way to explore wildlife, and it was so exciting to find out what each day on our Ecoventura cruise held.  

During our very first day, we braved the deep waters and waves to snorkel and free dive with sharks!  Our kids were the first of the group to dive in and immediately an 8-foot hammerhead swam right by us!  They mainly stay closer to the ocean floor so we saw several more from a distance but those first few seconds were definitely a highlight! 

Playing around with sea lions in the ocean was another epic experience.  They were a blast!  You could dive down, twist around, do flips underwater and they would copy you.  They were so curious and would come right up to your face before darting the other way.  They would also playfully nip and bat at each other!  Our family has had quite a few amazing experiences with wildlife up close, but we all agree sea lions are our new favorite animal!!

Additionally, we swam around with countless sea turtles, rays, penguins, marine iguanas, starfish, and fish of literally every color in the rainbow!  Every day was a new adventure during our week-long cruise, and it was amazing to see how each stop offered different and unique experiences. 

By Land

The marine life was the #1 highlight for our family, but our land hikes were right behind it!  Every day we set off to view incredible wildlife on land.  Many of these animals are in the Galapagos only and not found anywhere else in the world.  The terrain was unique every day, offering a mix of lava rock, sand, and trails.  Some coastlines boasted the most pristine beaches we’ve ever seen.  It was literally perfect: zero seaweed, crystal clear water, and completely natural. 

Because all our hikes were guided, our kids loved being able to watch the animals interact in the wild while listening to our guides share a wealth of knowledge about everything we were seeing.  Throughout the week, we came across land iguanas, flamingos, blue-footed boobies, countless other beautiful bird species, giant tortoises, and more. 

Perhaps our favorite encounter was finding newborn baby sea lions on a morning hike.  Each time we came across one, our guides had to tear us away after 15+ minutes of just Aww-ing over them.  This hike is also where marine iguanas nest, and we saw HUNDREDS while walking around.  There were so many it was hard to tell at times what was lava rock and what were piles of iguanas!

On our last day of touring, we visited the breeding center of the famous giant tortoises, and the kids loved seeing the teeny-tiny babies!  The work done there is so important as it is a vital tool for restoring populations.  In the afternoon, we traveled up to the highlands to get up close with the giant tortoises in the wild.  We loved seeing them in literally every direction.  Jon stood so still at one point, that a tortoise actually slow-motioned bumped into him!

On a day our guide was feeling particularly generous and brave, he declared that he was taking a “kids-only” group for the afternoon hike (Bless his heart!)  Our kids felt so grown up and special, and just another reason why Ecoventura’s family departure cruises are the absolute best choice for visiting the Galapagos with kids.

Baby Sea Lion!

By Boat

Our family loved the multiple opportunities to view wildlife by boat as well!  In addition to using our dinghies or “pangas” for transportation to the islands, we also used them for touring.  One morning began with a ride through the mangroves where we got up close to penguins, nesting sea turtles, eagle rays, and sea lions.  Especially if your kids are more on the timid side, these excursions are a great way for them to view the marine life up close as well so that no one will miss out! 

Even while simply cruising between spots on our main boat, we saw whales, manta rays, sea turtles, birds, etc.  We had a lovely terrace on top to relax between tours, take in the scenery, and view wildlife from luxurious sun beds!    

By Kayak / Paddleboard

During our week-long cruise, we also had two opportunities to kayak or stand-up paddle board.  This was a perfect way to get extremely close to the island cliffs where so many animal species like to rest beside the ocean.  

Even if you have never done either, give it a shot!  The pangas will drive you to the coastline and help you get set up.  The kayaks are more stable and easier to control than the paddle boards.  After a few practice strokes with the paddle, the control becomes very natural.  The ability to have a turtle swim right under you, watch fur sea lions hopping up the rocks, and drift along with the breeze is amazing. 

Throughout all our tours during the week, our whole family learned so much from our guides with Ecoventura!  Their experience completely blew us away.  One of our guides, Fabo, entertained us with stories of his explorations with Jacques Cousteau, tagging whale sharks with National Geographic, and guiding multiple U.S. presidents!!!  We knew their knowledge would be top-notch, but their experience was really what amazed us.  However you plan to experience the Galapagos, do not cut corners or skimp around getting an amazing guide, especially when you are traveling with kids!  In our experience, the guides with Ecoventura are simply the best, and our family cruise was absolutely perfect from start to finish! 

**This post contains affiliate links.  We are grateful for the opportunity to be hosted by Ecoventura.  All opinions are our own.

To see all our travel adventures during a year-long trip around the world, head over to our Instagram page.

If you have questions or tips for a trip to the Galapagos with kids, let us know!  Happy Travels!