Get all your information on Olivia's upcoming Amazing Galápagos Adventure.
About Our Destination
Climate
September in the Galápagos is nearing the end of the dry season, and is one of the coolest months, staying between 69°-75°F (20°-24°C) during the day, and can go down to 64°F (18°C) at night. The water temperature averages about 70°F (21°C).
Currency
US Dollars are accepted.
Languages
Spanish is the main language, but English is spoken widely.
Health & Safety
Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic Protocols
To learn more about Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic's Health & Safety protocols, please click here.
Before Your Trip
Airfare Discounts
Please visit our airfare discount page for the most up-to-date information.
Cancellation Policy
Unexpected events can cause you to cancel your vacation. Because we are committed to this charter, we must strictly adhere to our cancellation policy as outlined in our Olivia Terms & Conditions.
Transfer funds are nonrefundable and nontransferable from the point of sale forward.
Celebrations – Birthdays, Anniversaries, Honeymoons and more
If you have any celebrations and birthdays during the trip that you have not already advised your travel consultant about, please let us know of this information as soon as possible, but no less than 90 days prior to the trip.
Connect with other guests – Join the Facebook Group
If you'd like to chat with people who are going on the trip, join the Olivia’s Amazing Galápagos Adventure 2021 Group on Facebook.
Passport and Visa
You will need a passport that is valid for six months past the date of the trip. If you are not a U.S. citizen, please check with both your country’s consulate and the consulates of the countries we will be visiting to make sure that you do not need an entry visa or other additional documentation.
If you are not a U.S. citizen, please check with both your country’s consulate and the consulates of the countries we will be visiting to make sure that you do not need an entry visa or other additional documentation.
Specific Needs: Dietary, Medical and Mobility
If you have any medical, mobility needs, or specific dietary requirements that our travel consultants don’t know about, please go to your Olivia Connect profile and click on “Travel Account” then “Travel Preferences” to update your personal information. Please advise us of these details as soon as possible but no less than 90 days prior to the trip.
This trip requires a certain level of mobility, including steep stairwells on the ship, walking on rocky or uneven terrain, boulders, gentle hiking uphill and getting in and out of panga boats from the ship and on shore. There are no elevators on the ship. If you do have limited mobility that requires assistance, you are required to travel with someone who can assist you.
Travel Gear Store
To help you get ready for your next vacation, we’ve partnered with New Headings to create Olivia Travel Gear, our own online gear and apparel store, featuring items from leading brands, including Craghoppers, Patagonia, Teva, Outdoor Research, and Eagle Creek. Visit olivia.newheadings.com for more information!Travel Insurance
Olivia recommends that you purchase a travel protection plan to help protect you and your trip investment against the unexpected. Visit our Insurance page olivia.com/travel-insurance for more information.
For a travel insurance quote, more information or to purchase a protection plan, please call Olivia at 800-631-6277 and select option 1 for a travel consultant.
Vaccinations
Please check with your local Public Health Department or personal physician regarding immunization requirements for all countries on your itinerary. You may also check the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention’s website at: www.cdc.gov. Click on the Travelers’ Health section, then click on the Destinations link and choose your destination in the “For Travelers” pull-down menu.
2021 AMAZING GALAPAGOS ADVENTURE |
START DATE | END DATE | CANCEL PENALTY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancellation 365 days or more prior to trip date | 9/16/2020 | 50% of trip cost | |
| Cancellation 0-364 days prior to trip date | 9/17/2020 | 9/16/2021 | 100% of trip cost (no refund) |
Celebrations – Birthdays, Anniversaries, Honeymoons and more
To help you get ready for your next vacation, we’ve partnered with New Headings to create Olivia Travel Gear, our own online gear and apparel store, featuring items from leading brands, including Craghoppers, Patagonia, Teva, Outdoor Research, and Eagle Creek. Visit olivia.newheadings.com for more information!
Travel and arrival
Airports
You will need to fly into Guayaquil, Ecuador (GYE). Most flights arrive in the evening.
Flight Arrival and Departure Times
Flights into Guayaquil can arrive any time on September 16, 2021 and hotel check-in begins at 3 pm. You can leave any time in the late evening of September 22 (after 8 pm), or on September 23, 2021. A day room will be provided up until the time of departure for your late-night flight September 22. An overnight room will be provided if your flight departs September 23.
Please note if your flight departs late evening of September 23, you will need to check-out of your hotel room by noon that day. In this case, you may want to consider booking an additional night with us so you can keep your room up until your departure to the airport.
Most flights arrive into Guayaquil in the late evening. If you arrive earlier, be aware that hotel check-in begins at 3 pm.
Luggage Allowances
While there is no luggage limit on the cruise itself, airlines often restrict (or charge) for excess baggage. Because each airline is different, and the regulations change over time, please check with your airline for baggage allowances.
For the flight from Guayaquil to Galapagos, only 1 bag per person weighing no more than 50 lbs is allowed. If you have additional luggage, it can be stored at the hotel in Guayaquil, and picked up when you return.
Transfers and Meeting up with Olivia
Flights into Guayaquil can arrive any time on September 16, 2021 and hotel check-in begins at 3 pm. It is approximately 15-20 minutes from the airport to hotel in Guayaquil, depending on traffic. We will provide transfers from the airport to Hotel del Parque for guests arriving to Guayaquil on September 16. We will be collecting your arrival itineraries to organize these transfers. Otherwise, taxis are available for about $20 USD in Guayaquil.
Transfers from the hotel to the Guayaquil Airport, San Cristobal Airport to ship, ship to Baltra Airport and Guayaquil Airport to hotel are all included.
Check-in on the ms Islander
You will board just before noon and will check-in on board when we arrive. For more information about your ship, ms Islander, click here.
Check-in at the Hotel del Parque
Our host hotel in Guayaquil is the beautiful Hotel del Parque. This is a beautifully restored luxury hotel; a “tropical oasis”, set in a very exclusive affluent Samborondón neighborhood with a park next door and 10-15-minute walk to local restaurants and stores. Hotel del Parque is a boutique, unforgettable experience of history and elegance.
This historic 19th century property offers refreshing sophistication. Here you’ll find Ecuadorian furnishings in cooling hues, impressive large marble bathrooms, free Wi-Fi, and 24-hour room service, plus minibars and full air conditioning.
During your stay, you can dine on fresh seafood in the refined, waterfront restaurant, or enjoy a massage or beauty treatments in a unique setting within the wood-beamed bell tower of the original restored chapel. Enhance your experience with cultural encounters such as chocolate tasting, coffee roasting and wildlife walks in the stunning tropical grounds.
Hotel check-in begins at 3 pm on September 16, 2021. We encourage all guests to arrive a day early to avoid the stress of unexpected delays and to enjoy all the amenities this hotel offers. Should you wish to arrive a day or two early or extend your stay, please contact us for reservations and pricing which will include your airport transfer.
Transfers from the hotel to the Guayaquil Airport, San Cristobal Airport to ship, ship to Baltra Airport and Guayaquil Airport to hotel are all included.
During Your Trip
What's Included?
What’s Not Included?
International airfare to and from Guayaquil, Ecuador, meals not indicated, premium brand alcoholic beverages, internet, LEX Spa services, laundry and other personal services, NDA charges are not included in the price of the trip but have already been added to your reservation as reflected on your invoice.
Dining
Open Seating Policy
Dining hours: Breakfast 7 – 8 am, Lunch noon – 1:30 pm, Dinner 7 – 9 pm
There is one restaurant on board. Meals are served buffet style for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is sit-down style with Ecuadorian flair.
Electricity
Ecuador and the Galápagos operate on U.S. electrical current, 110 volts, 60 cycles.
Elevator
There is no elevator on this ship.
Gratuities
Gratuities are included in the cost of the cruise. Gratuities are provided for your cabin steward, dining room steward, bus person, maître d’ and other behind-the-scenes crew members.
Internet
Internet access is available on board. Each guest will receive 1 hour of complimentary Internet access daily. Additional time may be purchased on board.
Laundry Services
There is no self-service laundry or ironing. The ship does offer laundry service and pressing.
Medical Services
There is a doctor with a minimal medical center on board. Your first visit is complimentary.
Upon embarkation, you will register a credit card to your shipboard account to charge drinks, services, etc. You will not be able to get cash advances through your credit card.
Money: Paying for Things Onboard
Upon embarkation, you will register a credit card to your shipboard account to charge drinks, services, etc. You will not be able to get cash advances through your credit card.
Smoking Policy
The ship is completely non-smoking except for the aft area of the exterior Upper Deck. Smoking is not permitted on the uninhabited islands.
Solo Travelers
We average a few solo travelers on these trips who mix and mingle with everyone. For a trip this small, there are no solo coordinators. You can start to meet other solos and travelers online in the Olivia's Amazing Galápagos Adventure 2021 Official Facebook Group Page.
Spa Services
Standard spa treatments such as massage are available in the LEX Spa. Pricing will be available on board.
Telephone
In Santa Cruz, you’ll have the ability to phone home at reasonable rates. Satellite phones are available on board at costs of up to $12/minute.
- Hotel accommodations on the nights of September 16 and 22, 2021
- Accommodations aboard the National Geographic/Lindblad Expeditions ms Islander September 17-22, 2021
- All meals on board the ship and breakfast at hotel House drinks and wine (premium brands are additional)
- 1-hour free internet per person per day
- Excursions
- Transfer to hotel on program start date and ship upon arrival and to hotel and airport upon departure
- Services of Olivia Cruise Director, Lindblad Expedition Leader, Naturalist Staff, National Geographic Trained Photography Instructor, and ship doctor
- Use of kayaks, snorkeling gear, and wetsuits Voyage Expedition flash drive (one per cabin/household)
- Gratuities to naturalists and ship’s crew Galápagos National Park entrance fee, port charges and service taxes (subject to increase)
- Internal Ecuador flights (Guayaquil – Baltra – Guayaquil) Olivia assistance throughout
Dining hours: Breakfast 7 – 8 am, Lunch noon – 1:30 pm, Dinner 7 – 9 pm
There is one restaurant on board. Meals are served buffet style for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is sit-down style with Ecuadorian flair.
After Your Trip
Disembarkations
You'll disembark at approximately 9 am for our transfer to Baltra Airport. Exact flight times from Baltra to Guayaquil will be in your final documents to be sent 30-45 days prior to the trip.
Hotels
We will utilize the Hotel del Parque in Guayaquil for our return hotel. Hotel check-in is 3 pm, and check-out is noon. Transfers to the airport will be provided for those departing the evening of September 22 or the following morning, September 23. You may purchase additional hotel nights through Olivia. Please call for pricing and more information.
Transfers and Meeting up with Olivia
You can leave any time in the late evening of September 22 or on September 23, 2021.
It is approximately 15-20 minutes from the airport to hotel in Guayaquil, depending on traffic.
Transfers from the hotel to the Guayaquil Airport, San Cristobal Airport to ship, ship to Baltra Airport and Guayaquil Airport to hotel are all included.
Vacation Stretchers
Please check back to the Vacation Stretcher page for information about a Post-Trip Vacation Stretcher to Machu Picchu.
It is approximately 15-20 minutes from the airport to hotel in Guayaquil, depending on traffic.
Transfers from the hotel to the Guayaquil Airport, San Cristobal Airport to ship, ship to Baltra Airport and Guayaquil Airport to hotel are all included.
This trip requires a certain level of mobility and stability, including steep stairwells on the ship, walking on rocky or uneven terrain, boulders, gentle hiking uphill, and getting in and out of panga boats from the ship and on shore. There are no elevators on the ship. If you do have limited mobility that requires assistance, you are required to travel with someone who can assist you.
Our Travel Consultants can be reached at USA or Canada: 800.631.6277 or International 415.962.5700, option 1.
