Premium: Wildlife Adventure in the Galapagos Islands

A Premium trip is built on the same foundations as our Classic trips: active time in wild places, led by brilliant local guides. The pace, trip style, and difficulty level may vary, from slower journey-style itineraries with lighter activity to full active days out in the wild, so read the trip page carefully to make sure the adventure suits your expectations and fitness.

What changes is the comfort. On our Classic trips, you’ll usually stay in 3-star hotels (occasionally 4-star), with simple guesthouses or wild camping where the destination calls for it. Premium is a step up from that, but it isn’t necessarily a five-star or ultra-luxury experience. Our Premium adventures usually come with 4-star hotels or above, or boutique and characterful places where star ratings don’t apply. We choose personality over chain-hotel polish, and we avoid international chains in favor of independent, locally owned places, so more of your money stays in the communities you visit. Facilities may vary: air conditioning isn’t guaranteed everywhere, and room categories aren’t always specified, so check the lodging details if these matter to you.

Camping is rare on Premium trips and only included when it’s the only way to experience a remote destination that we think is worth including. When it is, you’ll get high-quality gear and an upgraded service from our local team.

Food is a highlight, not an afterthought: high-quality, local, and plentiful, whether it’s a restaurant meal or a picnic with all the trimmings.

Your guide will be one of our most experienced, and small groups mean they always have time for you, whether that’s answering questions, adjusting the pace, or finding a hidden viewpoint.

If you’re after guaranteed five-star hotels and Michelin dining, or a trip where comfort comes before adventure, our Premium collection won’t be the right fit. It’s for those who want the same wild adventures, highly curated from start to finish, with a little extra comfort at the end of each day.

Our wildlife adventures put nature front and center throughout. You'll spend as much time as possible immersed in wild landscapes – tracking animals, sitting quietly, waiting for something remarkable to happen. That said, they are still proper adventures: expect hiking, walking safaris, and active days, with moments of stillness and observation woven in along the way. An experienced tour leader will be with you throughout, accompanied by expert naturalist guides for wildlife-focused activities. Groups are intentionally small to keep things intimate, minimize the trip's environmental impact, and ensure the wildlife barely knows you're there.

Our adventures are designed by animal lovers, for animal lovers, with a strong focus on respect and minimal impact during all wildlife encounters. You’ll be accompanied by experienced local wildlife experts who follow strict guidelines to ensure animals are never disturbed. Group sizes are limited to a maximum of 12, helping to minimize disturbance and allowing wildlife sightings to be handled calmly and responsibly. All trips operate in line with our Animal Welfare Policy (opens in new tab), ensuring wildlife protection always comes first.

Sea lions, marine iguanas, sea turtles, blue-footed boobies, frigatebirds and pelicans turn up throughout the trip. Snorkelling at Kicker Rock gives you a good chance of seeing Galapagos sharks, rays and tropical fish, with hammerhead sharks and dolphins also possible. In the highlands of San Cristobal and Santa Cruz, look out for giant tortoises, lava lizards and endemic birds including the San Cristobal mockingbird, Galapagos flycatcher, Darwin’s finches, yellow warblers, Galapagos doves and Galapagos owls. Your full-day boat trip from Santa Cruz may add Galapagos penguins, depending on which island you visit. As with all wild animals, sightings can’t be guaranteed.

A few of the archipelago’s best-known species live on islands outside this itinerary, so you won’t see them on this trip. Waved albatrosses breed only on Española, and flightless cormorants are found on the western islands of Fernandina and Isabela.

The Galapagos Islands are a year-round destination, but seas tend to be calmer between December and May. This is the warm season, with sunny days, occasional tropical showers and warmer water for snorkelling. From July to November, cooler currents bring choppier seas, particularly in August and September, but also plenty of marine life.

Most of the islands’ wildlife, including giant tortoises, marine iguanas, sea lions, blue-footed boobies and Galapagos penguins, lives here year-round, so you’ll see plenty whenever you travel. What changes with the seasons is behaviour, such as nesting, courtship and the arrival of young.

Included in the cost of your trip is a $200 USD charge to cover the Galapagos National Park entry fee. This is a mandatory charge for every adult visiting the Galapagos, and the payment goes towards protecting the wider national park and marine reserve. A $20 USD Transit Control Card is also included in your trip cost, which is used by the Ecuadorian government to monitor and manage the flow of people entering and leaving the Galapagos Islands. We have included these fees so that your arrival in the islands is as smooth as possible, helping you quickly get out of the airport to start enjoying your adventure.

Fundacion Jocotoco is an Ecuadorian non-profit that protects threatened species by buying land and managing it as nature reserves. It was set up in 1998 in the cloud forests of southern Ecuador. Today, the foundation manages more than 15 reserves across the country, from dry forest on the Pacific coast to Andean cloud forest and the Galapagos, and has planted more than 1.6 million native trees. Alongside protecting land, it runs species monitoring, scientific research and environmental education programmes with local communities.

On San Cristobal, the foundation created Los Petreles Reserve in 2018 to protect the critically endangered Galapagos petrel, a seabird that nests only in the Galapagos. The reserve covers around 120 hectares of native highland forest and protects seven nesting colonies with more than 140 monitored nests. Introduced rats are the petrels’ biggest threat, and the foundation’s trapping programme has nearly quadrupled their breeding success within three years. The team also clears invasive plants and replants native species, and on your visit you'll lend a hand by planting trees or helping out in the reserve’s nursery.

Flight schedules, weather conditions and inter-island boat schedules mean the exact itinerary may differ slightly from the one advertised. All inclusions stay the same, but the order of some activities may change. Your experienced guide will adjust the plan as needed to make sure the trip runs smoothly and you get the most out of each day. Come with a flexible mindset and leave the logistics to them.

The tap water in mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos is not always gentle on the stomach, especially for those who haven’t been in Latin America for a while. Purified water is available in each of the hotels for you to refill your bottle each morning, so be sure to pack one or two reusable water bottles.

At Much Better Adventures, we work hard to accommodate dietary requirements and allergies so your trip is safe, inclusive and enjoyable. That said, options can vary by country, location and accommodation, and in some places options may be limited or unavailable. The information below has been provided by your host so you’re fully informed about what will be possible on your trip depending on your individual requirements. This information should be read carefully prior to your trip to ensure that you are adequately prepared for the situation ‘on the ground’.

Once you have booked on your trip, please fill out your passenger information form asap with any dietary requirements. Once you complete your passenger information, your dietary needs and any allergies are automatically shared with your host and, in turn, your guide. Please submit this as early as possible so they can plan accordingly and deliver the best experience. Please also remind your guide about your dietary requirements upon arrival, as mentioning these in person allows your guide to comprehend individual preferences and limitations as soon as you arrive.

BACKGROUND

Ecuadorian cuisine follows the country’s geography, from the potato soups and corn dishes of the Andes to the seafood and plantain of the Pacific coast. On the mainland, staples include locro de papa (a creamy potato and cheese soup), mote (hominy corn), grilled meats and fresh juices made from tropical fruits. In the Galapagos, the focus shifts to the sea. Ceviche, usually made with local whitefish or shrimp, can be found on most menus, alongside grilled fish, rice, beans, plantain and cassava. Some produce is grown in the highlands of San Cristóbal and Santa Cruz, but much of what’s served on the islands is shipped or flown in from the mainland under strict biosecurity controls. This means menus can be less varied than on the mainland, particularly when it comes to fresh fruit and vegetables. On boat days, you’ll have a box lunch on board with a fairly set menu of rice, beans, meat or fish, salad and fruit juice. In Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and Puerto Ayora, there’s a wider range of restaurants for your free evenings and more flexibility for dietary requirements.

SPECIAL DIETS

Vegetarian
Vegetarian diets can be catered for on this trip, provided that your host is made aware in advance.

Vegan
Vegan diets can be catered for on this trip, provided that your host is made aware in advance.

Kosher
Fully certified Kosher kitchens and supervision are rare and usually cannot be guaranteed unless expressly confirmed in advance by your host. Vegetarian or vegan options can often be the most reliable alternative if this is acceptable to you. Please read the related sections above.

Halal
Certified Halal supply varies by location and may not always be possible. Vegetarian or vegan options can often be the most reliable alternative if this is acceptable to you. Please read the related sections above.

INTOLERANCES

Gluten-free (for Coeliac, please see Allergies section below)
Gluten-free diets can be catered for on this trip, provided that your host is made aware in advance.

Lactose-free
Lactose-free diets can be catered for on this trip, provided that your host is made aware in advance.

ALLERGIES

Our host has confirmed that they are able to accommodate mild allergies to the 14 allergens (opens in new tab) identified by the UK Food Standards Agency, where these are disclosed in advance. However, if you have a severe or life-threatening food allergy, please get in touch with our Customer Experience team prior to booking, to discuss whether your requirements can be accommodated safely on this trip. This will allow us to carefully consider the sensitivity and severity of your allergy, the available provision on the trip and the accessibility of medical care should a reaction occur. Your safety is always our top priority. Please note that when travelling overseas, local ingredients, food preparation methods and labelling standards may vary, particularly in remote areas. It is also worth noting that any allergies may result in more limited options and repetitive provision in some areas. Whilst your guide will help communicate dietary requirements where possible, customers remain responsible for managing their own allergies during the trip.

Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.

Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with (opens in new tab). You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.

Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers review the practical information available on the UK Government’s FCDO website (opens in new tab), where you can find up-to-date advice by searching for your destination(s).

If you are based in the United States, you can also check the latest travel advisories from the U.S. Department of State (opens in new tab).

For customers joining from other international locations, we recommend checking the official travel advice issued by your country of residence, as guidance may vary.

We recommend checking out the country-specific information (opens in new tab) and also talking to a travel nurse.

We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates daily, so prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.

If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.

All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. You must be over 18 to join one of our trips.

You're always in good company on one of our adventures.

Our trips typically consist of a mix of solo travelers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.

Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset (opens in new tab); a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves, and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.

It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.

Don't just take our word for it:

• 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
• 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
• 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends

See here (opens in new tab) for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.

Quito (Day 1): Your first night at around 8,500ft is cooler year-round, with mild days around 68°F and evenings dropping to around 50°F. Rain is most frequent from October to May, particularly between February and April, so pack a warm layer and a waterproof.

December to June: This is the warm season, when the Galapagos Islands are at their sunniest and the sea is generally calmer, which makes it the best time for boat trips, kayaking and snorkeling. Daytime temperatures usually sit around 79–86°F and can reach 88°F in March. The sea warms to around 75–77°F. It is also the wetter season, so expect short tropical downpours between long sunny spells, with March and April usually the hottest and wettest months.

July to November: The cooler garua season brings mainly dry days to the islands with more cloud and a light mist that often settles over the highlands of San Cristobal and Santa Cruz. Air temperatures average around 68–75°F, with August the coolest month. The sea drops to roughly 66–72°F, so a wetsuit makes longer snorkels far more comfortable. Trade winds pick up and seas tend to be roughest from July to October, which you'll notice on the speedboat and boat days.

Wildlife in the Galapagos can be seen year-round, as many of the main attractions are resident species, with few migratory ones.