Letty
The only yacht in the islands running a nine-day itinerary. A 1991 hull renewed in 2024, sixteen guests, ten crew, and two cabins that convert to triples for families.
Nine days
The only itinerary of that length in the fleet. Two extra days is two more islands, not two more sea days.
Triples
Two lower deck cabins convert to triples on request, which almost no first-class yacht offers.
Renewed 2024
An old hull with a recent refit: the layout of a classic yacht, the fittings of a new one.
Two more days than anyone else
Letty is a classic first-class motor yacht: twenty-five metres, sixteen guests, eight cabins across four decks. The hull dates to 1991 and was renewed in 2024, which is the combination you want — the proportions of an older boat with fittings that are not.
What makes her unusual is the nine-day itinerary. Most of the fleet tops out at eight, and the extra two days go into islands that shorter routes cut: Genovesa, Espanola and Floreana in the same trip as Bartholomew and the Plazas. Ten crew, including a chef and one bilingual National Park guide, and two cabins that convert to triples on request, which is why families end up on this boat more often than on its competitors.
At a glance
The long route, day by day
Arrival and Interpretation Center
Met at San Cristobal airport and taken to the boat, then the Interpretation Center: the geology, the ecology and the human history of the islands, which makes the rest of the week read differently.
Punta Pitt and Kicker Rock
Punta Pitt is the only site in the archipelago where all three booby species nest together. In the afternoon, Cerro Brujo and the vertical walls of Kicker Rock, where rays and turtles pass through the channel.
Gardner Bay and Suarez Point
White sand and sea lions in the morning, then the trail past marine iguanas, the blowhole, and the waved albatross — which nests here and nowhere else on earth, between April and December.
Post Office Bay and Cormorant Point
The barrel where whalers left mail in the 1790s, and where you still leave a postcard for a stranger to deliver by hand. Then Cormorant Point: flamingos on the lagoon and a beach of green olivine sand.
North Seymour and Bartholomew
Displaying frigatebirds and blue-footed boobies in the morning, then the climb at Bartholomew for the view over Pinnacle Rock, with penguins in the water below.
Darwin Bay and El Barranco
The seabird island, and the reason the nine-day route exists. Frigatebirds in the mangroves at Darwin Bay, then Prince Philip’s Steps up the cliff to the red-footed boobies and the Palo Santo forest.
South Plaza and Santa Fe
Land iguanas under the prickly pear on South Plaza, then Santa Fe with its own endemic iguana, the cactus forest, and sea lions on the landing beach.
El Chato and Charles Darwin Station
Giant tortoises in the wild at El Chato and the Twin Craters in the highlands, then the research station and its tortoise restoration programme in the afternoon.
Mosquera and farewell
A last stop at Mosquera Islet with the sea lions and shorebirds, then the transfer to Baltra and the flight to the mainland.
Itineraries rarely change much, but they can shift with weather, wildlife breeding, safety, park instructions or what the group is able to do. The guide and the captain pick the best day available within those limits.
Four ways to sail her
- Complete East and Central — 9 days. The route above, San Cristobal to Baltra. The longest itinerary running in the islands.
- Complete West South-Central — 7 days. Dragon Hill, Santiago, Fernandina, Isabela with Sierra Negra and Tintoreras, Santa Cruz and Lobos Island. Baltra to San Cristobal.
- South Central — 5 days. San Cristobal, Espanola, Floreana and North Seymour. San Cristobal to Baltra.
- North Central — 5 days. Bartolome, Genovesa, the Plazas, Santa Fe and the Santa Cruz highlands. Baltra to Baltra.
The nine-day route is the reason to look at this boat: it takes in Genovesa and Espanola in the same trip, which shorter itineraries force you to choose between. The seven-day western route is the other half of the archipelago — Fernandina, Sierra Negra, the volcanic side. Every route starts and finishes on a different island, so check yours before booking flights.
What she carries
- Snorkel gear: mask, fins and snorkel
- Double sea kayaks
- Wetsuits available for rent
- Zodiac tenders for every shore excursion
- Wi-Fi internet service
- TV, DVD and library
- Private bathroom and full amenities in every cabin
- Four decks, including a sun deck
What the price covers
Included
- A twin, double or triple cabin with private bathroom
- All meals from lunch on day one to breakfast on the last day
- Snacks, natural juices, soft drinks, coffee, tea and drinking water
- One bilingual licensed naturalist guide for every excursion
- Snorkel gear and double sea kayaks
- Bus from Baltra to Santa Cruz and the Itabaca Channel ferry fee
- All transfers between islands and visitor sites, by Zodiac from the yacht
- Airport transfers with a bilingual guide
- Wi-Fi and 24-hour assistance in Ecuador and the islands
Not included
- National Park entrance fee — USD 200 adult, USD 100 child, cash on arrival
- Migratory control card — USD 20, cash before check-in on the mainland
- Flights from Quito or Guayaquil — around USD 549 per adult
- Wetsuit rental
- Alcoholic drinks and personal expenses
- Tips — the operator suggests USD 15 a day for the guide and USD 15 a day for the crew, in cash
- Travel and cancellation insurance
This operator publishes the numbers, which is rare and useful. On a nine-day trip, the fees, flights and suggested tips add roughly USD 1,040 per adult on top of the fare — all of it in cash except the flights. Worth knowing before you compare this boat with one that quotes a bigger headline price.
Where you sleep
Four twin cabins on the lower deck and four convertible cabins on the upper, all with private bathroom and full amenities. Cabins three and four on the lower deck take a third person on request, with a twin bed and a bunk — the reason this yacht works for families. There are no interconnecting cabins.
Meals on board
A chef on board and every meal covered from lunch on the first day to breakfast on the last, with snacks, natural juices, soft drinks, coffee and tea throughout. Alcohol is charged separately. Tell us about dietary needs before you sail rather than on the first evening.
Is this your boat?
Book it if
- You want Genovesa and Espanola on the same trip — only the nine-day route does that
- You are three in a cabin and tired of being quoted two doubles
- You would rather put the budget into days than into square metres
- A first-class yacht with a 2024 refit is enough boat for you
Choose another cruise if
- You came to dive — this is a naturalist cruise, not a dive boat
- You want a balcony or a suite — this is a classic yacht, not a catamaran
- Stability at anchor matters a lot to you
- You would rather not carry the fees and tips in cash
Want the space and stability of two hulls? Compare the Petrel or the Ocean Spray. Travelling on a smaller budget? The Golondrina. Came for the sharks instead? See our Galapagos diving cruises.
Ask us for a quote
Four routes run on the Letty, from five to nine days, and the rate moves with the season and the cabin. Send us your dates and we come back with what is sailing, which cabins are open, and the full cost with fees and flights included.