Grand Majestic
Twenty-five knots — the fastest yacht in the islands, and roughly twice what the rest of the fleet manages. Sixteen guests, a 39 m² master suite, and hotel nights on the mainland included.
Twenty-five knots
More than double most of the fleet. The night crossings stop eating into the itinerary.
A 39 m² suite
His and her bathrooms, on the main deck. The largest single cabin in this catalogue.
Hotel nights
Two included in Quito or Guayaquil on the eight-day cruises, one on the shorter ones.
What speed actually buys
Grand Majestic is a 2018 American-designed motor yacht, thirty-nine metres of aluminium and reinforced polymer, with MTU engines pushing 2,400 horsepower. Twenty-five knots. The rest of this catalogue runs between eight and fifteen, and the difference is not a boast — Galapagos itineraries are built around overnight crossings, and a boat that covers the same water in half the time gives those hours back to the islands.
Sixteen guests in eight cabins: six staterooms on the lower deck between fourteen and seventeen square metres, one on the main, and a master suite of thirty-nine with two bathrooms. All with private bathrooms, hot water and air conditioning, and a jacuzzi on the sun deck. Nine crew and a bilingual National Park guide, plus a navigation and safety inventory that reads like a commercial vessel rather than a tourist yacht.
At a glance
Genovesa, Espanola and Floreana, day by day
Arrival and El Junco
Met at San Cristobal airport and taken to the boat, then up to El Junco: the largest freshwater lagoon in the archipelago, at seven hundred metres, with frigatebirds bathing in it.
Post Office Bay and Devil’s Crown
The mail barrel that has worked since the whalers, the Baroness lookout and its strange history, then snorkeling inside a submerged volcano eroded into a jagged crown.
Suarez Point and Gardner Bay
The trail past marine iguanas, the blowhole and the waved albatross, which nests here and nowhere else on earth between April and December. Gardner Bay and its two islets in the afternoon.
Twin Craters and the breeding centre
Two collapsed magma chambers with Scalesia forest between them, then the tortoise breeding centre and its conservation programme.
El Barranco and Darwin Bay
The seabird island in the far north. Prince Philip’s Steps up the cliff to the red-footed boobies and the Palo Santo forest, then snorkeling in the flooded caldera at Darwin Bay.
Rabida and Chinese Hat
The red sand beach with its flamingo lagoon and pelican nests, then Chinese Hat: lava formations, penguins on the channel and good snorkeling in the shallows.
Witch Hill and Lobos Island
A volcanic cone above a white sand beach with rich marine life, then Lobos Island: sea lions, nesting blue-footed boobies and frigatebirds.
Interpretation Center and farewell
The Gianni Arismendy Interpretation Center — geology, ecology and the human history of the islands — then the transfer to San Cristobal airport.
Landing sites are set by the National Park and can shift with conditions or park scheduling. The guide adjusts the day; the islands do not take requests.
Four ways to sail her
- Southern — 8 days, Monday to Monday. The route above: San Cristobal, Floreana, Espanola, Santa Cruz, Genovesa, Rabida and Chinese Hat.
- Western — 8 days, Monday to Monday. North Seymour, Black Turtle Cove, Bartholomew, Santiago, Isabela with Tagus Cove and Urbina Bay, Fernandina, Sullivan Bay, Bachas Beach and Kicker Rock.
- 5 days, Thursday to Monday. The Santa Cruz breeding centre, both Genovesa sites, Rabida, Chinese Hat, Witch Hill and Lobos Island. Baltra to San Cristobal.
- 4 days, Monday to Thursday. El Junco, Floreana, Espanola and Twin Craters. San Cristobal to Baltra.
The two eight-day routes barely overlap, so back to back they cover the archipelago. The short ones fit together the other way round: the four-day runs San Cristobal to Baltra, the five-day runs Baltra to San Cristobal, and both reach islands a day tour cannot. If Genovesa is what you want on a short trip, take the five-day — it gets there in the same week it starts.
What she carries
- Jacuzzi on the sun deck
- Private bathroom, hot water and air conditioning in every cabin
- Al fresco dining area
- Two water makers producing 1,200 gallons a day each
- Furuno touch radar, second radar, GPS and depth sounder
- EPIRB, satellite compass and autopilot
- Two VHF radios with DSC, plus HF DSC radio
- Two 25-person life rafts and a CO2 bank
What the price covers
Included
- All meals throughout the cruise
- Every excursion on the itinerary
- Bilingual National Park guide
- All transfers within the islands
- Use of the expedition gear
- Carbon footprint compensation
- Two hotel nights in Quito or Guayaquil on eight-day cruises, one on the shorter ones
- Transfers and airport assistance on the mainland
Not included
- National Park entrance fee — USD 200
- Transit control card — USD 20
- Mainland to Galapagos airfare
- Alcoholic drinks
- Travel and medical insurance
- Tips and personal expenses
Count the hotel nights before you compare fares. Almost nobody flies to the islands the same day they land in Ecuador, so those are nights you would pay for regardless. The package has conditions tied to the cruise dates — ask us for the exact terms when you write.
Where you sleep
Six staterooms on the lower deck, between fourteen and seventeen square metres, one on the main deck, and the master suite: thirty-nine square metres with his and her bathrooms, which is the largest cabin in this catalogue by some distance. Every cabin has a private bathroom, hot water and air conditioning.
Meals on board
All meals are covered, served in the dining room or outside at the al fresco table when the evening allows it. 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 would rather spend the night at anchor than under way
- The master suite is what you are actually booking
- You need the mainland hotel nights anyway
- Four to eight days lets you build the trip around the holiday
Choose another cruise if
- You came to dive — this is a naturalist cruise, not a dive boat
- You want a private balcony — this yacht does not have them
- You are travelling alone — there is no single cabin here
- Stability at anchor matters — a wide catamaran rolls less
Want balconies on every cabin? The Infinity or the Treasure. Same operator, smaller yacht? The Natural Paradise. Came for the sharks instead? See our Galapagos diving cruises.
Ask us for a quote
Four routes run on the Grand Majestic, from four to eight 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 the hotel nights and fees spelled out.