Treasure
Nine cabins, every one with a private balcony, plus a jacuzzi and the one thing nobody else offers: laundry service on board. Sixteen guests, ten crew.
Laundry on board
Almost unheard of on a sixteen-guest boat, and it changes what you pack for a week of wet landings.
Nine balconies
Eight balcony staterooms and a master suite. There is no cabin without one.
Eleven metres of beam
Wide enough to barely roll at anchor, with a jacuzzi and shaded deck for the hours between landings.
The small thing that matters
Treasure is a thirty-one metre catamaran built in 2009 and renovated in 2017: sixteen guests, nine cabins, eleven knots. Eleven and a bit metres of beam is what a catamaran buys you, and here it goes into a jacuzzi, a shaded deck, a lounge and a dining room that all feel a size larger than the guest count suggests.
The detail worth noticing is the laundry. A Galapagos week means wet landings, salt water and volcanic dust, and most boats send you home with a suitcase of it. Having laundry on board is the kind of thing nobody advertises and everybody appreciates by day four. Ten crew, including a hotel manager and a naturalist guide, and a master suite on the main deck for whoever books first.
At a glance
The volcanic west, day by day
Arrival and the breeding centre
Met at Baltra and taken to the boat, then the Fausto Llerena centre: giant tortoises at every stage, from eggs to the adults being raised for release.
Eden Islet and Dragon Hill
A dinghy ride and snorkeling around Eden Islet, then Dragon Hill in the afternoon: land iguanas, a hypersaline lagoon that usually holds flamingos, and Palo Santo along the trail.
Tintoreras, the wetlands and the Wall of Tears
Whitetip reef sharks resting in a lava channel at Tintoreras, then the mangroves and lagoons behind Puerto Villamil and the wall built by prisoners in the 1940s.
Moreno Point and Tagus Cove
Barren lava and brackish pools at Moreno Point, with views to three volcanoes. In the afternoon the walk up the tuff cone to Darwin Lake, past the ship names sailors carved into the rock.
Espinoza Point and Vicente Roca
The westernmost island and the largest marine iguana colonies on earth, with flightless cormorants and penguins alongside. Then snorkeling in the cold upwelling at Vicente Roca, where turtles and mola mola gather.
Puerto Egas and Rabida
Tide pools, fur seals and marine iguanas along the black rock at Puerto Egas, then Rabida’s red sand beach: flamingo lagoon, pelican nests and the best birdwatching of the week.
Las Bachas and farewell
A last morning on the white sand at Las Bachas, a sea turtle nesting beach with flamingos on the lagoon behind, then the transfer to Baltra.
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.
Three ways to sail her
- 7 days. The western route above: Santa Cruz, Isabela, Fernandina, Santiago and Rabida. Baltra to Baltra.
- 5 days, central and east. El Chato, Sullivan Bay, Bartholomew, North Seymour, South Plaza, Pitt Point and Witch Hill. Baltra to San Cristobal.
- 5 days, south. Colorado Hill, Espanola with Gardner Bay and Suarez Point, Floreana, Santa Fe and the Santa Cruz highlands. San Cristobal to Baltra.
The seven-day route is the volcanic side of the archipelago and the one to take if you have the week. Of the two five-day options, the southern one carries Espanola, where the waved albatross nests between April and December, and Floreana with the post barrel. Each route starts on one island and ends on another, so check yours before booking flights.
What she carries
- Private balcony on every cabin
- Jacuzzi on deck
- Laundry service
- Shaded outdoor deck and sun deck
- Lounge, dining room and library
- Snorkel equipment for every guest
- Hairdryer in every cabin
- Two naval radars, two GPS units and sonar
- Life rafts and fire systems to SOLAS standard
What the price covers
Included
- A cabin with private facilities and a balcony
- All meals, water, coffee and tea
- Every excursion with an English-speaking naturalist guide
- Snorkel gear: mask, fins and snorkel
- Transfers within the Galapagos, if the island flight is booked with us
Not included
- National Park entrance fee — USD 200, subject to change
- Transit control card — USD 20
- Flights to and from the Galapagos
- Wetsuit rental
- Soft and alcoholic drinks
- Tips and personal expenses
- Travel insurance
One condition to read twice: the airport transfers are only included if the island flight is booked through us and matches the cruise schedule. Arrive on a different flight and the shuttle is charged separately. Book the two together and it disappears — ask us before you buy the ticket.
Where you sleep
Nine cabins with private facilities: a master suite and four balcony staterooms on the main deck, four more balcony staterooms on the upper. Every one has its own balcony and a hairdryer, and the laundry service means you are not rinsing shirts in the sink by the fourth day.
Meals on board
All meals are covered, with water, coffee and tea throughout, served in the dining room or outside on the shaded deck depending on the day. Soft drinks and alcohol are charged separately. Tell us about dietary needs before you sail rather than on the first evening.
Is this your boat?
Book it if
- Laundry on board sounds like a luxury you would actually use
- A private balcony is what separates a good cabin from a great one
- Stability at anchor matters — eleven metres of beam barely rolls
- The volcanic west is the half of the archipelago you want
Choose another cruise if
- You came to dive — this is a naturalist cruise, not a dive boat
- You are travelling alone — there is no single cabin here
- You want Genovesa, which none of these three routes reaches
- You need a published price before you enquire
Want Genovesa? The Yolita II and the Letty both reach it. Travelling alone? The Elite sells a single cabin. Came for the sharks instead? See our Galapagos diving cruises.
Ask us for a quote
Three routes run on the Treasure, of five and seven 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 flights and fees included.