Galapagos Cruise With Silversea Cruises

A Galapagos Cruise With Silversea Cruises Was A Bucket List Trip

We were so glad we did a Galapagos cruise with Silversea Cruises. The Silver Origin travelled around the Galápagos Islands for 7 days. Each day the ship moved a few times a day. On our Silversea Cruises expedition style cruise we got such varied adventures each day. 

We started our trip with a few days in Quito. We were very happy to be back at sea level when we left the high altitude in Quito. But we knew were returned to high altitude adventures on a visit to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley after our cruise. 

A Day On An Expedition Cruise To Galapagos

The expedition schedule was similar to what we learned cruising with Silversea Cruises on the Silver Endeavour for an expedition cruise to Antarctica.  

Over the course of 7 days, we learned about the expedition routine in the Galápagos Islands. We had a very busy itinerary with at least 3 different expedition adventures each day. In each time slot we generally had more than one option to choose from. We always chose snorkelling when offered. And we chose to pass on several hiking options. We knew we had a busy trip and managed our activity levels a little.

Every evening at about 7pm, we got a debriefing session and talked about what we had encountered during the day. We often got a short educational briefing about coming expeditions. And we walked through the itinerary for the next day. 

The expedition itinerary kept us very active on this Galapagos cruise with Silversea Cruises.

Day 1 Cruising From San Cristobal In Galapagos

On our few days in Quito, we explored the Old Town and did a day trip outside the city. We met up with the Silversea Cruises group in Quito before we boarded the private charter to the Galapagos. The flight landed on San Cristobal Island and we were transferred to a local hotel for a few hours. 

Wandering along the seaside, we found a large harbour and a large group of Galapagos Sea Lions. They amused us with their antics.

From the hotel we were transferred to another dock where we boarded zodiac boats for the transfer to the Silver Origin cruise ship. As we found in many spots, even this small cruise ship could not dock in town.

We got settled on the ship and got our bearings. After leaving San Cristobal, we headed out on deck as we slowly cruised around Kicker Island as the sun set.  We got a lovely start to our Galapagos cruise with Silversea Cruises.

Day 2 – Bartolomé Island And Santiago Island

Our first day at sea started at Bartolomé Island. One option for the start of the day was an active hike with views over the islands. We passed on the hike up 388 steps to see volcanic terrain we visited in so many spots around the world.

Instead we chose a zodiac tour and got a close-up look at the interesting volcanic island. Around the rocky shore we found sea lions, red crabs, herons and pelicans.

We got our first real treat on our zodiac trip when we saw a group of Galapagos penguins. We enjoyed finding penguins at Magdalena Island in Chile, on our visit to Bluff Cove in the Falkland Islands and on our Silversea cruise in Antarctica. So we were interested in seeing the Galapagos penguins. Almost as interesting as when we found penguins in Australia and in South Africa too! 

Mid-day, we went for our first deep water snorkel off Bartolomé Island. It was an easy first snorkel expedition and we were happy to get into the water. 

Late in the day the ship moved to Santiago Island. A second zodiac tour for the day took us along the shore close for more volcanic rock. The water was clear enough that from the zodiac we saw small group of rays playing. The pelicans watched always ready for feeding!

We had an interesting collection of new sights on the second day of our Galapagos cruise with Silversea Cruises.

Day 3 – Isabela Island and Fernandina Island

On day 3, we started at Punta Vicente Rocca on Isabela Island. Our zodiac cruise took us around this volcanic island and we got great views of the caldera. As we moved close to shore we got our first view of the famed blue footed boobies and flightless cormorants.

Our second expedition for the day was again deep water snorkelling.  We were delighted when we found sea lions, sea turtles and colourful fish on this snorkel adventure.

In the afternoon, the ship moved to Fernandina Island at Punta Espinoza. We took a short zodiac ride to shore and were greeted by the welcoming sea lion. On this dry landing, we explored the volcanic landscape and saw the volcanic cactus. We even found a whale skeleton as we wandered for a few hours on this zodiac landing.

The key highlight on this landing was vast groups of marine iguanas.  We watched fun sea lions as they played with the ship in the background.

On the third day of our Galapagos cruise with Silversea Cruises we loved the variety in the sights we found.

Day 4 – Isabela Island

Day 4 took us to Isabela Island.  We started at Tagus Cove with a very early morning kayaking trip. We explored the shore at slow speed. And were delighted with the close-up views we got of blue-footed boobies and pelicans.

The second expedition we chose was again deep water snorkelling. On this snorkel we found large groups of small fish and sea turtles moving with the drift. We caught a quick view of both Galapagos penguins and flightless cormorants as they darted through the water.

Later in the day the ship was moved to Elizabeth Bay. The zodiac expedition provided a ride in to the mangroves. But rain threatened. So we decided to take a bit of a breather and relaxed on the ship. It was another fun day on our Galapagos cruise with Silversea Cruises.

Day 5 – Floreana Island 

On Day 5 we woke up at Floreana Island. We chose to kayak for the very early morning expedition. The seas were flat and we were excited when we got our first view of pink flamingos by the beach. And then in the distance they put on a show as they flew off.

After we returned to ship, we still had time for a short zodiac ride to see the Post Office Barrel. This “stampless” mailbox was established in 1793 by British whalers as a way to exchange letters. People from our ship left postcards for others to pick up and mail when they returned home.

But our fun was not done for the day. The Marina deck was mostly used as the launch point for excursions. Unlike when we cruised with Ritz Carlton, the Marina deck did not offer water toys or the ability to take a kayak out. But mid-day, the Marina deck was opened up for an ocean “plunge”. We had great memories of our ice water plunge from the Silversea Endeavour on our cruise to Antarctica. This plunge was not quite as exhilarating but still fun.

In the afternoon we moved to Champion Islet for another deep water snorkel. On this snorkel, we found more large groups of colourful fish, a few white tipped sharks and playful sea lions.

Late in the day the ship moved ship to Punta Cormorant. A zodiac trip got us a wet landing and a long hike ashore. Sadly the large group of flamingos was very far off in the distance! But we caught a great sunset as the zodiac went back to the ship.

We had a very busy day on our Galapagos cruise with Silversea Cruises.

Day 6 – Santa Cruz Island For Galapagos Tortoises

Day 6 found us anchored off Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. We took a zodiac to the dock where a sea lion lazily waited for us.

An hour bus ride took us to Rancho El Manzanilla for a nature walk. The bus moved slowly as we passed tortoises of various sizes on the side of the road. Exiting the main road, we continued over a rough path to the park. At the park, we put on supplied rubber boots and walked around the property.

As we wandered slowly, we found giant tortoises along the path, under the trees and in the water. The tortoises allowed us to get quite close and we even got a photo opportunity. After our walk we enjoyed a short relaxing break before we headed back.

In the afternoon we had an opportunity to visit a Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre. This was not a private tour but it provided opportunity to see tortoises from other islands. We passed on this second outing for the day. We were happy to have enjoyed a close up visit with the massive tortoises on our Galapagos cruise with Silversea Cruises.

Day 7 – West Coast Of Santa Cruz Island

Day 7 started with a very early morning wet landing and adventurous hike at Cerri Dragon. We opted to pass on this hike and we enjoyed some quiet time on the ship.

The ship was then moved to Guy Fawkes Islet for more deep water snorkelling.  In the strong current we saw some fish flash past. But the highlight was a giant manta ray that passed directly below our group.

In the afternoon, the ship moved to our final spot off of Punta Bowditch. We saw the long stretches of white sand beach from the ship. But we were not tempted to head out for more water fun. It was a quiet way for many to finish our Galapagos cruise with Silversea Cruises.

A Great Expedition Galapagos Cruise With Silversea Cruises

Silversea Cruises offered two different 7 day expedition cruises in the Galápagos Islands. We compared the two itineraries and decided on the western route. We felt it offered more water activities and that is what we wanted.

There were strict requirements for crew onboard ships in the Galapagos. We had a great local crew that delighted in sharing their country with us. 

Cruises to the Galapagos were offered pretty much all year round. Different seasons offered different weather and wildlife sightings. We chose to cruise in late February. We were at the end of wet season and packed for rain. But we were delighted that we had sunny and warm temperatures pretty much the entire time we were there.

The Marina area on the ship was well outfitted with gear for all adventures. This meant we packed less than we expected. We were given a water resistant backpack and a water bottle too.

Many of the expedition activities on a Galapagos cruise started early in the day. And on others we returned to the ship as the sun sunk. So we got amazing sunrise and sunset views. When we stayed up late, we were amazed at the beautiful night sky we got. Sky watching was a great way to enhance our experience on this Galapagos cruise.

Our Galapagos cruise with Silversea Cruises provided great expedition fun on the Silver Origin.

Silver Origin Was A Great Ship For Cruising

The Silver Origin ship was designed and built specifically for expedition cruising in the Galápagos Islands. It was still a new ship and we found the cabins well designed and comfortable. We did not take an upgraded cabin. But we found we had lots of space when we retreated to our cabin. The cabin was stocked with bath products, sunscreen and bug spray that was designed to be safe in this environment.

We were pleased when we found many of the public spaces were large, airy and often quiet places. We had no trouble finding spots to relax around the ship.

The food was generally very local but there was enough variety if you did not want to eat local. David loved that he found great seafood every day (and lots of good Ecuador dark chocolate).  The meat selection however was not great since it had to be pre-cooked before it came to the Galapagos. On night we enjoyed relaxing room service with a view.

The customer service on the Silver Origin was outstanding – maybe the best we had on any ship. We found the senior management team was visible at all times and set the standard for very personal care of the guests. Staff members knew our names and quickly learned our preferences. And when the Maitre ‘D learned that I missed getting an Ecuadorian treat on our visit to Quito, he immediately had the chef prepare Bizcochos with caramel sauce.

Our Galapagos cruise with Silversea Cruises provided a great cruising experience.

We Enjoyed A Galapagos Cruise With Silversea Cruises

A Galapagos cruise with Silversea Cruises checked off a big bucket list travel item for us. We enjoyed the 7 day cruise with such a great variety of sights and active adventures. The Silver Origin was a great base to explore this lovely set of islands. 

After the cruise we returned to San Cristobal, our last zodiac transfer and flew back to Quito. We then continued on to explore Cusco in Peru. A week discovering the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu finished up this bucket list trip.

Did you enjoy a Galapagos cruise with Silversea Cruises?  What was your favourite stop?

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