Experience the island chain that has enchanted explorers since Darwin first dropped anchor off its shores. Spend a week exploring the incredible wildlife of the Galapagos archipelago aboard a stylish vessel - the Archipel I. Travelling between the central, west and east islands, you will have the chance to explore from land and from the sea; snorkel with penguins at Vicente Roca and spot frigatebirds at North Seymour, and head to Santa Cruz's verdant highlands to see giant tortoises in their natural environment.
Archipel I Catamaran - Spend seven nights cruising onboard this modern, spacious catamaran with a naturalist guide and experienced crew
Wildlife spotting - Try to find all three distinct species of booby, as well as sea lions, iguanas, Galapagos penguin, giant tortoises and much more
Snorkel and walk - Discover an underwater paradise as well as a volcanic landscape, with daily snorkelling and on-shore excursions
Adventure
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Quito, Galapagos Islands, Santa
Quito, Galapagos Islands, Santa Fe Island, North Seymour Island, Puerto Ayora, Isabela Island, Isla Fernandina, Rábida Island
Experience the island chain that has enchanted explorers since Darwin first dropped anchor off its shores. Spend four nights exploring the incredible wildlife of the Galapagos archipelago aboard a stylish vessel - the Archipel I. Travelling between the central and west islands, you will have the chance to explore from land and from the sea; snorkel at Vicente Roca amongst tropical fish and seahorses, and head to Santa Cruz's verdant highlands to see giant tortoises in their natural environment.
Archipel I Catamaran - Spend four nights cruising onboard this modern, spacious catamaran with a naturalist guide and experienced crew
Wildlife spotting - Find blue-footed booby padding around on the islands, as well as sea lions, iguanas, Galapagos penguin, giant tortoises and much more
Snorkel and walk - Discover an underwater paradise as well as a volcanic landscape, with daily snorkelling and on-shore excursions
Adventure
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Quito, Galapagos Islands, Isla I
Quito, Galapagos Islands, Isla Isabela, Isla Fernandina, Rábida Island
With no single supplements and five single cabins aboard, the Solaris is ideal for solo travellers seeking their own space. Experience the incredible wildlife of the Galapagos archipelago on this first-class yacht, sailing between the central and west islands. Take daily shore and snorkelling excursions with a naturalist guide, looking for Galapagos penguins off the coast of Isabela Island, finding sea lions lazy on red sand beaches at Rabida, and learning how giant tortoises are being protected in the island's research stations.
Solaris Yacht- Spend six nights cruising onboard this first class yacht with a naturalist guide and experienced crew
Wildlife spotting - Swim with sea lions and schools of tropical fish, and spot the flightless cormorant, blue-footed boobies, iguanas and giant tortoises on land, among many other species
Snorkel and walk - Discover an underwater paradise as well as a volcanic landscape, with daily snorkelling and on-shore excursions
Adventure
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Quito, Galapagos Islands, Isla I
Quito, Galapagos Islands, Isla Isabela, Moreno Point, Isla Fernandina, Isla Santiago, Rábida Island
Travelling aboard the upgraded Treasure of the Galapagos catamaran, experience the island chain that has enchanted explorers since Darwin first dropped anchor off its shores. Spend six nights discovering the incredible wildlife of the Galapagos archipelago in comfort, with access to your own private cabin balcony as well as a sundeck Jacuzzi. Travelling between the central and west islands, you will have the chance to explore from land and from the sea; snorkel at Vicente Roca and spot large schools of tropical fish, find the Galapagos penguin near Isabela Island and head to Santa Cruz's verdant highlands to see giant tortoises in their natural environment.
Treasure of the Galapagos Catamaran - Spend six nights cruising onboard this first class catamaran with a naturalist guide, experienced crew and with the luxury of an onboard Jacuzzi
Wildlife spotting - Swim with sea lions and the Galapagos penguin, and spot the flightless cormorant, blue-footed boobies, iguanas and giant tortoises on land, among many other species
Snorkel and walk - Discover an underwater paradise as well as a volcanic landscape, with daily snorkelling and on-shore excursions
Adventure
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Quito, Galapagos Islands, Isla I
Quito, Galapagos Islands, Isla Isabela, Moreno Point, Isla Fernandina, Rábida Island
Experience the island chain that has enchanted explorers since Darwin first dropped anchor off its shores. Spend a week exploring the incredible wildlife of the Galapagos archipelago aboard a stylish vessel - the Archipel I. Explore from land and from the sea; find waved albatross on Espanola Island, head to Santa Cruz's verdant highlands to see giant tortoises in their natural environment, and snorkel with schools of tropical fish at Devil's Crown.
Archipel I Catamaran - Spend four nights cruising onboard this modern, spacious catamaran with a naturalist guide and experienced crew
Wildlife spotting - Spot blue-footed boobies, as well as sea lions, iguanas, Galapagos penguin, giant tortoises and much more
Snorkel and walk - Discover an underwater paradise as well as a volcanic landscape, with daily snorkelling and on-shore excursions
Adventure
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Quito, Galapagos Islands, Florea
Quito, Galapagos Islands, Floreana Island, Punta Suárez, San Cristobal Island
Experience the island chain that has enchanted explorers since Darwin first dropped anchor off its shores. Spend a week exploring the incredible wildlife of the Galapagos archipelago aboard a stylish vessel - the Archipel I. Visit Espanola Island and snorkel at Gardner Bay, spotting large schools of tropical fish. Head to the northernmost island and find the nesting sites of red-footed boobies. And, of course, see giant tortoises in their natural environment.
Archipel I Catamaran - Spend seven nights cruising onboard this modern, spacious catamaran with a naturalist guide and experienced crew
Wildlife spotting - See the waved albatross population on Espanola Island, spot red-footed boobies, sea lions, iguanas, giant tortoises and much more
Snorkel and walk - Discover an underwater paradise as well as a volcanic landscape, with daily snorkelling and on-shore excursions
Adventure
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Quito, Galapagos Islands, Genove
Quito, Galapagos Islands, Genovesa Island, Bartolome Island, Floreana Island, Punta Suárez
If you love big landscapes, deserts, rock formations, volcanoes, geysers, remoteness and views that go on forever, then this is the trip for you. This was combined with very friendly people, local culture and good wine, making for one of the best trips I've ever had.
This was my first trip with Explore. (All the other members of the group had travelled multiple times with them). I would say the trip exceeded my expectations in every respect. Judging by the comments of the rest of the group, it was one of the best many of them had been on too. I have taken away memories that will last forever and met some wonderful people along the way.
There were six travellers in the group (all solo travellers) as well as Andres our guide, local guides and drivers. This was the first trip run on a new itinerary or at least one which Explore has not sold for a number of years. So in that respect our group were the guinea-pigs for the trip. I felt the group got on very well. I would say six was a good group size for the minibuses. It gave us room to spread out with our bags and snooze if needed on the longer journeys.
Itinerary:
The itinerary covers a lot of ground in a short space of time so is definitely full-on. However, overall, I thought it was well-paced with well-timed rest periods. Given that this was a new itinerary, there are a couple of "tweaks" I would make (mentioned below). However, they are minor changes only to what I found to be a well-rounded and balanced trip.
HIghlights for me included the Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia. I loved the desert, lagoons, volcanoes, flamingoes, the salt hotel and of course, our meal with our wonderful Bolivian guides - which I'll never forget. Another highlight was the sunset and moonrise over the Atacama Desert near San Pedro. I felt the trip was a gift that kept on giving. Just when you had one experience which you thought could not be topped, along came another one. The trip was cleverly planned in that sense.
In terms of amendments, I would suggest the following:
HIgh altitude is a feature of this trip and perhaps needs to be emphasised and explained a little more fully in the trip notes so that travellers can take a view. However, for me, any discomfort was more than compensated for by the remoteness and beauty of the landscapes we saw.
I particularly loved Bolivia and perhaps Explore could consider adding that another day to this leg of the trip. This would allow more time to get to know this fantastic country and its people but would also allow more time to acclimatise.
We had a wonderful day in the wine region of Cafayate. Both wine and food were delicious and plentiful. However, I think we all felt the number of tours and tastings should be reduced a little to allow us to relax into one wine tour and the meal without worrying about time.
Guiding:
Andres was our Explore guide and I cannot speak highly enough of him. Most of the group had travelled extensively over the years with Explore and said that he was one of the best guides they had ever had. Andres was excellent in every respect - professional, knowledgeable, organised but relaxed and very person-centred, attending well to the different needs of the group. The trip ran very smoothly and to time. Andres paid close attention to detail, making small changes to the itinerary as needed, He found good places to eat, and timed visits to avoid any crowds in particularly popular places. As far as I am aware, there was one small logistical glitch during the whole trip. This was beyond Andres' control but he took it in his stride, dealt with it and it did not affect the group. Definitely 5* for Andres.
The local guides and drivers in each country were very friendly and efficient. I would say the guides in Argentina and Bolivia were particularly knowledgeable. The warmth and kindness shown to us was lovely. I would single out Wilbur in Bolivia for particular praise.
Accommodation:
Before the trip, I did not have particularly high expectations of the hotels, thinking that location would take priority over hotel standard and that budget hotels would be used to keep costs down. To a certain extent this proved to be the case. I would say in most places the standard was 3*. I found all of them were perfectly acceptable although some had variable hot water and wifi which is only to be expected really given the region. All hotels were very friendly and in a very good location. Some hotels stood out as having more character and better service than others. The Salt Hotel (Laguna Salada) on the Uyuni flats was something truly special. The stunning location, the hotel design and the friendliness of the staff there were something I will never forget. The Hotel Los Flamencos at the Laguna Hedionda was graded as "simple" and we warned to take warm sleepwear as it can get cold at night. However, I found the hotel to be warm and characterful and again, the location was stunning. Standing outside the hotel (albeit at about -5 degrees Celsius), watching the flamingos on the lagoon and the sun come up over the volcanoes behind was something truly memorable.
San Pedro de Atacama was the most touristy place we visited and I would say the hotel there reflected that. It felt a bit more generic than the others, although the barman was excellent and served some knockout Pisco sours.
Overall, I would give this trip 5* without hesitation. Unforgettable - in the best possible way. Any quibbles are very minor ones to me. I would highly recommend.
Sightseeing Tours
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel
Age Range
16-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Buenos Aires, San Pedro, Santiag
Buenos Aires, San Pedro, Santiago, Salta, Cafayate, Purmamarca, Tilcara, Tupiza, Uyuni, Incahuasi, San Pedro De Atacama
The guide (Fisher) was fabulous as he dealt with every situation calmly and the coordinator (Diana) of the tour in Cusco was a dream and kept us up to date and answered all my questions promptly.
Trekking and Hiking
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Camping, Hotel
Age Range
18-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Cusco, Sacred Valley, Inca Trail
Cusco, Sacred Valley, Inca Trail, Phuyupatamarca, Aguas Calientes
This 9-day Lima to Cusco Solo-ish adventure is all about immersing yourself in the wonders of Peru while embracing your own journey of discovery. Get up close with Incan history, explore the vibrant cultures of Cusco, and check off the iconic Machu Picchu — all while gaining confidence in your solo travel skills. Start with a fun, collaborative cooking class in Lima, then dive into a community-focused day in the Sacred Valley that ends with a special G surprise. Picture yourself soaking in thermal hot springs in Aguas Calientes during free time, or exploring ancient ruins, vibrant markets, and hidden gems with like-minded travelers and on your own. Peru’s magic will have you hooked long before your train ride to the ‘Lost City.’
Explorer
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Hotel, Villa
Age Range
18-100 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Cusco, Lima, Ollantaytambo, Sacr
Cusco, Lima, Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu
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I would definitely recommend this trip for those who are seeking adventure! Each day we say different cities and sites (Huacachina Desert, Nazca Lines, Arequipa, Puno/Lake Titicaca, Cusco, Machu Picchu, and Rainbow Mountain), which are totally the experiences. The only downsides of the trip were the overnight bus due to its discomfort of trying to rest as well as the bumpy roads whenever I had to use the toilet on the bus. Also, make sure to bring enough medical supplements with you and buy enough coca supplements (mints, candies, leaves, tea) to adjust to the altitude or any higher elevations! I did get some headaches and dizziness, but that's kinda normal and to be expected.
From the colonial charm of Quito's Old Town to the breathtaking heights of Chimborazo and the lush depths of the Amazon Rainforest, this tour is designed to immerse you in the country’s stunning landscapes and rich cultural heritage.
Your adventure begins in Quito, where you’ll explore its historic center and visit the Equator line. From there, journey to Otavalo’s vibrant markets and hike around Cuicocha Lake before heading into the Amazon, where you’ll navigate rivers, visit an animal rescue center, and experience the traditions of the indigenous Quichua people.
Continuing south, you’ll marvel at the towering peaks of Chimborazo, explore the ancient ruins of Ingapirca, and wander the cobbled streets of Cuenca. The tour then takes you to the coastal city of Guayaquil and the pristine Isla de la Plata, where you’ll spot exotic wildlife and, if lucky, migrating whales.
With a mix of guided experiences and free time to explore, this adventure blends culture, nature, and adventure, offering a once-in-a-lifetime experience in Ecuador.
For more details, see the itinerary section.
City sightseeing
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Age Range
18-68 yrs
Operated in
english, spanish
Destinations
Quito, Cuenca, Guayaquil, Banos
Quito, Cuenca, Guayaquil, Banos, Otavalo, Puerto Lopez, Amazon Ecuador, Chimborazo, Isla De La Plata, Tena
From the vibrant streets of Santa Marta to the ancient ruins of the Lost City, embark on an unforgettable journey through Colombia’s Caribbean coast. Your adventure begins with a scenic flight to Santa Marta, where you can explore the city at your own pace or unwind by the beach.
Next, immerse yourself in the breathtaking landscapes of Tayrona National Park. A rewarding hike through lush jungles leads to stunning beaches like Cabo San Juan, Arrecife, and La Piscina—perfect for relaxation and exploration.
Then, brace yourself for one of South America’s most incredible hikes: the Lost City trek. Over several days, you'll navigate dense forests, cross rivers, and engage with indigenous communities before ascending 1,200 stone steps to reach this sacred archaeological wonder. Each night, you'll stay in rustic camps, embracing the raw beauty of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Finally, return to comfort in Santa Marta before heading to Cartagena. Along the way, enjoy coastal views, a stop in Barranquilla, and a guided exploration of Cartagena’s historic sites.
City sightseeingBeach
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Age Range
18-70 yrs
Operated in
english, spanish
Destinations
Bogota, Cartagena, Santa Marta
Bogota, Cartagena, Santa Marta, Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, Tayrona National Park, Lost City, El Mamey
On this seven-day tour of the Galapagos, you will explore several islands and islets, famed for their rich wildlife and stunning landscape. You will be traveling on board Yacht Isabela II that offers the perfect, intimate space for exploring the Galapagos Islands in comfort.
See the Galapagos giant tortoises, sea lions, penguins, lava lizards, and several bird and marine species. Joined by expert naturalists, you will get to learn a lot about the inhabitants of the Galapagos Islands. You will also get to enjoy short hikes among stunning volcanic formations of the region. There will also be plenty of time for recreational activities such as swimming, snorkeling, kayaking and glass-bottom boat ride.
By the day, you will be exploring the Galapagos' wildlife and natural wonders and at night, enjoying the creature comforts on board our world-class yacht. Measuring just a little over 183 feet (55 meters), Yacht Isabela II is a three-deck vessel with 20 cabins that sleep up to 40 guests, with several indoor and outdoor communal spaces. The ship also has it all: a restaurant, social areas, a hot tub, a cardio gym, a bar and lounge, and even a library with a computer station. The latest in sustainable technology makes Isabela II the ideal yacht to navigate around the Galapagos without disturbing their delicate ecosystem.
For more detail about the trip, see our itinerary section.
Expedition toursWildlife
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Age Range
6-80 yrs
Operated in
english, spanish
Destinations
Galapagos Islands, Baltra Island
Galapagos Islands, Baltra Island, San Cristobal Island, Espanola Island, Floreana Island, Isla Fernandina, North Seymour Island
Take an amazing tour of the Galapagos Islands on board Yacht La Pinta. On this seven-day tour, we will take you to the best sites around Galapagos, offering once-in-a-lifetime encounters with exotic marine and land animals as well as several bird species.
The Galapagos Islands are nature lovers' haven, with so much to see and explore. Walk among the stunning volcanic formations overlooking beautiful shorelines; spot the famous inhabitants of the Galapagos, such as the giant tortoise, marine iguana, Galapagos penguin, flightless cormorant; and enjoy fun activities like swimming, snorkeling, kayaking and glass-bottom boat ride.
Yacht La Pinta offers a completely safe travel experience. Each cabin provides not only ample space and comfort but a spectacular view of the Galapagos Islands’ unique landscapes. The ship’s modern feel extends to its hot tub, cardio gym, and sundeck.
Throughout the trip, enjoy a splendid dining experience, featuring delicious, healthy, and top-quality food along with tasty bar options. The entire crew aboard La Pinta will do their utmost to ensure that your Galapagos trip becomes a truly moving and memorable experience.
Please scroll down to the itinerary section for more details.
Expedition toursCruiseWildlife
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
Accommodation
Ship Cabin
Age Range
1-80 yrs
Operated in
english, spanish
Destinations
Galapagos Islands, Baltra Island
Galapagos Islands, Baltra Island, Isla Fernandina, Urbina Bay, Rábida Island, Santa Cruz, Floreana Island
