Luxury Cabin
From $5,987.00 per person
Up to 2 guests. Every cabin faces the ocean.
Request this suiteLa Pinta
La Pinta is a flagship expedition yacht in the Galápagos — a 48-guest vessel built for travelers who want to go past the postcard and into the archipelago’s living science. Every departure is led by naturalist guides certified by the Galápagos National Park, in excursion groups of around 12, well below the Park’s own 16-guest ceiling — a deliberate choice that keeps every landing personal rather than crowded.
Life Aboard
Three decks, each with its own rhythm. The Sun Deck is where mornings and evenings happen — an open-air lounge, a small gym, and a hot tub with frigatebirds riding the wind overhead. The Cabin Deck holds all 24 outward-facing cabins, so even the corridors look out on the islands. The Main Deck brings together the dining room, reception, boutique, and an infirmary staffed around the clock.
Amenities
- 24/7 infirmary with an onboard Medical Officer
- Glass-bottom boat, kayaks and paddleboards
- Full snorkeling gear and wetsuits
- Natural History Library with a video/documentary selection
- Lounge, bar, and outdoor Sky Bar for al-fresco dining
- Air-conditioning throughout, Wi-Fi in public areas
- Fitness room and sun deck hot tub
- Boutique gift shop
Highlights
Few expedition ships in the Galápagos sail with a doctor on every departure — La Pinta does, alongside a dedicated Expedition Leader who oversees the itinerary and its excursions from arrival to disembarkation. Combined with smaller-than-average excursion groups, it’s a version of the Galápagos built around depth and safety rather than throughput.
Suites & Cabins
Your private retreat at sea
Luxury Plus
From $5,987.00 per person
Up to 3 guests. Every cabin faces the ocean.
Request this suiteItinerary
Day by day
This vessel sails several alternating routes — choose one to see its day-by-day plan and map.
Origin of Species Southeast Expedition
Baltra · South Plaza · Santa Fe · San Cristóbal · Española · Santa Cruz
Departs every Thursday. Next departure: October 1, 2026.
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Day 1 — Baltra & South Plaza Islands
Arrival at Baltra Airport and a direct transfer onboard La Pinta, followed by a welcome briefing, safety drill and cabin check-in. After lunch is served on board, the ship sails to South Plaza for a first landing: trails through vivid succulent shrubs, colonies of Galápagos land iguanas grazing beside sea lion harems, and a coastline shaped entirely by volcanic uplift.
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Day 2 — Santa Fe & San Cristóbal
A dinghy landing on Santa Fe's white-sand beach, home to one of two land iguana species found nowhere else — and to the Galápagos hawk that hunts above it. The morning continues with kayaking, coastal exploration or a glass-bottom boat ride. In the afternoon, disembarkation at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristóbal, where Darwin himself first set foot in the islands in 1835, followed by a visit to the Cerro Colorado giant tortoise breeding center.
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Day 3 — San Cristóbal Island
A landing at Punta Pitt, the only site in the archipelago where all three Galápagos booby species — blue-footed, Nazca and red-footed — nest side by side, with frigatebirds circling the cliffs above. The afternoon continues at Cerro Brujo, a wind-eroded tuff cone framing one of the finest white-sand beaches in the islands.
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Day 4 — Española Island
Española is the itinerary's centerpiece: a morning walk over lava boulders at Punta Suárez past a blowhole, nesting waved albatrosses (seasonal), and the island's own uniquely vivid red-and-green marine iguanas. The afternoon moves to Gardner Bay's white coral beach for snorkeling, kayaking or a glass-bottom boat ride among sea lions and green sea turtles.
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Day 5 — Santa Cruz & Baltra Islands
A final morning at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz, where the giant tortoise breeding program that helped pull the species back from the edge continues today. The journey then crosses the island by bus and ferries back to Baltra for the return flight to the mainland.
Itinerary
Journey map
Origin of Species Northeast Expedition
Baltra · Santa Cruz · Chinese Hat · Bartolomé · Santiago · Genovesa
Departs every Monday. Next departure: October 5, 2026.
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Indicative recurring departure day — contact us to confirm exact availability.
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Day 1 — Santa Cruz & Baltra Islands
From Baltra Airport, a short ferry across the Itabaca Channel leads to Santa Cruz's northern shore, then a bus climbs into the misty highlands for lunch and a visit to a giant tortoise reserve, where these islands' namesake animals move freely through open pastureland. The route continues to Puerto Ayora, where guests board La Pinta to begin the expedition.
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Day 2 — Santa Cruz & Chinese Hat Islet
A panga ride to Eden Islet for blue-footed boobies, reef sharks and frigatebirds among dramatic cinder-cone scenery, followed by a landing on Chinese Hat — named for its distinctive volcanic silhouette — where a short trail from a white-sand beach leads to snorkeling with reef sharks and, with some luck, Galápagos penguins.
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Day 3 — Bartolomé & Santiago Islands
A staircase climb to Bartolomé's summit for one of the Galápagos' most photographed views — Pinnacle Rock rising over two crescent beaches — followed by snorkeling where Galápagos penguins are often seen swimming close to shore. The afternoon lands at Sullivan Bay on Santiago, where a young pahoehoe lava field, still rippled and largely unweathered, can be crossed on foot.
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Day 4 — Genovesa Island
The route crosses the equator en route to Genovesa, "Bird Island." Prince Philip's Steps climb to a plateau dense with nesting Nazca and red-footed boobies, frigatebirds and short-eared owls that hunt storm-petrels in daylight — an unusual habit for an owl. The afternoon continues at Darwin Bay's coral beach, with Galápagos fur seals resting along the cliffs and, in deeper water nearby, occasional hammerhead shark sightings.
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Day 5 — Baltra Island
A final transfer to Baltra Airport for the return flight to the mainland, closing an expedition through some of the Galápagos' least-visited northern islands.
Itinerary
Journey map
Aboard
Included & not included
Included
- 24/7 on-board Medical Officer
- Shared transfers between select Quito hotels and the airport for Galápagos flights
- Island excursions with Park-certified Naturalist Guides
- Informative lectures and briefings
- Accommodation and all meals on board
- Luggage assistance
- Wi-Fi in public areas
- Soft drinks
- Snorkeling gear, kayaks, paddleboards and a glass-bottom boat
- Wetsuits
Not included
- International and domestic airfare
- Galápagos National Park entry fee (USD 200)
- INGALA transit control card (USD 20)
- Alcoholic beverages
- Personal expenses, gratuities and taxes
- Fuel surcharge and carbon-neutral contribution (shown separately)
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is Yacht La Pinta?
La Pinta is a 48-guest expedition yacht built for travelers who want to go deeper into the Galápagos rather than simply cruise past it. Every departure is led by certified Naturalist Guides in small excursion groups of around 12 — comfortably below the National Park's own 16-guest limit — backed by an Expedition Leader and a 24/7 Medical Officer. It's a Galápagos yacht built around exploration, not throughput.
What amenities does Yacht La Pinta have?
La Pinta pairs expedition-grade equipment with genuine comfort on board. On the Sun Deck: a hot tub, a small fitness room and an open-air lounge. Elsewhere: a bar and lounge, al-fresco dining, a boutique gift shop, a Natural History Library, Wi-Fi in public areas and air-conditioning throughout. For excursions, every guest has access to snorkeling gear, wetsuits, kayaks, paddleboards and a glass-bottom boat — all backed by a 24/7 infirmary and an onboard Medical Officer.
Where does Yacht La Pinta depart from?
Every La Pinta itinerary embarks and disembarks on Baltra Island, reached by a short flight from mainland Ecuador to Seymour Airport. Your transfer from the airport straight to the yacht is arranged as part of the journey, so the expedition begins the moment you land.
Is Yacht La Pinta worth it?
Travelers weighing a Galápagos cruise consistently point to the same handful of reasons for choosing La Pinta: a doctor on board every single departure, excursion groups capped near 12 guests per guide, and visitor sites explored without another boat in sight far more often than not. Combined with decades of operating experience in these specific islands, it's easy to see why La Pinta is regularly named among the best expedition yachts in the archipelago.
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