My experience on Ecoventura’s Yacht Theory exceeded my expectations in almost every way. How’s that for a start of a Goldring Travel review?!

Ecoventura promotes itself as being Relais & Chateaux. It is worth mentioning that being Relais and Chateau does not mean it is the height of luxury or that there will be haute cuisine, but rather that Ecoventura provides a holistic approach to one’s experience, often referred to as the “5 C’s”: charm, courtesy, character, cuisine, and calm. With all of that, two excellent naturalists, and only twenty curated guests on a small ship with comfortable accommodations, I was set up for success.

Before you leave for your expedition, Ecoventura will handle your flights from Quito or Guayaquil to San Cristobal, Galapagos, for $500 per person (I booked my flight independently at a lower cost), and payment of the Galapagos National Park Entrance Fee ($200) and Transit Control Card ($20), which I let Ecoventura handle.

While a number of companies provide more handholding and include pre-expedition transfers, hotel, and a tour experience in Quito, Ecuador, Ecoventura does not, as it focuses more on experienced travelers, if not with expedition experience. This allows you to have a more independent experience (and avoid the dreaded bus tour to some churches, the equator, and a marginal lunch). With my last Galapagos experience underscoring how frustrating a poor quality day of packaged touring can be, this was perfect.

I found the JW Marriott to be a great, cost-effective hotel for my two-night pre-expedition stay. (Most flights arrive in the early morning hours, so the first “night” is really a needed very early check-in.) It is the same hotel that the larger operators use, and since I had stayed there a number of times before, I knew it was a solid choice at a great price. 

With Uber being efficient transportation (except from the airport) and incredibly inexpensive (an average ride runs about $3), after a few hours of sleep, it was off to wander through the Old Town of Quito to enjoy the local color, food, street food, and beer. (I cannot emphasize enough that if you drop your guard for a second – not a minute – your phone or wallet will be pickpocketed! They work in teams, and honestly, it is as if they’d paid off the police to look the other way. On my yacht, at least two people – both very experienced travelers – lost their phones.)

As you know, I always look for an upscale, local restaurant. So, after another rest and a bit of work,  it was off to a very Ecuadoran dinner at Quitu, one of the top Latin American restaurants. It was quaint, the service was wonderful, and the dishes were beautifully presented and paired with nice, mostly local wines, but nothing made me go wow… other than the amazing cocktails.

The mandatory flight to San Cristobal (unless you arrive in San Cristobal early) is Avianca 1630, departing at 8:00 a.m. With the airport being 45 minutes away and my first personal touch with Ecoventura set for 6:00 a.m., a very early 5:15 a.m. transfer brought me back to the airport for my flight to the Galapagos. Ecoventura’s representative greeted me with my required documentation confirming my prepayment of the Galapagos National Park Entrance Fee and Transit Control Card. I was also told which of Ecoventura’s three virtually identical yachts (Theory, Origin, and Evolve) I was on. (It didn’t really mean anything other than it ended that mystery.) However, we would not really meet our yacht-mates until we arrived in the Galapagos. As I will explain later, aside from which yacht you are on, the itineraries are virtually identical, if not literally.

From there, I headed to the Priority Pass Lounge and was, once again, on my own until my 3.5-hour flight landed in San Cristobal. Once I passed through immigration and environmental security and picked up my luggage, one of Yacht Theory’s naturalists greeted me outside the building, where I handed off to the yacht’s crew. Once everyone had arrived, we took a very short van ride to the pier, where the zodiac tenders (locally known as pangas) were waiting to whisk us off to my yacht.

From that point on, my yacht-like experience, with the Relais & Chateaux Five C’s, and most everything taken care of for me, truly began. After a few moments to relax, a nice lunch, and a quick orientation and muster, it was time to get fitted with wetsuits and snorkeling gear, and then a nice cruise around Kicker Rock.  As opposed to my last visit on a larger ship, our yacht sailed right up to it, and our naturalists spoke with us – not at us – and made what I had perceived as a boring start into a wonderful setup for what was to come.

My stateroom was well equipped, but admittedly tight, although the floor-to-ceiling windows (with electric blackout blinds) really opened up the space. The king-size bed dominates the room, but as you spend most of your time on deck or out on an adventure, once I stopped stubbing my toe at the end of the bed (which has a ton of storage below it), it worked well.  The bathroom was nicely sized and, importantly, had a roomy shower. 

In the evenings, just before dinner, there is a talk in the lounge recapping what happened that day and what to expect the next. Video monitors face in all directions, so it is very comfortable. (Two candy dishes filled with caramels are omnipresent.) My last experience was a bit frustrating because what was to be expected the following day was never really discussed, but here our naturalists not only explained that, but gave some insight into the wildlife and history of each area; setting us up for success…but leaving enough surprises to keep things exciting, even for me on my third Galapagos expedition.

Reading the pre-departure materials (which are excellent), I was a little concerned that this would be a bit less active than my prior experiences. My concern was unfounded. I won’t go through every day’s activities, but our first full day was fairly consistent with the days that followed (two walks/hikes and two snorkels per day):

• 8:00 AM – Breakfast
• 9:00 AM – Panga Ride, Wet Landing with a Walk on the Beach with optional Snorkeling
• 11:30 AM – Back onboard
• 12:30 PM – Lunch
• 2:45 PM – Snorkeling off a panga
• 3:30 PM – Back onboard
• 4:15  PM – Wet Landing and Power Hike (Red-Footed Boobies) or Panga ride
• 6:15 PM – Back onboard
• 7:15 PM – Briefing
• 7:30 PM – Dinner

Every day, there was plenty of time to rest between activities, including spending quality time on the Sky Deck, sipping cocktails, soaking in the hot tub, and lying out on the sunbeds.  The entire experience was casual, pretty much “shoes off” while onboard, open bar, and the smell of teak and salt air. 

One very important difference I found with Ecoventura started with the first beach landing. Our naturalist insisted we take off our wet landing shoes and walk barefoot so we could start getting “grounded,” and then, rather than having a “follow me while I talk” experience, we would be told to wander in a fairly large area, making our first true Galapagos experience more personal. Our two naturalists were very available to answer questions, but were not intrusive.  (I cannot overstate the benefit of having two qualified and enthusiastic naturalists always available for only twenty guests.) 

Snorkeling was similar in approach: Freedom! We were given ideas of what we might see (sharks, turtles, penguins, sea lions, etc.) and the area to snorkel (usually generally moving in one direction). There was always one naturalist in the water and two pangas keeping watchful eyes on everyone, whether novices or expert snorkelers. 

My past two experiences included two “mandatory” non-expedition visits: the Charles Darwin Research Center and a visit to “wild” Galapagos tortoises with lunch and a “farm experience”. Fortunately, Ecoventura limited the tortoise visit to a couple of hours (with, again, free time to experience it as each person desired), followed by the option to visit the breeding center or spend time in the town of Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz. And, even then, while the plan was to return to the ship for lunch, it was not a problem leaving a few of us in town. Further, when the scheduled afternoon in town with a return to the ship for dinner became a dinner in town, it, again, was not an issue. Yacht Theory sent a tender for us at 8:00 PM before our departure for our next adventure. Ah, the yachting life!

Our twenty guests were definitely like-minded and experienced travelers; none with pretense. We all quickly began socializing (or not) as each person desired, with plenty of space for both socializing and private time. Also, each guest self-moderated, so if a hike was going to be too difficult, they didn’t go, rather than jeopardizing the experience for others.

I want to mention we did visit the island of Floreana, which has a sordid past, including a murder mystery…and a “post office”, which has been reconstructed, giving you an opportunity to leave a postcard for someone else to deliver while you can pick up postcards from other travelers to deliver to whomever it is addressed to. Why was this of such great interest to me? Watch the movie, “Eden”: The Story That Inspired Ron Howard’s Movie.

Getting back to Relais & Châteaux, overall the service was excellent, and the cuisine varied from plated dinners to two barbecues with octopus, chicken, tuna, sausages, and more. Considering the remoteness of the Galapagos, the available sources, etc., the quality was solid but not amazing. There were always seafood, meat, and vegetarian options, and with a good variety throughout the expedition, and always some Ecuadorian cuisine.  I found the delicious soups at lunch to be more rustic and at dinner to be more elegant…and my favorite course. 

Unfortunately, I found the bar and wine service very slow and reactive rather than intuitive. (Be at the bar when the guests return from an activity. When six people are ordering margaritas, make pitchers instead of having a 15-minute wait.) Also, while I appreciate serving local wines, the wines offered were just OK and very limited.  I do not understand why sparkling wine is not included (we had to purchase bottles just to have mimosas). Also, the Premium Wine List was not only very limited but also had prices that were, frankly, unconscionable, leaving basically no options other than to quaff the local wines. 

As you probably noticed, I haven’t really mentioned the other two identical yachts.  The three yachts generally travel together, but the groups don’t mix during experiences.  The few times we wound up on the same beach, it was clear that one yacht was curated for younger guests – assumedly with parents or grandparents. If they had been mixed in with our group, it definitely would have adversely affected the great dynamic we had on our yacht and on theirs on the Origin yacht. Ecoventura, however, made sure that wasn’t the case. Bravo!

One piece of empirical data: I believe every guest purchased a high-quality Yacht Theory Rash Guard. That is a testament to how the exceptional delivery of the Galapagos experience by the yacht, crew and naturalists personally touched everyone. 

That brings up one final point: Gratuities are expensive, with a suggested amount of $350-$400 per person. Why are they so high? My guess is that in order to have the best crew and naturalists,  and at a fantastic crew/naturalist to guest ratio, they need to be paid more than those servicing larger groups (spreading the cost amount over 90-100 guests).  For me, whether the increased amount is in the fare or the gratuities doesn’t matter as long as you are aware of it. And, fortunately, I felt they earned it. In fact, I gave the naturalists and concierge a bit extra.

With all of this, as with my feelings when on expeditions elsewhere in the world, for me it comes down to achieving that personal experience that touches you and remains at the forefront of your memories. 

For me, my favorite experience this time was being nose-to-nose with a sea lion while snorkeling, and then, moments later, seeing Galapagos penguins on the shore. (Some saw the penguins swim by.) But, surprisingly for me, for quite a few it was the spectacular volcanic scenery of Bartholomew Island.  And for a couple of folks, it was sitting forward of the bridge looking at the stars. 

And, of course, do I want to be back on deck, smelling the teak and salt air, sipping on a margarita, thinking back on one of the Galapagos experiences I just had? Absolutely!