Pre- & Post-Cruise Safaris

A once in a lifetime experience My husband and I stayed at the Galápagos Safari Camp for five nights in March 2020. I can’t speak... read moreMy husband and I stayed at the Galápagos Safari Camp for five nights in March 2020. I can’t speak highly enough about the accommodations and entire staff. They were absolutely phenomenal, particularly Andi our host. She was incredibly thoughtful and so caring throughout our entire stay. When my husband was feeling a bit ill one evening, she arranged for the chef to make some chicken soup and gave us electrolytes and probiotics for after dinner. She was so warm and kind! The tents were beautiful and the property itself is stunning. We had a fantastic time on the day trips and enjoyed learning about the landscape and wildlife. And the food was absolutely divine! Probably the best during our two and a half weeks in Ecuador. I can’t recommend Galápagos Safari Camp enough. If you’re looking for a true five-star experience, be sure to stay here! More read less

Best One Night Stay We Have Ever Had... We stayed at the Galapagos Safari Camp for just one night but loved every minute of it. We flew into... read moreWe stayed at the Galapagos Safari Camp for just one night but loved every minute of it. We flew into Santa Cruz in the morning and had a local guide show us the sights for the day. We went to Safari Camp that afternoon and were very pleased with the remote location up in the cool mountain setting. The staff was fantastic and catered to our every need. The private scenic bar location is a lot of fun. The individual "tents" are fantastic...not rugged by any means. We had a porch with view, queen bed, private toilet, shower and everything you could need. The staff took care of luggage coming and going. My wife used the pool to practice her snorkeling before we went to our ship. I hiked along the road leading up to property to photograph the many tortoise. The meals were fantastic and creative...we had the chef come out to give her our compliments. You cannot go wrong with Safari Camp and we would highly recommend it. Enjoy. More read less

Remarkable experience! I booked our stay at Galapagos Safari Camp after seeing great reviews on TA and speaking with Diego, one of... read moreI booked our stay at Galapagos Safari Camp after seeing great reviews on TA and speaking with Diego, one of their Safari Designers. Our visit was every bit as amazing as I had hoped! Clearly the main focus of the camp is on delivering a high-end and personalized way to experience the magic of the islands, and their attention to every detail is really impressive. Nestled on a beautiful property up in the Highlands, it is kind of a cross between "glamping" and a serene retreat. Our tent was very comfortably appointed, and all the little touches like the inspirational notes each evening made it feel so special. While the bed was on the firm side as noted in some other reviews, it actually really helped my husband's bad back. We loved having the little deck out front with a view to enjoy morning coffee or watch the sunset before dinner. There are also some very inviting common areas (the Observation deck, the pool area, and the main lodge/dining porch) where you can relax, have a drink, and take in the views (and make friends with the finches).

The staff were incredibly attentive and eager to make our stay as perfect as possible. Our hosts, Ali, Melina, and Anna, went above and beyond to communicate the details of each excursion and meal, and to accommodate our every request. Jorge was amazingly knowledgeable about every aspect of the food and wine offered each day, and is a talented musician to boot! And the food was seriously INCREDIBLE - the chef is absolutely top-notch: each evening we were presented with a 4-course tasting menu based on locally sourced ingredients, and honestly was my favorite part of each day. They even did a special dinner celebration for my husband's birthday, which was so sweet!

For our daily excursions, we began the trip with a visit to the Giant Tortoise Reserve after being picked up at the airport, and that was awesome! For the rest of the week we opted for two days of boat trips to uninhabited islands (South Plaza and Santa Fe), and one day sightseeing around Santa Cruz. The boat trips were fantastic - perfect combo of snorkeling, hiking/wildlife spotting, and relaxing on the boat. The day on Santa Cruz was also really fun, although truth be told we were a little disappointed in the Charles Darwin Research Center which we thought would be a little more interesting/educational. All the tour guides were wonderful, and clearly devoted to the knowledge and preservation of the unique biodiversity of the Galapagos. Also, all the lunches provided during the day trips, whether on the boats or at local restaurants, were excellent! Our driver was great too - always right on time and the vehicle was very clean and safe. Because the island is so tightly regulated in terms of accessibility to tourists, it was really nice to just leave everything to the Safari Camp and not have to worry about transportation or arranging for guides and boat tickets, etc. My only caution would be that the tour schedule is a bit rigorous - several early mornings and very full days; so if you have any physical limitations (or are just getting a little old and tired like us, lol), you may want to consider working a down day or half-day into your schedule. The hosts are more than happy to tailor to your needs/desires!

Overall, we were blown away by our experience at the Safari Camp. Is it a little out of the way? Yes. Is it a place with awesome fast WiFi so you can stream movies and conduct zoom meetings for work? Nope. But honestly, that remoteness and "un-connectivity" is part of its charm and magic. Is it kind of pricey? Well, yeah it's a bit of a splurge... but in my (pretty well-traveled) book, it was worth every penny. read less