Written by Marcelo Guerrero Oquendo, Co-Owner of Galapagos Insiders since 2015. Last updated May 2026.
Six 16-passenger vessels we charter in 2026, the per-itinerary cost bands by class (4-, 5-, 8-, or 11-day scheduled departures), one anonymized example of what a charter actually looks like in practice, and the rule we apply when a group asks: charter, or book cabins?
Talk with our charter team — no deposit required to hold a draft option for 5 business days.
USA & Canada 1-773-280-9571 · Ecuador +593-987-004-404 · [email protected]
A Galapagos yacht charter is the full-boat exclusive booking of one vessel — vessel, captain, naturalist guide, and crew — for a single group of 12 to 16 guests. The dates are yours. The cabin diagram is yours. The pace at each landing is yours. The route is park-permitted and fixed by the vessel's permit cycle, but the order of landings, the snorkel duration, the meal timing, and the daily rhythm are all yours.
One operational boundary worth stating up front: we charter 16-passenger ships only in 2026 — Grand Majestic, Galapagos Sea Star, Anahi, Endemic, and the rest of the list below. We do not broker charters on La Pinta, Santa Cruz II, or Isabela II. Those vessels are bookable by the cabin through us but not as full-boat charters. If you came here looking for a 40- or 90-passenger small-ship charter, that's not the product we run.
This page is the short collection version. The long-form guide — including a real morning at Punta Vicente Roca with a flightless cormorant catching an octopus while a chartering family of 12 watched for 15 minutes — lives on our Galapagos charter deep-dive page. Read that one if you've already decided charter is the right call. Read this one if you're still narrowing down.
Four group profiles we book most often:
If your group is fewer than 8 people and budget is the main constraint, charter is rarely the right call. We say so on the inquiry call. The full vessel-fit logic is on the deep-dive page.
Six 16-passenger ships we charter regularly. Each card covers capacity, vessel type, and the one operational fact that matters when you're picking between them. per-itinerary rate cards live with our charter team — the bands at the bottom of the page are the ballpark.
A first-pick luxury charter. Eight cabins with private balconies or panoramic windows, chef-led menu, in-water naturalist on key snorkels, both 3 mm shorty and 5 mm full wetsuits in the gear locker, dry camera storage on deck. Strong fit for multi-generational family reunions and milestone-anniversary charters where comfort and snorkel-program quality both have to land.
Eight suites, balconies on most, exterior Jacuzzi, full snorkel program with 3–4 sessions on a standard 8-day. Wide-beam catamaran stability suits travelers who don't want to think about sea state. Often paired with multi-generational charter inquiries when half the group has never been on a small ship before.
Sister-class catamaran to the Endemic, similar suite count, similar 1:16 guide pacing on landings. Strong corporate-retreat fit when the brief is "premium but not flashy" — sundeck converts cleanly for evening sessions, dining room seats the full 16 for a working dinner.
Premium-tier catamaran with a strong snorkel program: 3–4 sessions on a standard 8-day, both 3 mm shorty and 5 mm full wetsuits, in-water naturalist on deep-water sites. We've watched its guides slow groups down at Punta Espinosa to spot a Galapagos hawk that two larger groups ahead had walked past. Good charter pick when half the group is photographers and half are family.
Eight suites, large social spaces, well-set-up for corporate charters that want a single dining room conversation each night. Recurring choice for special-interest and alumni charters where the program runs lectures or donor briefings between landings.
Eight cabins, premium catamaran category, dependable charter inventory — meaning Anahi is one of the boats we can usually offer for charter inside the 6–9 month booking window when our top-tier picks are already gone. Strong wedding-party and small-corporate fit when the question is availability, not just spec.
Charter pricing is quoted per scheduled itinerary, not per person — a full-vessel rate for the 4-, 5-, 8-, or 11-day departure you book. per-itinerary charters do not exist in the Galapagos. The Galapagos National Park assigns each vessel a predetermined route on a fixed rotating schedule, and operators cannot meaningfully modify which islands they visit, in what order, or on which day. A charter is the full-vessel buyout of one of those scheduled departures. The vessel rate covers the boat, captain, naturalist guide, all crew, all meals, snorkel gear and wetsuits, and inter-island transfers. Park entry fee (~$200), INGALA Transit Control Card (~$20), domestic flights from Quito or Guayaquil (~$250–$600), alcohol, optional add-ons, and crew tips sit on top.
| Vessel class | Capacity | 2026 charter rate (USD, per scheduled itinerary — 4d / 5d / 8d / 11d, vessel-dependent) | Per-person equivalent (full boat, double occupancy) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium catamaran (Anahi, Galaxy Sirius) | 16 | Charter pricing is bespoke — request a quote. | Comparable to cabin pricing at this class on a fully-booked vessel. |
| Luxury catamaran (Endemic, Alya) | 16 | Charter pricing is bespoke — request a quote. | Comparable to cabin pricing at this class on a fully-booked vessel. |
| Luxury motor yacht (Sea Star, Grand Majestic) | 16 | Charter pricing is bespoke — request a quote. | Comparable to cabin pricing at this class on a fully-booked vessel. |
Charter is not a price discount. Per person on a fully-booked vessel, charter usually costs the same or 5–15% more than booking individual cabins on the same boat — because you absorb the single-supplement on any unfilled cabin. You charter for privacy, group cohesion, dietary range, pace within landings, and exclusive use of the social space. Not for savings, and not for route customization — the park-assigned route runs the way it's scheduled to run. The full per-itinerary rate cards live with our charter team; we send them on inquiry rather than publishing them, because they shift twice a year and stale numbers cost trust faster on charter than on any other line item.
Charter pricing depends on vessel, scheduled departure, and itinerary length — request a quote and we will send a per-itinerary rate card with the vessels and departure dates available for your window.
A March 2026 charter we ran: extended family of 16, ages 9 to 78, four siblings and their kids and grandparents, three different countries of origin, one shared eight-day window. Luxury catamaran. Central + southern itinerary. We rebuilt the cabin diagram around the family tree — connecting cabins for the adults-with-young-kids, quieter aft cabins for the grandparents, the suite for the host couple. Meal times shifted 30 minutes earlier than the standard schedule so the kids ate before the adults' wine course. The morning hike at Española ran at the youngest walker's pace; the afternoon snorkel at Gardner Bay ran 25 minutes longer than the operator's standard window because the sea lion pups were still in the water.
That trip is the pattern, not the exception. We tell the full charter story — including a real morning at Punta Vicente Roca with a flightless cormorant catching an octopus — on our Galapagos charter deep-dive page. Read that one for the long version.
The deep-dive covers the parts this page deliberately skips: the park permit-and-route limits in detail, the cabin-diagram-not-guest-count insider tip, the 5-business-day inquiry-to-contract timeline, the wedding-and-vow-renewal logistics, the mainland Ecuador extensions most charter groups add on, and a 13-question FAQ with the per-vessel answers.
→ Galapagos Yacht Charter 2026 — full guide
Tell us your group size, your dates, and your occasion. We'll match you to one of the six 16-passenger vessels above and draft a park-approved itinerary inside 5 business days. No deposit to hold the option.
Talk with our charter team → [WhatsApp / phone modal]
USA & Canada: 1-773-280-9571 · Ecuador: +593-987-004-404 · [email protected]
Aggregate rating across our review sources: 4.9 / 5 across 350 verified reviews (2021–2026) — TripAdvisor, Trustpilot, Google Business Profile, WeTravel.
Vessel, captain, naturalist guide, all crew, all meals onboard, snorkel and wetsuit gear, panga (zodiac) landings, inter-island transfers, port-to-airport transfer in Galapagos. Excluded: ~$200 park fee, ~$20 INGALA card, $250–$600 domestic flights, alcohol, crew tips, optional add-ons, travel insurance, pre/post hotels.
Most of the vessels we charter seat 16. You can charter with fewer guests, but you pay the full-boat rate either way. Most charter groups we book run 12 to 16. If your group is 8 or fewer, ask us about cabin booking on a luxury small ship instead — same vessel quality, lower cost, and you keep the social aspect smaller groups usually want anyway.
Charter pricing is bespoke — request a quote. per-itinerary rates vary by vessel class (premium catamaran < luxury catamaran < luxury motor yacht), week, and itinerary length. Per-person equivalent on a fully-booked vessel is comparable to booking individual cabins on the same boat. Charter is not a price discount.
Within park limits. The route and visitor sites are fixed by the vessel's park permit cycle — we cannot swap an Eastern-route boat onto a Western-route week. We can change the order of landings, the length of each visit, snorkel duration, hike pace, and meal timing. The custom-fit happens inside the permit, not around it.
No. We charter 16-passenger ships only — the six vessels listed above (Sea Star, Endemic, Alya, Galaxy Sirius, Grand Majestic, Anahi) plus a small handful of others depending on availability. La Pinta, Santa Cruz II, and Isabela II are bookable by the cabin through us, but not as full-boat charters.
"Traveling as a family of six on the Tribute Yacht was an unforgettable experience. From the moment we stepped onboard, we felt truly taken care of. The yacht's luxury accommodations were incredibly comfortable, the food was consistently excellent, and our naturalist guide was knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate about the Galapagos."
Gorka P. (Tripadvisor Review) — Tribute, full-vessel family charter
"We had an amazing experience on board Alya. The itinerary was brilliant as there were no repeats. The crew and our Guide were exceptional — professional, courteous and helpful. We were on board for 14 days, and our cabin felt like home. Can't recommend them enough."
Prerana S. (WeTravel Review) — Alya, 14-day back-to-back charter-feel sailing
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