Some couples have Hawaii or Saint Barthélemy. For us, it’s the Galapagos. We’ve been coming here for more that 20 years—drawn back by the beauty, solitude, and otherworldliness of these remote islands.
One trip to Galapagos and you’ll understand. Make it your honeymoon, and you’ll be happy to return again and again.
Honeymoon couples trust LANDED. We know these islands first-hand and by heart, and we’ve been planning honeymoons here for more than 20 years. We understand that beginning your shared story in a place like this is about connection, discovery, and meaning.
What does a Galapagos honeymoon look like?
- Private moments on your deck to watch the sunset or marvel at the clarity of the Milky Way
- Tailored pacing that leaves room for reflection, not just exploration.
- Wildlife encounters—whales, dolphins, hammerheads, giant tortoises, penguins—that will leave you in awe.
- Breathtaking landscapes, solitude, and serenity.
- A sense of meaningfully contributing to the preservation of irreplaceable habitats.
LANDED creates Galapagos honeymoons that are personal, soulful, and transformative.
Why Honeymoon in the Galapagos
Is beach a priority? The Galapagos has beaches, brilliant ones, with turquoise water and white coral sands. It also has red, olive, orange, and black-sand beaches. Rather that a passive beach experience, you can observe sea-lions and sea-turtles at close range. You can kayak, surf, and snorkel.
Are you seeking adventure? The Galapagos has that too. About one-half of your time away from your cruise vessel should be in the water: snorkeling with sea lions and penguins, kayaking, paddleboarding, or even SCUBA diving. You can hike volcanic craters, bike, and sport fish with sustainable small-scale fishing guides.
Are you looking for something harder to define? A sense of being somewhere genuinely remote, alive, and unlike anything you can experience elsewhere?
Still, after all the stress inherent in wedding planning, it’s a relief to understand that all the benefits of the Galapagos honeymoon don’t require you to plan anything. Once you are aboard the right small-scale luxury cruise, all the details are worked out for you. Meals are sorted, the Zodiac is ready, the and the itinerary is fixed. Paradoxically, that certainty is liberating in a way open-ended travel is not.
After many years of return visits, these far-flung islands still captivate me. Now, my fascination is ornamented with memories: a hike with friends in the Fernandina lava fields; hammerheads on a dive with Erynn at Gordon Rocks; our daughters surfing at Tortuga Bay; a snorkeling session with sea lions amid curtains of diffused light in an Isabella grotto. On and on. Gifts and treasures. – John Montgomery, Co-Founder of LANDED
Liveaboard vs. Land-Based for a Honeymoon
The most intimate Galapagos honeymoon is a liveaboard expedition on a small vessel — sixteen to twenty passengers, your dedicated naturalist guides, and access to the outer islands. Genovesa, Fernandina, Española: these are islands of extraordinary wildlife density, accessible only overnight, and they are where the most memorable encounters happen. A week at sea — properly chosen ship, proper cabin — is one of the great honeymoon experiences available anywhere.
Land-based honeymoons from Santa Cruz, Isabela, or San Cristóbal work well for couples who prefer stability, who combine the Galapagos with Ecuador’s mainland, or who prefer a larger-room experience. The day-excursion model limits access to outer islands but allows for more flexibility—a longer morning on Bartolomé, an afternoon back at the hotel, massages at the end of the day.
LANDED designs both, and hybrid itineraries that combine cruises with land-based stays. The right approach depends on what you most want — and your LANDED travel designer will know which vessels are worth the premium and which land-based options have the best rooms and experiences.
What You Will Experience
The Galapagos wildlife calendar varies by island and by season. Most of the avian wildlife does not migrate. Year-round, you will encounter blue-footed boobies, penguins, frigatebirds, marine and land iguanas, Galapagos sea lions; and giant tortoises. Year-round, you will snorkel with sea turtles, white-tipped reef sharks, and colorful schools of fish. The water is warm and clear in the warm season, colder and full of pelagic species in the cool season.
Beyond the constants: the waved albatross arrives on Española Island in April and departs in December — its courtship ritual, a bill-fencing dance performed by birds with up to eight-foot wingspans, is one of the most dramatic wildlife displays on the planet. Whale sharks are present in the northern waters from June through November. Penguin and flightless cormorant activity peaks in the cool season on the western islands. Your LANDED designer will match your travel dates to what you most want to witness.
“It is still the most fantastic wildlife place on earth, bar none. Incredibly, every other week I still see and capture behaviors and events I had never seen before — such is the richness of this near-pristine archipelago.” – Tui De Roy
Combining the Galapagos with Ecuador’s Mainland
The Galapagos sits 620 miles west off the coast of Ecuador. The mainland can add richness and texture to your time in the islands. Quito — one of the best-preserved colonial cities in South America is a UNESCO World Heritage Site perched high in the Andes. It’s an elegant base, with fine hotels, innovative restaurants, and astonishing museums.
Other options include lodges in the Amazon Basin, cloud-forest retreats, and historic family-owned haciendas in the Andes and near coastal Guayaquil.
Exactly the bonding and sharing experience we’d hoped for. The rhythm, variety, and tone was spot on. With effective listening skills, you built a good picture of what we wanted–more complicated than “just” luxury. The result was a great trip, one made just for us. – Gesine H., LANDED Traveler
When to Go
The Galapagos is a year-round destination. The warm season (December through May) brings calmer seas, warmer water, and nesting activity for many species.
The cool season (June through November) brings richer marine life, the waved albatross, and the whale sharks.
Most LANDED Galapagos honeymooners travel in January, April, May, or November — months that skirt peak season, when the islands are slightly less visited and the conditions are still excellent.
PRICING NOTE
A GALAPAGOS HONEYMOON ARRANGED THROUGH LANDED TYPICALLY RANGES FROM $10,000 TO $20,000 PER PERSON, DEPENDING ON VESSEL CLASS, ITINERARY LENGTH, AND WHETHER THE TRIP INCLUDES MAINLAND ECUADOR EXTENSIONS. PREMIUM EXPEDITION YACHTS AND CATAMARANS WITH PRIVATE CABIN SUITES ARE AT THE UPPER END. LAND-BASED PROGRAMS WITH DAY EXCURSIONS PROVIDE STRONG VALUE AT MORE MODERATE PRICE POINTS. EVERY LANDED JOURNEY IS CUSTOM-TAILORED TO YOUR STYLE AND REQUIREMENTS.
A honeymoon in the Galapagos Islands is one of solitude, adventure, connection, and meaning. For two people beginning a life together, it is an extraordinary place to start.