Relais & Châteaux expedition yachts
Book with Dana Tours. Enjoy complimentary nights in Mindo Cloud Forest at our own Las Terrazas de Dana Boutique Lodge & Spa.
At our own lodge in Mindo
✦ Included with every cruise
2–3 nights
at our lodge, more on request
All meals
breakfast, lunch and dinner
Private transfers
Quito – Mindo and back
Upgrade on selected departures
Tickets for Mindo’s top experiences
Marked + Mindo Plus in the dates table
Our signature gift
At no extra cost
Your own private guide throughout
Private transport to every activity
Cooking class and laundry service
See what’s included ↓Each departure in the dates table shows its level, and your written offer lists exactly what’s included — before you book. No surprises.
Three identical expedition yachts for 20 guests each, and the only Relais & Châteaux yachts in the Galápagos: ten staterooms with panoramic windows, two naturalist guides and a concierge, an open bar and a sundeck with a jacuzzi.
Choose when to travel. Compare departures, public fares and your saving per person.
Asking costs nothing. Here is what happens after you request your offer.
Pick a date in the table above, or tell us when you would like to travel.
We confirm availability and send your cruise price and your complimentary stay in Mindo Cloud Forest.
We can usually hold your cabin for 5–7 days, with no payment and no commitment.
Usually a 20% deposit, with the remaining 80% due 60 days before departure.
Your cruise operator’s booking conditions apply. Holds and payment terms depend on the operator, availability and fare, and bookings close to departure may require full payment. Your personalized offer confirms your hold deadline, deposit, payment dates and cancellation conditions before you book.
Wire transfer to our US business bank account in USD. We provide the payment instructions with your booking.
Pay in other supported currencies through Wise Business. We confirm the currency, amount and payment instructions before you pay.
Pay by credit card through Stripe. Any applicable card surcharge and the total payable will be disclosed before you pay.
Talk to David and the Dana Tours team. We’ll help you compare routes, cabins and your Mindo stay.
Choose where to explore. Compare the two 8-day routes, Beaches and Bays and Volcanic Wonders, and see every day before you ask for your offer.
Not sure which route suits you? Our team can help you choose.
Staterooms, lounges, decks and the boat itself. Open a collection to see it full screen.
Photos by Ecoventura, the operator of Origin, Theory & Evolve.
Choose a deck to see how the staterooms and shared spaces connect.
Staterooms 1–10, all with panoramic windows
Staterooms 1–3 and 2–4 interconnect
Boarding at the stern
All ten staterooms are on the Beagle deck, with panoramic windows and beds that convert between twin and king. Staterooms 1 and 3, and 2 and 4, interconnect, and two of them take a third guest. All with a private bathroom and air conditioning. Your offer confirms the available stateroom, bed arrangement and occupancy.
Traveling solo, as a couple or with family? Tell us and we’ll help you choose the right stateroom before you book.
Official operator deck plans · Stateroom assignment is subject to confirmation.
Your quote will confirm the complete inclusions, equipment, supplements and current fees for your departure.
Before or after Galápagos, enjoy complimentary nights at our own Las Terrazas de Dana Boutique Lodge & Spa, in the Andean cloud forest about two hours from Quito. Usually 2–3 nights, more on request.
Each departure in the dates table shows its level, and your written offer confirms exactly what’s included before you book. See the full program ↗
Find my cruise & Mindo offer
Dana Tours is a family-run company. David and our team help you choose your cruise, and we welcome you at our own lodge in Mindo Cloud Forest.
More about Dana Tours →Galápagos cruises arranged by Dana Tours, and stays at our own lodge in Mindo Cloud Forest.
“David is incredibly responsive and organized our logistics flawlessly. Terrazas de Mindo lodge is beautiful and very birdy, with wonderful cuisine, and staff attentive and genuinely kind. Our Galapagos cruise was magical.”
DMKap · North Carolina · Tripadvisor“After we had booked the tour, the cruise company decided to cancel all cruises… David promptly contacted me and offered to find alternate ships. Within 15 minutes, he came up with 3 other cruises that matched our needs and dates.”
vimalp · California · Tripadvisor“We used Dana tours to arrange our cruise to Galápagos Islands and our travel from Quito to Mindo with our stay at Las Terrazas de Dana… We couldn’t have been more pleased. Excellent, Prompt and honest communication and we had an unforgettable experience!”
bins · South Carolina · TripadvisorRequest your Origin, Theory & Evolve cruise through Dana Tours. Your personalized offer lists your complimentary Mindo nights, meals, transfers and any extras for your departure.
Yes. Every cruise includes complimentary nights at the lodge (usually 2–3, more on request) with breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus private transfers between Quito and Mindo. Departures with a fare of US$3,500 or more per person add Mindo Plus, with tickets for Mindo’s top experiences, and those of US$5,000 or more, marked ★ in the dates table, include our complete Mindo All-Inclusive program, with your own private guide throughout. Your written offer confirms the details before you book.
We can help arrange either option, depending on your flights, travel dates and lodge availability.
No. We first confirm availability and send your personalized offer. If you need time to decide, we can usually request a complimentary cabin hold, subject to the operator, availability and fare. You review your cabin, price, Mindo Cloud Forest benefits and booking conditions before committing. See how booking works.
Start with your available travel days, then compare the islands visited, arrival and departure airports, and available sailing dates. Tell us which places interest you and we’ll help narrow the options.
Walks, terrain and landings vary between visitor sites. Some involve uneven ground or stepping into shallow water. Tell us about any mobility concerns so we can review the specific route and available arrangements with the operator.
Tell us your preferred deck and bed arrangement. We’ll check availability and confirm your cabin details before you commit.
We recommend booking them with us, together with your cruise. Many yachts ask their guests to fly on the flights they reserve, because the crew meets the group at the Galápagos airport and the timing has to match the itinerary. You get assistance at the airport in Quito or Guayaquil on the day you fly, and we book your Galápagos flights at the net fare the cruise operator gives us. We also recommend arriving in Ecuador two days before your Galápagos flight, in case your international flight is delayed or canceled.
GALÁPAGOS + MINDO, WITH DANA TOURS
Find your Origin, Theory & Evolve departure and discover your complimentary Mindo Cloud Forest stay.
View dates & prices Personalized offer · No booking commitmentPrices in USD, per person · Based on 2 guests sharing a cabin.
Plan for separately: Galápagos flights, park fee, transit card and applicable supplements. See inclusions & exclusions.
Travelling as a family or a group? Charter the whole Origin, Theory & Evolve or compare every yacht’s dates and prices.
Not the right dates? These boats are close in style and fare.
8 days / 7 nights · 2 routes
San Cristóbal, Española, Floreana, the Santa Cruz highlands, Bartolomé, South Plaza and North Seymour.
Explore route and check departures
Genovesa, Santa Cruz, Isabela, Fernandina and Rábida, from San Cristóbal and back.
Explore route and check departures
Itinerary B · 8 days / 7 nights · San Cristóbal → San Cristóbal
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Arrival or departure at San Cristóbal Airport. We will confirm flight and transfer arrangements with your cruise offer.
Kicker Rock, known in Spanish as León Dormido, the Sleeping Lion, rises about 150 meters (almost 500 feet) out of the sea off the northwest coast of San Cristóbal, northeast of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. It is the remnant of an ancient tuff cone, eroded by the waves into two vertical walls separated by a narrow channel, and one of the most iconic landmarks of the Galápagos.
El Barranco, better known as Prince Philip's Steps, is the second visitor site on Genovesa, named after Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who visited the island. The panga brings you to the foot of the cliff for a dry landing, and a steep stairway cut into the rock, with a handrail, climbs about 25 meters (80 feet) to the top.
More about Prince Philip's Steps (El Barranco) · Genovesa island guide
Darwin Bay is the coral-sand beach inside Genovesa's caldera, where the island's bird colonies come right down to the shore. The pangas land you directly on the sand (a wet landing), and an easy trail of about two hours leads along the beach, through saltbush and mangroves, past tide pools and up to a viewpoint over the cliffs and the bay.
Bachas Beach, on the north shore of Santa Cruz, is a wide beach of soft white sand and one of the most important nesting sites in the Galápagos for the Pacific green sea turtle. Its name comes from the Second World War: when the United States left its base on nearby Baltra, two barges were abandoned here, and the local pronunciation of 'barges' became Bachas.
Dragon Hill, on the northwest coast of Santa Cruz, takes its name from the land iguanas that live on its slopes, the dragons of the Galápagos. It is also a conservation success: in 1976 feral dogs almost wiped out the iguanas of this coast, and the last survivors were taken to the Charles Darwin Research Station to breed.
Vicente Roca Point, on the northwest coast of Isabela at the foot of Ecuador Volcano, is one of the most spectacular marine sites in the Galápagos. There is no landing: the visit combines a panga ride along towering cliffs of tuff, ash and lava, carved by the sea into caves and arches, with snorkeling in a sheltered cove.
Urbina Bay, on the west coast of Isabela at the foot of Alcedo Volcano, is a place where you can walk on the old sea floor. In 1954 an uplift raised a section of the coast, including a coral reef, by four to five meters (13 to 16 feet) almost overnight, leaving corals, shells and the remains of marine animals stranded on dry land, where they can still be seen today.
Espinosa Point, on the northeast tip of Fernandina, faces Isabela across the Bolívar Channel and is the main visitor site of the youngest island of the Galápagos. The landscape is almost entirely black lava, and the wildlife is found in a density few places can match.
Tagus Cove, on the west coast of Isabela, is a deep, sheltered bay that has served as an anchorage since the days of pirates and whalers. On its cliffs, sailors painted and carved the names of their ships, a tradition that began in the 1830s and is now protected as part of the islands' history; adding new names is forbidden.
Rábida, a small island south of Santiago, is famous for its red beach, colored by the iron in the volcanic rock, one of the most photographed landscapes in the Galápagos. The visit begins with a wet landing on the maroon sand, usually shared with a colony of Galápagos sea lions.
Black Turtle Cove is a mangrove lagoon on the north shore of Santa Cruz, a nursery for many of the creatures of the Galápagos seas. There is no landing: the visit is a quiet panga ride, often with the engine turned off, as the guide paddles or drifts through the channels between the red mangroves.
Los Gemelos, the Twin Craters, are two huge pits on either side of the road that crosses the highlands of Santa Cruz between Baltra and Puerto Ayora. They are not true volcanic craters but sinkholes: the roofs of empty magma chambers that collapsed long ago, leaving two deep, round hollows now filled with vegetation.
More about Los Gemelos (Twin Craters) · Santa Cruz island guide
El Chato is a private reserve in the highlands of Santa Cruz, near the village of Santa Rosa, and one of the best places in the Galápagos to see giant tortoises in the wild. The farm lies on the route the tortoises have followed for generations between the dry coast and the green highlands, and they wander freely through its pastures, ponds and forest.
More about El Chato Giant Tortoise Reserve · Santa Cruz island guide
The Fausto Llerena Breeding Center, part of the Charles Darwin Research Station complex in Puerto Ayora, is where the Galápagos National Park breeds and raises giant tortoises to return them to the islands where they belong. It is named after Fausto Llerena, the park ranger who cared for Lonesome George for some forty years.
More about Fausto Llerena Breeding Center · Santa Cruz island guide
The Charles Darwin Research Station, on the edge of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz, has been the center of science and conservation in the Galápagos since the 1960s. Run by the Charles Darwin Foundation, it works with the Galápagos National Park to study and protect the islands' wildlife, and its visit is a highlight for anyone who wants to understand how the islands are cared for.
More about Charles Darwin Research Station · Santa Cruz island guide
The Interpretation Center of San Cristóbal, on the edge of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, is the best place in the islands to understand the story of the Galápagos, from the volcanic birth of the islands to the arrival of the first people and today's conservation work. It is free to visit.
More about San Cristóbal Interpretation Center · San Cristóbal island guide
Arrival or departure at San Cristóbal Airport. We will confirm flight and transfer arrangements with your cruise offer.
Visits and their order may change with park regulations and operating conditions. We’ll confirm the itinerary for your departure.
