Premium luxury catamaran
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.
A premium catamaran for 16 guests from Golden Galápagos: nine suites with private balconies, two premium suites with panoramic bow views, a sky deck with a whirlpool and an outdoor bar, and four routes of 4 to 8 days.
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 four routes, from 4 to 8 days, and see every day before you ask for your offer.
Not sure which route suits you? Our team can help you choose.
Suites, lounges, decks and the boat itself. Open a collection to see it full screen.
Photos by Golden Galápagos, the operator of Elite.
Choose a deck to see how the suites and shared spaces connect.
Four panoramic Golden Suites
Single cabin
Covered terrace and sun terrace at the bow
Main deck: two Golden Premium Suites with bow views and two Golden Suites. Upper deck: four Golden Suites and a single cabin. Some suites connect, for families. All with a private balcony, a private bathroom and air conditioning. Your offer confirms the available suite, bed arrangement and occupancy.
Traveling solo, as a couple or with family? Tell us and we’ll help you choose the right suite before you book.
Official operator deck plans · Suite 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 Elite 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 Elite 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 Elite 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
From San Cristóbal: North Seymour, southern Isabela, Moreno Point, Urbina Bay, Fernandina, Rábida and Bartolomé.
Explore route and check departures
From San Cristóbal: Española, Floreana, Bachas, Genovesa, Santiago and the Santa Cruz highlands.
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.
The Galapaguera de Cerro Colorado, in the southeast of San Cristóbal, is a reserve where the island's own giant tortoise lives in a large enclosure of dry forest that recreates its natural habitat. Its breeding center, also known as the David Rodríguez center, raises young tortoises until they are strong enough to return to the wild.
More about Breeding Center David Rodriguez · San Cristóbal island guide
Suarez Point, at the western tip of Española, is one of the most rewarding walks in the Galápagos and the best place in the islands to see the waved albatross on land. The panga lands you on the rocks beside a small lighthouse, a dry landing that can be slippery, and a loop trail of about three kilometers (two miles) crosses the point in around three hours.
Gardner Bay, on the northeast coast of Española, is one of the most beautiful beaches in the Galápagos: a long crescent of white sand, about two kilometers, shared with a large colony of Galápagos sea lions. The panga brings you to the sand for a wet landing, and there is no inland trail: the visit is a slow walk along the shore among the sea lions, with time to swim and relax.
Osborn Islet is a small rocky islet off the north coast of Española, near Gardner Bay, visited by panga for snorkeling and swimming. It is one of the most colorful snorkeling sites in the south of the archipelago.
Gardner Islet is a small rock island just off the beach of Gardner Bay, on the north coast of Española, and one of the best places in the Galápagos to snorkel with sea lions. The visit is made from the panga, in the same outing as Gardner Bay.
Cormorant Point, on the north coast of Floreana, combines two very different beaches and a lagoon of flamingos in one short visit. The panga lands on a beach of green sand, colored by olivine crystals from the island's volcanic rock, in a wet landing.
Devil's Crown, off the north coast of Floreana, is the rim of a submerged volcanic cone, its jagged points rising from the sea like a crown, and one of the most famous snorkeling sites in the Galápagos. There is no landing: the visit is made from the panga, by snorkeling or with a ride around the rocks.
Post Office Bay, on the north coast of Floreana, keeps alive one of the oldest traditions in the Pacific. In 1793 British whalers placed a wooden barrel here as a mailbox: sailors heading out on long voyages left their letters, and ships sailing home collected and delivered them.
Baroness Lookout, on the north coast of Floreana between Post Office Bay and Cormorant Point, is a viewpoint on a small hill above a turquoise bay fringed with mangroves. It is named after a self-proclaimed Austrian baroness who settled on Floreana in the 1930s and vanished in 1934, in one of the great unsolved mysteries of the Galápagos.
Mosquera is a small, flat islet of sand and rock between Baltra and North Seymour, home to one of the largest colonies of Galápagos sea lions in the islands. Its closeness to Baltra makes it a natural visit on the first or last day of a cruise.
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.
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.
Espumilla Beach, on James Bay on the northwest coast of Santiago, is the largest beach on the island: a long stretch of golden sand backed by mangroves and dry forest. It is an important nesting site for green sea turtles, whose tracks are often seen on the sand in the early morning.
Buccaneer Cove, on the northwest coast of Santiago, was a favorite hideout of the pirates and buccaneers who sailed the Pacific in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. In its sheltered water they careened their ships, collected fresh water and took giant tortoises on board as a living supply of meat for their long voyages.
Puerto Egas, on James Bay on the west coast of Santiago, is one of the most varied visits in the central islands. The panga lands on a beach of black volcanic sand, in a wet landing, below the old salt mine crater.
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.
The highlands of Santa Cruz are the green heart of the Galápagos and the best place to see giant tortoises living in the wild. Most cruises visit them on the first or last day, on the road between Baltra and Puerto Ayora, or as a half-day excursion from the town.
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
Lobos Islet lies a short navigation from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, on San Cristóbal, and takes its name from the sea lions, lobos marinos in Spanish, that crowd its shores. It is a small, flat islet separated from San Cristóbal by a narrow channel.
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.
