Travel guide · Cruises & Tours
Horizon Trimaran review: four days in Española and San Cristóbal
A first-hand Horizon Trimaran review: 4 days on route 4A, Española and San Cristóbal, in January 2026, with real times, wildlife and who it suits.
Photo: David BritoOn this page (10)
- The yacht in brief
- Day 1, 3 January: San Cristóbal and the tortoises
- Day 2, 4 January: Pitt Point, Witch Hill and Kicker Rock
- Day 3, 5 January: Española
- Day 4, 6 January: Las Bachas and the flight home
- Life on board
- Who this cruise is for, and who it is not for
- How to book the Horizon Trimaran
- Frequently asked questions
- Related reading
We sell the Horizon Trimaran. David Brito, who writes this guide, sailed on it from 3 to 6 January 2026 as a guest of the yacht, on a familiarisation trip for travel agents. The opinions are ours, and so are the photos. Times come from the photo files, in Galápagos time.
This page tells the whole trip: four days on the yacht’s route 4A, Española and San Cristóbal. Day 2 is told hour by hour in a day on a Galápagos cruise, so here it gets a summary.
The yacht in brief
| Hull | Trimaran: a main hull and a hull on each side |
| Class | Luxury, in our inventory |
| Guests | 16 |
| Cabins | Every cabin has a private balcony |
| Included | Cabin and all meals; guided excursions with a bilingual naturalist guide; kayaks, paddleboards, wetsuits and snorkel gear; underwater cameras to borrow; transfers in the islands; free Starlink wifi |
| Not included | Flights to Galápagos; the park entrance fee and transit card; alcoholic drinks, the fuel surcharge and tips; travel insurance and personal expenses |
Route 4A starts at San Cristóbal airport and ends at Baltra. The fee and the card are explained in our entry fee guide.
Day 1, 3 January: San Cristóbal and the tortoises
The flight landed at San Cristóbal at about 11:30. A short bus ride through Puerto Baquerizo Moreno took us to the pier, and by 11:58 the panga was alongside the yacht, with a welcome in the lounge a few minutes later.
At 14:49 a bus took the group up to the David Rodríguez tortoise breeding centre, the first visit on the itinerary. Giant tortoises walk the paths through the dry scrub, and the young ones live in pens. Back in town, sea lions slept on the beach and beside the benches of the plaza, and Sally Lightfoot crabs covered the wet rocks below the promenade. The panga took us back to the yacht at 17:38. Our San Cristóbal guide covers the island beyond what a cruise sees.
Day 2, 4 January: Pitt Point, Witch Hill and Kicker Rock
The best day of the trip. In short: a wet landing on the golden beach at Pitt Point at 08:37 and an uphill walk to a viewpoint over the bay; back on board at 10:16 and lunch while the yacht moved along the coast; the white beach at Witch Hill (Cerro Brujo) from 14:57, then a panga ride into a sea cave; and at 17:26 Kicker Rock at sunset, from the deck.
What the day added to the list: a red-footed booby on the Pitt Point trail, among red Sesuvium; frigatebirds overhead; sea lions and pups on the sand at Witch Hill; marine iguanas and lava cactus on the rocks. The rock itself is in our Kicker Rock guide.
Day 3, 5 January: Española
The yacht sailed overnight and spent the whole day at Española. That is the strongest argument for this route: the island is far from the central cluster, and our Española guide notes that many short itineraries skip it.
Punta Suárez, morning. The panga left at 08:00 for a dry landing on the rocks. Marine iguanas lay in heaps on the sand beside it, red and green at this time of year; our marine iguana guide explains the colours. The trail crosses boulders and lava past blue-footed and Nazca boobies, a fluffy booby chick, lava lizards and the sea cliffs. At 09:13 a waved albatross stood beside the trail and opened its wings. That is late: our waved albatross guide explains that the colony leaves in December and early January, so in January an albatross is a bonus, never a promise. We were back in the panga at 10:15, with sea lions swimming round the landing.
Midday. The yacht moved round to Gardner Bay, and lunch came off the grill on the aft deck. The early afternoon was free.
Gardner Bay, afternoon. Around 16:10 the kayaks and paddleboards went into the water off the islets, and then the pangas took us to the beach: a long curve of white sand, sea lions every few metres, mothers with pups, an Española mockingbird walking up to inspect us, and an old whale skeleton above the tide line. The itinerary also lists Gardner and Osborn islets, the snorkelling spots off the bay. In the last hour the light on the beach turns gold.
Day 4, 6 January: Las Bachas and the flight home
The sun came up at 06:03, and at 06:12 we were on the beach at Las Bachas, on Santa Cruz. A short walk leads to a brackish lagoon behind the beach, where American flamingos were feeding between 06:39 and 06:42, and a brown pelican sat on the lava nearby. We were back on board at 08:32; from there the transfer took us to Baltra airport, and the flight to the mainland boarded just after midday.
Life on board
We describe only what we photographed or what the yacht includes. The dining deck is outdoors and covered, with a bar along one side and the sea beside the tables. Breakfast on day 2 was eggs, bacon and potatoes at 07:36; lunch on Española was seafood from the grill. The upper deck has outdoor sofas and loungers, a Starlink dish sits on the top deck, and wifi is included. David’s cabin was number 8, and every cabin on the Horizon has its own balcony. Pangas leave from the stern platform, with life jackets for every ride.
The sky that week went from blue to grey and back, sometimes in one day: bright at Pitt Point and at sunset, overcast on Española. The month is covered in Galápagos in January.
Who this cruise is for, and who it is not for
It suits you if you have a short window and want the south-east done properly: a full day on Española, San Cristóbal’s best coast in one day, and flamingos on the way out. It suits couples who want a balcony cabin on a 16-guest yacht, and anyone who needs wifi between visits.
It is not for you if you want variety. Four days means one region: two full days, an arrival afternoon and an early morning before the flight. No western islands, no Genovesa, no wild tortoises in the Santa Cruz highlands; the tortoises on this route are at the breeding centre. And if the albatross is the reason for the trip, travel between April and December.
We have no measurements of how the Horizon moves compared with a catamaran or a monohull, so we make no claim. The sailing on our trip was done at night. If you are prone to seasickness, read our seasickness guide; hull types in general are in catamarans vs monohulls.
How to book the Horizon Trimaran
The yacht, its cabins and its routes are on our Horizon Trimaran page, and every departure with its live fare is in our cruise finder. Route 4A runs several times a year between the yacht’s longer routes, so the dates matter: tell us your window and we will check it.
Tell us who is travelling and we place a free cabin hold, usually for 5 to 7 days, while you decide. A fuel surcharge applies on this yacht; we quote it with the fare. Every cruise we book includes complimentary nights at Las Terrazas de Dana Boutique Lodge & Spa in Mindo Cloud Forest; see the complimentary nights guide.
The Horizon’s other routes, if four days is too short:
- 5A, 5 days: Genovesa, Bartolomé and North Seymour
- 5C, 5 days: Fernandina, Isabela and Santiago
- 7D, 7 days: Española, Floreana and Santa Fe
- 8A, 8 days: Genovesa, Española, Bartolomé and North Seymour
- 8B, 8 days: Fernandina, Isabela, Floreana and Santiago
- 5A+8B, 12 days: Genovesa, Fernandina, Isabela and Floreana
How it compares with other yachts of its class is in our luxury cruises guide, and fares across the fleet in Galápagos cruise prices.
Next departures with places
Places and fares from our inventory on 13 November 2026. They change every day: check the live dates before you decide.
- M/Y Cachalote Explorer27 Nov – 2 Dec 2026 · 5 nights6 places left · from US$3,300 per person
- M/Y Beluga27 Nov – 2 Dec 2026 · 5 nights2 places left · from US$4,400 per person
- M/Y Aqua Mare Superyacht27 Nov – 4 Dec 2026 · 7 nights4 places left · from US$11,550 per person
- M/C Grand Ocean Spray28 Nov – 5 Dec 2026 · 7 nights16 places left · from US$10,745 per person
Frequently asked questions
Is the Horizon Trimaran good for a first visit to Galápagos?
Yes, if four days is what you have: sea lions, marine iguanas, three species of booby, Kicker Rock, Española and flamingos. With more time, the 8-day 8A adds Genovesa, Bartolomé and North Seymour to Española.
What is a 4-day Horizon cruise like?
Two full days and two half days. On our trip: arrival at San Cristóbal around midday and the tortoise breeding centre; Pitt Point, Witch Hill and Kicker Rock on day 2; all of day 3 on Española; Las Bachas at sunrise on day 4, then the flight from Baltra.
Which islands does the Horizon’s 4-day route visit?
San Cristóbal (the David Rodríguez breeding centre, Pitt Point, Witch Hill and Kicker Rock), Española (Punta Suárez, Gardner Bay and the Gardner and Osborn islets) and Santa Cruz (Las Bachas). It starts at San Cristóbal airport and ends at Baltra.
What wildlife can you see on Española and San Cristóbal in January?
On our trip, 3 to 6 January 2026: giant tortoises at the breeding centre, sea lions and pups, red and green marine iguanas, red-footed, blue-footed and Nazca boobies, frigatebirds, lava lizards, the Española mockingbird, Sally Lightfoot crabs, flamingos and one late waved albatross. Do not count on the albatross in January.
Is the Horizon a catamaran, and how stable is it?
It is a trimaran: a main hull with a hull on each side. We have no measured data comparing its motion with catamarans or monohulls, so we do not rank it. The crossings on our trip were at night.
Related reading
The route’s islands are in our Española and San Cristóbal guides; its animals in the red-footed booby and Galápagos sea lion guides. To compare yachts, start with the best Galápagos cruises.
Sources
- David Brito’s trip notes and photos, 3 to 6 January 2026 (times from the photo files, in Galápagos time)
- The Horizon Trimaran’s inclusions, exclusions and routes: the yacht’s fact sheet in our booking system (not online)
- The Horizon Trimaran’s route 4A visitor sites and departures: our departure inventory, November 2026
Last verified: November 2026