We have just returned from a 7 night cruise on the Celebrity Xpedition to the Galapagos Islands and LOVED IT! We booked the 10 day tour through Thomas Cook in the UK and this included flights, transfers, accommodation in Quito for three nights (2 pre and 1 post cruise) and 7 nights on the Xpedition in a suite. It was expensive, but worth every penny as the cruise was so personal, friendly and adventurous.

There were 93 on our cruise mainly made up of American and Canadian guests with a few from Europe and a couple from Australia. The average age was around 55 and there were no children on our trip - personally, I don't think this holiday would be suitable for children due to the average age of the passengers, the itinerary and excursions (which are all animal based) and the entertainment in the evening. Others may disagree with this comment, I do not have children, but I'm certain that there would not be enough to keep them amused during the week.

I am not going to detail the itinerary as so many other reviews do this and I'm certain that an hour by hour description does not make interesting reading. Just to say that this is an active holiday - there are at least two trips every day and there is a choice between a long walk and a short walk for each location. They say that you don't miss out on the short walk, but there are some sights you would not see if you opted for the short walk every time (the blow hole is one example where the long walk is necessary) The number of animals you see each walk is tremendous - they are not exaggerating when they say that the animals are not afraid of you and you can approach quite close without scaring any away. Bird life is abundant, although it was difficult to identify every bird you saw as many are similar in colour and size, but the naturalists who accompany you are full of details and information. Read more