Blue-footed boobies do their slap-happy dance for you. Galápagos penguins dart under your sea kayak. A pod of sea turtles performs their graceful ballet around you. Baby sea lions paddle up for a better look. The giant land tortoises? They’re close enough to touch. If you go wild for wildlife, you’ve found it. AFAR magazine named our Galapagos trips “Best Wildlife Encounter”… in the world. Join our island-based adventure to skip the cramped confines (and back and forth zodiac rides several times a day) of a cruise ship to get up close and personal with the creatures you came to see. Naturalist guides lead you to extraordinary wildlife experiences, minus the flocks of tourists. You have abundant chances to walk, kayak, snorkel – and sip the occasional poolside cocktail. Then we take you a few steps farther – to the rim of the world’s second largest volcanic caldera, and much more. Throughout, you stay in luxury waterfront boutique hotels. And you can feel great knowing that we follow 'Leave No Trace' environmental standards and our close ties to the islands means this Classic Journey supports more than 50 local residents and their families.

DAYS 1-3 - ISABELA

On Isabela Island (3 nights), a scenically varied path includes lagoons, mangroves and the historic lava-stone Wall of Tears. Take to the water to kayak with sea lions, green sea turtles and marine iguanas while keeping your eyes sharp for blue-footed boobies in the trees along the shores as well as watching how they hover over the sea and dive for fish. Next day, a walk through otherworldly volcanic terrain takes us to the awesome caldera of Volcán Chico and a very civilized picnic. On Day 3, we’ll take a small fishing boat to explore Tintoreras, where we come face-to-face with fearless Galápagos penguins. After a gourmet dinner at our inn, stroll the sand streets with the locals.

DAYS 4-7 - SANTA CRUZ

Giant, 500-pound tortoises are the stars of Santa Cruz Island (3 nights), and we’ll walk among them in their natural habitat in the highlands at El Chato Reserve. In sea kayaks, we paddle over turquoise waters where manta rays and reef sharks glide below. And we’ll take the trail to the fine sands of Tortuga Bay for a swim or maybe even some surfing if you'd like. On the final day of our Galápagos island tour, we visit the acclaimed Charles Darwin Research Station before returning to the mainland.