Steppes Travel is made by the people who work here. Incredible holidays are made possible because of their vast travel experience and the great enthusiasm they bring to their work.
We carefully select our experts based on their knowledge, companionship and influence, ensuring that you can travel with the most knowledgeable leaders in the field.
The people who lead the way when it comes to those things which matter to us: exploration, the environment, women’s empowerment and education.
Darwin’s playground; where a delicate collection of fearless wildlife and idyllic landscapes awaits. Choose from one of the many beautiful lodges or take to the sea with expert guides in tow.
From sitting on a beach face-to-face with non-flinching sea lion pups to wandering through lush fields of giant land tortoises, a trip to the Galapagos Islands is one of the most magical travel experiences, no matter your age.
While sailing around the Galapagos archipelago is a unique experience in itself, there are a number of additional exclusive experiences that we can arrange for ocean-bound voyagers. Savour a private alfresco sunset dinner as the vessel navigates past silhouetted islands, partake in chocolate-tasting and ceviche-making classes with on-board chefs, or privately charter a romantic vessel to celebrate an anniversary.
Set nearly 1,000 kilometres off the mainland, this is the only place in the world where zoom lenses are definitely not required to capture stunning wildlife portraits.
Since both the land and marine creatures that inhabit the Galapagos Islands are utterly fearless, a journey around the landmasses brings voyagers face-to-face with their thousands-strong population of curious bubble-blowing sea lions, salt-spitting iguanas, clumsy blue-footed boobies, flightless cormorants, monogamous waved albatrosses and boisterous Galapagos penguins.
A cruise is hard to beat if you want to make the most of every moment in the Galapagos. You get to experience the huge variety of terrain and the richness of flora and fauna on each of the islands, whilst enjoying the added advantage of sleeping whilst you travel. A typical cruise lasts for eight days, but we can always arrange for you to stay longer.
Our Galapagos specialist team have first-hand experience of these vessels, having been aboard all of them during their travels around the archipelago. Contact the team and let us help you to find the perfect one.
Whilst our Galapagos holiday experts often recommend a cruise, a growing number of visitors never set foot on a live-aboard boat as the choice of lodges and camps in the Galapagos is now at an all-time high. To quote Spike Milligan, “a sure cure for seasickness is to sit under a tree” – so if you want to explore the Galapagos but don’t have the sea legs for a cruise, speak to our experts. They know the best ‘trees’ under which to sit in the Galapagos or, for the more active, can arrange walking tours on volcanic islands or birding excursions into the islands’ interiors.
While we are advocates of cruising around the archipelago, we also know that many travellers are choosing to stay in lodges and camps in the Galapagos Islands. We can always help you pick the perfect property, as we have visited or spent the night in all of them. Take a look at some of our favourites and get in touch with the team to find out more.
Observe giant tortoises grazing in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island, marvel at comical blue-footed boobies during their courtship dances, photograph marine iguanas diving into the sea off Isabela Island and snorkel with playful sea lions from the beach on San Cristobal Island. We can also arrange an exclusive behind-the-scenes visit to the Galapagos Science Centre, where it is possible to interact with scientists and chat about their important projects and community awareness programmes.
Preservation, conservation and research are imperative to the Galapagos Islands, so we consciously work closely with partners that safeguard the archipelago and conduct research projects that are geared towards its maintenance. We are a Gold Corporate Member of the Galapagos Conservation Trust (GCT), the only UK charity that is focused solely on conservation in the archipelago.
We also recently donated to the development of a citizen’s science programme concerning single-use plastic pollution in the archipelago. When you book a trip to the Galapagos Islands with Steppes Travel, you will also benefit from a complimentary, six-month membership with GCT.
A supremely family-friendly destination, the Galapagos Islands is the perfect place to get the family up close to a host of creatures that have no fear of humans!
Explore how millions of years of evolution shaped this World Heritage Site and inspired Darwin's Origin of Species.
The Galapagos archipelago is made up of 19 main islands, which includes the largest Isabela and most populated Santa Cruz, three small…
Explore natural selection in action on the Galapagos Islands. The wildlife both on land and in the water are unique highly-adapted species,…
A passion for travel runs right through every one of our experts - meaning they're always ready with first-hand insight about their specialist countries.
Wildlife is Roxy’s passion, so where better to immerse than in Darwin’s land? Having stepped on all but one of the islands in the archipelago and having personally visited our hand-picked selection of hotels and boats, there is little she does not know about the Galapagos Islands.
James first visited the Galapagos Islands in 1981 and has subsequently returned another four times. With every visit, the wildlife both above and below the water is enchanting.
The moment a blue footed booby makes its dive and plunges like a dart into the water is special, but to see hundreds do this at once was a breath-taking experience that Paul was not prepared for.
Half of the appeal of the Galapagos Islands is underwater, and a few minutes in the company of a five-metre manta ray off the coast of Isabela Island remains one of John’s most vivid memories of this incredible archipelago.
The Galapagos National Park fee is USD$100 per adult and USD$50 per child, this can be paid in cash on arrival or you can pre-pay as part of your holiday. Please note there is also a Transit Control Card (INGALA) fee of USD$20 per person, this can also be pre-paid.
All walking trails are clearly signed at each visitor site and designated to avoid disturbing the wildlife or vegetation. You must be accompanied by a naturalist guide at all times.
There are many islands to visit, which vary in terms of wildlife and terrain. An eight-day cruise is a good length of time to explore a variety of the islands. If time is not restricted, then stay as long as you can as there is plenty to see.
The reserve consists of 19 large islands and has a land area of approximately 5,000 square miles and the marine reserve covers approximately 50,000 square miles.
A total of four islands are inhabited in the Galapagos National Park: Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Isla Isabela, Floreana with approximately 28,000 people living there.
You can choose to visit four of the islands independently; however, you will require a guide to explore outside the towns and will miss out on wildlife inhabiting the smaller islands.
Dry landings are when you disembark the panga straight onto dry land. Wet landings are when you get out into the surf on a beach – generally about ankle depth.
Peak season is during the festive period Christmas and New Year and school holidays with the low season being in the months of late August, September and October where the majority of the boats go into dry-dock for maintenance. Generally, the Galapagos is a year-round destination and the seasons are not defined by the weather.
The Islands are located on the equator approximately 600 miles from the coast of mainland Ecuador. It’s a three-hour flight from Quito or 2 hours from Guayaquil and all flights go via Guayaquil.
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