Our 40-guest vessel, with 20 outside cabins plus an owner's suite, is the most luxurious yacht cruising the Galapagos, and offers an elegant yet relaxed atmosphere for experiencing the full adventure of the Islands. The yacht is fully air-conditioned; all cabins are spacious and have private bathrooms. Its three public decks offer the amenities of a larger vessel, including bar-salon, dining room and sun deck. The library contains a large selection of reference books on Galapagos and Ecuador, as well as excellent nature and conservation videos, making this reference library the most complete source of information of any Galapagos vessel.
From dining room to stateroom, one senses the superior quality at all levels of service. ISABELA's trained chefs prepare a superb a-la-carte selection of meals. Our helpful, warm staff attends to your every need. Hotel Managers have a great taste for details.
The sun deck is comprised of a bar with ample outdoor seating, an observation area for whale and dolphin watching, a Jacuzzi and solarium. As an alternative to snorkeling, the glass-bottom boat offers another opportunity to observe the Galapagos rich marine life.
Our Expedition Team consists of three Naturalists. All will delight guests with diverse natural history explanations, superb on-deck talks, and eye-catching lectures regarding natural history issues. Their multimedia presentations and recaps will complement the day's activities. Together with the Captain, they will plan the day's program. They are masters of Galapagos' knowledge. Soon enough, our Naturalists will become the highlight of your voyage. At night, when pitch-dark starry skies are seen, stargazing is an amazing nocturnal activity. The southern skies are beautifully arranged with exuberant constellations.

16 cabins with twin beds
2 cabins with double bed for single or double use
2 cabins with double bed plus a single bed for double or triple use

::Technical information
Construction: 1979
Reconstruction: Pensacola, Florida, 1988
Refurbishment: Panama, March 2000
Category: Deluxe
Gross Tonnage: 1.025 tons.
Type of Vessel: Motor Yacht
Capacity: 40 guests
Length: 53.72 meters (166 feet)
Beam: 11.58 meters (38 feet)
Speed: 10 knots
Electricity: 110 Volts 60 Hz.
Engines: 2 GM Detroit Diesel 900 BHP each
Navigation Equipment: Gyrocompass, Automatic Pilot, radar, and GPS
Safety Certificates: SOLAS 74 - ISM
Fire Detector: Automatic with control from the bridge.
Life Jackets: In each cabin
Lifeboats: 2 units semi enclosed
Landing Craft: 3 Zodiacs + glass bottom boat
Owner: ETICA / Metropolitan Touring
Decks: 3 (Sun deck, Cabin deck, Main deck)
Crew: 24
Naturalist: 3
Medical Officer: Permanently on board

::Other services
Bar - Lounge, Boutique
Gift Shop
Radio, telephone, E-mail, and Fax communications
PA System
Snorkeling Equipment
Multimedia natural history lectures
Stargazing Program
Digital camera and underwater housing
Glass bottom boat
Jacuzzi
Reading Room & Natural History Library
Air conditioned throughout
Guest Cabins: new!

Safety boxes
Hair dryers
Aquatic Activities: new!

Wet suits for snorkeling in cooler waters
Sea kayaks

Itinerary <br /><br />1: Tuesday <br />Baltra Island<br /><br />Morning arrival to Baltra Island by TAME flight and immediate transfer to the dock to board the ISABELA II. Welcome introductory briefing and lunch. <br />North Seymour Island<br /><br />Afternoon disembarkation (dry landing) for a walk along the coast and the interior of the island, observing bird colonies of blue footed boobies, frigate birds, swallow tailed gulls and also sea lions and marine iguanas. A shorter walk is also available. Welcome Cocktail offered by the Captain. Naturalist's briefing on the next day's activities and dinner. <br /><br />2: Wednesday <br />Gardner Bay (Hood Island)<br /><br />After breakfast, disembark (wet landing) at a white coral beach where you can take a short walk and watch the sea lions, mockingbirds, finches or enjoy the beach.. There is great snorkeling in this area (snorkeling equipment is available for guests at no extra cost), or ride the glass-bottom boat around Gardner or Tortuga islets. <br />Punta Su�rez (Hood Island) <br /><br />Afternoon dry landing for an exciting walk on lava terrain to visit its unique sea bird colonies, including the Waved Albatrosses (May - December) and the famous blowhole. A shorter walk is also available. For those not planning to walk there will be panga (dinghy) ride along the coastline of Punta Su�rez. Naturalist's briefing and dinner. <br /><br />3: Thursday <br />Point Cormorant (Floreana Island)<br /><br />After breakfast, disembark at Point Cormorant (wet landing) for an easy walk to see the flamingos that inhabit a brackish-water lagoon, and other birds like ducks, stilts, sandpipers, etc. There is great snorkeling from the beach or near by, at the Devil's Crown. Those who do not snorkel can enjoy a ride on the glass-bottom boat. Lunch on board. <br />Post Office Bay (Floreana Island)<br /><br />Wet landing at the historical Post Office Bay to learn about the human side of the islands, its early inhabitants and the adventures of pirates and whalers. Then, a panga ride will take you to nearby islets to observe sea lions, rays and sea turtles, boobies and possibly the Galapagos penguin. Naturalist's briefing and dinner. <br /><br />4: Friday <br />Santa Cruz Island<br /><br />After breakfast, disembark (dry landing) to visit the highlands of Santa Cruz Island, an Scalesia forest and the twin pit craters Los Gemelos. From December to mid-April a visit to see the giant tortoises in the wild may be included, if weather conditions are good. Lunch at the Finch Bay Eco Hotel. Afternoon visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station and the giant tortoise pens, an impressive giant prickly-pear cactus forest and many land birds. Then a stroll along the main street of Puerto Ayora before embarking on the ISABELA II.. Naturalist's briefing and dinner. <br /><br />5: Saturday <br />Darwin Bay (Tower Island)<br /><br />Morning wet landing for an easy stroll observing thousands of bird life, mainly frigate birds, red footed and masked boobies, gulls, herons, finches and mockingbirds. If you wish you can continue walking over sharp lava and uneven terrain, or just go back to the beach to enjoy swimming and snorkeling at this beautiful natural harbor. Those most adventurous can look for Hammerhead sharks, snorkeling along the cliffs. Lunch on board. <br />Prince Philip's Steps (Tower Island)<br /><br />The afternoon starts with a very interesting panga ride along the cliffs and then disembark (dry landing) on rocks for a steep climb (90 feet) and then a leveled walk for about a mile to the other side of this small island observing large colonies of masked boobies, frigate birds, storm petrels and the short-eared owl. Naturalist's briefing and dinner. <br /><br />6: Sunday <br />Early<br /><br />Early risers will enjoy cruising right in front of famous Ecuador Volcano, which rises off the water line with one of its halves completely collapsed, and now resting underwater, while crossing the Equator line. <br />Punta Vicente Roca (Isabela Island)<br /><br />A magnificent landscape shows the uniqueness of the western volcanoes of the Gal�pagos. We are now looking at the youngest geological features of the archipelago, at the northern tip of the Gal�pagos' largest island, Isabela. This area is part of Ecuador Volcano, where a collapsed caldera floor is revealed after a major sinking of half of the whole volcano structure. The anchoring place lies in front of tuff-stone layers of a parasitic cone, next to the slopes of the host volcano. Lava intrusions, called sills and dikes, reveal the relatively recent volcanic activity of this area. Since there is no landing site at this location, our outing will include coastal exploration where our Naturalists will commit to explaining the dramatic geology of the area. Wildlife here will definitely surprise everyone; after just having crossed the Equator, this tropical area holds surprises like dolphins, whales, sea lions, sea birds, turtles, and more. Where is all this life coming from? The answer is the Cromwell Current; a deep submarine current that upwells right at the volcanic platform of the western islands. These cool nutrient-rich waters attract plenty of sea-depending species which include brown pelicans, blue-footed boobies, noddy terns, shearwaters, and the only tropical penguin on Earth, the Gal�pagos penguin. Depending on sea conditions (current and visibility), we will schedule a snorkeling outing too. <br />Or Tagus Cove (Isabela Island)<br /><br />On the northwest of Isabela, secluded Tagus Cove was in past centuries a favorite anchor for pirates and whalers. Old graffiti is still found on its walls. The vegetation in the area includes the unusual Palo Santo trees. These white-barked trees are leafless and look dead most of the year. They leaf out and spring back to life in the short wet season, which usually begins in March or April. An uphill hike through palo santo forest takes guests to the back of Darwin Crater, filled with salt water. The view at the end of the trail is worth the climb. Darwin is one of Isabela�s six volcanoes, a remarkable contrast to the lower islands to the east of the archipelago. Lunch on board. <br />Punta Espinoza (Fernandina Island)<br /><br />The afternoon brings us to the youngest island, Fernandina. Disembark (dry landing) for a one-mile walk. Punta Espinoza has an amazing combination of barrenness with lots of wildlife. Having no introduced mammals, Fernandina has a very unique environment with the highest density of marine iguanas, sharing their space with sea lions, sally-light foot crabs, hawks, penguins and the flightless cormorant. Naturalist�s briefing and dinner. <br /><br />7: Monday <br />Puerto Egas (James Island)<br /><br />Wet landing for a mid-length walk. Most of the landscape is tuff-stone layers and lava flows. This is a great opportunity to see land and marine birds. At low tide, marine iguanas graze upon the algae beds and there is a colony of fur-sea lions. Good snorkeling and swimming from the beach after the walk. Lunch on board. <br />Bartolome Island<br /><br />Disembark at Bartolome Island (dry landing) for a hike to the summit. This is a steep climb aided by a wooden staircase; the view from the top is worth the effort. There will be time for a panga ride around Pinnacle Rock to observe penguins, to enjoy the beach (wet landing), snorkeling and swimming from the beach, or a ride on the glass-bottom boat. Farewell cocktail and departure briefing. <br /><br />8: Tuesday <br />Baltra Island<br /><br />After breakfast, departure to the port and airport to take the flight back to the continent.