Why Choose Us?

Expert advice. Personal service. Sustainable travel

True destination experts

As an owner-run business, which has been creating exceptional Galapagos holidays for over two decades, we don’t try and sell you a holiday, but listen to what you want and then work with you to create a Galapagos trip that is perfect for you.

We work with the best yachts, lodges, guides and transport in Ecuador, Galapagos and Peru and design holidays that are totally tailored to your interests, timescale and budget. We are completely independent, and have no affiliation to any yachts, lodges or hotels so we can really focus on exactly what is right for your Galapagos holiday.

Think Galapagos are true destination experts. We haven’t just travelled in Ecuador and Galapagos, we have lived and worked there for many years giving us an unrivalled network of local contacts. Our in depth knowledge combined with our local contacts allows us to create exceptional holidays to Ecuador and Galapagos taking you beyond the bounds of ordinary travel.

Emerging stronger from the pandemic

The COVID pandemic was a devastating time for the travel industry, particularly for single destination specialists like us. There were times when we wondered if we would make it through but thanks to help from the UK Department of International Trade and Hull & East Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (HEY LEP), we got help to diversify our offering to an international audience. This enabled us to come out of the pandemic in a stronger position.
 
We recorded a case study for them recently and you can see it here:
 

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Give Rachel a Call

Company founder and Galapagos expert, Rachel is on hand to help you plan your trip of a lifetime!

01482 887 453

Rachel

“Throughout our tours we aim to encourage a greater environmental awareness, whether of the landscape itself or its inhabitants.”

Responsible travel…

Responsible travel is at the heart of everything we do. We believe travel has the power to inspire and support positive social and environmental transformation in the places we visit.

All the holidays we organise are guided by its central principles – that our visit can and should benefit the local community, that we should leave places as we discovered them and that our visit is so much more than a holiday; it is a chance to learn more about the ecosystems we visit and their conservation value. 

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6 reasons to choose think galapagos

Galapagos Family Holiday

We are dedicated Galapagos specialists

Whilst there are lots of general travel companies offering trips to the Galapagos, Think Galapagos are unique in that we are specialists. Think Galapagos founders Rachel and Santiago will personally plan and create your tailor made trip with you, or in the case of the group trips, Santiago will lead the trip personally.

Responsible Travel

Responsible tourism is our most important commitment. Throughout our holidays we strive to inspire and educate, providing a deep understanding of the ecosystems you visit and their conservation value. We work with local communities to support them. We are actively involved with the Galapagos Conservation Trust and provide each guest with a 6-month membership.
Amazon and Galapagos Holiday Kayaking
Noah Snorkelling

An incredible level of personal service

Our ethos is simple and lies at the heart of everything we do: nothing is too much trouble for our guests. We take the time to get to know every guest personally and will go out of our way to ensure everyone who travels with us is as happy as can be, both pre and post-trip by providing as much help and support as needed.

Top local guides

A good guide can make the difference between an average and an outstanding trip. Whether you’re cruising the Galapagos or visiting the wonders of Ecuador and Peru, you’ll be accompanied every step of the way by one of our hand-picked team of guides. Their job is to share their passion for their home with you to make your trip the holiday of a lifetime.
Family holiday Amazon Rainforest
Claudia Roeder and Family in Galapagos

Holidays tailored
to your budget

Our excellent relationships with yacht operators and hotels means we can secure the best rates available for our guests. This means our holidays are competitively priced and can be tailored to your budget as well as offering outstanding levels service and support throughout the planning of the trip and during the trip itself.

Peace of Mind

Think Galapagos is proud to be a member of Protected Trust Services (PTS), membership number 5731. This means that all clients booking with us are fully protected for the initial deposit, and subsequently the balance of monies paid as detailed in your booking confirmation form. Your money is fully protected and paid into an independent Trust Account, managed by Protected Trust Services. We are fully bonded by the Civil Aviation Authority under Air Travel Organisers’ License (ATOL) number 10266. All flights and flight-inclusive vacations on this website are financially protected by ATOL. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed.

Family Holiday Amazon

Why Choose Us?

We listen to you. We take the time to understand what you want your Galapagos trip of a lifetime to be. We then we use our decades of experience and unrivalled network of local contacts and team of top guides to make it happen.

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Guest Reviews

Once in a lifetime experience
Cathy & Nigel Sharpe
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A wonderful and once in a lifetime experience. There were many highlights: hummingbirds in the cloud forest…snorkelling with the sea lions, penguins and the beautiful fish, watching the courtships of the Blue Footed Boobies & Waved Albatross…….We could go on!
Stunned by the attention to the details
Federica and Paul
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It was an incredible holiday and superbly organised from beginning to end. Everything was exactly how we wanted it. We were stunned by the attention to the details. I really have no words to express how grateful we are.
No previous experience in our lives comes remotely close
David and Margaret Wilcock
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It's hard to know how our trip could have been any more enjoyable. No previous experience in our lives comes remotely close enough to compare - so for all the amazing attention to detail your put in, and the unexpected little extras.
I can’t speak highly enough of this company
David and Amy Donselar
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I can't speak highly enough of this company...they put together an unforgettable trip through Quito, the Cloud Forest, and the Galapagos Islands. The detailed preparation and planning was obvious and the every step was flawlessly executed.
A fabulous time
Alison and Graham Cartwright
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We had a fabulous time… and have talked non-stop to friends and family since we got back. How do you explain the thrill of swimming with sea lions or the beauty and majesty of the islands and animals; we keep trying.
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Meet the Team

 Here is a bit more about us all and what we do here at Think Galapagos…

Man by coast

Meet Santiago

Santiago was born and raised in Ecuador and has worked as a naturalist guide in the Galapagos since 1992. His photography of the Galapagos has been published and exhibited internationally. A recognised specialist on the Galapagos, Santiago is regularly invited to give talks on the islands to groups and organisations across the UK. Santiago designs and leads all our small group trips to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.

Rachel Think Galapagos

Meet Rachel

Rachel, originally from Yorkshire, moved to Ecuador to work as a foreign correspondent for The Economist and Bloomberg News soon after graduating and stayed there for almost a decade. It was here she met Santiago and together they started organising expeditions to Ecuador and the Galapagos. Rachel heads up the UK office and designs the tailor made programs and will usually be your main point of contact before your trip.

Irene Morejon

Meet Irene

Irene, heads up our team in mainland Ecuador and Galapagos. With a degree in Tourism Administration and another in Marketing, Irene has worked organising trips on the ground in Ecuador for over two decades. Based in Quito Irene effortlessly manages the most diverse requirements and guarantees our seamless operations on the ground and is your local contact in Ecuador available 24/7.

Andres de la Torre

Meet Andres

Andres is a native of Quito and has worked as a naturalist guide helping to guide our guests during their time in mainland Ecuador since graduating in Biology over a decade ago. With an amazing knowledge of the culture, history and spectacular natural places in Ecuador he is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable guides in the country.

Daniel King

Meet Daniel

Daniel got his first degree in marketing, but his passion has always been the Ecuadorean wilderness and over a decade ago he began leading tours in Ecuador. Now one of the top guides in mainland Ecuador with a vast breadth of knowledge he is also works with NGO’s helping conserve the country’s native forests.

Teresa Buckle

Meet Teresa

Teresa ensures everything runs like clockwork in the UK office. Passionate about wildlife and with a background in financial services and keen eye for detail Teresa is responsible for maintaining the records of all of our guests and the financial records for the company. Teresa is usually the person who contacts you with your ATOL Certificate after you have booked!

Paulina Salazar

Meet Paulina

Paulina was born and raised in Quito. She has a degree in Tourism and has over three decades experience working in the travel industry. She has travelled extensively in Ecuador & Galapagos and is an expert in the exhilarating landscapes, inside paths, hidden places, delicious cuisine and indigenous cultures in Ecuador. Paulina helped with the first ever Think Galapagos tailor-made guest booking way back in 2004 and uses her expertise to look after our guests and answer any questions they may have in the run up to their trip.

Request a video chat

Want to chat through your plans face to face? Fill in our form and request a video chat and we’ll be in touch with the details.

Local Suppliers

We work with a range of trusted suppliers in Ecuador and Galapagos. All suppliers have been carefully chosen by us as being the best in the business and we personally know the teams involved in providing services to our guests. Browse the links below to find out more information on some of the yachts, hotels and lodges we work with in Galapagos and Ecuador.

Napo Wildlife Centre

Wildlife Centre in the heart of the Amazon in Ecuador

Galagents

Galapagos Yacht Charters

Enchanted Expeditions

Small boat cruise specialist in the Galapagos Islands

Galapagos Experience

Galapagos cruise operator
El Monte Lodge

Eco lodge in Mindo Cloud Forest, Ecuador

San Isidro Lodge
Guango Lodge
Peru Runa Travel