If you are taking a group to the Galápagos, a boat and a house are different weeks. A cruise is how you see the most islands. It is not the only way to have a good week with kids, grandparents, or anyone who wants a slow morning.
There are three trips, not two.
- A shared cruise. Other passengers, a fixed route, and a morning that belongs to the boat.
- Infinity. A private charter. Your group only. Still a boat, still a park route, still the crossings. Public specs list twenty guests in ten cabins, each with a private balcony. The same Puerto Ayora family that operates GPS Villa owns the yacht. We take the inquiry. They confirm the boat. We do not publish a rate.
- GPS Villa. The house. Four bedrooms, three and a half baths, sleeps nine, on the water in Puerto Ayora. A private heated hydrojet jacuzzi, a sea kayak, a shared outdoor pool open from 2:00 to 9:00, a full kitchen, and Starlink. Villa Coral in Dorado is our home. This one is the house we send groups to for a land week, looked after by a local host.
The boat’s morning, or yours
Park visitor sites run on a clock. On a shared cruise, that clock is announced for everyone. If a child will not get up, or a grandparent wants another hour, the landing still leaves. You go, or you stay in the cabin while the ship moves on.
At the house, you pick the day. Boats leave from the pier in town. El Chato, the giant-tortoise reserve in the Santa Cruz highlands, is a land day. You can stay longer. A naturalist is required on park visitor sites. That person is part of the landing. We do not staff a private guide at the house.
A cabin, or a house that does not move
A shared cruise puts the group in cabins and on decks you share with the ship. A work call is the lounge or the bed where someone is sleeping. The crossing is part of the night.
GPS Villa is one address. The living room and the dining table are the same floor. Early coffee is in the kitchen. The house is on Starlink, the fastest connection on the island. We have not published a measured speed, so we will not quote one. The yard has a covered table, a grill, and the hot tub.
What you actually see from town
The house is on the water in Puerto Ayora, close to the main pier. The sea kayak is at the house. Guests walk down to the docks in the morning. They report sea lions, marine iguanas, and sea turtles. One group saw baby sharks, a stingray, and sea turtles at the pier across the street.
If someone gets sick
From about June through November the channels are cooler and rougher. One person who cannot get out of the bunk stays on the boat until the ship can get them off. The house does not move.
Puerto Ayora is the town with the hospital and the pharmacies. On a western-island itinerary, that desk is a crossing away.
Flights land at Baltra or San Cristóbal. Baltra means the Itabaca channel, then a ride into town. Lock the first night before you fly. Keys are at the Hotel Barranco front desk, any hour. The name on that hotel checkout is Dock House. You stay in GPS Villa.
Food
Restaurants and food markets are a short walk. Day boats, when you want one, leave from the pier.
Quick look
| Shared cruise | Infinity | GPS Villa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is on board | Other passengers | Your group | Your group, on land |
| The morning | The ship’s clock | Your charter, still a park route | You pick the day boat, or you skip it |
| Where you sleep | A cabin | A cabin with a balcony | A four-bedroom house. Sleeps 9 |
| The water | Crossings and landings | Crossings and landings | The bay, the pier, a kayak at the house |
| If someone is sick | You are on the boat | You are on the boat | You are in Puerto Ayora |
If the week is Fernandina, Genovesa, and the sites a ship can reach, ask about Infinity on the Galápagos private travel page. If the week is kids under twelve, a kitchen, and a morning you control, start with GPS Villa. Some families do a short charter, then a few nights in the house.
Book GPS Villa: https://ctcstays.com/properties/gps-villa/
Chris, Tamara, and the Girls
Happy Travels!
This article is part of the Galápagos family travel guide. Start there for villas, planning, and every related guide in this destination.
