A 2025 Review of Santa Fe Island & the Sea Lion Yacht

So, you are thinking about the Galapagos for 2025, and well, you keep hearing about this one particular boat, the Sea Lion Yacht. Honestly, people have asked me about my time on it, especially the day we stopped at Santa Fe Island, so I figured I should, you know, just write it all down. It’s almost impossible to really capture the feeling of the Galapagos, you know, but I’ll give it a try. This isn’t going to be, like, your standard brochure stuff. I mean, it’s more or less about what it actually felt like to be there, right? The salty air, you know, that first time you see a blue-footed booby, and basically the whole atmosphere of being on a small yacht in the middle of a pretty much magical place.

Getting Settled on the Sea Lion Yacht

Okay, so first things first, let’s talk about the boat itself. To be honest, the Sea Lion Yacht is kind of cozy, not like one of those huge, impersonal cruise ships, at all. I mean, the cabins were actually very practical and clean, with, like, a window that gives you a view of the ocean right there. You could just lie in bed and, like, watch the waves go by, which was seriously amazing. The common areas are, you know, where everyone hangs out, and they are surprisingly roomy, really. There’s a dining area where we all ate together, and then, like, a lounge with books about the islands and stuff. You could apparently find some really good information about these intimate Galapagos experiences online before you even go. By the way, the top sundeck was probably my favorite spot; I mean, you could just sit up there for hours, watching for dolphins or just feeling the sun.

Honestly, the whole vibe on the boat is just very relaxed. At the end of the day, you’re there with a small group of people who are, you know, just as excited as you are to see everything. It’s not a party boat, you know, not at all, which is a good thing, really. The sound of the engine is, like, a constant hum in the background, but you kind of get used to it, and it almost becomes a soothing sound. Seriously, after a day of hiking and snorkeling, just relaxing on that sundeck with a drink was pretty much perfect. It is just a little bit different from any other kind of vacation you could think of, basically. The whole setup sort of makes you feel like a real adventurer, you know what I mean?

The Food, the Crew, and that Onboard Feeling

Alright, so let’s get to the food, which, frankly, was a lot better than I expected for a small boat in the middle of the ocean. The chef was, like, seriously talented, you know? Every meal was actually different and used lots of fresh, local stuff from mainland Ecuador. I mean, we had fresh fish, different kinds of salads, and, you know, these really good soups. For example, they’d have these amazing fruit juices for breakfast, like passionfruit and naranjilla, which were just so good. We ate together at these big tables, and it was a great way to, like, talk to everyone else about what they saw that day. You can actually see pictures of the kind of food they serve and it sort of gets you excited. It’s pretty much a communal experience, which I really liked.

The crew, well, they were honestly fantastic. They are all, you know, so friendly and they really work hard to make sure you have everything you need. You know, from the captain to the person who cleans your cabin, everyone just had a smile for you, sort of. As I was saying, it feels like a little family after a few days. Still, the most important person is your naturalist guide, and ours was, like, a walking encyclopedia. He knew literally everything about the animals, the plants, the volcanoes, you name it. He was also really passionate about protecting the islands, and that kind of passion is, like, super contagious, you know?

You know, it’s one thing to see a sea lion on TV, but it’s another thing entirely to have a curious pup come up and sniff your camera while your guide is, like, quietly explaining its behavior right next to you. That’s sort of what this trip is all about.

Basically, every evening the guide would give us a briefing about the next day. He’d show us charts and pictures and tell us what to expect, what to wear, and what we might see. It honestly got everyone really excited for the next morning’s adventure. It’s actually that build-up and that shared excitement that really makes the whole onboard experience so special, I mean. It’s a bit like being at a very exclusive, floating summer camp for nature lovers.

Approaching the Unique Shores of Santa Fe

I still remember waking up that morning, you know, and the yacht was really quiet, just gently rocking. You could just feel we were anchored somewhere new. I, like, looked out my cabin window and saw it: Santa Fe Island. It just looked so different from the other islands we had seen, very pale and almost kind of otherworldly. The water around it was this incredible shade of turquoise, like something you’d see in a postcard but, you know, way more vivid in real life. From the yacht, you could already see all these dark spots on the beaches, and it took a second to realize they were all, like, sea lions. I mean, hundreds of them, basically. For anyone interested, just a little bit of research into what a typical day at Santa Fe looks like can be a very good idea.

So, after breakfast, we all got into the panga, which is, like, their little inflatable boat that takes you to the shore. The ride over was almost as exciting as the island itself, to be honest. Sea lions were zipping around us in the water, their heads popping up to get a look at us, you know, like playful dogs. As we got closer, the sound started to build. It was this amazing chorus of barks and grunts from the sea lion colony, a sound that is just so quintessentially Galapagos. The cliffs of the island are, you know, covered in these enormous cacti, which our guide pointed out right away. He explained that Santa Fe is, like, one of the oldest islands in the archipelago, and that’s why it has its own unique species. The anticipation in our little group was, like, electric. We were all just silently staring, trying to take it all in.

A Hike Through a Forest of Giant Cacti

The landing on Santa Fe is a ‘dry landing’, which basically means you step from the panga right onto some rocks. The second your feet touch the ground, you, like, feel the ancientness of the place. The ground is made up of these smooth, weathered lava rocks, and you immediately notice the plants are just, you know, completely different. The stars of the show are the giant Opuntia cacti, the prickly pears. I mean, they’re not like normal cacti; these things are literally the size of trees, with thick, woody trunks. You sort of feel like you’ve shrunk, walking among them. It’s this weird, beautiful, and slightly prehistoric-feeling landscape that is just amazing to see for yourself.

The trail is, you know, clearly marked, and you have to stay on it to protect the fragile environment. Our guide led us on this slow walk, stopping, like, every few feet to point something out. He showed us these little lava lizards skittering around and explained how the Opuntia cactus evolved to grow so tall here. Apparently, it was to keep their delicious pads away from the giant tortoises that used to live on the island. It’s that kind of storytelling that really brings the whole place to life. I mean, thinking about the animals and plants in these ecosystems is just so different when you’re there. You get a much clearer picture of the special hiking opportunities in the islands. It’s almost like walking through a living museum, seriously.

The Calm and Collected Santa Fe Land Iguana

So, as we were walking through that cactus forest, our guide just, like, quietly put his hand up for us to stop. And there it was. Just chilling in the shade of a rock was a Santa Fe land iguana. It was, you know, absolutely incredible. These guys are endemic, which means they are, like, only found on this one island in the entire world. They are a much paler, more yellowish color than the other land iguanas in the Galapagos, and they seem, I don’t know, calmer somehow. This one was pretty much unbothered by us. It just kind of sat there, slowly blinking its ancient-looking eyes.

We saw several more as we continued our walk. You know, they are often just lying under the cacti, waiting for a juicy pad or a flower to drop. It’s really funny to watch them, actually. They move so slowly and deliberately, almost like they’ve got all the time in the world. And in a way, they do. They are like these little, modern-day dinosaurs. Our guide told us a lot about them, their diet, their life cycle, and the conservation efforts to protect them. Honestly, getting that close to a creature that is so rare is a really powerful experience. You really get a sense of why it’s so important to protect these special places. For reptile lovers, there is actually a lot of great reading about the distinct creatures you can find here, and it’s very interesting stuff.

The best part is that, because there are no natural predators on the island, the iguanas have, you know, very little fear of humans. You can get reasonably close to them for photos, as long as you stay on the path and listen to your guide, of course. They just sort of look at you with this calm, wise expression. It’s a completely different kind of wildlife encounter from anything you’d experience, like, in Africa or somewhere else where the animals are naturally wary. It’s just very, very peaceful.

Swimming with the Locals: An Unforgettable Snorkel

Okay, so after the hike, which was just amazing, we got back in the panga and went to a calm little bay for snorkeling. Now, I have snorkeled in other places before, but honestly, nothing, and I mean nothing, prepares you for snorkeling in the Galapagos. The second you put your face in the water, it’s like, whoa. The water in the bay was so clear you could, like, see everything on the sandy bottom. But the main attraction was, you know, the sea lions. Before I even had my fins on properly, a young sea lion just zipped right by my head, literally a blur of brown fur, leaving a trail of bubbles behind. Getting to know the details about these top spots for underwater adventures can make a trip so much better.

They are just incredibly playful and curious. You know, they will swim right up to you, stare into your mask, and then do these acrobatic twists and turns right in front of your face. It’s honestly like being invited into their own personal playground. It’s not just a little bit of fun; it’s a completely immersive experience. They swim circles around you, faster than you can even imagine. You just float there and watch the show. We also saw, like, tons of colorful fish, some big sea turtles just lazily swimming by, and even a couple of marine iguanas feeding on algae on the underwater rocks. The water is a little chilly, you know, because of the ocean currents, but the yacht provides wetsuits, and frankly, you’re so distracted by everything you see that you barely even notice the temperature.

What Really Makes the Sea Lion Yacht Special

So, you know, when I think back on that day at Santa Fe, it wasn’t just the animals or the landscape, which were obviously mind-blowing. It was, kind of, the entire experience put together by the Sea Lion Yacht team. A bigger ship just couldn’t give you that same feeling, I mean. With a small group, you can move quietly and, like, have these really personal moments with the wildlife. There’s no jostling for position to get a photo; everyone has a front-row seat, basically. The access that small yachts have is often to more secluded places, and you can get details on the benefits of picking a smaller vessel for your tour.

The guide, as I was saying, is really the heart of the trip. A good guide doesn’t just show you an animal; they tell you its story. They connect all the dots between the geology, the ocean currents, the plants, and the creatures. They make you see the island as a living, breathing system, not just a tourist spot. They also are very strict, in a good way, about the park rules, which makes you feel good because you know your visit is, like, as low-impact as possible. They genuinely care so much, and you can really feel that. At the end of the day, it is this combination of a comfortable boat, great food, an amazing crew, and an expert guide that turns a simple vacation into, well, something you will seriously never, ever forget.