Ultimate Galápagos Islands Cruise Expedition

Let Erin and Phil book this same experience for you, personally! We started ABC Trips to offer our bespoke itineraries to those seeking authentic culture, epic landscapes, and uncompromising luxury. 👉🏼 https://abctrips.com Two days ago, we set out on our latest bucket list adventure: the Galápagos Islands. A place where evolution isn’t just theory—it’s daily life. We’re following in Darwin’s footsteps as we spend the next week island-hopping and getting up close with giant tortoises, blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas, sea lions, sharks, and as many of the islands’ Big 15 as we can track down. And our basecamp for this wild expedition? HX’s Santa Cruz II. This 90-passenger ship is our floating home away from shore—complete with comfortable cabins, creative cuisine, and some well-earned cocktails every evening after days filled with adventure on land and beneath the waves. But before the islands came Quito. Our nine-day, all-inclusive journey started in Ecuador’s capital—the highest on the planet—where we explored historic sites, tasted authentic local flavors, and stood with one foot in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern. From there, HX flew us out to the islands, bussed us to the port, and set us on our first zodiac ride—delivering us to the ship that will carry us through this unforgettable journey. So if you’ve ever dreamed of experiencing the Galápagos for yourself and want to see what every detail is like, sit back, relax, and enjoy the adventure. Contents: 0:00 Intro 1:12 HX Santa Cruz II Ship Tour 7:49 First Excursion 9:29 Mosquera Islet 14:32 Red-Footed Boobies Hike 18:51 Lunch on the Ship 19:37 Deep-Water Snorkel with Sea Lions 23:24 Kicker Rock 23:48 Bridge Tour 24:39 Exploring San Cristobal Island 26:45 Ship Science Center 27:37 Santa Fe Island 32:05 Snorkeling with Sharks 33:00 South Plaza Island 38:08 Santa Cruz Island Darwin Research Station 47:14 Wild Porteri Tortoise Breeding Grounds 51:17 Española Island 58:15 Gardener Beach and Deep-Water Snorkel 59:51 Sunset Cocktails 1:00:50 Glass-Bottom Boat 1:02:48 Swimming with Sharks, Stingrays and More 1:04:10 North Seymour Island 1:05:34 Conclusion 1:06:52 Behind the Scenes We’re the Lockwoods. Since 2020, we’ve been traveling the world to experience—up close and in person—all the natural wonders and distinct cultures that our kids would otherwise see only in textbooks and TV. We think it’s a better way to learn and we’ve worked hard to fund our little experiment in the hope that our kids will grow up wiser, kinder, and more grateful for the beauty of our diverse planet and its people. In 2025, we started ABC Trips to help travelers experience the world the way we do—deeply, intentionally, and without the stress of figuring everything out alone. After years of full-time travel, expedition cruising, luxury hotels, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences with our family, we realized something: the hardest part of epic travel isn’t the destination—it’s the decisions. Which ship actually gets you more time on the ice? Which safari lodge delivers real wildlife encounters? Which “bucket list” experiences are worth the money… and which are just hype? ABC Trips exists to cut through the noise. We plan and host thoughtfully curated journeys built around firsthand experience, honest recommendations, and moments that actually move the needle—whether that’s setting foot on Antarctica, tracking wildlife in Africa, or discovering cultures in a way that feels human, not herded. Our LinkTree: https://abctrips.com/linktree Brand Collabs: https://abctrips.com/collab