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Itineraries of the Isabela II

Price and Availability Notice
Prices displayed are provided for informational purposes only. They reflect the rates in effect at the time of their most recent update and are shown in Canadian dollars, per person, based on double occupancy, unless otherwise specified.

Supplier rates, exchange rates, taxes and fees, room or cabin categories, and promotions are subject to change at any time. The applicable price is the one confirmed by a travel advisor at the time of booking, subject to availability. Only the confirmed price shall be considered valid.

It is the traveler's responsibility to confirm the price, inclusions, and applicable terms and conditions before making a reservation. While every effort is made to keep our content up to date, transmission, display, or pricing errors may occur. In such cases, the correct price will be communicated to the traveler before any booking is confirmed. Certain terms, restrictions, and exclusions may apply.

    Technical specifications

    • Tonnage:  1025
    • Passengers:  64
    • Length:  166 m
    • Width:  38 m

    History

    • 1979: Année de construction
    • 2018: Année de rénovation

    A 1979 hull in the Galapagos, and who sells her today

    The Isabela II belongs to an Ecuadorian tour operator who has owned and run her throughout. The line never owned her: it chartered her on a time basis for its Galapagos programmes. This ship no longer appears in the fleet it publishes, and our inventory shows no departure date.

    She is still sailing. Her owner sells her directly, and so does another major international brand. The ship has neither vanished nor been laid up: she has simply left this particular line's catalogue.

    What she is

    Fifty-four metres, twenty-two cabins, forty travellers according to her operator, three decks. The hull was built in Chile in 1979: she is the oldest ship of her category in the archipelago, despite a rebuild in 2012 and a documented yard period in September 2020.

    That is not a fault in itself, but it should be said. A hull more than forty-five years old needs constant upkeep, and the original layout made no provision for private balconies. In exchange the ship carries a hot tub, a gym, a library, a glass-bottomed craft for underwater viewing, a satellite connection and a medical officer aboard.

    The naturalist guides are certified by the national park, which is compulsory in the Galapagos for any land visit. Itineraries run from five to nine nights depending on the island groups.

    The active ships in the fleet

    The Delfin III sails the Peruvian Amazon. The Avalon Saigon holds the Mekong. The MS Farah holds the Nile. The Avalon Artistry II holds the Bordeaux region.

    From Quebec

    None of these itineraries begins here. A transatlantic flight is required and it is not included in the cruise fare. From Montreal several embarkation cities are reachable without a connection in season; elsewhere, expect one connection in Europe.

    Arriving a day early is not a luxury. A delayed bag or a shifted flight can be absorbed by one spare day, and cannot be absorbed at all if you land on the morning of departure. Plan the return day too: leaving the ship happens earlier than people expect.

    Our advisors assemble the flight, the cruise, the hotel nights and the insurance in a single file, and you remain covered by Quebec's compensation fund for travel agency customers. Write to us and we will look at what the season allows.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    No. The ship no longer appears in the fleet it publishes and our inventory shows no dates. She is nonetheless still sailing: her Ecuadorian owner sells her directly, and so does another international brand.
    An Ecuadorian tour operator who owns and runs her. The line never owned her: it chartered her on a time basis for its Galapagos programmes, which is an entirely different relationship.
    She was built in Chile in 1979. She is the oldest ship of her category in the archipelago, despite a rebuild in 2012 and a documented yard period in September 2020.
    Not in itself, but it should be said. A hull more than forty-five years old needs constant upkeep, and the original layout made no provision for private balconies. The comfort belongs to another era, brought up to date.
    Forty according to her operator, forty-two to forty-four according to a third-party database. We use the operator's figure, since he knows his own ship better than a database does.
    A hot tub, a gym, a bar-lounge, a restaurant, a library with a computer station, and a glass-bottomed craft for watching underwater life without getting in.
    Yes, along with a satellite connection. In the Galapagos, where evacuation to the mainland takes time, having a medical officer aboard is a real element of safety.
    Yes. In the Galapagos every land visit must be led by a guide certified by the national park. That is not a comfort option but a park rule, strictly applied.
    Hiking, snorkelling, kayaking, paddleboarding, coastal outings and viewing from the glass-bottomed craft. Days are built around two guided outings.
    Five to nine nights depending on the island groups visited: south-east, north or west of the archipelago. Each zone gives different wildlife, and none shows it all.
    The national park entrance fee and the transit control card, settled on site, flights to the archipelago, insurance and gratuities. That is the standard mechanism in the Galapagos.
    No accessibility information is published for this ship, and panga landings onto beaches or rocks make this kind of cruise very difficult in a wheelchair.
    Choose the zone and the season first, the ship second. Wildlife changes from island to island and season to season: that choice shapes your trip far more than the number of cabins.
    Tell us what you were looking for: a region, a date, a size of ship. Depending on the answer we point toward an active ship of the same line or another brand serving the same ground.
    We first check what actually exists on the date you have in mind, then build flight, lodging, cruise, transfers and insurance into one file, under the protection of Quebec's compensation fund for travel agency customers.
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