Major tour operators in Galapagos are Cosmos, Kleintours, Globus, Nuevo Mundo and Metropolitan Touring. We booked with Metropolitan Touring, an established company with more than thirty years experience in Galapagos and Ecuador. We chose their Land (Hotel Delphin, now the newly renovated Finch Bay Hotel) and Sea (Delphin 11) tour. The benefits: We could go for a walk at dawn, walk with the animals by day, and swim in the pool at dusk. The downside is time spent going back and forth between Santa Cruz and the other islands, which were some distance away.

Some travelers prefer to sleep on the guide boats. In the evening, they drop anchor close to the islands, leaving more time to explore the islands.