Humboldt Explorer, Galapagos

Name: Central Archipelago, Darwin and Wolf Islands (Baltra - Baltra)
Start: 2026-09-14
End: 2026-09-21
Location: Galapagos

8.8 Fabulous

Nitrox available
Free Internet
Jacuzzi / Hot Tub
En-Suite bathrooms
Aircon Cabins
Warm Water Showers

from $ 699 / day Check dates

“It was one of the most amazing dive trips I had.”
Azam G, Netherlands

Highlights

Two land tours to see giant tortoises and endemic birds
Expansive dive deck, safe charging stations, and upgraded safety features
Member of the Green Fins sustainability and conservation program
Nitrox on board

The MV Humboldt Explorer, of the Explorer Ventures Fleet, offers incredible diving in the Galapagos year-round. Completely renovated in Spring 2023, the vessel is one of the Galapagos's safest, most modern, and most comfortable liveaboards. Humboldt Explorer offers 8 double or twin cabins on the upper or lower decks. All rooms have private en-suite bathrooms, individually controlled AC, and a TV. The air-conditioned salon on the main deck features an entertainment/media area and a large lounge. Meals are served in this salon's dining area, where guests can enjoy views of the Galapagos Islands. Meals are a mix of American and local cuisines. Other notable areas include the top deck with sun loungers, a bar, an al-fresco dining area, and a hot tub to warm up between dives.

Humboldt Explorer also offers a unique 7-night/8-day itinerary; it is the only Galapagos liveaboard to offer 4 days of diving with pelagics at the islands Darwin and Wolf. The dive deck is equipped with individual gear storage, a large camera table and charging station, and a separate fresh water rinse tank for underwater camera equipment. Diving occurs from two large tenders; nitrox is available for those certified. The Humboldt Explorer liveaboard offers incredible diving in the Galapagos year-round. The high season is from July to November when conditions are colder, currents are stronger, and visibility is lower, but this is the best chance to see whale sharks when diving at Darwin and Wolf. The low season is from December to June when the currents are not as strong, the visibility is clearer, and the water is warmer. Hammerheads, eagle rays, sea lions, Galapagos and silky sharks, and huge schools of fish are generally present all year.

Book your Humboldt Explorer liveaboard easily online today.

Choose your departure date

Date

Itinerary

Price

Select

29 Jun

8 Days / 7 Nights

$ 6,295

FULL

06 Jul

8 Days / 7 Nights

$ 6,395

FULL

13 Jul

8 Days / 7 Nights

$ 6,395

FULL

20 Jul

8 Days / 7 Nights

Female Shared Cabin.

$ 6,395

Select Cabin only 1 space left

27 Jul

8 Days / 7 Nights

$ 6,395

FULL

03 Aug

8 Days / 7 Nights

$ 6,395

FULL

10 Aug

8 Days / 7 Nights

$ 6,395

FULL

17 Aug

8 Days / 7 Nights

$ 6,395

FULL

24 Aug

8 Days / 7 Nights

$ 6,395

FULL

31 Aug

8 Days / 7 Nights

$ 6,395

FULL

07 Sep

8 Days / 7 Nights

$ 6,395

FULL

14 Sep

8 Days / 7 Nights

$ 6,395

FULL

Included: VAT, Alcoholic Beverages, Drinking Water, Soft drinks, Tea & Coffee, Full-Board Meal Plan (All meals), Snacks, Diving Package, Cabin Towels, Deck Towels, WiFi internet.

Required Extras: Chamber Fees (35 USD), Fuel Surcharge (150-220 USD), National Park Fees (100-200 USD), Visas and Fees (20 USD).

Optional Extras: Gratuities, Airport Transfer, Local Flights, Nitrox (150-220 USD per trip), Nitrox Course (170 USD), Rental Gear, Land Excursions, Snorkel Gear.

Book now, pay later: You can easily place your booking online. We will then hold the spaces for you and you can confirm with a payment later.

* Extra fees are shown per person.

Pay by bank transfer or online with

Best Price Guaranteed

Boat features

Free Internet
Jacuzzi / Hot Tub
En-Suite bathrooms
Aircon Cabins
Warm Water Showers
Air Conditioned saloon
Sun Deck
Camera Station
Seaview Cabins
Custom built for diving
Charging stations
Indoor Saloon
Library
Audio & video entertainment
TV in cabins
Available for Charter
Local & International Crew
Snorkeling Equipment
Separate Rinse for u/w Camera
Bar

Food & Drinks

Free Wine w/Dinner
Free Soft Drinks
Beer available
Wine Available
Fine Wines Selection
Snacks All Day
Local Food
Set Menu Dinner

If you have any specific dietary requirements whilst on-board your cruise, you can add this to your special requests on step 2 of the booking form. We advise limiting these requests to religious beliefs or food allergies.

Diving

Nitrox available
Shaded Diving Area
DIN Adaptors
Dive deck
Tenders for diving

Languages Spoken

The crew speaks English and Spanish.

Gear Rental

Equipment is available for rent on this boat. Please provide your rental needs on the booking form. If the rental gear is not included in the price, you will need to pay for it on board the boat. Show prices

Drawings & Vessel Layouts

Cabin Types

Boat Specifications

Year built: 2009

Length: 111.5 feet

Beam: 21.3 feet

Top speed: 10 knots

Engines: Detroit Diesel 6V92 350HP

Max guests: 16

Number of cabins: 8

Number of bathrooms: 8

Tenders: 2 x rigid hull inflatables

Fuel capacity: 5'300 gallons

Boat navigation and safety

Radar
Depth Sounder
GPS
Radio VHF/DSC/SSB
Emergency Rafts
Life Vests
Oxygen
First Aid Kits

Humboldt Explorer Reviews

8.8 Fabulous

Vessel

8.5
Crew

8.9
Food

9.4
Diving

9.1
Value

8.0

9.6 Exceptional
David G
United States

We came to see hammerheads. Goal fulfilled
Visibility was poor for some of the dives but it got better as the week progressed. The crew was exceptional, always ready to help.
Recommended for
The helpfulness of the crew. The dive briefings. The other customers.
27 Feb, 2026

10 Exceptional
Jeff P
United States

Galapagos Humboldt Explorer was sensational and exceeded expectations!
Whale sharks. Sharks. Great diving. Excellent food and companions on the boat. Great crew too.
Recommended for
Diving, Crew, Other divers
26 Aug, 2021

10 Exceptional
Luis L
Portugal

Almost Perfect if it wasn’t for the (untrained!) whale sharks not showing up
Starting with an extremely experienced attentive crew that anticipated every possible need or diving expectation and ending on a varied group of well balanced guests: it all felt like family at home! Food was catered to every moment, dietary restriction & imaginable taste — safety and service went beyond any possible expectations. The only and unfortunately most negative aspect was not seeing whale sharks, off season (entirely divers luck and nothing to do with Humboldt experience).
Recommended for
Diving experience and guides. Friendly helpful staff. Food options and service.
29 May, 2026

9.6 Exceptional
John H
Singapore

Great experience, both in and out of waters
Went on the Humboldt Explorer as my first ever LOB and I must say they have set the bar high, from cabin facilities, cleanliness, crew service and friendliness, diving and dive guides, to food & drinks onboard. The crew were always ready to assist, be it pre/post dive or whenever. Dive sites were great as well, we even got to see a humpback whale on our last dive at Darwin! Overall a great trip, would highly recommend!
Recommended for
Diving & Dive Guides. Crew Service. Food & Drinks onboard.
25 Jul, 2025

10 Exceptional
Giorgia R
Italy

Absolutely amazing!
The organisation and the attention that they have for the guest it’s amazing! All the staff members are professional, friendly and always kind. The boat is WOW: clean, tidy, nice common areas and beds really comfortable. The food is local and international: delicious. The diving part of the boat is absolutely functional and the crew helps you literally in every moment. For sure, I’ll choose them again when I’ll come back to Galápagos!
Recommended for
Crew - food - whole experience
22 May, 2024

10 Exceptional
Jialin W
United States

The body is in hell, and the soul is in heaven.
It's been a few months since I left Humboldt, and my first Galapagos diving trip made me unforgettable. The underwater beauty, delicious food, and friendly staff made me decide to return to Galapagos in May 2020.
Recommended for
Underwater views, dedicated staff and delicious food.
14 Jan, 2020

9.2 Superb
Cindy B
United States

The crew on the Homboldt Explorer made every effort to make our trip exceptional from their attention to detail and to the safety of the guests.
The highlights were the quality and quantity of marine life, the professionalism and attentiveness of the staff
Recommended for
Helpfulness of the staff. Organization of the dives from assistance with gearing up to warm towels at the conct. Felt safe on board and within the water.
10 Dec, 2025

8.8 Fabulous
Mark
Netherlands

Great experience but could be better
Great mix of dives with land excursions. Though focussed on the beautiful animals and fun, always serious about safety and respecting the environment. Would advise 1) mention that nitrox certificate is needed if you want to join all dives 2) fuel charges in the fixed trip cost 3) do something to remove fuel smell from forward cabins.
Recommended for
Crew & guides. Service level. Food.
08 Dec, 2025

10 Exceptional
Aymeric M
France

Excellent
fantastic all the way!
Recommended for
Dive sites, people and overall experince
16 Jun, 2021

10 Exceptional
chris C
United States

Hammerheads as far as the eye can see
Hammerheads, warm tea and towels after each dive, ease of booking thru liveaboard.com
Recommended for
Attention of the crew, drink package, ease of booking
14 Apr, 2021

116 reviews

8.8 Fabulous
116 Verified Reviews

Sort reviews by:

8.0 Very good
Adam H
United Kingdom

Humboldt Explorer
Schools of hammerheads but also the pods of thousands of dolphins at Wolf and Darwin. The marine life was amazing We also saw Killer whales and the crew did everything to get us out on the pangas to get the best experience My partner was a non diver and was snorkelling with hammerhead, Galapagos and silkie sharks as well as the sea lions, again big thanks to the crew.
Recommended for
Hammerhead sharks, dolphins and crew
03 Jan, 2018

8.4 Very good
Amanda C
United States

Great diving and crew, boat needs some upgrades
100+ hammerhead sharks, dolphin pods, friendly and helpful crew. The dive guides rotate between different boats, but we got lucky with Paolo--he's fantastic.
Recommended for
dive quality, dive guides, crew
29 Jun, 2018

9.2 Superb
Karen M
United States

Fantastic experience
We saw so many hammerheads! The Humboldt is the only ship allowed an extra day at Wolf and Darwin, which is why we chose this liveaboard. The dives were amazing. The crew and guides were wonderful. There was sooo much delicious food. Healthy and good variety. My only complaint is that the ship was a little run down and the bathrooms sometimes smelled. But despite that, I would still give the trip five stars based on the amazing dives, staff, food, and experience!
Recommended for
Amazing dives. Fantastic crew. Great food.
12 Jan, 2026

9.6 Exceptional
rodolphe D
France

Best diving ever
Best diving trip ever. Sharks sharks and sharks, hammerheads and Galapagos sharks everywhere, whale sharks, Tiger shark, Silk sharks, dolphins, sea lions, seals, turtles,… I don’t know where to begin, a truly unbelievable experience
Recommended for
Unreal diving. Great team, service and vibes. Perfect facilities.
16 Aug, 2025

9.6 Exceptional
Jorge G
Spain

Amazing trip
Amazing experience diving with sharks in Wolf and Darwin islands. The crew was very friendly and helpful. The food was delicious. All the services received were fabulous. Definitely I´ll repeat this trip. Thanks to do real this dream.
Recommended for
Crew, diving and received treatment.
28 Mar, 2019

9.6 Exceptional
Sandra J
Canada

Fantastic crew, boat and dives!
How amazing it was to see all the schools of hammerhead sharks, the huge whale sharks, schools of spotted eagle rays, mobulas, turtles, moray eels, tuna and so many scools of fish. We got lucky with warmer water and not so bad of currents. The crew were all so helpful during the dives with double checking air before getting on the panda, assisting getting on and off the panda with all our gear, and helping with the suits. The dive masters Ronny and Kebin, were fantastic. They had excellent briefings and were very safety concious. The crew did an amazing safety drill. Thanks Roberto and Fabricio for the excellent food, especially the sushi one afternoon, which was delicious. Good drinks prepared by Hector. Thanks Crucita for keeping our rooms so clean and it was fun seeing our towel caricatures. This liveaboard experience was superb and I would highly recommend to anyone. Top notch service and experience for my bucket list adventure.
Recommended for
Diving and seeing the hammerhead sharks and whale sharks, fantastic crew and boat, and a great variety of food each day.
06 Oct, 2023

7.6 Good
Eric F
Switzerland

Visited best diving sites in the world
Diving there is just amazing (Darwin and Wolf)
Recommended for
Whale-Sharks, Hammer-Head sharks, frinedly crew and team mates
13 Sep, 2018

9.6 Exceptional
Anthony M
United States

Unreal dive trip to the outer Galapagos Islands
The schooling hammerheads were incredible, and we even got a whale shark that stayed late in the season. A few tiger sharks, schools of eagle rays, plenty of dolphins, turtles, and sea lions. The food was great and the fresh snacks and juice right when you got out of the water was much appreciated. The crew even got a fresh caught tuna from a passing fishing boat and served sashimi. Comfortable beds and plenty of hot water for showers. The land excursions were terrific as well and definitely rounded out the complete Galapagos trip.
Recommended for
The diving was phenomenal, the crew was super helpful, and the fresh caught fish was an excellent addition
06 Jan, 2024

9.6 Exceptional
JAEKYUNG K
South Korea

Can't be better
Boat&Cabin comfort - considering ship size, it was pretty great. i hardly felt any inconvinence. Crew service & friendliness - crews were really great. they were very friendly and they were ready to help you at any time. Food&Drinks onboard - Food were excellent. it was the best part of my voyage there. different menu everyday. i cannot explain enough but i would say that the best food on board i ever experienced(similan, maldives). in the refrigerator on second floor, beers, soft drinks were available any time. Diving & Dive guides - Diving was so great. the best thing was that you can play with sea lions. it was really awsome experience. lots of hammerhead sharks and whalesharks on almost every dives on darwin arch. the water temparature was warmer than i thoght so i didnt have any problem with my 5mm wetsuits. guides were doing their job good enough. Value for money - well.. it is lots of money guys. however i think the price is not that bad considering all those aspects above.
Recommended for
FOOD, Crews, Diving
28 Sep, 2016

9.6 Exceptional
Joe R
New Zealand

The best way to experience Galapagos underwater.
The highlights were the abundance of wild life above and below, a well organized expedition and the great people I met.
Recommended for
Great equipment and service, the food and cabins were excellent and the diving was incredible
27 May, 2019

9.2 Superb
Alicia I
United States

Excellent experience, highly recommend Humbolt Explorer for trip of a lifetime
Incredible unique wildlife encounters
Recommended for
Remote access, professional and friendly staff, comfortable accommodations
03 Jan, 2019

10 Exceptional
Claudia B
Germany

Incredible Service, wonderful crew, wonderful guide with Oskar, great landscape and a welcoming and cosy vessel
The entire crew was incredibly service-oriented. They were immediately available whenever they wanted to help. And although some were quite young, they were completely professional and polite. You could tell that good service was second nature to them. Oskar, the guide, was very nice. Professional, yet approachable and personable. The crew was also funny. It was a wonderful experience on the Humboldt Explorer.
Recommended for
The Service. It was incredible. All of them were so forehanded and friendly. The diveguards did a good job. Specially Oskar was a great professional, but personal guide. Great Person. The vessel on itself was beautiful.
06 Apr, 2026

9.2 Superb
Jennifer Z
United States

Humboldt Explorer made my first Liveaboard experience a success!
The Humboldt is the only boat in Galapagos to spend 4 days between Wolf and Darwin. The dives were the best I’ve ever done, the guides prioritize safety , and the crew makes getting ready for each dive a fun and efficient experience. Besides the diving, the food is delicious and frequent, cabins are comfortable, and the hot tub and sun deck upstairs are an awesome place to relax.
Recommended for
Dives, safety, food.
21 Dec, 2023

8.8 Fabulous
Johnny L
United States

More like 5 days of great diving than 7
Loved the diving. However that's more a highlight of the Galapagos themselves. The Humboldt shines because it spends more time at wolf than the other liveaboards. So many Hammerheads <3. The food was good. You will look forward to it every time the bell rings for meal time. The desserts are however we're meh. Except for some yummy tree leches and s delicious chocolate and passion fruit mousse. The crew is friendly but more to themselves. They are happy to interact if interacted with but will not impose on you. They were great. I love non bunk bed cabins and the cabins are cozy, the AC amazing. And the baths had a good amount of space. I was in cabin 3. The only cons are that the first day and half are kinda meh. Day one is a 15 minute 5 meter max check out dive. It's useful but I wish they just bulked it in with the second days itinerary to make a full day. I would prefer the boat to have had one more dive guide so that it wasn't 2 groups of 8. And would've liked that the guides have a pro camera for underwater pictures. But that is something I felt spoiled with on a previous liveaboard. Other than that my trip was great! Would definitely return. Open bar (liquor included) was so sweet. Bring your own gloves and get a reef hook. You will be so thankful you brought one.
Recommended for
North Islands, drinks, cabins
16 Mar, 2017

10 Exceptional
George W
United States

Incredible diving experience with exceptional service, comfort, and food.
Wolf, Darwin, and Cousin's island dives.
Recommended for
Hammer head sharks, eagle rays, sea turtles.
27 Mar, 2020

9.2 Superb
Thomas R
Germany

Great diving for those who like it big!
Hundreds of hammerhead sharks at the divesides Darwin and Wolf divesides where planned in the group safety was very important (radio transmitter) very good briefing landexcursions with the guides who had a lot of knowledge was excellent staff was working hard to fulfill all our wishes after a cool dive it was great having a whirlpool to warm up All in all, we would do it again, on the Humboldt Explorer
Recommended for
Hammerheads, Sealions, Whirlpool.
03 Jan, 2017

8.8 Fabulous
Elias T
Israel

This was my first visit to the Galapagos Islands, and honestly, my expectations were very high. Nevertheless, the trip exceeded all my expectations, especially the diving experience, which was amazing
This was my first visit to the Galapagos Islands, and honestly, my expectations were very high. Nevertheless, the trip exceeded all my expectations, especially the diving experience, which was amazing. Choosing the 11-day trip instead of the 8-day one was a wise decision, as it allowed us to visit many places that would be difficult to see on a shorter trip. The guides were highly professional, which I can say from my experience on many liveaboard. The food was delicious, the room service was excellent, and the crew was very cooperative and organized. However, I found the boat to be somewhat modest and in need of some maintenance.
Recommended for
The guides were amazing. The diving experience overall was incredible. The crew's cooperation was great.
16 Dec, 2024

7.6 Good
Victor B
Australia

Saw what we expected to see
Learning more of the Galapagos Islands. Seeing amazing creatures. and the stars at night. Few things to improve, quality of rental equipment, dining comfort (not enough space for 16), better pillows, linen and towels. Variety of desserts. Dry camera table. Better description of diving conditions in advertising.
Recommended for
Cabin Comfort. Crew Friendliness.
27 Jan, 2018

9.6 Exceptional
tammy S
United States

Exceeded expectations
Our 2 groups had a total of 21 whale shark sightings which was so amazing. The diligence of the crew to make sure that we were always happy and comfortable was very much appreciated. Loved the land excursion with the tortoises at the end.
Recommended for
The diving was spectacular, the crew worked in harmony and was very efficient and respectful and the scenery was amazing
15 Jun, 2022

8.8 Fabulous
Geoff C
Australia

The best dive experience of our lives!
Seeing such an abundance of sea life all in one trip was simply epic! We had underwater whiplash as everywhere we turned there was more sea life. We have never had an experience like it, and wouldn't be disappointed if we don't. Diving Wolf and Darwin islands is next level!
Recommended for
Whale sharks, diving, free booze! 😏
05 Sep, 2017