GalapagosEastPhotographyWorkshop

Galapagos Photo Tour, East Cruise: Expert-Led Photography Travel

In Upcoming Workshops, Galapagos Photo Workshop by Matt Shetzer

2025
Dates: May 1 - May 9, 2025
(SPACE AVAILABLE)
Register for the Workshop
Important Details
Locations: Galápagos Islands and Quito, Ecuador

Fee:

  • $7,995 USD per person
  • Single supplement (private cabin) option of $2,995 USD.

Deposit: $1,000 USD

Limit: 14 guests with 2 guides

Duration: 9 days/8 nights. 8 day/7 night cruise

Skill Level: Beginner to Pro

Discounts:

Trip Leader: Matt Shetzer

Ask Questions about the Workshop

The Galapagos Islands are one of nature’s most stunning works of art.

With wild scenery, rare birds, and abundant animal habitats, they practically demand to be photographed. And our photography tours are the best way to get close to these stunning sights.

sally lightfoot crab photographed on our Galapagos photo tour

Galápagos East Route Highlights

The volcanic islands of the Galapagos have the largest number of endemic species in the world: reptiles like the famous giant tortoise, mammals like the Galapagos fur seal, and birds like the Galapagos penguin — the only penguin that lives in the Northern Hemisphere! — can be found nowhere else.

Only four of the islands are inhabited by humans, making them one of the best places in the world to see nature in its true wild state. Animals on the wild islands have no fear of people. They will walk, fly, or swim directly up to you as if posing for that perfect photograph.

The landscapes and scenery of the islands are also entrancing, with stark volcanic rocks, teeming mangrove bays, awesome marine sunsets, and the rare sight of both northern and southern constellations in the sky on clear nights.

Why Choose Our Photo Tour?

  • Our wildlife photography tour allows you to experience the majesty of the islands and learn to take photographs that bring that majesty home. With professional instruction and a luxury yacht whose crew works diligently to keep you safe and comfortable, you’ll have nothing to worry about but taking the best photographs of your life.
  • Even non-photographers will find the tour a thrilling experience as they enjoy opportunities for hiking, snorkeling, and exploring landscapes unlike any other on Earth.
  • We’ll follow best practices at every stop to preserve the sensitive ecosystem for future generations. Our expert crew of Galapagos locals will ensure we photograph the landscape and scenery with a respectful, low-impact approach so you can travel to the islands again and again to make new memories.
  • With a maximum of 14 guests served by 8 crew and 2 photography instructors, we can promise you that our tour is like no other trip you’ll ever take!

(!– ** START TESTIMONIALS **–)


Over 90% of Our Clients Are Repeat Customers

Here’s why.

Wildlife images worth sharing and beyond: Matt tailors his expert guidance to your needs

Matt is that person who exceeds at providing a well-organized photographic expedition … he guides you through his evening classes, nightly photo reviews, and on the scene attention in order for you to get the right exposure and composition resulting in photographs that you will want to hang on your wall at home or share with friends and relatives. If you’re looking for workshop that encompasses all the minute details to get the photos you want to be proud of, then Matt Shetzer is the photographer you want to sign up with!

Elevate your skills and get stunning shots: Matt’s hands-on help makes it worth the investment!

Matt is tireless in making sure all his guests are well accommodated and that they are getting good photos. He makes it easy to get good shots. He conducts very useful workshops in the evening that help prepare you for getting the best possible photos. The trips are dedicated to photography which means lots of time shooting at the best sites … But the most important measure of the success of the trips is the large number of excellent photos I got, which exceeded my expectations!

Clients rate us five out of five stars on Google.


(!– ** END TESTIMONIALS **–)

What You’ll Learn

At each destination, your trip leader, professional wildlife photographer Matt Shetzer, will be on hand to help you take the best possible photographs. Our Galapagos naturalist will discuss this unique archipelago’s history, geology, and ecology.

After the sun goes down and we’ve enjoyed a delicious dinner the onboard chef prepares, we’ll gather for photography workshops in the comfortable salon. Matt will draw on his decades of experience to teach you about composition, lighting, camera settings, and other techniques to bring out the best in your images.

Book this tour!  See the full itinerary

Photos From Our Galapagos Photography Tour

Trip Itinerary: Created by a Photographer for Photographers

The trip starts in Quito, Ecuador, a lively and historic city where we’ll meet to fly to the islands. We’ll travel to the eastern islands after meeting the yacht on Balta Island. Using two eco-friendly zodiac rafts, we’ll cruise into narrow inlets and up to remote islands on our daily trips.

Galapagos Workshops East

Galapagos Photo Tour – East Route

The East Route Species List

The east route takes us to some of the best locations in the world to photograph rare birds in nature.

On the islands we visit, you’ll have opportunities to capture photos of great frigatebirds nesting and displaying their red pouches, blue-footed boobies trying to impress mates with their striking blue feet, and Galapagos penguins leaping into the water to fish. Catch a glimpse of Darwin’s finches, whose distinctive beaks inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

East Route Species

 

  • Galapagos Penguin (endemic)
  • Blue-footed booby (native)
  • Red-footed booby (native)
  • Nazca booby (native)
  • Galapagos Fur Seals (endemic)
  • Galapagos Sea Lion (endemic sub-species)
  • Greater flamingo (native)
  • Waved albatross (endemic)
  • Great frigatebird (native)
  • Magnificent frigatebird (native)
  • Galapagos Short-eared Owl (endemic)
  • Great blue heron (native)
  • Galapagos flycatcher (endemic)
  • Galapagos mockingbirds (endemic)
  • White-cheeked pintail Duck (native)
  • Darwin’s Finches or Galapagos Finches (endemic)
  • Elliot’s Storm Petrel (native)
  • Galapagos Dove (endemic)
  • Galapagos heron or Lava heron (endemic)
  • Galapagos petrel (endemic)
  • Sally Lightfoot Crabs
  • Santa Fé Iguanas (endemic)
  • Yellow-crowned night heron (native)
  • Lava Cactus
  • Galapagos petrel (endemic)
  • Semi-palmated plover (migrant)
  • Española marine iguana (endemic)
  • Española lava lizard (endemic)
  • Black-necked stilt (native)
  • Giant Tortoises (endemic)
  • Galapagos Green Turtle (endemic sub-species)
  • Land Iguana (endemic)
  • Lava Lizards (endemic)
  • Marine Iguana (endemic)
  • Española Mockingbird (endemic)
  • Brown Noddy (native)
  • Brown pelican (native)
  • Cattle egret (native)
  • Galapagos Gull or Swallow-tailed Gull (endemic)
  • Large cactus finch (endemic)
  • Large Ground-finch (endemic)
  • Lava Gull (endemic)
  • Medium ground finch (endemic)
  • Red-billed Tropicbird (native)
  • Semi-palmated plover (migrant)
  • Sharp-beaked ground-finch or Vampire finch (endemic)
  • Small ground finch (endemic)
  • Small tree finch (endemic)
  • Warbler-finch (endemic)
  • Yellow-Crowned Night Heron (native)
  • Bottle-nosed Dolphin
  • Short-finned Pilot Whale
  • Lava Cactus
  • Galapagos Shear-water (endemic)
  • Yellow Warbler (endemic)
  • Sanderling (migrant)
  • Whimbrel (migrant)
  • Red-billed Tropicbird (native)

While we won’t be able to photograph all these species during our Galapagos photography tour (we can always hope) this list provides a good sample of the Galapagos wildlife that visits the locations we’ll be photographing. See the tour itinerary.

Your Floating Hotel for the Week: Where Luxury Meets Adventure

Our luxury yacht for the week blends luxury and comfort with a 104-foot length and 40-foot beam. Taking only 14 guests, supported by 8 crew members, the yacht provides excellent service, accommodations, and fine dining.

There’s nothing rustic about our floating base for this adventure. It combines the luxury of a fine hotel with the ability to go places a bigger cruise ship could only dream of. Featuring 10 passenger cabins, air conditioning, and private bathrooms, the ship also includes a beautiful sundeck and a combination dining room/salon. Two 12-person zodiac rafts will ferry us daily to and from our destinations.

The crew includes a captain, a mate, an engineer, two deckhands, two cooks, and a naturalist. Many are native to the islands.

Our First Class charter for the week. A 104 beautiful catamaran

Our First Class charter for the week. A 104′ beautiful catamaran.

Ready to Start Your Adventure?

If you’ve been looking for a chance to see new vistas while growing in your favorite hobby, our Galapagos Islands expedition is the trip you’ve been looking for.

Sign up for a Galapagos Photo Tour today and experience what it is like to photograph wildlife so unafraid of humans that you’ll not even need a long lens.

(!– ** START EXTEND YOUR ADVENTURE **–)

(!– ** END EXTEND YOUR ADVENTURE **–)

Upcoming Photography Workshops

Galapagos Photo Tour, East Cruise: Expert-Led Photography Travel was last modified: March 18th, 2024 by Matt Shetzer