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Isabela II

Built to travel off-the-beaten-path, Isabela II's sleek design is perfect to navigate the coastal waterways, inland channels and narrow inlets of the South American waters, while providing a special camaraderie environment with fellow explorers on the ship's decks.

Isabela II has three decks, Main, Cabin, and Sun. The Sun Deck features a bar with deck chairs for outdoor seating, an observation deck for watching wildlife at leisure, a Jacuzzi, and a solarium. Her well-trained 24-member team consists of Ecuadorian officers, naturalists, and crew, as well as a resident physician. Cuisine aboard the ship is a combination of Continental and Ecuadorian, with varied menus. Days are spent on natural history shore excursions on the islands, with transportation to and from the ship usually by Zodiac inflatable boats; they are available to everyone. Isabela II carries her own glass-bottom boat aboard for close-up observation of marine life. Isabela II's staterooms (averaging 139 sq. ft.) are all outside staterooms featuring private bathrooms with showers, individual air conditioning, plenty of storage space for belongings, desk, two bedside tables and a music system; the on-board electrical current is 110 volts.

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Accomodation Types

Staterooms (averaging 139 sq. ft.) are all outside staterooms featuring private en-suite bathrooms, individual air conditioning, a music system, two bedside tables and plenty of storage space for a more relaxed and comfortable cruising experience.

Category A (Master Suite)

Category B

Category C

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Deck Plans

Staterooms (averaging 139 sq. ft.) are all outside staterooms featuring private en-suite bathrooms, individual air conditioning, a music system, two bedside tables and plenty of storage space for a more relaxed and comfortable cruising experience.

Sun Deck

Cabin Deck

Main Deck

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Dining

Isabela II serves up a combination of Continental and Equadorian cuisine

Dining Room

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Entertainment

Embark on a ship built with Galápagos Island cruising in mind! From your first briefing, boat drill and launch… to the excitement of your first wet landing… the Isabela II provides you with an exceptional cruise experience as you explore the islands that time forgot in total comfort. Your first night aboard begins with a cocktail hour followed by a lecture to prepare you for your first day of exploration. Afterward, you will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with fellow guests as you enjoy creative Ecuadorian dishes and internationally prepared cuisine under the leadership of a Le Cordon Bleu trained chef. Retire to your comfortable and contemporarily designed stateroom as you fall asleep dreaming of all that lies ahead for you this week. 

Rise in the morning for a hearty breakfast that will nourish and fuel you for the exciting day that lies ahead. After a safety briefing, board a panga for your first coastal ride followed by a dry landing and an opportunity to walk and explore. Head back onboard for lunch, where you will rest and replenish before an afternoon of further exploration. Once back onboard at days' end, a recap and briefing will take place before dinner with the ship's naturalists to discuss the days' wildlife encounters along with additional insights and observations. Before retiring for the evening… if the skies are clear… head up to the top deck to star gaze before falling asleep in your comfortable stateroom, as you rest up for the adventures that lie ahead.

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Enrichment

On a Tauck river cruise, fewer guests means more of everything else. More space to stretch out. More time to soak it in. More quiet moments – and more meaningful ones, too. Smaller ships mean more space to call your own, fewer lines to navigate, and a front-row seat to everything – onboard and ashore.

Fully Guided

Our Tauck Directors and handpicked local guides are more than experts – they're the heart of your journey, offering thoughtful service and deep knowledge that bring each destination to life.

Exclusive Access

From after-hours museum visits to private palace tours, Tauck opens doors that others can't. These behind-the-scenes experiences give you a unique view of Europe's cultural treasures, away from the crowds.

Small Group Excursions

On land, the experience stays personal. Our guests explore in smaller groups, with a thoughtful guest-to-guide ratio of just 15 to 1. Each excursion is carefully timed and orchestrated to avoid the crowds – so you can enjoy Europe's cultural treasures with space to truly appreciate them.

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Health & Fitness

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Kids & Teens

Tauck Bridges on the river offers family bonding, adventure, exploration and FUN... in Paris during a scavenger hunt in the Louvre, listening to stories of WW II in Normandy, discovering castles on the Rhine, ascending Mt. Pilatus in Lucerne for breathtaking views of the Swiss Alps, on a canal boat cruise in Amsterdam discovering the Netherland's capital city, aboard a Douro River cruise in Portugal – or aboard a fabulous expeditionary ship in the Galápagos Islands. These are the memories that last lifetimes.

Tauck Bridges

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Useful Information

Mobility Onboard and Ashore

Ashore – Guests with restricted mobility may have difficulty managing the pedestrian-only city centers, cobblestone streets and uneven surfaces that exist throughout Old World Europe.

Onboard – Guests may need to walk across narrow gangways and ascend or descend stairs when embarking or disembarking the riverboat due to "double-docking" or the docking location. An able traveling companion who can help guests who require assistance must accompany them throughout their journey.

Dietary Requirements

Many special dietary needs can be accommodated on Tauck journeys with advance notice, but cannot be guaranteed. Different destinations make some dietary needs harder to accommodate than others. Tauck will do everything possible in communicating your requests to hotels and restaurants. Common dietary requests like ‘low sodium’ or ‘vegetarian’ are likely to be accommodated much easier than very special or unique dietary needs. Meals that are full a la carte offer more flexibility for special dietary requests as do some limited a la carte meals. For the occasional ‘set menu’ or ‘buffet meals’ on Tauck journeys, unique dietary needs may prove a bit more challenging.

Dress Code

Typical dress for any Tauck journey is casual attire. Some journeys may include a specific dinner function or an event in which gentleman may be required to have, or feel more comfortable wearing, a sport jacket. But overall the rule of thumb is casual comfortable clothing. The final tour documentation will mention occasions (if any) on a journey in which a sport jacket or dressier clothing is suggested.

Age Restrictions

Based upon our experience with family travelers, for each itinerary we have a minimum recommended age to encourage comfort and enjoyment for all of our guests. In some cases there may be age restrictions on activities, and all children must be accompanied on activities by a parent or guardian. At least one guest in the traveling party must be 21 or older to make a reservation. Note: Children age 3 and older at the time of travel are welcome on many Tauck Bridges itineraries. Minimum age for our Tauck Bridges river cruises is 4 years old.

We ask that you use good judgment if considering bringing a young child or children on a Tauck journey. Many of our itineraries do not cater to young children's interests, patience or stamina, and therefore aren't really suited to children of too young an age. Young children's behavior can be unpredictable, and with consideration for all fellow travelers wanting to enjoy their vacation to its fullest, it is important to know and understand that Tauck has the right to ask any tour member who is disruptive to a group to leave the tour whether they are 6 or 96 years of age.

Family travel is important to us. The bond between children and adults as they experience the world together makes for special memories that last lifetimes. It is for that reason we created 'Tauck Bridges' – journeys for the whole family to enjoy together. Each of these kid-friendly family-oriented journeys has a minimum recommended age rating to encourage comfort and enjoyment for all our guests.

What's Included

Just about everything! Virtually every travel expense is included in one up-front price – airport transfers as specified in the itinerary, all hotel and ship accommodations, entertainment, meals as specified in the itinerary, special meals, land and cruise transportation, sightseeing, shore excursions, luggage handling, most taxes, concierge-style services Tauck Directors, services of local guides and more.

Meals are freshly prepared and regionally driven, both on the riverboat and at local restaurants. Complimentary beverages – from specialty coffee, tea, and soft drinks to house wine, beer and premium spirits – are included on the riverboats, all day, every day.

All appropriate gratuities for luggage handling, bellmen, doormen, dining room servers, and ship staff are included. Tauck Tour Director and Tauck Cruise Director gratuities are included on all river cruises.

Over 100 cost components are included on every cruise – which means no hidden costs, no surcharges, no on-tour surprises!