Deposits, Insurance, Cancellation Galapagos

Destination: Galapagos Islands

Deposits, Cancellation Policy and Trip Insurance

2026 Trip Cost: $6375

Trip Cost Includes:

PAYMENT SCHEDULE~Galapagos  2026

Please be sure to mark your calendars.

$1500 Non-refundable reservation fee is due January 3rd, 2026  (full refund granted only if we can fill your space if  you cancel before March 1st, After  March 2nd, your $1500 reservation fee is nonrefundable). Please do not make an electronic payment before January 1st, 2026. You may send a check any time.

Protect your investment with travel insurance, see  below.

$2500 Deposit Due: March 1st, 2026
$1875  Deposit Due: May 1st, 2026
$500 Deposit Due: August 1st, 2026

Please send all payments in the form of personal checks to:
Blue Water Ventures, 220 Kenneth St,  Santa Cruz, CA 95060

You may also make a Bank Transfer through Zelle. Registered as Kimberlee Powell and cell phone is: 831 345 2417.

Please email me when you make a bank transfer, email kim at:  bluewaterventuressc@gmail.com

If you would like to pay a portion of your trip using PayPal, Please visit our Payment Center

 CANCELLATION POLICY

During the complex era of COVID-19, we thoroughly reviewed  our  international cancellation policies.  We wanted  to travel with groups again sharing the natural and cultural wonders of our international destinations. We truly missed  traveling with groups as well as supporting our international community of outfitters and friends. Travelers are encouraged to feel confident when making travel plans by purchasing  travel insurance coverage to help protect their investment. Travel Insurance is required by the Ecuadorian government  for all tourists entering the Galapagos Islands. We will collect your policy details prior to our departure and you should travel with these documents. through immigration.

You may want to consider the  Cancel for Any Reason travel insurance coverage, part of a travel protection plan from Travel Insured International, as described below.

Arranging international programs is a complex process often requiring nonrefundable deposits. With that said, please review our  cancellation policy that reflects the cancellation policy of our Ecuadorian outfitters and hotels.

$1500 Non-refundable reservation fee is due upon registration. If we can fill your space by March 1st, 2026  we will refund  your $1500 deposit. After March 2nd, your reservation fee  is non refundable.

Cancellations made more than 195 calendar days prior to the starting date of the program, will be granted a refund minus a $2500 processing fee that covers nonrefundable fees to our  outfitters/hotels  that are pre arranged and paid in advance.

Cancellations made 151 to  194  calendar days prior to the starting date of the program, will be granted a refund minus a $3500 processing fee.

No refunds are given when cancellations are made less than 150 calendar days prior to the starting date.

We can not make any exceptions to our cancellation policy. Please read this document in full

TRAVEL PROTECTION

Travel Insurance is required by the Ecuadorian government  for all tourists entering the Galapagos Islands.

Our Galapagos program takes us into a remote area of the world where a medical evacuation could be extremely costly.  All costs for evacuations and/or medical treatments are the responsibility of each participant, a cost that travel protection should  cover.  Please travel with a credit card in the event that payments are required for an evacuation or medical treatment.

Blue Water Ventures (BWV) directs our clients to travel insurance  offered by Travel Insured International. Since some benefits are time sensitive, including the Pre-Existing Condition Waiver and Cancel for Any Reason Coverage, Travel Insured encourages all travelers to purchase a plan at the time of initial deposit.

To include the Pre-Existing Condition Waiver for the traveler  and the  Cancel for Any Reason coverage, trip protection must be purchased within 21 days  from when your initial trip deposit is received when purchasing the World Wide Trip Protector Platinum Plan and within 14 days if purchasing the World Wide Protector Deluxe Plan.  To include the Pre-Existing Condition Waiver only,  trip protection  must be purchased within 14 days  from when your initial trip deposit is received when purchasing the World Wide Protector Essentials  Plan.  Additional terms may apply and policies may be added or updated. Please review your policy options.

You may still purchase Travel Protection at a later date, but the pre-existing condition waiver or cancel for any reason will not be available.

The Cancel for Any Reason “add on feature” will provide a reimbursement of up to 75% of your prepaid non-refundable trip costs if you cancel 48 hours or longer before your scheduled departure date.

Travel Protection Plans offer a variety of benefits, including coverage for medical evacuations. Plans also include Trip Cancellation coverage for a full refund if you need to cancel your trip for a covered reason, in addition to many other insurance benefits and non-insurance assistance services. Travel Protection helps provide coverage for unexpected circumstances and helps protect you and your travel investment. Please refer to your proposed plan document for complete plan details, exclusions and limitations before purchasing your plan.

We direct our clients to Travel Protection through Travel Insured International

Click on the link below to learn more about policy exclusions, limitations and disclaimers. Upon review, you may purchase a plan or please purchase a plan through another Trip Insurance provider of your choice.

You may purchase a plan online by clicking on the above Box link or by calling Customer Care: 800-243-3174. When calling, please provide our Blue Water Ventures Agent # 53345.

BWV is not responsible for any expenses incurred by participants related to a canceled program or one they participated in, costs such as airline tickets, flight change fees, lost luggage, missed flights, visa fees, transportation, lodging, etc. Blue Water Ventures does not assume responsibility for program changes or trip cancellations due to situations such as those related to weather, local or international events such as but not limited to earthquakes, tsunamis, outbreaks of flu or viruses, political events ( such as, but not limited to war or travel bans) or any other reason. Furthermore, BWV is not responsible for changes in private or governmental sectors, both at the domestic and international level, that may affect this trip.

BWV reserves the right to cancel a trip before it’s departure date for any reason including insufficient participation, travel bans, closed borders or weather related issues. BWV reserves the right to cancel a trip before its departure if local, international or political events prohibit travel. BWV reserves the right to cancel a program for any reason and not refund any portion of your trip.

A Note from the Owner of Blue Water Ventures: In order to provide our rich international programs, Blue Water Ventures sends deposits to outfitters in other countries. In some cases, these deposits are nonrefundable for any reason. Blue Water Ventures has been traveling with groups domestically and internationally since 1996 and the owner, Kim Powell started her career as an international guide 10 years prior in 1986. We have had some truly outstanding adventures with 100’s of incredible people over the decades! Both the travel industry in general and our eco-adventure small business are faced with new challenges. However, we remain committed to our goal of enriching the lives of our clients and our hosts abroad by providing these extraordinary learning vacations.

   Swim Back to the Galapagos Islands