About Galapagos Holidays

GALAPAGOS HOLIDAYS and GALAPAGOS TOURS (divisions of Galapagos Holidays, Inc.) were established in Toronto in 1982 and are duly licensed by the Travel Industry Council of Ontario - Ministry of Consumer Affairs (TICO ), and approved by the International Air Travel Association (IATA ) to sell travel to the general public. We are also members of the Association of Canadian Travel Agents (ACTA ) and the International Galapagos Tours Operators Association (IGTOA ).  

We specialize in custom-designed package tours to Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Antarctica. We work with the most professional and dependable suppliers of land and cruise services at our destinations and it is our aim to provide our clients with the best advice and value tours for their money.

As we are not associated with, nor do we represent any particular cruise company, we can offer unbiased and honest opinions about many of the vessels now available in the islands. In the Galapagos, we are constantly inspecting both new and existing vessels to assure that they offer a good itinerary, excellent naturalist guides, and that they have a professional and capable crew. Elsewhere in South America, we inspect our destinations and seek out new and exciting travel opportunities for your clients. We demand our suppliers to excel in safety and cleanliness.

We look forward to helping you plan your tour to South America!

Staff

Claudette van Leeuwen (President) - When she became the owner of Galapagos Holidays in 1998, she brought to the company over thirty five years experience in both airline sales and tour operation to South American countries and other destinations around the world. A native of Bogotá, Colombia, and a Canadian by choice, Claudette has travelled extensively, particularly in South America, a continent full of surprises that she believes has been overlooked by travellers until now.

An enthusiastic travel advisor, she strongly recommends all the destinations our company has chosen to promote exclusively, which she regards as an enriching experience to anyone who chooses to get to know South America.

Donna - Donna has been with the company February 1994. The only non-South American born member of our staff, Donna fell in love with this continent at an early age and has been an enthusiastic ambassador for her favourite destinations – Ecuador and Peru. With her love of different cultures, beautiful landscapes, history and wildlife, Donna considers herself fortunate to visit these incredible destinations and plan the tours of future visitors to the remarkable continent of South America.