Our plane was a little late boarding in Quito so we had a chance to start getting to know the other three couples who would be our companions on the Hike Galapagos tour, and Andres, our guide, who lives in Quito and happens to be a doppelganger for a former colleague of mine.
We saw a little more of the diversity of Ecuador's geography as we flew south from the 9,200-foot elevation of Quito to Guayaquil, which from the air reminded me of New Orleans because of it's flatness and the abundance of water all around. It appears to be laid out only millimeters above the water table.
I spent a good part of the 90-minute flight to San Cristobal marveling at the incredible cloud formations that towered above the Pacific. Dramatic skyscapes continued to draw my attention throughout our stay in the islands. I'm sure my heart skipped a beat when I caught my first glimpse of the Galapagos - the coastline of San Cristobal - from the plane window.
The temperature was 86 and humidity near 100 per cent as we made our way through the airport's checkpoints (we had still been getting snow flurries a day or so before leaving Montana).
We checked into the idyllic Casa Opuntia with its view of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno's harbor right outside our window. We had a grand lunch (dinner is more like it) overlooking the harbor, several courses including fresh tropical fruit and soup flavored to taste with aji, a kind of local salsa that could easily become addictive.
Then for our Galapagos orientation we walked to the interpretive center where Andres outlined the volcanic origin of the archipelago. We were scheduled to walk up Frigatebird Hill but the path was closed for construction so we detoured to Darwin Bay, believed to be where Charles Darwin first landed on the islands in 1835, and where he is commemorated with an heroic bronze statue. We ended up on the beach where a female frigatebird perched on a snag just a few feet overhead.
We stayed on the beach for the sunset then strolled into town. In front of one cafe/bar about 25 men and boys were gathered in the middle of the street looking through the bar's picture window at a big screen TV that was showing a soccer match (Quito's popular team Liga was playing).
Sea lions were everywhere. At night they congregate on the beach by the score and bark themselves to sleep. On our way back to the hotel one male lumbered toward us in the middle of the street. Even though there was a lamppost between us he apparently resented my presence because he made an aggressive lunge in my direction and I yielded the right of way. Hey, I thought, it's his town.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
1 day ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.