We spent the morning exploring the Charles Darwin Research Center. The center is definitely a working research station, rather than a visitors' center. In some ways, that was very refreshing to me - that it wasn't all dolled up and dumbed down for we tourists, but I was also thankful to be with our guide, who could explain the center's projects and aims. We saw Lonesome George, as well as many other tortoises in every stage of development.
Before heading back to the ship for lunch, we had some free time in Puerto Ayora. My dad used the time to explore more of the research station, and I used the time to inspect several of the yachts we work with that happened to be anchored in Puerto Ayora that morning. I saw the Coral I & II, Monserrat I, Valkiria, Millennium, La Pinta, and Cormorant II. It was fun to see the different styles and sizes of Galapagos yacht - each offers a very different experience.
In the afternoon, we took small buses up to the Santa Cruz highlands. It was interesting to see more of the island, as the landscape changed a lot as we moved up and away from the coast. The highlands tend to get more precipitation than the lower elevations, so there were a lot of tall trees and lush green vegetation. It was beautiful. We drove through several small communities and past several small farms and orchards - I loved seeing all of the exotic plants and trees... Sometimes in Montana, it's easy to forget where mangoes, bananas and coffee come from. We hiked through a private farm, where it's easy to spot giant tortoises. We saw a lot of them, and also learned a lot about farming on the islands. The farm was a great example of how locals can get involved in and profit from the tourism industry in a very practical and sustainable way.
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
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.