The best staff and guides!

Off to the Galapagos! With much assistance (also difficult to do on your own), our Quito guide arranged all of our documentation for the Galapagos. He quite literally walked us through the myriad of lines required for inspections before you take off for the islands. Could we have figured this out on our own? Yes. Would it have been frustrating? Yes. After arriving to the islands, our ship took over. Visiting the Galapagos is similar to visiting Antarctica in that you have limited ways to experience the islands and serious restrictions, so the experience is truly enhanced in small group travel. I imagined myself booking a hotel on the islands and arranging my activities locally, and I see now the experience would not have been as fulfilling. Each day we woke to the same guide and staff members aboard our ship. Each staff member took the time to learn our names, how we like our tea, and what our favorite evening beverages were. The personalized service certainly made for a luxurious experience but also an educational one. I will argue (and yes, I’ve only been to the Galapagos once) that our guide was one of the best. Ruly has been guiding in the Galapagos for over 30 years and went through the original certification process through the Ecuadorian government. This process is a lot less difficult these days, so he takes a lot of pride in being an original guide, as he should. Ruly was a wealth of knowledge - from the species of every bird to the name of each blade of grass.