While these islands are chock-full of wildlife that you are often within an arm’s length of, it is certainly not a zoo, therefore there is no guarantee of any wildlife encounters. That said, you would have to have abysmally bad luck (I mean like lightning is about to strike you bad) to not see many of the iconic species. This means sea lions, frigate birds, at least two of the three booby species, sally lightfoot crabs, gulls, pelicans, iguanas-galore and of course the tortoises are all likely to be seen on nearly every itinerary.
The marine animals are a bit trickier since the sea is obviously much more vast than the land, but much of this sea life can also be found within a 100 meters of most islands rather frequently. As I mentioned before, while snorkeling I was lucky enough to see hammerheads, sea turtles, reef sharks, a scorpion fish, hieroglyphic hawkfish, and pufferfish while swimming around. Even more likely to spot are tons of clownfish, starfish, seemingly millions of silversides, as well as plenty of other species that I couldn’t even begin to name.
Our first full day was on Genovesa, which is a great island for seeing birds of all kinds. You will not only find the largest colony of red-footed boobies here (well over 100,000!), but also nazca boobies, storm petrels, two species of gull (I especially liked the swallow-tailed gull) and maybe even the short-eared owl if you are lucky. This owl is the only species of owl that hunts during the day, but you definitely need to have a keen eye to spot them. Asking Harry what to look for when searching for the owl he just replied “They look like rocks”. He wasn’t wrong, but even with this camouflage we managed to see about five, each new one close than the last!
Over the next few days we also visited Santiago, North Seymour and the highlands of Santa Cruz. While visiting these islands, we saw tons of herons, pelicans, hundreds of iguanas, lava lizards, fur sea lions, countless crabs, blue-footed boobies and of course the islands’ shining star: the giant tortoises.
But these creatures were not a surprise, as they are almost an expected part of nearly every itinerary. However, what I did not realize before is how mesmerizing the beauty of the islands would be, even independent of all of these amazing critters. Not only did every island have its own unique vegetation and landscape, but I was also shocked by the brilliant shades of blue as the waters met the sky, especially during the afternoon when we were lucky enough to almost always have sunny weather and clear skies.
Every night our guide “signed off” from the day with the tagline “Another day in Paradise” with the honeyed tenor and bravado (not to mention the cheese) of an FM DJ, bidding their audience goodnight. He was being cheeky, but not hyperbolic, as the Galapagos truly are a place of dreams. This became even more apparent with each passing day, watching each sunset over new islands and seeing the full moon come up as we lifted our anchors and started our voyage to the next destination. All of this leading to the thought that this is one “once in a lifetime” destination that you sure would like to visit again.
Rapa Nui was on my bucket list for a long time so I worried that it would not meet my expectations. Our tour could not have been better. Our guide was knowledgeable and professional with an understanding of the island that made it come alive. I would and have recommended this trip to everyone that will listen.
elisa wright
4 days ago
Having done a trip in the past with Adventure Life, I found picking a trip and customizing it was a breeze and fit everything I wanted
Scott Drayer
5 days ago
Careful service
older gentleman
5 days ago
We had to book within a certain time. Adventure Life came to our rescue as most of the other operators were sold out. We went with the website ad on Big Five Borneo Tour for 6 days 5 nights. Adventure Life was professional, timely and honest about the itinerary for small groups at a reasonable cost. This was our first time with Adventure Life. From the beginning to the end, they were supportive, responded to email immediately and provided emergency contacts through out our stay. As indicated, the deluxe accommodations were luxurious, there were 3 meals a day including early morning coffee was available before the 6am river cruises and evening tea. The itinerary was well laid out, to time and the guides/drivers though different after 2 days for river cruise and for the cave, were experienced, we felt safe. We were lucky to see the Big Four, except the orangutan on our tours at Sukau and the orangutan with the baby was at the poolside of the Sukau Rainforest Lodge. The meals were alright without variety. Wifi was in/near reception area. We stayed 3 nights at Sukau and 2 nights at Utan. The two lodges were different. Utan focused on animals and birds not seen at Sukau on plenty of nature walks, night safaris and river cruises. Utan is a new lodge started in July 2024, smaller, luxurious and intimate. The meals were excellent with a personal touch. Guide was very experienced and willing to take us on more nature walks to see our luck for the animals which were missed. Utan provided knee length rubber boots and binoculars can be rented (try it out before you take on tours). Initially we were disappointed not getting the accommodation at Danum Valley but after Utan experience we had it all. We will recommend Adventure Life to those looking for worry free adventures at a reasonable cost.