The reason people are drawn to the Galapagos is undoubtedly the wildlife. Since the whole archipelago is part of a Galapagos National Park it makes for a unique conservation and wildlife focused vacation. Our cruise itinerary had us visiting the southeastern islands of the archipelago, which meant we got to visit San Cristobal, North Seymour, South Plaza, Santa Fe, Bartolome, Santa Cruz and Baltra. Most of the main wildlife species on traveler’s bucket lists, such as sea lions, blue footed boobies, frigate birds, iguanas and sea turtles, can be seen on a majority of the islands. So if their itinerary has them visiting at least a few islands the likelihood of them spotting their desired animal is high. However, there are some species that only inhabit certain islands or regions of the archipelago. If a traveler has a specific bird species they would like to see it’s important to do their research!
A male frigate bird tries to attract a mate. (Molly Stanko)
My Galapagos animal bucket list was fairly short, I was excited to see sea lions but I knew swimming with them was inevitable, but I knew my chances of seeing the Galapagos penguin was
slightly lower. The Galapagos penguin is not only the smallest species of penguin that inhabits South America, but it is also the only penguin species that inhabits equatorial waters. I had my fingers crossed that we would run into the little guys!
Galapagos penguins on Bartholomew Island! (Molly Stanko)
Of the 1000 breeding pairs remaining in the wild, the penguins are primarily found on the western islands of Fernandina and Isabela. Since neither of these were included in our itinerary I was banking on the fact that we would luck out and see them on Bartolome, where there is a smaller population but the can still sometimes be seen. Sure enough, as soon as the pangas dropped us off on the beach on Bartolome to snorkel and we had waded into the water we saw two mini torpedos dart by, penguins on the hunt! They sped past us on multiple occasions chasing their dinner. I even was able to capture a penguin swim past with my non-existent gopro skills. We were lucky enough to see 6 other penguins from the Pangas later that evening on Bartolome. I’m happy to say I can check seeing the pint sized penguin off my bucket list!
Kicker Rock, where we swam with sharks! (Molly Stanko)
The other wildlife highlight from our trip was snorkeling with sharks. Our first snorkel was a deep water snorkel between the channel of iconic kicker rock. Our guide told us we would certainly see reef sharks at this spot. Kate was thrilled, I was skeptical but knew it was an opportunity I couldn’t miss out on! As soon as I got in the water and looked down there were reef sharks everywhere and one giant Galapagos shark! It was like something out of a National Geographic film. I had to remind myself to breathe a few times, but it was certainly a once in a lifetime experience. We were lucky enough to see frigates, boobies, pelicans, iguanas (land and marine), flamingos, sea lions, sea turtles, stingrays, dolphins, and tons and tons of fish. I now know exactly why people are flocking to the Galapagos.
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
2 days ago
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
3 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
