Callie's Ecuador Adventure!
My first trip with Adventure Life took me to the Bella Vista Cloud Forest and the Galapagos Islands, two completely different destinations that allowed me to get up-close and personal with the wildlife. I spent my day in Bella Vista hiking through the lush forest, and spent my days aboard the Galapagos Petrel swimming next to sea lions and admiring dolphins from the deck!
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Photo Album
Day Trip to Bella Vista
Dec 05, 2016
Bella Vista’s 2,000 acre reserve offers a plethora of hiking and strolling opportunities, but for this particular day hike I was offered two options: relaxed or “slightly strenuous”, which ended up being perfectly fine coming from Montana. We hiked for about three hours at a comfortable pace, stopping every few minutes so that my guide could point out special characteristics of the cloud forest. For an orchid-lover like myself, this place was truly magical! There are also 320 species of birds within the reserve, as well as monkeys, spectacled bear, puma and coati, although the mammals seem to be quite rare.
We returned to the lodge for a three-course lunch in the main dining house, which resembled a glorified tree fort. It was an impressive structure, with high wooden beams that meshed perfectly with the surrounding forest. There were tables intended for both couples and groups, and as a solo traveler I sat alone, although I by no means felt unwelcome. As is traditional in Ecuador, we started the meal with a warm, delicious soup and then moved on to the main plate and desert. I was very impressed with the meal, and joined the Quito shuttle feeling very full and ready to relax after a day of hiking in the forest! My only regret is that I did not stay the night, as many of the rooms are recently renovated and the lodge is a great place to spend one or two full days.
Transit to Galapagos!
Dec 05, 2016
I met Giovanni and Carlos outside my hostel around 6am, another early wakeup call but I didn’t mind - I was off to the Galapagos! We arrived at the airport without any traffic delay and in good time. Giovanni handed me my Galapagos Transit Card and escorted me inside and through all the checkpoints, which despite being a seasoned traveler, I found tremendously helpful as Galapagos flights require several logistical stops once inside the airport. We met a Petrel representative at the check-in counter, who promptly delivered my boarding pass and, along with Giovanni, escorted me to the security gate. I felt confident knowing that should anything go wrong, these two would be there to assist me! This was not a flight I wanted to miss.
The flight was quick, with just a short stopover in Guayaquil to pick up more passengers, putting us on Baltra before noon. Our guide was waiting for us outside baggage claim, and we boarded a shared bus to the Santa Cruz water taxi. The wildlife adventure started almost immediately; we spotted several giant tortoises on our bus ride to Puerto Ayora, as well as a massive sea lion lounging on the town’s main docking point. A sign of what was sure to be a good week!
All Aboard the Petrel!
Dec 05, 2016
My room was love at first site. Each cabin on the Petrel has a private bath, large twin/queen beds, ample living space and a large viewing balcony. I was torn between wanting to spend time in my lovely cabin and wanting to explore the islands!
Our first excursion was a dry landing on Santa Cruz, where we boarded our private bus and headed to the highlands to see the giant tortoises that the Galapagos are famous for. These are truly magical creatures.
That evening, our guide gathered us all in the living room to prep us for the following day. He gave a short but informative presentation on the geological formation of the Galapagos Islands as well as the animals we could expect to see. We assembled in this fashion each night before dinner, which was a great time to come together and learn about the upcoming activities. Our guide proved to be knowledgeable and approachable; he continually went over and above to ensure we were well-informed and engaged with the islands and the wildlife.
We set off after dinner for our first stop: Santiago Island.
Santiago Island
Dec 05, 2016
We awoke that morning to our ship manager, Martin’s, wakeup call, “Good morning, Petrel mates! It’s another beautiful day in paradise. Breakfast will be served at 7:30 in the dining room. Please wear clothing for a hike and shoes for a wet landing. Have a blessed morning!” Feeling well-rested despite the night journey, I crawled downstairs to meet my shipmates for breakfast. Served buffet style, we were offered the typical selection of eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes fruit and cereal. I filled up on coffee from the espresso machine and prepared for a day of hiking and site seeing!
We met out on the main deck to board the zodiacs, and set off for the lava island of Santiago, a geologically-young island of hardened lava fields and desolate landscape. It was unlike any place I’d ever been on earth. We trekked around the island for a bit, learning about volcanic explosions and more about the formation of Santiago.
We returned to the boat for lunch and a few hour’s rest before again boarding the zodiacs for a dry landing at Pinnacle Rock, the iconic view spot in the islands. The view sure lived up to its fame, and we easily spent an hour admiring the archipelago.
Birds of Genovesa Island
Dec 05, 2016
Bird lovers unite! Today we visited Genovesa Island, one of the best islands in the Galapagos for bird watching. We strolled through a white-sand beach path brimming with nazca boobies, red-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, frigates and storm petrels. We were also greeted by several lazy sea lions lounging on the beach.
We had our first snorkeling excursion that afternoon, and we all bundled up in wetsuits to prepare for the cold Humbolt current! We boarded the zodiacs - routine at this point- and headed out for the coral reefs. I was a little nervous, as I'd heard the water was less than ideal at this time of year. It did initially take my breath away, but I was warmed up and sensitized to the cold after just a few minutes of swimming around. We saw plenty of colorful fish and coral, as well as three white-tipped sharks!
The staff treated us to an on-board BBQ in the evening on the upper deck. Hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage, chicken…everything you could imagine grilled to perfection by our on-board chef. The crew mingled with each table, chatting with us about our home countries, jobs and life in Ecuador. I really enjoyed getting to know the crew and was happy to have such personable staff on board with us! We all jumped in the Jacuzzi following dinner to warm up with a glass of wine and a hot tub before bed. On to day 4!
The Best Day in Paradise
Dec 05, 2016
Today was undoubtedly my favorite day of the cruise. We awoke in James Bay to Martin’s timely wakeup call and beautiful blue skies outside our cabin windows. The crew assembled us on the outer deck to dress for snorkeling and we set out, encountering not only fish but also sea lions, sharks AND sea turtles! Absolutely incredible.
That afternoon we visited Espumilla Beach and Buccaneer Cove. The wildlife here was truly in abundance, and it seemed we spotted a new animal with each step. This is also the home of the furry sea lion, which we found in the caves jumping wildly and splashing wildly in the water. They were putting on quite the show! This part of Santiago is also full of the ancient-looking iguanas, crabs and of course, more sea lions. I could have spent hours here!
The crew treated us to a pina colada farewell party that night, and realizing our trip was coming to an end was a sad moment indeed. Snorkeling, hiking, exciting dinner conversations with the other 14 passengers, delicious food, luxury cabins and a positive staff; the Petrel proved to live up to its reputation!
Our cruise sadly came to an end the following morning. I exchanged contact info with my shipmates and planned to meet a few for dinner back in Quito. 5 days aboard the Petrel was not nearly enough time to explore these magical islands… but then again, 15 wouldn’t feel like enough either!
