The Galapagos Islands are a natural wonder and a bucket-list destination for many travelers. Located off the coast of Ecuador, these islands are home to a unique ecosystem and a wealth of wildlife found nowhere else on Earth. I was excited for this next phase of our journey. Though it's not the easiest destination to get to I knew our 5 day cruise would be well worth the effort.
Welcome to the Galapagos! (Jess Heuermann)
Getting There
Most travelers to the Galapagos Islands fly from Quito, the capital city of Ecuador. Our guide took us into the airport and helped us find our cruise liaison. She was waiting with our TCT and luggage tags already in hand. Once we had checked in with her and checked our larger luggage our guide Christopher said his goodbyes and we went through airport security.
Flights usually stop in Guayaquil along the way, where some passengers will deplane and more will come on board. The stop was quick and anyone continuing on to Galapagos was instructed to stay on the plane.
Once you arrive in the Galapagos, you'll need to pay a park fee before you can enter the islands. This fee helps to support conservation efforts and the management of the national park. This is payable in cash (USD) and we generally recommend bringing small bills to pay.
Meeting Your Guide and Group
Once we were through immigration and collected our baggage we met our guide and the rest of the group who would be on board the ship with us. Since all of us had arrived on the same flight it was easy to gather together and be ready to get going. Your guide will be with you throughout your entire stay on the islands, leading you on excursions and providing information about the wildlife and natural history of the area. After meeting our guide and group, we took a short bus ride to the north side of the island where we boarded our boat, the Alya.
Boarding the Boat
We chose a cruise over a land based stay and I have to say it was the right choice. These boats are designed specifically for travel in the Galapagos and are equipped with all the amenities you need for a comfortable stay. The boat will be your means of transportation between islands, which means we didn't have to spend too much idle time in transit. The boat either moved during the night while we slept or during meals.
Once settled into our cabins, we set off on our first activity, a cruise in a panga to see some wildlife. It was incredible to see sea lions lounging on the rocks, marine iguanas basking in the sun, and blue-footed boobies diving into the water to catch fish. This gave us our first taste of just how incredible our trip was going to be
Adventure Life is always an excellent choice when planning complicated, extreme, or exotic vacations or expeditions. They provide friendly professional services and advice and are enthusiastic and encouraging in helping us to prepare and thoroughly enjoy our trip. They handle all the details which greatly reduces the stress of planning a difficult trip. I'm very impressed with Adventure Life and definitely recommend them to friends and family.
Scott Trochim
3 days ago
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
5 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
6 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
