One always hears about the Galapagos as such a richly biodiverse location. And it is true. But in my mind, biodiverse automatically meant green and lush. Visiting in August, this just wasn’t the case. Cold currents and southern breezes bring drier air at this time of year, and the land - at lower elevations at least - can seem downright arid. How in the world does this arid, dry area support such rich wildlife? The secret is in the water. Quite literally.
There is such a distinct difference above and below the surface of the water. Stick your face in the water with a snorkel mask on and you see such an abundance of colors, and an amazing volume of living things. Sharks, sea turtles, eagle rays, parrotfish, cornetfish, wrasse, seastars, urchins, flounder, moray eels, and so many more….
Pop up from your snorkeling wonderland and you see stark lava flows, dry shrubland and what seems to border on desert at times. You quickly realize that while you may find dozens of sea lions hauled out on one patch of dry land, literal piles of marine iguanas on another patch of dry land, and hundreds of blue-footed boobies or frigatebirds nesting on still another patch of dry land… the only thing these animals need from that dry land is, well, the dry land. They get every last bit of nutrition from the sea, brought together by the three main currents that collide at the Galapagos.
When you get in that water, and the flightless cormorants, Galapagos penguins, sea lions, and marine iguanas decide to join you, a question comes to mind…. Why did I not ever know about the Galapagos Islands as a snorkeling destination?
Kelly and Rhenee were excellent to work with on planning our trip. The logistics all worked smoothly and everyone was friendly and on time. Our accommodations were very good, particularly the incredible Patagonia Camp in Torres del Paine! Our guides on every excursion were outstanding and made the hikes memorable! Overall we had a wonderful trip with incredible memories!
Scott Gibson
1 day ago
Adventure Life is definitely a first-class safari tour company, and our representative was Franny Friesz. First of all, she responded immediately after we contacted Adventure Life. We told Franny that we had never been on a safari, and she was more than eager to offer a mountain of information about the trip. She informed us fully about all the ups, downs, and all arounds! She even prepared a number of packages for us to review -- even after we made changes to the areas we wanted to explore. Friendly, helpful, professional, and extremely knowledgeable -- these words describe Franny, and what a wonderful trip she prepared! We couldn't have asked for better service than Franny of Adventure Life. We HIGHLY recommend her and her outstanding company! Bon Voyage!
Prima Burke
2 days ago
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.
Jennifer Howard Schroeder
3 days ago
Kevin got right on our request and had us booked within the week