Galapagos?

Anyone here been to Galapagos islands?

It seems to be a blend of cruises and land based stays. From what I’ve been recommended is a 5-8 day boat trip around the islands and then a 4-5 days land based stay to explore the areas. We’d like to go scuba diving as well. Any recs on itineraries? operators to use for the cruises?

I wentv10 years ago. You should go for more than 5 days so you can see the western islands. Almost excursions are on boats as there are limits on land hotels. I don’t see the value of a land base stay vs the diversity you get from the boats. Most scuba excursions are solely for diving and do not offer the opportunities for land excursions. I am scuba certified but got a great thrill from snorkeling - sharks, rays, marine iguanas, etc. one of the best vacations I took. Arranged through Geographic Expeditions.

I went in 2006. Did 7 day/nights on a boat.

This was valid when I went, but may have changed -
Make sure you get a boat that’s less than 100 people. Ours had 47… it’s a great number. Anything more than 100 and you get half the experience, as only 100 people are allowed on land at once (due to environment protection). therefore you get half the time a smaller boat would, or it takes twice as long.
ie… we had a morning land excursion, and an afternoon one. a large boat may only have 1 location per day as it alows 2 groups to get on/off the islands

Stay on a boat - staying on the main city has little point. Staying on a boat allows you access to more remote islands.

You can dive, but honestly I thought the diving is medicore at best. I would rate GBR, Red sea, cozumel, Indonesia, Hawaii, etc all better than Galapagos.

That said, it’s truely pure relaxation… you sit on the top deck of the boat, sip a beer, and watch an insanely gorgeous sunset. I don’t recall the operator, I just remember 7 days/nights, 47 people on board. enjoy!

Here are a couple… pardon the crappy camera/skills :slight_smile:
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btw, bring a LONG lens. you’ll want reach like you want it during an African safari. not as badly b/c u can get really close to the birds, but you will still want it a lot of times…

We did ten days on a boat back in 1986–about 16 people on the trip. It was a sort of cabin cruiser thing and worked out fine. It was a terrific trip. I’d be very skeptical, however, of the land stay notion.

okay cool. Will look into the cruises :slight_smile:. Flights are pricey. Ugh.

One of the best trips I’ve ever been on. We did Celebrity, which is one of the two “big” ships. Nat’l Geographic runs the other, both just under 100 passengers. Gives a little more room in the cabins and a little more in the way of food options than the small boats, but it is nothing like a traditional cruise ship experience. Up early, take a zodiac to an island, see what there is to be seen, eat lunch while the ship re-positions, zodiac to the next island, see what’s there, back to the ship for a presentation on the next day. It was an exhausting seven days but utterly amazing. I don’t snorkel but my wife really enjoyed the snorkeling excursions.

Ecuador has changed the regulations such that, as I understand it, each ship can only visit the smaller islands once every two weeks, so check your ship’s itinerary to make sure it is going to the islands you want to visit. Each has different flora and fauna. Also think about whether you want to go during rainy or dry season. That’s not an obvious choice - each has benefits and disadvantages.

The bigger cruise operators offer one additional advantage. They arrange a day on each end in Quito and make all of the arrangements to get you to and from Baltra. While you can do it on your own, having it done for you eliminates the issue and any possible risk.

I’m biased a bit as my wife’s friend works for Royal Carribean (aka Celebriy aka Azamara), but the friend plus another of my wife’s friends took the Celebrity Galapagos cruise this year and enjoyed it very much. It’s a very small ship but they enjoyed their land and cruise experience.

Any updates on the best bets for Galapagos cruising? I’m slightly more tempted by the smaller ships, but wondering what represents the best option of them.

It is about 10 years ago that I went but I used G Adventures. It was a small boat - 16 people in 2 person cabins + 4 or 5 crew. I think it was 7 nights on the boat with a day either side in Quito. It certainly wasn’t luxury but I really enjoyed it. Generally you’d swim or snorkel a couple of times a day and there would be a couple of island visits a day where you’d get out and walk around. We didn’t stay overnight on any of the islands and I think all the meals were on the boat.

went over Xmas this past year. Two nights in Quito and 5 days on a boat, visiting 2 islands a day–there are thousands. Great trip. Not a food trip. Not a luxury trip. But def a bucket list trip we loved. Email me and can hook you up w our travel agent and talk more.

Avian malaria is devastating birds, esp flamingo and penguin populations–so go soon, as it is a dying world.

animals and birds have no fear–you can approach amazingly close.
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these guys live 150 years, slow metabolism with heart rate of 7 beats per minute, cool creatures.
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Look into COPA…we flew them to Quito and home from Lima. Very enjoyable flights.

Cheers!
Marshall [cheers.gif]

Sounds similar to my trip there in 2006, but we used Angermeyer Cruises. They have options across the luxury spectrum but we really enjoyed the smaller, non-luxury boat with IIRC 12 other people. We had a great group onboard with lively dinners and great tours of the islands and swim/snorkel excursions.

Wonderful place. Was extremely fortunate to see Lonesome George before he passed.

Wait when did George pass?

Charlie: We took National Geographic and it was amazing! Not as luxurious as Celebrity but the guides and naturalists were amazing. The food was quite fresh and very good and the wine was always extra! A different island each day and simply amazing wildlife!



Cheers!
Marshall [cheers.gif]

2012