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Published: April 1st 2023
Wow! ….the Journey begins…. The big blue marble we live on contains a plethora of incredible and unique places to visit. Whether it is the topography, the natural wonders, the flora or the fauna, our earth never seems to disappoint. Scientists love to research and speculate how our planet became the way it is in the present day. Of the many places to visit, the Galápagos Islands is an absolute must for those searching for a truly mesmerizing look at species not seen elsewhere.
The mention of the Galápagos also brings forward one of the more interesting scientists of the last few centuries…a chap named Darwin. His five-year journey on the HMS Beagle resulted in basically throwing the scientific world on its ear a few decades later when he published the famous “On the Origin of the Species.” Imagine someone postulating that there was actual evolution going on where species change, mutate and migrate…all in the name of survival.
We truly love seeing animals in their wild and natural environment. When you take an African Safari, travel to Antarctica for penguins or end up in the Galápagos, it is as if you are living in a National Geographic
special. One can’t help but look around in wonder and awe.
It is fair assumption that all of you at one time or another have watched a documentary on the Galápagos Islands and been mesmerized by the animals and bird life you have seen. We can verify that it is even more amazing in person. The factors involved in making these islands so unique result in an absolute thrill ride for those seeking one of kind species to have a look at. The volcanic activity, coupled with sliding tectonic plates and of course, the Humboldt Current result in a world that only exists here on the equator some 600 miles west of Ecuador. So when you get off the plane and observe large iguanas wandering around the airfield It seem an appropriate start to the adventure.
A mental algorithm Getting to these islands means deciding how to get there and how to move about as there is so much to see and do. When planning a trip to the Galápagos, you must first decide if you want to do a land-based trip or visit via ship. A land-based trip is far cheaper, but it prevents you from
getting to some of the remote islands you may want to explore. We decided we would do a ship and add a couple of days on land at the end.
Let’s just say it up front. A cruise around the Galápagos Islands isn’t cheap so we did extensive research on many different companies and the itineraries they had to offer. We were hoping to get the most bang for our buck. We scoured the various websites, read reviews, and attempted to figure out which animals would be on which island. We read reviews of a dozen companies and finally made a decision to go with
Metro Journeys. We feel the research paid off handsomely.
The flight from Quito stopped in Guayaquil briefly where some disembarked and some boarded for the next leg to the islands. Upon arrival, we were herded onto a bus for a short drive to the docks, where zodiacs awaited to take us to our home for the next six days, the Isabella II. She’s a smaller vessel, but well equipped to handle the 36
passengers who boarded her that day. They refer to her as a yacht and that felt appropriate. We were excited we
Brilliant Reflections
Clear waters in the Galapagos.were on a smaller vessel that felt intimate – one might expect a Russian Oligarch to ride around in a ship of this size well actually, they’d probably have one twice this size!
Sharks a plenty We were ushered to the Sun Deck to receive our wet suits and snorkel gear while we were entertained by the pelicans and boobies feeding next to our yacht as well as a dozen sharks circling the waters near us. The sharks were interested in the fish who were interested in feeding on the barnacles of our ship. The pelicans were interested in the fish….. ah the circle of life. We live in Florida and are used to seeing pelicans but these guys are monsters. We are not sure we’ve ever seen pelicans that large. The azure waters are inviting and made it easy to see all the fish including the sharks circling. We were filled with excitement as to what the next days would hold for us. This proved to be just a tease for what was yet to come.
As you know we are traveling with our good friend Brenden a.k.a. Travel Brenno. We warned him if he misbehaved
he could end up overboard with the sharks!
Safety Briefing & Protecting the Environment and Wildlife We were given a bit of time to enjoy our welcome juice and cocktails, check out our rooms and begin to unpack when the safety alarm rang. We all gathered on deck for our safety briefing. We got through the don’t do this, don’t do that, and then were set free to begin enjoying the next six days.
As the Galápagos Islands are designated as a World Heritage Site, the Ecuadorian government worked to ensure that the pristine nature of the islands would be preserved and enacted more than a few laws towards this goal. While we won’t bore you with the details, you always need to have a guide, respect the wildlife and the environment, and basically leave it the way you found it. In other words, don’t be a messy ignorant tourist. The guides ensure you follow all the rules.
Probably the smartest thing done to protect the islands is limit the number of visitors. All the touring vessels have specific routes on specific days to ensure that any given island is not inundated with people. Balance….that’s the
ticket!
13 stops on 6 islands The trip we selected would provide 13 stops on 6 islands. The islands we visited included: Santa Cruz, Baltra, San Cristobal, Española, Floreana, Isabela, Fernandina, and North Seymour.
There were three naturalists on board who were extremely knowledgeable and provided all the information and humor one could have wanted relating to the flora and fauna….and all creatures in the water as well! They were well versed in the history of the islands as well. Basically walking encyclopedias….
Eco Moments Everyday at 7pm we all met in the bar for a presentation given by a Naturalists. We learned about the history of the Islands, Darwin’s research, the protections that are in place. We learned details about the various birds we were seeing as well as sea lions, turtles, land and marine iguanas. Intersting information was imparted to us so we could better understand this magical land we were exploring.
By now, you’re wondering how the adventure went for us….and although we are eager to tell you about it, you’ll have to wait for the next blog to hear more. But in the meantime, we’ll leave you with some photos
A pig at the party
Good food on the Isabellea II. that will most likely peak your interest….. and we hope you will come back for the rest of the story.
We are traveling this portion of the trip with our friend Brendan.... he's a lot of fun to travel with as you will see in the photos.
Who we traveled with: Isabella II Galápagos Yacht booked via Metro Journey’s.
We opted for the Southeastern 7day/6 night trip.
SoutheasternTour Diego Zapata, Destination Expert, dizapata@metrojourneys.com. phone: 1-855-435-2093 ext. 172.
Please let Diego know we recommended him.
You will want to check out Brendan’s perspective of our trip. Go For Galapagos! …. And watch for his other blogs as they publish. He is a humorous writer.
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Piprey on wheels
Shona
well written introduction
hi, nice background of the islands. do you recommend reaching Quito and booking a Galapagos trip or better to do it in advance from uk? Any preferred season to snorkel and see baby animals? Looking forward to more. Cheers, Shona