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Published: February 19th 2009
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AHHH, the Galapagos! A magical place where all the inhabitants live in almost perfect harmony. There are very few predators - man NOT being one - so you could casually walk and stand side by side and they’d either stare back at you with interest or ignore you! Birds, small penguins, mammals, reptiles - all free and fearless, most different from any others found on the planet. In 1835 Charles Darwin visited the islands and found living proof for his theory “origin of the species”.
This was an unforgettable trip we felt privileged to have experienced. Coming face to face with the ancient giant Galapagos tortoise was the trips highlight for Mary. Snorkeling daily with a multitude of colorful fish, sea lions, a shark, and sea turtle did it for Bill.
The “green” cruise ship housing 20 passengers and 10 crew members sailed mainly at night through the islands. We had 2 daily landings, sometimes wet other times dry - where we hiked around the islands interacting with the inhabitants and receiving lectures from our guides, Ivan and Fatima. Ivan, I must add was a frustrated entertainer so we also had music and one night dancing aboard the boat!
Also, daily on one of the island excursions, we’d have time for snorkeling and beach down time. The beaches were incredible - different colored sand on each island from stark white to volcanic black and golden, and the texture of flour. Our small group was ALWAYS the only one on the beach! The weather was warm and breezy if not downright hot sometimes when hiking on lava.
A group of green minded individuals, we created an instant bond. We met so many interesting fellow passengers from the US, UK and Australia. Our travels paled in comparison to some of theirs.
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Maddy
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Amazing!!!
Thank you so much for this post! I dream about going to the Galapagos Island for years! I decided to make my dream come true and go there next summer, after volunteering in an environmental quest in Ecuador for 3 weeks with United Planet (http://www.unitedplanet.org/environmental-ecuador-volunteer/). I already have some contacts with their country coordinator and they help me to organise my trip but I would also like to have your advices. What do you advice me to do to have the best time possible?