“A once in a lifetime trip so good I did it a second time”
ON OUR NATURALIST GUIDES
While selecting the right ship for our trips is an important element to making them a success, it’s arguably more important to ensure you will be accompanied by the best naturalist guides we can find. They play a critical role in helping you get the most out of your time in the islands. In selecting guides, we are looking at a number of qualities, including:
English language profficiency: Galapagos Park rules require that all guides have Galapagos residency status. That means the pool of potential guides is quite small, and not all have had the chance to develop the level of English language skills we think is required to communicate effectively with our guests.
Emotional I.Q.: A good guide understands and can read the headspace of his/her guests. They know when it’s time to talk, and when it’s time to just let the guests engage in quiet contemplation. They are quick studies of their group’s individual personalities - knowing who might appreciate a bit more attention, and who is happy to do his/her own thing.
Adventurous / Spontaneous: When you’re out and about among the islands, you never know what opportunities might arise. Good guides are always on the watch for unusual natural phenomema and will be willing to modifiy the agenda at the last minute if they think something spectacular is in the offing. Doing so might make the guide’s job harder, or might disrupt the ship’s routine - and lesser quality guides will succumb to those temptations - but at the end of the day, good guides will disregard these inconveniences in favour of ensuring their guests get to witness the best of what’s on offer.
Knoweldgeable: Our guides are curious and engaged in continuing education. Their learning didn’t stop after they completed their guide’s course. Ask them anything - and we hope they’ll have the answers. If they don’t, they’ll be the kind to take note and do the necessary research.
A Balanced Sense of Fun: While guiding a Galapagos expedition is a serious job, good guides understand that bit of fun, a bit of laughter from time to time adds to building group cohesion and to the pleasure of the day. Good guides can find that sweet spot between bringing out the child among their guests on occasion and illiciting some laughs - but they also realize that their job is not one of a stand-up comic, knowing when to focus on matters and hand, and when to let you take in the moment on your own terms.
Safety First: Safety remains a top concern. You are on a small ship, sailing along remote shorelines, swimming in wild waters and hiking in occasionally rough terrains. Working hand-in-hand with the ship’s crew, a good naturalist guide’s concern over safety will never flag.
ITineraries
We offer 3 different Galápagos itineraries. Each has a very strong natural history focus, and spend either 8, 11 or 15 days aboard the yacht, allowing you to visit the significant outer islands, and allowing for a maximum of nature and wildlife observation.
We include 2 nights in Quito, with a Quito city day tour before flying out to Galapagos. While you may opt out of these two days, we highly recommend that you join us. Doing so provides a critical buffer against the vicissitudes of travel (missed connection, lost baggage, snow storms at your home airport etc…) and also allows you to recuperate from the long trip before embarking on your expedition cruise.
We also offer the option of speding two additional nights in Galapagos after the cruise as an opportunity to relax after an intensive time aboard, and enjoy a bit of independent exploration. Contact us if you’re interested.
Our trips start in Quito. Here is a typical first three days:
Day 1: The tours begins in Quito, Ecuador. On arrival (typically in the evening), you can either take an airport taxi to the hotel (very well organized), or you can arrange for a private transfer with us (not included). We have been using the boutique hotel Mama Cuchara for several years. The Mama Cuchara is one of four “Arts Hotels” in Ecuador. A beautifully restored 19th century building, its rooms facing a completely enclosed inner courtyard. It sports a wonderful roofop patio for drinks or meals, offering a magical night time view of the city. The owners emphasize the support of local artisans. If you are keen, and if you arrive a bit early, we can arrange through them a “hands-on” artisanal tour of the neighbourhood.
Day 2: After breakfast at the hotel, you'll get the chance to visit Quito's historic centre. The government of Ecuador and the City government have invested a lot over the past twenty years and transformed to old city centre into a delightful place to discover history and architecture, along with the opportunity to see Ecuadorians out and about in town. Historic Quito was inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage list at the same time as Galapagos, in 1978 - the 2nd ever site to be so recognized (the first was… Galapagos!). If the morning's sky is particularly clear, we will arrange for a trip on the cable car up to Pichincha volcano, where you should be able to enjoy breathtaking views of the Quito valley below and surrounding snow capped volcanoes. Lunch is provided in a tasty local restaurant with a commanding view over the city. You'll be back at the hotel in time for a quiet late afternoon. Free evening - local restaurants abound or enjoy your evening meal at the hotel’s rooftop restaurant.
Day 3: We get on our bus for an early morning transfer to the airport (box breakfast included - though the airport has a very decent place for a more substantial meal at the departure gates area). Upon our arrival at Baltra Island in Galapagos (former US military base during WWII), we transfer to the yacht, which will be waiting for the group in the nearby harbor. This afternoon you will begin your island explorations. [B, L, D]*
Then you have either 8 (Active Galapagos), 11 (Natural History) or 15 (Photography) days on board your ship, depending on your choice of trips.
Giant tortoises, highlands of Santa Cruz Island
Land Iguana, North Seymour Island
Back to the Mainland
Final Day: At the end of your cruise, you’ll disembark at the Galapagos airport and our staff will help you with the check-in procedures. Our trip ends on arrival back on the mainland sometime mid to late afternoon. Most connecting flights to North America and beyond leave later in the evening, and for the most part, you should be able to easily make the onward connection. We can arrange for an extra night in a hotel for those whose connecting flights leave the following day.
LEISURE OPTION: Consider spending an extra two days in Galapagos after your cruise. After a several days on board, you might appreciate some down time in the town of Puerto Ayora, based out of our boutique hotel with courtyard and pool. Ask us for details.
[* Tour includes Breakfast, Lunch on day 2, all meals from day 3 onwards, and breakfast only on the last day]
CONSIDER AN EXTENSION: While in this part of the world, you might want to consider taking more time to explore. There are many options to consider - from remote Amazon jungle lodges, to cloud forest hummingbird sanctuaries, culinary / cultural tours, horseback in the high altitude Paramo, condor spotting… it’s also easy to arrange a side-trip to Cuzco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu in neighbouring Peru. Ask us for details, or see our Explore Ecuador pages.
“ I can’t tell you how many times we and our fellow travelers
remarked at how happy we were that we chose Galapagos Travel. Of course
there were many other boats there, but almost every day we were the first
to arrive on the islands and felt like we had them all to ourselves. We
watched as other groups marched from spot to spot with little to no time to
stop and photograph, while we were able to take in every opportunity with
no rushing. Plus the combined knowledge of Monica and Tui left us with the
feeling that we really got to know the Galapagos.
We were often scratching our heads wondering what the other tour groups
were doing all day while we were photographing the Galapagos on land, from
the Pangas and snorkeling in the water.
Thank you again for giving us a great “Trip of a Lifetime.””