Galápagos Islands - What would you do differently?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What company are you using, OP? Or others who have gone or are going.

I’m the PP going next week. We are using Classic Journeys to do a land based tour. Will definitely report back!

Just got back from our trip. It’s truly a remarkable place, totally unspoiled and amazing wildlife. Loved snorkeling with the sea lions and walking among the giant tortoises in their natural habitat. We did the land based tour on Santa Cruz and Isabella with a day trip to Santa Fe. We used Classic Journeys. We didn’t love Classic in terms of planning and communication, but our local guide on the ground was fantastic so overall it was a great experience.

I can’t speak to the cruises, but we definitely got a little seasick on the rides we did and were grateful to sleep on land. The hotels are pretty basic and the water is not safe to drink/brush teeth with, but we loved being able to explore and walk around the islands on our own and we couldn’t have done if we were on a cruise. Isabella is particularly undeveloped and beautiful. Would definitely recommend the hotel Iguana Crossing if you go.

Totally unspoiled but you snorkeled with sea lions and walked among giant tortoises? Those are things that will spoil the place.

We loved Iguana Crossing too!

Have you actually been there or do you just comment on the travel forum to judge people who travel? There are very strict rules to protect all of the wildlife and environment that we followed. Unless you shut down all tourism (and the accompanying revenue and fees they collect for conservation efforts), I’m not sure what you would propose.

I would favor shutting it down and the same thing with Antartica. I do judge, but the best I can do is not add to the stream of bucket list people whose presence creates the need for conservation efforts. There are islands and places around the world that are off limits to the general public for the sake of wildlife conservation.

[Anonymous]

NP, still in Ecuador and heading home this weekend.

As a lady I wished I packed more shorts for walking to and from sites while wet. I ended up buying shorts in Santa Cruz. The chub rub and a cover up were no fun. Also wish I had a sturdy hiking sandal.

We are currently in the cloud forest (Mindo), and I wish I packed a head lamp for night walks. Luckily our tour guide had one to line out.

10/10 and would visit again! Considering cancelling our spring trip to Costa Rica because the animals/birds we saw was simply unbelievably.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP, still in Ecuador and heading home this weekend.

As a lady I wished I packed more shorts for walking to and from sites while wet. I ended up buying shorts in Santa Cruz. The chub rub and a cover up were no fun. Also wish I had a sturdy hiking sandal.

We are currently in the cloud forest (Mindo), and I wish I packed a head lamp for night walks. Luckily our tour guide had one to line out.

10/10 and would visit again! Considering cancelling our spring trip to Costa Rica because the animals/birds we saw was simply unbelievably.

Thank you for your report. Do you think regular cotton shorts are okay, or do you think you need like athletic shorts? We won't be there until April and I keep going back and forth on whether I'm going to be cold when snorkeling. I adore snorkeling but do get very cold in the water. Google says the water temps are 76-77 in April, which I guess is only a couple degrees colder than what it is in Hawaii in the summer, and I don't use a wetsuit when I snorkel then, but I know I'm usually cold when water temps are low 70s.
We did get the good Keen sandals when they were half off at Christmas, so I'm hoping those will work for hiking. My son and I also own hiking boots, but my husband and daughter don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP, still in Ecuador and heading home this weekend.

As a lady I wished I packed more shorts for walking to and from sites while wet. I ended up buying shorts in Santa Cruz. The chub rub and a cover up were no fun. Also wish I had a sturdy hiking sandal.

We are currently in the cloud forest (Mindo), and I wish I packed a head lamp for night walks. Luckily our tour guide had one to line out.

10/10 and would visit again! Considering cancelling our spring trip to Costa Rica because the animals/birds we saw was simply unbelievably.

Bump! Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Sun clothes. Most people wore long sleeve Sun protection while exploring the islands, and I wish I had more Sun shirts. I wore keen sandals for all my island exploring. Underwater camera/video for snorkeling. We saw lots of turtles, penguins, sea lions, sharks, etc while swimming. Wish I had captured it underwater. The trip was amazing. The wildlife was just spectacular and plentiful. We got lucky encountering with whales and pods of dolphins on our zodiac rides.