Primary facts:
No permit is needed to visit Galapagos for pleasure (i.e. non-commercial activities), but travel options vary widely. You need to ask yourself what matters to you most: Leisure, Photography, Sports, Learning or Luxury. While many tour companies advertise all these choices bundled together, there’s always a bias towards one option at the expense of the others.
Here today, gone tomorrow:
Some folks spend a couple of days in a nice local hotel or a home bed-and-breakfast, which is very pleasant and relaxing, with lots of restaurants, souvenir shops, etc, to choose from around town. They see a few of the iconic animals at the main dock or neighbouring farms, and then they leave. They’ve been heard to say, “Galápagos really is way over-rated!” Of course, that’s because they never truly experienced the islands’ wild magic, spending their time too close to civilisation.
Experiences of a lifetime:
For those travellers who ask all the right questions, learn about how the seasons work on the equator, and find out what can be seen where and when, the rewards can be life-changing, especially if you pick one of the rare two-week cruises. Many people are astonished to discover that each island is very different, some old and covered in vegetation, others barely cooled volcanoes. Wildlife thrives on all of them, but it too is quite different between islands, so the longer you stay and the more places you visit, the more you’ll see and experience.
TOUR CHOICES IN BRIEF:
Land-based:
• hotel stays
• day tours
• island-hopping (towns)
• scuba diving
• snorkelling
Boat-based:
• large, luxury ships
• small, intimate boats
• organised small groups
• private charters
• scuba diving trips
• snorkelling
Sports:
• hiking, biking, kayaking
———
Remember,
not all tours are made equal; ensure you pick what will match your style and expectations!
Daily tours:
Many people (about a third of all visitors) stay in comfortable hotels or lodges, with pleasant atmospheres, swimming pools and lots of choices for dining, etc, around town. From there they take daily tours, or scuba diving outings, to nearby islands and bays. But while this may be very appealing, especially for those who don’t trust their sea legs, it actually means they spend more time travelling in buses and small boats than wildlife-watching, and their landings are mostly towards the middle of the day, when animals are least active and the heat can be crushing. Scuba diving and snorkelling is also offered as day tours.
Full program:
To get the most out of each day, my trip activities start at daybreak, and most days end with a short, optional after-dinner slideshow on one of the many aspects of natural history, etc, of the islands. Siesta time provides relief from otherwise busy days. I only offer trips long enough to see most of the islands (see itinerary note below).
Noteworthy
National Park Regulations:
— Visitors must stay together at all times as a group, with a local guide, the maximum (standard) number being 16 people to a guide, but of course groups
can be smaller if more
guides are provided.
— Discreetly marked footpaths lead you to the best viewing
spots, and must be adhered
to at all times, except in
some beach areas.
— The Park is closed from
6pm to 6am, except at
designated campsites.
— There are over 100 designated visitors sites located
throughout the islands.
Fixed Itinerary:
Unless under special permission (e.g. film production) every tour vessel operates according to a National Park-designated itinerary. This runs on a two-weekly rotor, but most operators offer trips of one week or less, which makes it impossible to see all the highlights the islands offer in a single trip. Yet if you take two back-to-back cruises you’ll see most of the islands, but will make repeat visits to inhabited ports.
Island hopping:
This refers to short speedboat trips between the four main inhabited islands, with hotel-based activities at each, including options for day tours, snorkelling, hiking, etc.
Sports:
There are only a few places where hikes of several miles are permitted, and camping is limited to a small handful of designated sites, which are not the best for seeing wildlife. Bicycling, kayaking, paddle-boarding and surfing are available at the three main inhabited islands.
Water acitivities:
Kayaking and paddle-boarding are offered by some (but not all) live-aboard tours. Snorkelling is available on all trips and is an integral part of seeing Galapagos at its best. Only certain vessels are licensed for scuba diving, and do not visit the same sites as the land tours that include snorkelling.
