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| Santa Cruz |
While researching the Galapagos leg of our trip, Michele and
I learned that there are two primary ways to visit, each with its own pros and
cons: stay on the main island (Santa Cruz) and do day trips to other islands,
or stay on a boat and travel among the islands the whole time. With option 1,
you’re more limited to which islands you can see and I think there are fewer
excursions in the same amount of time, probably because the boat has to take
you home in time for dinner every night as opposed to being able to cruise the
entire time. But with option 2, if you get seasick, well, that sucks. And
you’re stuck with the same few people for the whole five days, which is great
if you like them….. You are also limited in food choices and have less
comfortable accommodations overall, because you’re on a boat. Option 2 is also
a little more expensive, if I’m remembering correctly.
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| Hello, friend |
Based on these broad-strokes differences, I liked option 1
better and Michele liked option 2 better. I’m stubborn, while Michele is easygoing.
Guess which option we selected? I was able to convince her that I would get seasick
and make her life miserable if we stayed on a boat for five days, plus I
pointed out all the bars and restaurants we could explore at night if we stayed
on Santa Cruz. (At the time I thought that was a legitimate argument.) So despite
wanting to show off her amazing yacht hair for five days, she graciously accommodated
my preferences. We started reviewing the day trips we could take from Santa
Cruz, mainly based on what animals we could see where.
Practical Details for
Future Travelers
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| Fish market in Puerto Ayora |
We found out when we reached Santa Cruz that people can just
fly in and book their excursions from Puerto Ayora very easily, despite
everything we read in advance that said that approach was risky and people
often spend their entire vacation stuck on the main island because all the
tours are booked. We didn’t want to risk it, so we booked a package through one
of the many tour companies. I’m happy with how it worked out, but the warnings
were extremely overhyped; we could have saved quite a bit of money by waiting
to book excursions when we arrived in Santa Cruz. For anyone willing to risk
it, I’d recommend that approach.
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| Pinnacle Rock |
We booked through Galapagos Travel Center, and we did the
Island Secrets package:
Day 1: Arrive in Puerto Ayora; take a bay tour by boat; see
iguanas, seals, and blue-footed boobies; snorkel with a giant turtle; and be
serenaded by a crazy boat captain (unexpected bonus)
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| Marine iguanas |
Day 2: Land tour of Santa Cruz island, including lunch at
and walking tour of a giant-tortoise preserve; walk down lava tunnels; chill on
an isolated beach (Garrapatero); drive around the Highlands and Cerro Mesa; see
Darwin Station and a tortoise breeding center; and visit a local coffee roaster
and bakery (another unexpected bonus)
Day 3: Yacht to Santa Fe (cacti and cliffs for birds)
Day 4: Yacht to Plazas and Bartolome (Pinnacle Rock and penguins,
but no)
Day 5: Fly back to Quito
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| That's me with a giant turtle! |
Island Sights
We got to snorkel for free on days 1, 3, and 4, which was a
lovely surprise because the company made it sound like we’d have to pay extra
for snorkel gear. I had never been snorkeling before and I’m worried that doing
it in the Galapagos for the first time ruined me for all other snorkeling. Over
the course of those three days, I swam with a giant turtle, saw a sleeping
shark, frolicked underwater with playful seals, held a sea anemone, and
followed marine iguanas as they dove down to feast on algae (the only iguanas in the
whole world who go underwater for food!). The penguins weren’t on Bartolome as
promised, but I was so enchanted by all the other animals I saw up close that I
wasn’t too disappointed.
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| Sea lions and birds |
We also did some very light hiking (aka walking for people who just did the Inca Trail) on Plazas and Santa
Fe to see Pinnacle Rock and cliffs where a vast array of birds fly in and out
(and baby birds sleep in nests on the ground! They have no native predators!).
We also saw sea lions splayed out on rocks almost everywhere we went. They
smelled terrible and occasionally got aggressive with each other, but I loved
watching them laze around and bark like dogs. They reminded me of my Sam.
Food and Drinks
The first day we arrived, Alexandra (our intrepid tour
guide/coordinator/second mother) shuttled us to the dock to meet our bay-tour
captain and then ran out to get us lunch. We ate on the dock that day, and we
had a fancy lunch at the giant-tortoise preserve on the second day. Days 3 and
4, when we were yachting around the Galapagos (I’ve wanted to write that phrase
forever!), a cook prepared lunch for everyone and we ate in the little dining
room of the yacht.
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| Yacht life |
Breakfast was included with our hotel, but it took us a
couple days to figure that out, so we a few breakfasts in town. Dinners were
also included in our package, but we had to eat at the same mediocre restaurant
every night. We played along the first two nights but then decided to branch
out and try other places. Our waiter at the preordained restaurant kept trying
to flirt with Michele, but her patchy Spanish and his age (60+) just made
things awkward.
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| There was no veggie food here :( |
Overall, the food in Ecuador was just okay. Lunch at the
tortoise preserve was the highlight (no, we did not eat tortoise); the rest was
really just sustenance. Honestly, we were both disappointed with Ecuadorian
food, especially compared to the really good meals we had in Peru. And
Ecuadorian beer was awful! We each bought one on the yacht one day—because how
do you not?—but I actually threw mine away because it was so terrible. If you
know me at all, you know I don’t throw away booze easily.
Nightlife in Puerto Ayora was interesting. The city’s vibe brought
to mind a place where cruise ships stop during the day and leave (with all the
tourists) before nightfall. There were bars and restaurants, but not many
people to visit them. And the Galapagos in general seemed like a destination
for older folks, so the few bars we went to were pretty deserted. And we found
only one bar/restaurant overlooking the water the whole time we were there! As
native Austinites who are used to quality patios and don’t see much water, that
seemed like sacrilege to us.
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| Puerto Ayora |
Nevertheless, we valiantly attempted to barhop each night
after dinner (the sacrifices you make on vacation), but the places either felt
like a TGIFridays or an empty club. On the plus side, we got plenty of rest
while we were there.
Retirement Already?
Okay!
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| El Garrapatero |
Overall the Galapagos were beautiful and relaxing, which is
just what I needed after our slog through the Andes. I feel like I got a
glimpse of what my retired vacations will be like, and not just because 75% of
the other tourists were retired. We woke up at a reasonably early hour each
morning, had active but easy sightseeing trips every day, ate bland dinners in
mediocre restaurants every night, and were usually in bed by 10. If being
retired means hanging out on beaches like Garrapatero, then sign me up.
