Galapagos - A bit of heaven on earth
Written: Mar 18 '03 (Updated Mar 21 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: About as close to nature as one can get.
Cons: Heat and humidity
The Bottom Line: Expensive and worth every penny
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| jfudge's Full Review: Galápagos Islands |
Our journey to the Galapagos started on March 7, 2003 from Quito. We stayed at the Swisshotel that was very comfortable . The steak house at the hotel is quite good with bottles of wine available for $18 - $24. Since we were only in Quito for one full day, through the concierge at the hotel, we booked a day tour. The cost for 8 hours in a private van with driver and guide was $129 and well worth it.
A pleasant surprise was the Cultural Museum and the exhibits that were arranged going through the periods of history and examples of each culture with explanations in both English and Spanish. There is an exhibit of gold and silver jewelry and other artifacts as well as exhibits of Ecuadorian paintings. The museum was quite modern and well kept.
In Quito one can see a huge angel that looks over the city and the views from this spot are not to be missed as you can see how the city winds through and fits into the valley.
Another stop was to the museum and cultural center on the equator where you can take pictures with one foot on each side of the equator. The day that we were there Ecuadorian music and dancing was taking place on the plaza. Here there are restaurants and small shops with goods typical to Ecuador available for sale such a silver jewelry and ceramics.
A visit to the Old Town, the government buildings, cathedrals, plaza and side streets with shops are not to be missed as you really get a sense of the city and it's people.
We had a typical Andean lunch with our guide and driver at a small restaurant that was attached to Tianguez, an artisan shop on the Plaza San Francisco, a type of corn(large kernels), banana, lettuce, tomato, a bean and nut dish that had a bit of crunch to it (I don't remember it's name) and fried pork. It was all very tasty and cost $4.50.
The flight from Quito to the Galapagos was on TAME airlines where it was open seating. Try to be first into the boarding area and place yourself so that you can be one of the first on the plane. This means standing very close to the door. Left side would be a good choice of a seat on the plane especially if there is no cloud cover.
The seating space on this aircraft(727)was quite surprising as there was plenty of legroom. On the stretch from Quito to Guyaquil, a small cheese sandwich was served. To me it looked dried out and I passed.
The plane stops in Guyaquil to let passengers off and pick up others. Be prepared as this stop may be for 45 minutes and passengers continuing on to the Galapagos must stay in their seats and visits to the "can" are restricted. You are told to unbuckle your seatbelt.
On the flight from Guyaquil to Baltra in the Galapagos, we were served something that I can only say was rice and ?????. I found out later that it was beef in some sort of sauce...tasted rather good though.
Upon arrival at Baltra airport, you walk on a mat of disinfectant, your hand luggage is checked for food, seeds, insects, animals and anything else that may not be
allowed on this paradise. Then you proceed and pay the entrance fee of $100 and while this may seem expensive, once you visit this paradise, the fee will have seemed well worth it. From this point, you proceed to the final check point where they record the receipt, your name and passport number. Once these formalities are done, we were greeted by our guide who took us to the dock on a small bus and from there we took pangas (zodiacs) out to the boat. Staff from the boat collected and delivered our luggage.
The boat that we sailed on was the M/S Alta a 16 passenger sailing yacht that on this trip had 12 guests and in my opinion was just enough. If there were 16 on board, we would have felt a bit cramped in the small dining room and lounge.
The M/S Alta is comfortable, clean, open bridge, and has a good chef. Breakfast is served in the small dining room and consisted of juice, toast, cereal, fruit, milk, and yogurt. Each day there would be either eggs, french toast or pancakes (no choice of these items) so you can always find something to eat. Lunch is served at a large table outside and was always great and a surprise. It may be fish or a typical Ecuadorian meal followed by fruit, brie and sausage. The cerviche was wonderful. Dinner was served in the small dining room and was soup, entree and dessert with it all being a surprise. Some days it was fish, others chicken, pork or beef and always nicely presented.
For those who don't like or are allergic to a particular food item, they did try to accommodate you.
Bottled water, soft drinks, coffee and tea were available along with snacks all day at no cost. A bottle of wine ran from $20 - $24. We had brought a couple of bottles of wine from home and a flask of whiskey and doing so is a recommendation that I would make.
The cabins are small with a private bathroom that is quite serviceable and plenty of hot water. If you can, pay the extra and book either cabins 1 or 2 as they are the largest with king sized beds, a table and 2 chairs, located at the front of the boat near the generator rather than the rear and the engine...though still noisy. Cabin temperatures at night ranged from 75 - 79 even though they were air conditioned.
On this trip you do not need a lot of clothing. Shorts, tank tops, t-shirts, light weight long pants, sandals (Teva's), good walking shoes, socks, hat and swimsuits. There is a clothesline on the top deck so you can rinse things out and hang them to dry...take them in though at night as they'll get wet again from the night air. The clothes that dried the fastest were those that came from Travelsmith, Magellan's, Ex-Officio, and LL Bean (supplex shorts, cool-max shirts)...cargo pants with zip off leg worked well too.
The Galapagos is a bit of heaven on earth and each island is different, hot and humid with some of the best snorkeling that we have ever done. Because of the size of the schools of fish of all different sorts, turtles, sharks, sea lions, and various rays it was quite a wondrous sight to see. We had pods of dolphins and turtles around the boat. Some whales were seen in the distance.
Birds are flying overhead, sitting in the brush and trees, and nesting on the ground right near your feet. Sea Lions are basking on the beach calling to each other and talking to the pups and hearing the bull guarding his territory must be experienced. We had pups come up to sniff our feet and legs. On some islands there are so many iguanas so close to you that you need to watch where you step.
Because the sound and air is missing, pictures that you may have seen really can't convey the beauty or the magical quality of this paradise.
I found the review, "My Guide to the Galapagos Islands" written by jo.com to be quite accurate. Our itinerary was pretty much the same with the exception of a stop at Daphne Major and on the last day South Plaza Island where we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise, the sight and sound of yellow warblers, boobies, marine iguanas, lava lizards and sea lions.
If you have any problem with walking, this boat would not be the one for you as the hikes can be quite strenuous. Check out the website www.quasarnautica.com for information on sister ships.
Our guide told us that May is a good time to visit the Galapagos. Time we went was March and we rocked and rolled.
We've been to Antarctica that we very highly recommend and we would put this trip in the same category as it must be seen and experienced to be appreciated.
Added 3/21:
Currency is the US Dollar
There is assigned seating on the return from Baltra
There is a $25 airport tax in Quito that is collected when you get your boarding pass.
When you clear customs on arrival in Quito, you are given a piece of paper. DO NOT LOSE IT as it is collected when you clear customs when leaving the country. Not having it will cause you problems.
Recommendations:
Sun glasses and hat
Good pair of binoculars
Lots of film or digital camera
Shorty wet suit may or may not be needed...used mine one day
T-shirt for snorkeling
LOTS of sun screen - I used 45 on my husband and he still got a bit of a burn!
Sea sick preventative
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May
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Epinions.com ID:
jfudge
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Location: Palos Verdes, CA, USA
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Loves to travel. Cruises, Land, Bus Tours.
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