Galapagos Islands Trip Overview
How The Galapagos Trip Came About
The Galapagos Islands have been on Linda's radar for several years. She's always been intrigued by the uniqueness of the animals and the ability to get close to them. That was a "bucket list" destination for her. And since 2016 was the year of our 30th wedding anniversary, we decided to see if we could make it happen.
We did make it happen and below you can see a map the general location of the Galapagos Islands about 600 miles off of the Pacific coast of Ecuador and a map of all of our stops. Below that is information on the planning of the trip. And to get the details of each day of our 15 Days In The Galapagos, check out our Galapagos Islands Journal.
The Galapagos Islands have been on Linda's radar for several years. She's always been intrigued by the uniqueness of the animals and the ability to get close to them. That was a "bucket list" destination for her. And since 2016 was the year of our 30th wedding anniversary, we decided to see if we could make it happen.
We did make it happen and below you can see a map the general location of the Galapagos Islands about 600 miles off of the Pacific coast of Ecuador and a map of all of our stops. Below that is information on the planning of the trip. And to get the details of each day of our 15 Days In The Galapagos, check out our Galapagos Islands Journal.
|
|
|
Planning
I started researching trip options early in 2016. Some of the resources I used can be found here:
Galapagos Islands Resources Page
What I learned was that there are various ways to visit this archipelago located about 600 miles (1,000 km) off the west coast of Ecuador. Of course, the first step is flying in from mainland Ecuador. The Galapagos Islands are part of Ecuador and when flying in to the Galapagos you have to arrive from mainland Ecuador flying from either Quito or Guayaquil. But once you get to the Galapagos, there are many choices in how to explore the islands.
In general, you can tour the islands by live-aboard boats OR you can stay in accommodations in the island towns and then do day-tours by boat (this is called land-based). Land-based tours allow for lower budgets, but the consensus seems to be that touring by ship is the better way to see more. As for touring by ship, most people recommend the smaller boats with capacities of 20 people or less over the larger boats with capacities of around 40 up to 100 people (still small by cruise ship standards).
But then there are several classes of boats to choose from that go something like this: Luxury, First Class, Mid-range, and Budget. Or if diving is your thing, there are dive-only live-aboards.
The choices are absolutely overwhelming. And there are several agencies that can book most of the same boats, so it's very hard to choose. However, you can certainly narrow things down based on your budget. Visiting the Galapagos Islands is expensive - just how expensive is based on how long you want to be there, how many islands you want to visit, which islands you want to visit, and what class of accommodations or ship you choose.
It's important to note that the class of ship and quality of your guide are the main differentiating factors among the smaller boats. All the boats have to follow the same guidelines and schedules. There are a limited number of visitor sites and most go to the same places depending on how many days are included in the itinerary. The number of visitors allowed at each visitor sites each day is highly regulated and scheduled. Also, you must be accompanied by a guide on all excursions. No group can be larger than 16 people, which is why the smaller ships tend to have room for about that many. The larger ships have to divide into smaller groups and go ashore on a staggered schedule. All things being equal as to the number of days and the sites visited, the differences in price is based on the accommodations on the ship, and the best guides are on the most expensive, highest classes of boats.
One way to get on a ship for less cost, is to just go to the islands, talk to the local travel agencies, and wait for a boat that needs to fill open spots. If I were a single, much younger fellow, I would give that a shot. But it is risky in that you may have to wait several days to find an opening, which is fine if you don't have a particular schedule, but you could end up with nothing if you are need to be somewhere else at a particular time. In general, if you have a set time for your vacation, you need to book at least a few months in advance.
Now, we knew that we wanted to spend as much time visiting as many islands as we possibly could, so we were looking at anywhere from 8 to 15 days. The bad news is that gets pricey. The good news for us is we could be very flexible on when to go, so I determined we might be able to snag some "last-minute" discounts.
I started getting quotes early in the year with a potential June or December trip. I didn't like the numbers I was getting back, so I decided to wait to see if prices might come down later in the year. Only one company checked our status every month or so to see if we were still interested - Southern Explorations.
Based on the fact that we really wanted a two-week itinerary and one that didn't re-visit the same places, our options were limited. Most people that do a small ship cruise in the Galapagos choose a three to six-day option with relatively few people staying longer than eight days. Therefore, every few days new guests arrive and itineraries are repeated.
We didn't book anything, and in October my 94-year-old father passed away. The Galapagos trip went on the back burner, but after dealing with his death and his estate, we were in need of a place to get away. I emailed Southern Explorations to see if they had anything for December. Our contact checked and emailed us a couple of options although our choices were even more limited.
It wasn't that we couldn't get great pricing - several last-minute options were available. The problem was the length of time we wanted to be there. Two-week itineraries are a combination of two or three shorter itineraries and it was hard to find such a combination that wasn't sold out for a portion of the trip. But if you are flexible and want to go on a shorter trip, last-minute bookings can be a great way to keep costs down.
Ultimately, we decided to splurge and take a 15-day cruise that was available on a small luxury yacht. It was a combination of three itineraries as shown below.
I started researching trip options early in 2016. Some of the resources I used can be found here:
Galapagos Islands Resources Page
What I learned was that there are various ways to visit this archipelago located about 600 miles (1,000 km) off the west coast of Ecuador. Of course, the first step is flying in from mainland Ecuador. The Galapagos Islands are part of Ecuador and when flying in to the Galapagos you have to arrive from mainland Ecuador flying from either Quito or Guayaquil. But once you get to the Galapagos, there are many choices in how to explore the islands.
In general, you can tour the islands by live-aboard boats OR you can stay in accommodations in the island towns and then do day-tours by boat (this is called land-based). Land-based tours allow for lower budgets, but the consensus seems to be that touring by ship is the better way to see more. As for touring by ship, most people recommend the smaller boats with capacities of 20 people or less over the larger boats with capacities of around 40 up to 100 people (still small by cruise ship standards).
But then there are several classes of boats to choose from that go something like this: Luxury, First Class, Mid-range, and Budget. Or if diving is your thing, there are dive-only live-aboards.
The choices are absolutely overwhelming. And there are several agencies that can book most of the same boats, so it's very hard to choose. However, you can certainly narrow things down based on your budget. Visiting the Galapagos Islands is expensive - just how expensive is based on how long you want to be there, how many islands you want to visit, which islands you want to visit, and what class of accommodations or ship you choose.
It's important to note that the class of ship and quality of your guide are the main differentiating factors among the smaller boats. All the boats have to follow the same guidelines and schedules. There are a limited number of visitor sites and most go to the same places depending on how many days are included in the itinerary. The number of visitors allowed at each visitor sites each day is highly regulated and scheduled. Also, you must be accompanied by a guide on all excursions. No group can be larger than 16 people, which is why the smaller ships tend to have room for about that many. The larger ships have to divide into smaller groups and go ashore on a staggered schedule. All things being equal as to the number of days and the sites visited, the differences in price is based on the accommodations on the ship, and the best guides are on the most expensive, highest classes of boats.
One way to get on a ship for less cost, is to just go to the islands, talk to the local travel agencies, and wait for a boat that needs to fill open spots. If I were a single, much younger fellow, I would give that a shot. But it is risky in that you may have to wait several days to find an opening, which is fine if you don't have a particular schedule, but you could end up with nothing if you are need to be somewhere else at a particular time. In general, if you have a set time for your vacation, you need to book at least a few months in advance.
Now, we knew that we wanted to spend as much time visiting as many islands as we possibly could, so we were looking at anywhere from 8 to 15 days. The bad news is that gets pricey. The good news for us is we could be very flexible on when to go, so I determined we might be able to snag some "last-minute" discounts.
I started getting quotes early in the year with a potential June or December trip. I didn't like the numbers I was getting back, so I decided to wait to see if prices might come down later in the year. Only one company checked our status every month or so to see if we were still interested - Southern Explorations.
Based on the fact that we really wanted a two-week itinerary and one that didn't re-visit the same places, our options were limited. Most people that do a small ship cruise in the Galapagos choose a three to six-day option with relatively few people staying longer than eight days. Therefore, every few days new guests arrive and itineraries are repeated.
We didn't book anything, and in October my 94-year-old father passed away. The Galapagos trip went on the back burner, but after dealing with his death and his estate, we were in need of a place to get away. I emailed Southern Explorations to see if they had anything for December. Our contact checked and emailed us a couple of options although our choices were even more limited.
It wasn't that we couldn't get great pricing - several last-minute options were available. The problem was the length of time we wanted to be there. Two-week itineraries are a combination of two or three shorter itineraries and it was hard to find such a combination that wasn't sold out for a portion of the trip. But if you are flexible and want to go on a shorter trip, last-minute bookings can be a great way to keep costs down.
Ultimately, we decided to splurge and take a 15-day cruise that was available on a small luxury yacht. It was a combination of three itineraries as shown below.
|
|
|
We booked it November 8 and had to be in Quito, Ecuador by December 3. It was heavily discounted, but still way more than we planned to pay.
Even with the discount, this two-week trip was costing more than our six-week trip to Costa Rica the prior year. That was hard to swallow and to justify. However, in the end, it was our 30th anniversary and Linda's birthday would be during the trip, so we bit the bullet. It would give us luxury accommodations, a top-notch guide, and we would visit nine major islands and a few smaller islets with no overlap. Two nights in Quito were included as was the airfare from Quito to the islands.
In hindsight, we have absolutely no regrets about the cost. It was another trip of a lifetime and worth every penny. Would we have had just as good an experience on a lower priced boat? Maybe. Would we have been as comfortable while on the ship? Very doubtful.
For those that are interested, our Galapagos Islands Journal provides details of every day and every excursion along with lots of photos and a several videos as well. Perhaps you'll be inspired to go on your own Galapagos Islands adventure, and we'll be happy to try to answer whatever questions you might have.
Even with the discount, this two-week trip was costing more than our six-week trip to Costa Rica the prior year. That was hard to swallow and to justify. However, in the end, it was our 30th anniversary and Linda's birthday would be during the trip, so we bit the bullet. It would give us luxury accommodations, a top-notch guide, and we would visit nine major islands and a few smaller islets with no overlap. Two nights in Quito were included as was the airfare from Quito to the islands.
In hindsight, we have absolutely no regrets about the cost. It was another trip of a lifetime and worth every penny. Would we have had just as good an experience on a lower priced boat? Maybe. Would we have been as comfortable while on the ship? Very doubtful.
For those that are interested, our Galapagos Islands Journal provides details of every day and every excursion along with lots of photos and a several videos as well. Perhaps you'll be inspired to go on your own Galapagos Islands adventure, and we'll be happy to try to answer whatever questions you might have.