Photo Courtesy of My Mom (Visited in 2014)
I don’t know many travelers who don’t have the Galapagos Islands on their “must see” list. If you like wildlife (errr….”like” may be a bit of an understatement for me), the Galapagos are an obvious choice for a trip. And my mom’s photo just makes me even MORE excited to go!
But, if you’ve ever planned for the Galapagos, you know the incredibly wide and seemingly endless amount of options that exist. Ship-based? Land-based? Big ship? Small ship? Catamaran? Sailing vessel? Luxury? Simple? Focus of trip? How much do you want to spend? I swear, you could spend years just doing research on how to get there and who to go with.
When we first started looking at the Galapagos, I already knew that we wanted a sea-based trip, so we could see more things in a shorter period of time. We also were looking for a small boat (no more than 36 people and preferably less), a focus on wildlife and activity (lots of opportunities for snorkeling, hiking, etc.), a nice ship, with a reputable company. That narrows down the options pretty darn fast.
We settled with a company that we used before–Natural Habitat (they coordinated our recent safari in Kenya, too, though Galapagos is obviously with a group). Even Natural Habitat has a plethora of Galapagos options…three different boats, all catering to different types of travelers. Natural Habitat also partners with the World Wildlife Fund.
Useless side note of the day: World Wildlife Fund has the cutest stuffed animals, including a blue-footed booby! Just in case you needed one for your house…
While the Athala (with its luxurious cabins and hot tub) had me at hello, we ultimately opted for the Nemo III (a new ship), the trip with the fewest people, more snorkeling, and special kayaking permits. The group is limited to a small 14 people and includes an awesome night in a safari-style camp overlooking the giant tortoises! The focus on being active and doing lots of snorkeling is pretty obvious–we love to snorkel, and having at least one opportunity if not more per day to hop in the water sounds amazing (albeit cold).
The kayaking thing is a little bit laughable–apparently you need to know how to right your kayak and have some skill at paddling. While dear husband and I can certainly get from point A to point B (we kayaked quite a bit in Belize), it’s never been in truly open ocean, and we spend a lot of time arguing over direction. Of which I say DH can’t steer (and to which he says I have no sense of direction). They give us some skill lessons at the beginning, so here’s to hoping we aren’t the village kayaking idiots.
I’m excited to see what the Galapagos will bring! As long as I have my motion sickness patch, that is.
Have you been to the Galapagos? What was your favorite experience?
You’re going to love it! Such an incredible place with amazing wildlife!
I can’t wait, I’m so excited to see all the unique animals!