Galapagos Islands...anyone been there?

[texsuze]

DH and I are marking our 30th anniversary this year, so I'm looking into getaway trips for us. Would really love to go to Scotland but we're leaning much towards the Galapagos Islands right now. We plan to travel in October, since it makes most sense for us on many levels.

Wants: nature-based trip to enjoy nature; all inclusive (except getting from here to there); 10 days maximum

Don't wants: no city tours, no museums, no "try this restaurant" jaunts, no "immersion with the locals" time, no messing with car rentals or complicated travel issues

Friends are recommending an Ecuadorian-based travel company but sounds like their emphasis is more local culture, restaurants, and the boutique-y type things. I've only looked at some Nat Geo travel so far, but have heard the tourists tend to be the typical Americans checking stuff off their bucket lists. Not sure if we'll be able to find a tour that will handle all the details but still let us experience the connection with nature sans the more commercialized tourism woes.

Any suggestions for outfitters or travel agencies experienced with the Galapagos Islands that might fit our needs?

[Tarlo Farm]

Bucket list item, looking forward to comments.

[Canyon]

My sister took her adult kids there several years ago. They were on a small cruise ship (maybe <20 passengers?) for most of the trip. It was small enough to anchor close to outlying islands, many opportunities to see wildlife, snorkel, etc. I can email her for details if that type of tour interests you.

[Sunshine2Me]

I have a friend who works for this company. I believe it to be not "tourist-y."

https://www.abercrombiekent.com/

[Srhorselady]

My brother, sister in law, and their adult children took the National Geographic tour a few years ago. I know they enjoyed it thoroughly. If you have any specific questions I'll be glad to ask. They did add some stuff to their tour (main land tour) so I'm not sure what exactly was part of the National Geographic tour.

[StraightForward]

We took a guided trip to Peru a couple years ago and our guide had just come back from a Galapagos trip with his company and was raving about it. Intrepid was the travel guide company.

[Racetrackreject]

Galapagos is on my bucket list as well! I'm so jealous. lol

My boss went last year, but his trip was more of a diving trip where they swam with whale sharks. I can find out what company he used though as they might have other tours.

[LeoApp]

This is on my short list!
Nat Geo cruises are great but very expensive.
I had been looking into cruises around the islands and I am not a cruise fan but small ship CelebrityXpedition tours looked great.

http://www.celebritycruisedestinations. ... gJojPD_BwE

[Sue B]

My brother and sil went to Galapagos as part of a caving expedition that took them to Patagonia before hand. I believe they went with some biologists and such (more of a science expedition than a tour group) and had a blast. Brother also scubas (not sure about sil) so I believe that was involved as well. It was one of their bucket list adventures. I think they were gone a total of 6 weeks.

[texsuze]

Thanks for all the travel outfitter info and feedback from friends/family. I've been exploring the websites ya'll have offered, which look very promising! Trying to kick DH into high gear so we can secure a timeline that works for us.

Most daunting thing will be getting things ready on this end for the critter sitter--almost enough to make me bail out of travel! OK, second most daunting thing, behind the idea of putting on a swimsuit

If anyone wants to elaborate on additional details or contacts keep 'em coming, or you can PM me!

[Srhorselady]

My brother, SIL, and family took the National Geographic cruise three years ago so I asked her the pros and cons and this was her reply: "We really enjoyed our N G cruise and felt like the guides were particularly knowledgeable and good at communicating their knowledge; a major plus. However, the Galapagos are very controlled, so all cruises visit essentially the same islands on a rigid schedule. Also, larger ships are not allowed in the waters - nothing larger than 100 passengers. As I recall, Nat Geog has 2 ships, one with 100 passengers and the one we went on with - 48 passengers. Nat Geog is substantially more expensive than other tours, but we were pleased with their product. In summary, we were glad we chose to travel with Nat Geog on this once-in-a-lifetime trip, but cannot be sure that another travel group couldn't have provided nearly as good an experience. I do know someone who stayed on the land with day outings to the various islands, and don't recommend that option." Hope this helps! Sounded like a wonderful trip.

[Tarlo Farm]

I wonder why that person didn't like staying there? I know accommodations are limited and the village is tiny, but it might be cool.

[LeoApp]

If you have lots of money my wealthy friend who travels a lot did Lindblad. He always goes top notch.

[lorilu]

I traveled with The Sierra Club. It was an amazing experience. 15 in the group, all with similar goals - no one was checking it off the life/bucket list. One clue - don't fall for the "sailboat/yacht" trips. The islands are too far apart and you will motor between them even in a sailing yacht. They no longer offer a trip similar to the one I took. We lived on a small cabin cruiser and toured the islands.
At the time we were limited to just a few pounds of luggage die to the small plane from Guyanquil to Baltra. But you really dont need much. Bring wet shoes that you can also walk in. Many island landings are wet landings.
I would go back in a blink of an eye. Amazing trip. And I would pick the smallest most focused travelling group I could find.

[texsuze]

Well, looks like our ("my" ) big plans have been scrapped for the moment. DH and I were reviewing all the 'can't-put-off-any-longer' projects on the property and realized we would likely need more time to plan such an important Galapagos trip. Then, DH's sister passed away two weeks ago; he quickly went over to Johannesburg for the funeral and just got back. He is now playing catch up here. I know of a tour group (associated with my alma mater) going to the Galapagos in early November which would be easy to jump onto, although might be more of a 'bus on the water' type feel. Anyway, your input was helpful in researching how complex such a trip might be, although I still would like to go!