The Galapagos Islands have a reputation for being fascinating and unique and for very good reason. Even though this trip was carefully organized, scheduled, and chaperoned, it still felt like an adventure in a remote part of the world that has been minimally touched by the human existence. Even normally mundane activities like transportation became exciting because it involved a pickup truck in the jungle, or an open-air bus on a gravel road, or a fast boat in the open water.
This seems like a good time to acknowledge the wonderful hospitality of Red Mangrove, who made this trip really fantastic. The entire staff is helpful and incredibly friendly and the accommodations were much nicer than what I expected considering I was heading to a remote archipelago, five hundred miles from the mainland. When I searched my email for “Red Mangrove” while writing this piece, I noticed that it appeared in Travelzoo emails every few months. If you’re interested in booking through Red Mangrove, keep an eye out for that Travelzoo deal.
I also have to give some praise for all the meals (which were included in the package). If I didn’t lose any weight from all my activity on this trip, it’s because I couldn’t help myself at mealtime. I expected a healthy and tasty South American diet and was not disappointed: rice, potatoes, lots of vegetables, lots of fresh fruit, some soy, meat (obviously not for me), exotic fruit juices, and even some phenomenal desserts (like passion fruit mousse). The fruit juices are actually one of the things I miss most. I lost track of how many different juices I had in all of Ecuador, but I can recall pineapple, guava banana, blackberry, passion fruit, and tree tomato, not to mention all the tropical fruit blends.
My take on Galapagos is that you can make of your trip what you want. You can go just for scuba diving, or just for hiking/swimming/snorkeling, or just to see the wildlife, or even just to go to some really nice beaches, but you’ll probably get the most out of your trip by doing a little bit of everything. Pay some careful attention to the Galapagos calendar so you know what you’ll be getting yourself into (for instance, there is a rainy season). April and May are supposedly the best months to go, but every month of the year offers something unique.
My advice comes down to this: if you’ve ever seriously thought about going to Galapagos, do it.