2 Weeks in Colombia & the Galapagos Islands

Old Aug 15th, 2016, 11:52 AM
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2 Weeks in Colombia & the Galapagos Islands

I'm traveling to Colombia in December from Maine with my brother to meet my daughter who has been studying abroad in Cali. We plan to spend 4-7 days in Cali and then travel to Ecuador to tour the Galapagos Islands. We're fairly fit and active. My daughter isn't big on museums, but we might be able to coax her to one in the two week period. Here are my questions and I am extremely appreciative of any insights!

- How would you travel between Cali & Ecuador? Fly, bus, drive? I've done a little research on the bus and it seems like a long and a little dodgy trip, unless the site-seeing on the way is worth the hassle. The flights are pricy though - at least from here.

- Launch from Quito or Guayaquil? It seems like the cost to get to the Galapagos from either city and to either city from Cali are about the same, but which city would be more interesting to spend a few days in on either side of the trip?

- What do you recommend for staying in Cali? Hotel, AirBnB? What are the must sees?

- I'm looking at 3 tour companies for the Galapagos Islands and they all have good reviews on TripAdvisor. I'm hoping they are sustainable and supportive of the local economy and preservation. Does anyone have experience with any of the tour companies and can you recommend one over another? Any other tips?

I know this is a lot of questions! Thanks so much.
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Old Aug 15th, 2016, 01:03 PM
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I can't help with a tour company but I went on Angelito, a family owned boat which I think is a very good value with a good itinerary (I did A). You can book directly with them.

If you get Maja as your guide she is amazing. When I booked with them last year, they also allowed me to use miles and book my own flights. They gave only a small discount (no fuel surcharge).

You can find them at www.angelitogalapagos.com

I would stay in Quito.
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Old Aug 16th, 2016, 08:58 AM
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Oh my goodness - I could have written the post above! We also LOVED Maja during our Itinerary A tour on the Angelito in April. We also spent 3 nights in an AirBnB place on Santa Cruz before we flew back to the mainland.
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/6344847

We stayed at this nice AirBnB place in Pifo, about 10 minutes from the Quito airport the night before we headed to Galápagos (which happened to be the night of the huge earthquake!) and the night after. The city of Quito is about an hour from the airport so unless you really want to spend some time there, nearer the airport might be better for you, too.
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1125871

Have a great trip, whatever you decide!
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Old Aug 16th, 2016, 09:44 AM
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I recommend lodging near the airport if you have an early Galapagos flight. (More and more keep opening so be sure to look on booking.com which is a popular site for Ecuador hotels).

Posada Mirolindo is a converted family home, managed by two delightful sisters. They included pickup and return to airport as part of the package. One thing to be aware of is that anywhere rural (and some urban) locations have barking dogs..at least the ones in this neighborhood seemed pretty quite. You can meet their critters if you wish.

http://www.posadamirolindo.com/

As far as Quito, I like the neighborhood just north of the Mariscal, last time I stayed at La Rabida, but if you have Marriott points or membership you might look at the JW Marriott for a splurge. At off times you can get about half off the rack rates.
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Old Aug 17th, 2016, 08:44 AM
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We have a Travel Package to Cartagena de Indias with Air, Hotel and Transfers All for $599.00 Airport/Hotel/Airport visit our web with more information: http://www.ole.travel/cartagena_colombia.html after can you go to Cali.
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Old Aug 30th, 2016, 08:25 AM
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Thank you for all the help so far. We will be staying in Cali for a week and then flying to Guayaquil, spending two nights there before traveling to the Galapagos.

Any suggestions for hotels in Cali, Colombia (or use VRBO???).

Any suggestions for hotels in Guayaquil? I like that the airport is very centrally located and there seem to be lots of options close by. VRBO, AirBnB or Booking.com or other hotel booking site???

Thanks again!
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Old Aug 30th, 2016, 01:46 PM
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I always search AirBnB first which worked great for us near the Quito airport coming and going and on Santa Cruz in Puerto Ayora in the Galápagos as well as several stops in Perú on a recent trip.
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Old Aug 30th, 2016, 02:27 PM
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Apart from a couple Airbnb stay and a couple of stays in Accor hotels we have used booking.com exclusively over the last few months in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. I find them to be extremely reliable and competitive. Website is great and prices v.competitive.

Airbnb, to be frank, has been a bit of a pain to use.
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Old Aug 31st, 2016, 05:58 AM
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If you book the Angelito in the Galapagos, be sure Maja is scheduled to be the guide. Ours was Ephrain and while he is a delightful guy, he was no match for the guide on our cruise (on a different ship) the previous year, Fredy. On our twice daily excursions, the distance between the leaders and the tail were 500 yards apart. There was a lot of waiting which, by the end of the week, turned into an hour per excursion.

Having been on two cruises, I can say with some confidence that a tour isn't critical. Many of the islands are available as day trips (Bartolome and North Seymour, for example.) However, my favorites (Fernandina and Espanola) are only available via cruise.

Quito now has a hotel at the airport! Last summer we checked into a Hacienda in Puembo; this summer we stayed at Hotel Finlandia in Quito.
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