I've been reading through this board, as well as other web sites, about the Galapagos Islands which have brought up several questions in my head. Let me prefix this with I know there are many tours/boats out there differing in quality, excursions, and accommodations. But I would like feedback from your own experiences to gain a better understanding of what my options are and what to look for while researching the various tour operators. Thanks for everyone's help!

What has been your favorite island/area in the Galapagos? Is there one island (or a couple) that is a "can't miss" site and I need to look for in the tour?s itinerary? I'm also interested in knowing the time of year you were there since the animals and vegetation can vary depending on the month.

I've read about the possible whale sightings. Is there an area that is better than others? Are there any whale watching excursions provided by the tour operators or is it just chance that you'd see one? What is the best time of year to see whales?

The excursions in the Galapagos seem to be fairly active. Lots of hiking and such. Is there any time for relaxing, either on the boats/yachts or on the beaches?

I know the activities and amenities vary from tour operator and ships. But what do you do in the evenings on the boats? Are there any activities planned on the boats at night?

Thanks again for everyone's responses!

Let me answer for my part.

I was on the Isabella 2. This was a 4o passenger yacht.
I thought it was terrific,I had no compliants whatsoever.

My whole tour was planned by a tour company in Quito Ecuador and they did a superb job.



My choice for two islands you should see is Genovesa( tower Island) , this is called "Bird Island."
I think the highest density of wildlife is found here.

The other island is Espanola, there are lots of birds and animals here also.

I went in late August/early September.
The vegetation was not in as much bloom as it would be in March to May.

The best time to visit is between December to May, having said that , just let me add that "there is never a bad time to visit the Galapagos."

Yes, we saw some whales but because I saw whales many times before , their sigthing was not a highlite to me( but that is me!)

There is walking about onall the island tours.
You do one tour in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Yes, there is plenty of time to rest, you rest and can take a nap at noon and then you are back from the afternnon tour about 4:30 to 5PM..then it is all rest time until the nest morning.

You can snorkel or swimm when you are on the islands..there is time for this.

In the evening ,either before dinner or after dinner ,you are briefed on the events of the next dayand you may see a film related to the next day's events.

It is all very well organized.
You can sit on the deck chairs and watch the scenery or you can go to the Lounge and have a drink and chit chat.

I hope Peg joins in on this thread as she went about 3-4 weeks after I returned, but Peg put me onto Sangay Tours in Quito and their owner Martin did a terrific job for us both.

You know whatI would e -mail Martin
at
sangaytours.com or
guide2galapagos.com

Mention that you were reffered by Peg from Toledo and Percy from Edmonton.

He knows us well.
Martin just sent me a picture of him and his cute little daugther Samantha a few weeks ago.

I would ask Martin, about what yacht he would recommned and the prices involved etc.
You do not have to book with him to get information...

If you want I can e -mail you some pictures of the yacht I was on and also some pictures of life on the islands.

I will stop now and let other commnet on their experiences.
Percy

pardon my spelling error but I was in a hurry....actually I cannot spell!!!!!!

Thanks
percy

Percy, here I am. I usually don't jump onto Fodor's until about 3:30 or 4:00 p.m. EST. By the way Percy, this is my last visit until Monday, remember I am in San Antonio, sorry didn't mean to rub it in.

Okay here is my two cents. Like Percy I did book through Sangay, and on a small boat as you probably read in the previous post "Galapagos in October" and a couple of other posts.

I was there end of September-first of October. We did not see any whales, but unlike Percy we only did a 5-day tour of the southern islands, and did not go to the north islands. Would have like to, but time constraints didn't allow it. We did see dolphins on our way back to Santa Cruz though.

The vegetation was sparse, but did not take away from any animal viewing. Like Percy I would say Espanola was my favorite. It was a pretty island, but also had blue-footed boobies (saw a couple young ones), nacza (masked) boobies, albatross (saw two babies), sea lions, marine iguanas, galapagos hawks, etc.

We also had plenty of time to relax. There is time on the boat, some time on the beach (Santa Cruz Bach beach I think it is called), if you don't snorkel there is even more relaxation time.

As for evenings, on our boat, some people played cards, some went to bed, my best friend and I wrote in our journals, couple read. We did not have any planned activities. Star gazing was even a hit, especially those of us who have never seen the Southern Cross.

I hope I have helped in answering your questions. If you have any other questions, I will return on Monday to answer, just keep topping.

I am going to the islands in October, but I can tell you how I decided on a boat. I wanted to do a 7-night cruise and be on a boat that did not do a 3/4-day split for several reason which I won't go into unless you are interested. My next consideration was that I was going in October when seas tend to be more rough than during other times of the year, and since I get seasick I wanted a larger boat hoping it will be more stable. That left me with only one choice..probably one of the most expensive options, but those factors are really important to me. In addition, feedback from this forum helped me make a decision.

Hi Evelyn,
Yes, I am interested in your decision to take a 7 day instead of a 4 day cruise of the Galapagos. I am in that decision making process myself and am now leaning toward the new Celebrity Xpedition for next Spring which is a 7 day cruise on a 96 passenger ship. If you don't think that this issue would be of general interest please feel free to email me directly at [email protected] .

We were there in early May and I agree with Peg and Percy that Espanola island should be on your must see list. I think this is the only island where you can see the waved albatross which nests there starting in March. We did not spot any whales. I'm not sure if there is a season for whale watching. We were on a 16 passenger catamaran and there weren't any planned evening activities other than the port lecture. Maybe on the larger boats there's some entertainment. Conversations with other passengers and stargazing on deck filled the evenings. Most people were pretty tired from the day's activities and went to bed early. There's some time to relax on the boat, usually after lunch and before and after dinner. We visited two sites a day (usually a morning hike and an afternoon beach stop) with a snorkel in between (mid-morning). The non-snorkelers have the option to stay on the boat. It's a fairly active schedule and you are up early in the morning. It felt to me like there wasn't much time to relax but that's probably because we wanted to participate in everything.

Hi Patty
Welcome back.
Glad that you had a good time and I will be watching for your replies to questions.

Percy

cmthomas: Does the Celebrity only do the 7-day or does it have the 3- and 4-day options?

evelyntrav,
Celebrity only sells their Galapagos trip as a 10 or 11 night package which includes 3 or 4 nights in Quito, airfare from Quito to the Galapagos, and national park fees. At least that was the only option available back in January. I had actually booked for September and then changed my mind. However, the agency in Quito that I ended up booking with does list 3, 4, or 7 night options for the Xpedition. So I think it depends on who you book through.

I believe the Xpedition picks up passengers from Baltra on Wednesdays and Sundays. I have a picture of the vessel in Puerto Ayora harbor the Saturday before we flew back to Quito.

Evelyn, the Celebrity offers a 7 day cruise as part of a 10 day package with some nites in Lima. They may also offer a shorter package but I am not aware of it. We have opted for a 4 nite cruise on the Isabela II and that will be after a week in Peru visiting Machu Picchu. We will be in an organized group with Tauck Tours. Just thought that 7 nites might be a little too much for people who are not active naturalists.

cmthomas

I was on the Isabella ll last September.
You will like this yacht , it really is nice , the food was great and the guides were terrific.
Your room is nice with a private bath and and nice big window also.

Have a good time
Percy

Has anyone been on the Eclipse? We are considering the Eclipse or Celebrity. Any thoughts? We will be with our 2 boys, ages 8 and 10, who have been on large cruise ships before.
For those who have travelled during the rainy season, how much does it rain and does it interfere with the schedule? We are considering a trip in either late March or December.

Hi spoobs

For all the information you need I would contact Martin Slater at sangay.com or email him at guide2galapagos.com

His tour office in in downtown Quito.
He did a wonderful job on organizing my tour.
He has all the info will are seeking and and would be more than happy to provide you with any info.

You do not have to book with him to have him help you.
Also , when good deals come up ,he is one of the first to know,being right there in Quito.

He got me a good deal on my trip..my own Travel Agent here could not match his price.!

Like I said he booked my trip last August/September and also Peg's (from Toledo) trip last Ocotber.

I am looking at a picture of the Eclipse Yacht, it looks super .
48 passengers only, it departs from Santa Cruz Island on Saturdays, it is classified as Luxury Yacht.
The three classes of Yachts are:
1.Luxury
2. First Class
3.Tourist Superior.

If you e-mail Martin,tell him Percy(from Edmonton) & Peg ( from Ohio) told you to contact him.

He will not say "percy who?!!

We exchange e-mails ,and about 5 weeks ago he sent me a picture of him and his cute daugther Samantha(via e-mail)

Contact him you have nothing to lose...
I will definitely seek him to do my next trip to South America.

Percy