Notes from Galapagos/Otavalo/Quito Trip
Dec 31st, 2008, 07:49 AM
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Notes from Galapagos/Otavalo/Quito Trip
I just returned from a twelve day trip to Ecuador with my wife and two kids (18 and 21). I thought it might be useful for those considering such a trip to hear my impressions. I need to caveat that we are Americans going over a college holiday period and able to spend enough to be staying at mid- to mid-upper level accommodations.
We arrived in Quito at 7pm, went to the hotel and were picked up for the 7 night Galapagos trip early the next morning. My 18 year old son immediately found the casino in the hotel and made some spending money playing blackjack. The flight from Quito to Balta (one of the airports in the Galapagos) is relatively quick and we were on the boat heading out to our first island visit by 3pm. We were on a boat that holds a maximum of 16 passengers. We were lucky to get rooms on the top deck with doors that opened to the outside. We slept every night with the doors open (rather than have to use the AC). The basic drill on our boat was breakfast at 7am, an island visit in the pangas (the 8 person inflatable zodiac boats) at 8 am – with a walk on the path, return to the boat at 10 am, snorkeling or kayaking from 10:30 to noon, lunch at noon, rest period to 2pm, another visit to another part of the island at 2pm, back to the boat at 4. Maybe another swim/snorkel to 5:30. A briefing by the naturalist/guide at 6:30 to go over the next day’s itinerary, and then dinner at 7. By that point you are pretty exhausted with all the activity in the equatorial sun. I was usually asleep by 9 or 10 and up at 5 or 6. Long trips between islands takes place after dinner – you might leave at 8pm and arrive at 3 or 4 am. A couple of the passages were pretty rough – maybe 50% of the passengers got seasick. (This is a very generalized itinerary – some days we traveled between close islands at mid day – it all depends on your itinerary).
At each visit site, there were anywhere between three and six or seven other boats. The largest we ran into carried 40 passengers and seemed massive compared to our boat. The visits are very regimented. You have to stay with your guide, stay on the marked trail, not disturb the animals, etc. But all of that makes sense given the fragile ecosystems and high volume of travelers. The fauna and flora are quite interesting although the quantity of different species is limited. The first afternoon all of us were taking pictures of the sea lions, iguanas and the frigate birds. Don’t worry, you will see at least 1,000 more of each. On the other hand we had some remarkable experiences; we snorkeled twice with hammerhead sharks (one of which was at least 10 feet long and came within five feet directly at us in murky water – impressive sight for landlubbers). We swam with lots of sea turtles, white tipped reef and Galapagos sharks, penguins, schools of rays, multitudes of colorful fish (much larger than the fish in the BVIs), and the omnipresent sea lions. We also had an orca whale come within a couple of feet of one of the pangas and we followed several manta rays as they flew through the water. We learned that manta rays will do a full back flip out of the water to help rid itself of parasites. It’s pretty amazing to see six or seven of these flips on the course of a two hour ride between islands.
I’m not much of a birder so I wasn’t all that excited by them. But on the walks they are amazingly tame and you get a close up look at their nesting behaviors.
My advice for a trip to the Galapagos is to go on as small a boat as you can afford (16 was a good size). The smaller the boat the more likely you can customize aspects of the routine (do more snorkeling if that is what the majority want to do) and the more efficient the visits (less waiting time for transportation to and from the boats). Seven nights seemed perfect. Anything less and you cut out some important sites (and the probability of running into the unexpected – like the orca). More than 7 nights would have been a little too long for me although there are some 11 and 14 night trips for the committed naturalists. Try to take advantage of the snorkeling. It’s not that difficult and adds a whole new element to the trip. The water is fairly cold although we never used wet suits and were fine – if you are not a cold water person then definitely bring one (unless your boat provides them). Probably more than half the snorkelers I saw were in wetsuits.
Finally, making the reservations was a little bit unusual. I worked with an Ecuadorian travel agency and was required to pay by Paypal (and pay the Paypal fee on top of the trip cost). It took me a while to get confirmations and we didn’t know what cabins we were in or the details of our Quito/Galapagos/Quito flights until we arrived. Our boat crew and naturalist were very friendly and highly competent. The boat was kept clean, the food was wholesome and flavorful and all special needs were accommodated.
After the Galapagos, we then went up to a hacienda a few miles north of Otavalo. We timed it to be able to go to the Otavalo Saturday market. The only really interesting part about the market was the animal market that starts around 6 am and is over by 10am. Hundreds of people come to buy and sell all sorts of animals ranging from chicks, guinea pigs and rabbits to pigs, horses and cows. It gave us a small glimpse into the life of the subsistence farmers in this relatively poor country. There is also a produce and meat market which is interesting. The crafts market has hundreds of stalls but I found most of the items to be mass produced and made of synthetic materials. It’s still fun to look around, bargain, buy what appeals. But very little of it is high quality. We also spent part of the day going to other smaller towns in the regions, one of which specializes in leather goods and another in weavings. Both are fairly touristy but a limited amount of shopping was fun. There are lots of outdoor activities in the area such as trails around volcanic lakes, horseback riding, mountain biking.
Our last 2 days we spent back in Quito. I have mixed feelings about Quito. This was my first visit to a Latin American capital so I don’t have much basis for comparison. But I have been to several third world capitals and didn’t think the upside in Quito was worth the downside. Some of the architecture in the Old Town was interesting but not well restored and not up to European standards. Being at 10,000 feet altitude and surrounded by mountains was unique but a minor attraction. The major museums we tried to visit were closed (one because it was Monday, the other because it closed from Christmas to New Years). The city is dirty, the air is polluted and the general feel is sort of threatening. There are armed security guards everywhere. On our last night, my wife and I were approached by three mean looking guys who blocked our way on a main avenue at 6pm (still light) three blocks from our hotel. One demanded money and the other two surrounded by wife. Just after he made the demand and started to close in on me, a siren started wailing on the avenue (turned out to be an ambulance). While they were distracted we started running and they didn’t come after us. Although they didn’t show weapons, it was pretty clear they meant business and we just lucked out. I live in Manhattan so I have a pretty good sense of the big city street scene.
I would highly recommend this trip for those who don’t have the flexibility to spend more time traveling in mainland Ecuador. Several of the people on our boat were going to be going the Ecuadorian Amazon region – which also makes a lot of sense. I hope this helps those who are thinking about this kind of trip.
We arrived in Quito at 7pm, went to the hotel and were picked up for the 7 night Galapagos trip early the next morning. My 18 year old son immediately found the casino in the hotel and made some spending money playing blackjack. The flight from Quito to Balta (one of the airports in the Galapagos) is relatively quick and we were on the boat heading out to our first island visit by 3pm. We were on a boat that holds a maximum of 16 passengers. We were lucky to get rooms on the top deck with doors that opened to the outside. We slept every night with the doors open (rather than have to use the AC). The basic drill on our boat was breakfast at 7am, an island visit in the pangas (the 8 person inflatable zodiac boats) at 8 am – with a walk on the path, return to the boat at 10 am, snorkeling or kayaking from 10:30 to noon, lunch at noon, rest period to 2pm, another visit to another part of the island at 2pm, back to the boat at 4. Maybe another swim/snorkel to 5:30. A briefing by the naturalist/guide at 6:30 to go over the next day’s itinerary, and then dinner at 7. By that point you are pretty exhausted with all the activity in the equatorial sun. I was usually asleep by 9 or 10 and up at 5 or 6. Long trips between islands takes place after dinner – you might leave at 8pm and arrive at 3 or 4 am. A couple of the passages were pretty rough – maybe 50% of the passengers got seasick. (This is a very generalized itinerary – some days we traveled between close islands at mid day – it all depends on your itinerary).
At each visit site, there were anywhere between three and six or seven other boats. The largest we ran into carried 40 passengers and seemed massive compared to our boat. The visits are very regimented. You have to stay with your guide, stay on the marked trail, not disturb the animals, etc. But all of that makes sense given the fragile ecosystems and high volume of travelers. The fauna and flora are quite interesting although the quantity of different species is limited. The first afternoon all of us were taking pictures of the sea lions, iguanas and the frigate birds. Don’t worry, you will see at least 1,000 more of each. On the other hand we had some remarkable experiences; we snorkeled twice with hammerhead sharks (one of which was at least 10 feet long and came within five feet directly at us in murky water – impressive sight for landlubbers). We swam with lots of sea turtles, white tipped reef and Galapagos sharks, penguins, schools of rays, multitudes of colorful fish (much larger than the fish in the BVIs), and the omnipresent sea lions. We also had an orca whale come within a couple of feet of one of the pangas and we followed several manta rays as they flew through the water. We learned that manta rays will do a full back flip out of the water to help rid itself of parasites. It’s pretty amazing to see six or seven of these flips on the course of a two hour ride between islands.
I’m not much of a birder so I wasn’t all that excited by them. But on the walks they are amazingly tame and you get a close up look at their nesting behaviors.
My advice for a trip to the Galapagos is to go on as small a boat as you can afford (16 was a good size). The smaller the boat the more likely you can customize aspects of the routine (do more snorkeling if that is what the majority want to do) and the more efficient the visits (less waiting time for transportation to and from the boats). Seven nights seemed perfect. Anything less and you cut out some important sites (and the probability of running into the unexpected – like the orca). More than 7 nights would have been a little too long for me although there are some 11 and 14 night trips for the committed naturalists. Try to take advantage of the snorkeling. It’s not that difficult and adds a whole new element to the trip. The water is fairly cold although we never used wet suits and were fine – if you are not a cold water person then definitely bring one (unless your boat provides them). Probably more than half the snorkelers I saw were in wetsuits.
Finally, making the reservations was a little bit unusual. I worked with an Ecuadorian travel agency and was required to pay by Paypal (and pay the Paypal fee on top of the trip cost). It took me a while to get confirmations and we didn’t know what cabins we were in or the details of our Quito/Galapagos/Quito flights until we arrived. Our boat crew and naturalist were very friendly and highly competent. The boat was kept clean, the food was wholesome and flavorful and all special needs were accommodated.
After the Galapagos, we then went up to a hacienda a few miles north of Otavalo. We timed it to be able to go to the Otavalo Saturday market. The only really interesting part about the market was the animal market that starts around 6 am and is over by 10am. Hundreds of people come to buy and sell all sorts of animals ranging from chicks, guinea pigs and rabbits to pigs, horses and cows. It gave us a small glimpse into the life of the subsistence farmers in this relatively poor country. There is also a produce and meat market which is interesting. The crafts market has hundreds of stalls but I found most of the items to be mass produced and made of synthetic materials. It’s still fun to look around, bargain, buy what appeals. But very little of it is high quality. We also spent part of the day going to other smaller towns in the regions, one of which specializes in leather goods and another in weavings. Both are fairly touristy but a limited amount of shopping was fun. There are lots of outdoor activities in the area such as trails around volcanic lakes, horseback riding, mountain biking.
Our last 2 days we spent back in Quito. I have mixed feelings about Quito. This was my first visit to a Latin American capital so I don’t have much basis for comparison. But I have been to several third world capitals and didn’t think the upside in Quito was worth the downside. Some of the architecture in the Old Town was interesting but not well restored and not up to European standards. Being at 10,000 feet altitude and surrounded by mountains was unique but a minor attraction. The major museums we tried to visit were closed (one because it was Monday, the other because it closed from Christmas to New Years). The city is dirty, the air is polluted and the general feel is sort of threatening. There are armed security guards everywhere. On our last night, my wife and I were approached by three mean looking guys who blocked our way on a main avenue at 6pm (still light) three blocks from our hotel. One demanded money and the other two surrounded by wife. Just after he made the demand and started to close in on me, a siren started wailing on the avenue (turned out to be an ambulance). While they were distracted we started running and they didn’t come after us. Although they didn’t show weapons, it was pretty clear they meant business and we just lucked out. I live in Manhattan so I have a pretty good sense of the big city street scene.
I would highly recommend this trip for those who don’t have the flexibility to spend more time traveling in mainland Ecuador. Several of the people on our boat were going to be going the Ecuadorian Amazon region – which also makes a lot of sense. I hope this helps those who are thinking about this kind of trip.
Dec 31st, 2008, 03:14 PM
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Close call at the end of your trip.
The sea sickness % was about what I observed. Bonine saved the day for me.
Your % on the wetsuits was way lower than what I recall, but Nov probably had warmer water. You had some outstanding snorkel adventures. Hammerhead numbers had been way down, so hopefully they are rebounding.
What a great family trip.
Did you state the name of your boat?
The sea sickness % was about what I observed. Bonine saved the day for me.
Your % on the wetsuits was way lower than what I recall, but Nov probably had warmer water. You had some outstanding snorkel adventures. Hammerhead numbers had been way down, so hopefully they are rebounding.
What a great family trip.
Did you state the name of your boat?
Jan 1st, 2009, 04:16 PM
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Boat - Tip Top II (part of the Rolf Wittmer fleet of Tip Top boats). Travel company in Ecuador was Columbus Travel (everything worked out fine with them). We were staying at Cafe Cultura in New Town (a very nice "boutique" hotel with about 24 rooms in a large house and courtyard -- each room different and decorated in a pleasing eclectic way). Doubles were $99 tax included.
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