belhr

My husband and I are going on a belated honeymoon to Ecuador in August.
We want to go on a Galapagos tour and also along the Amazon to one of the jungle lodges.
Does anyone have any recommendations on who to book these trips through (we're based in the US), especially the Galapagos?
We can't afford to spend a fortune, but would at least like to be on a boat with hot water and private baths and we want to do a five or six day tour of the islands.

Any help much appreciated as I've found lots of online companies, but don't know if they're at all reputable.

Patty

I booked through Sangay Touring in Quito for my upcoming trip in May as they were recommended by several on this board. Their website is www.guide2galapagos.com - hope this helps.

Percy

I agree with Patty.

I went to Ecuador and the Galapagos last August 2003 , and booked with Sangay tours.
Patty gave you the correct e-mail address.
When you send and e mail direct your e-mail to Martin.
He and his brother Robin own and run the touring company.
After booking my trip for me,Martin and I talked several times over the phone.
Martin said "it always nice to put a voice to a name."
Also I e-mailed pictures of myself to Martin and he sent me several pictues of himself ,so we would at least know what the other looks like when we met.

Martin said to me, "Percy just get yourself here to Ecuador and I will handle everything else"...and boy did he ever.
I cannot say enough about how well I was looked after.
My trip from Quito to the Galapagos and back went as smooth as silk !!!!.
Everything was organized so well

Percy

belhr

Thanks you two.

One more question. Someone suggested to me the idea of doing a 'land tour' of the Galapagos - i.e. staying in a hotel on one of the islands and doing trips out from the hotel - as a cheaper option.

Do either of you have any opinion on this? It sounds like it may allow a little more independence than being on an organised boat tour, but also that we may end up seeing far less of the Galapagos.

Decisions, decisions!

Percy

Hi

You can certainly fly from Quito to the Galapagos and stay at one of the hotels on the Island of Santa Cruz...this is the only Island where there is a town with hotels and then there are last minute tours from Puerto Ayora.

But you know what!!..I would be a bit worried to fly all the way to Quito and then to Baltra and then ferry over to the Island of Santa Cruz, this island has the town of Puerto Ayora on it, and then try to get a last minute deal...hmmmm,what if something goes wrong and you are left waiting.

I would e mail Martin and give him your plans and requests and the prices you want to pay and Icanassure you that he would be more than pleased to give you any information you want.
You do not have to book with him to get information from him...he will help you anyway.
When you e mail Martin..tell him Percy from Edmonton says hello.
We keep in touch and he e mailed me in mid January just to say Hi.
Percy

Patty

belhr,

We're doing a combination of both. We'll be on a boat tour the first part of the week and adding a few nights in the town of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz island afterwards (partly because the boat we wanted was sold out for the 2nd half of the week and partly because we just wanted a few extra days to hang out on our own). From what I understand there are only a limited number of islands that can be reached on a day tour from Santa Cruz - Bartolome, Santa Fe, South Plazas, North Seymour, etc. To reach the other islands would require a liveaboard boat or flight. We're planning to do one day trip as part of our land based stay too, but I think to get the most out of your experience, you need a liveaboard boat. This is the impression that I got.

The boat we're taking (Archipel) is $675pp for 4 nights, but there are cheaper ones in the $500pp range that have hot water and private baths. Either way, boat tour or land based you'll have to factor in the airfare costs ($390pp from Quito or $345 from Guayaquil) and national park fees ($100pp). Also August is high season for both airfare and boat tours. If you can go during low season, you can save a little money on both.

Hope this helps.

peg

Hi there:

If you only want to go for 5 days, I recommend taking a boat and going to the Southern Islands, this is what we did. You will see plenty in the short time you have, more so than if you just do day trips to the islands. In addition to seeing things on the islands, you will have the chance to snorkel at most of them (might have that option on day tours). Which was great for us because a couple of us are divers and love the underwater. I swam inches from a marine turtle while he was eating (of course my camera jammed on the snorkel before so I have no proof), we saw golden, eagle and sting rays, tail of a white tip shark, huge starfish, etc.

As Patty and Percy stated there are many different boats that you can take at different price ranges. We were on the Aida Maria, I think we paid $600 for the boat and $345 for airfare (whatever the low season was). The boat was small (16 passengers) but the guide Pato ( I think that was his name) was good, crew friendly, and the boat very clean. Food was okay.

I also booked through Martin at Sangay. They have a very informative website: www.sangay.com. You can look at the boats they offer and prices, also can look at their jungle tours and day trips if you like.

Patty, I hope Sangay treats you as well as they did us.

Martin if you are reading this, I think you should start giving me a commission. (HA)

Patty

Thanks Peg! The only thing that I'm slightly concerned about is that they weren't able to confirm my return flight from the Galapagos as I'm extending my stay and the boat operators block airline seats and don't release them until closer to departure. Robin said I may have to wait until I get there to check, but he thinks it shouldn't be a problem. So hope everything works out OK. Can't wait!

NYCityGirl

I just returned from a trip to Ecuador & the Galapagos.

We went on a sailboat yacht called La Sagitta. It was beautiful - stunning. 16 Passengers / 7 Crew + 1 Guide. First-class, comfortable, equipped with kayaks, snorkel gear, etc. Wonderful food and great crew. I would recommend this company and boat to all my friends and family. It was pricey - but well worth every penny - and has a much better itinerary than the smaller/cheaper boats. If you're going to do the Galapagos - it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, so it's worth spending the extra $$ for a fantastic experience. (standard rate is $2400/person - but you may be able to get a lower rate at the last-minute). It was 8 days, all inclusive, hot-water, air conditioning, good-sized private rooms, daily maid service and fresh towels.

The company's website is www.angermeyercruises.com. They have some smaller boats that are less expensive ($1500-$2200, i think) but supposed to be quite nice as well. And you don't have to go thru a travel agency -- you can go directly to the company that owns/runs the boats and negotiate a rate thru them. If you do use a travel agency, check with several as they will each give you a different rate quote for the exact same boat.

Have a great time!

belhr

Thanks again everyone.
I think we're going to go with a boat tour, and hopefully do a week-long, rather than 5-day tour, as I think that once you've gone all that way it's probably worth the extra few hundred dollars to stretch it out - after all, this is probably a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Patty

belhr,
You definitely made the right decision!

Having just returned, I'd just like to reiterate that I would strongly advise against using day tours as your entire Galapagos experience. The islands don't look that far on a map, but just to go to Bartolome for example takes 7 hours roundtrip by a combination of bus and boat rides!

I also had no problems getting my return flight changed. I went to the TAME office in Puerto Ayora on the morning I was originally supposed to fly back to Quito and told them I wanted to leave 2 days later instead. It was not a problem and one of those things that turned out to be much more easily accomplished once I got there.

Sassyrn

Hi we're going to the galapagos in October & looking for information on snorkeling equip (wetsuits...short or long) & foot wear? joan