We have researched quite a bit and have not found any definitive age restrictions or requirements for visiting the Galapagos .. however ... we have seen that some cruise ships appear to not allow children under the age of 7. We don't know if that is an age requirement for access to everything? If you don't stay on a cruise ship .. where do you stay?

We have a 5 year old and a 6 year old .. both of which are experienced travellers .. but they are still kids . We want to take them to the Galapagos, but if we decided to go without them, then saw other kids our age enjoying the Islands .. we would be quite upset.

any thoughts? Can anyone direct me to concrete information? It is an expensive trip, and for us, a once in a lifetime venture .. so we don't want to mess it up!

thanks .. alexis

Many ships have specific "Family Departures Dates" - some might accept children under 7. If you don't cruise (which is really the best way to see the Galapagos) you can stay in 3 towns - Puerto Ayora, Puerto Villamil or on the island of San Cristobal. We stayed in Puerto Ayora for a month, but also did a cruise in order to see the maximum number of animals.

Susan - thanks for the advice. We plan to spend August in Ecuador with our two boys, ages 14 and 10. We will spend at least two weeks on Santa Cruz. I am curious - did you find plenty to do for a month? Did you rent a place or stay in hotel? Any advice for how to spend our time wth kids there would be much appreciated. thanks!

elvis63 - I think your question was to me? We had a GREAT time in Puerto Ayora - we rented a house there - here's a link to our blog

http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/l...th_/galapagos/

There are a few houses to rent in PA - have a look at the blog and would be happy to answer questions. But to answer your question we found plenty to do.

alexis, I don't think you will find age restrictions on anything other than what a particular cruise will permit. They may have cruises tailored to adults, but I'm sure there are also family cruises. We stayed on the islands in hostels and had a great time for a fraction of the cost of the cruise.

I don't know how adept your kids are in the water, but personally the real beauty and joy in the Galapagos is snorkeling in the ocean. The hikes we took also were a little precarious, my boyfriend and I spent a lot of time helping people over loose rocks. But still, nothing terribly difficult. I had to overcome my fear of swimming in the ocean, but it was so worth it - nothing compares to swimming with sea lions who come up and stare you in the face with those big ol' round eyes! By the end I was the first one jumping in the water, didn't matter where we were, I told myself I was in the bloody Galapagos for goodness sakes!

I'm sure you can find a family cruise where the hikes and snorkeling will be appropriate for smaller folks. I'm sure there are many beautiful calm areas for snorkeling (I can picture one on Santa Cruz Island that would have been lovely for little ones).

So I say find a family cruise and ask them lots of questions about the activities, then maybe look at one aimed more at adults and see what the differences are in activities. Then you can decide if the kid friendly activities are enough for you - obviously a personal decision with lots of pros and cons each way!

Have a wonderful trip!

P.S. we saw penguins on Isabella Island that swam around right at the dock!

soccerose

thanks for the encouragemnet and your enthusiam. Our kids are great hikers and when seemingly dangerous situations, we tie them off; however, they need to work on their swimming skills and I on mine .. I am not a great ocean swimmer either .. it kinda freaks me out.

Thanks again .. alexis

LIndblad offers Family Cruises. www.expedition.com

Happytrvlr .... just got thier brochure in the mail a couple days ago . .thanks