The Galapagos. We learned about them in countless biology and history classes. Darwin’s finches, the giant tortoises, volcanic islands, and friendly wildlife. My grandparents took my parents on a cruise to various islands in the Galapagos while my mother was pregnant with me. In a way, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands were my first overseas trip. Therefore, as the Peru adventure came to an end, I couldn’t leave South America without visiting the Galapagos.

I flew into Quito, the capital of Ecuador, and had a few days to explore the city. I walked all around the old town, explored churches, visited museums, ate tons of food, and relaxed in the hostel. I stayed in Rebel Hostel and it was fantastic. The owner and staff were so helpful. They cooked breakfast on demand each morning, provided tons of suggestions for exploring Quito, and also assisted in booking onward travel. The other guests were friendly and willing to socialize. I returned to the hostel at the end of my trip since I liked it so much.

A guide is required to enter many parts of the Galapagos. It is possible to go independently and hire a guide as needed but most people go on tours. There are land or sea tours of the Galapagos. Since I am young and not wealthy, I booked a land tour with G Adventures.

The group met up in Quito the night before flying to the islands. We were briefed on the important logistics (cash is essential, very poor internet service) before everyone went out for a group welcome dinner. I had the fish ceviche which was delicious. Once arriving in the islands, we visited Santa Cruz, Isabela, and San Cristobal Islands.

Every few days we would take a speed boat ferry between the islands and experience a new ecosystem. We started on Santa Cruz which had Giant Tortoises, Sea Lions, Iguanas and lava tubes. It also had the largest town.

Isabela is the largest of the islands. There were marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, dolphins, sharks, and penguins. We went on an all-day snorkeling expedition while visiting Isabela. Another day we hiked up the Sierra Negra- the volcano’s crater is the 2nd largest in the world.

San Cristobal was all about the sea lions. We snorkeled with sea lions twice. It was like swimming with underwater puppies. They were so curious and would twirl all around you. Sadly, I don’t have any pictures from this 😦 We also sunbathed with the sea lions. This smelled really bad but it was amazing to watch the sea lions interact with each other. A mother and baby came near me and I could hear the baby nursing for over an hour. We also visited Isla Lobos and saw nesting blue footed boobies and frigate birds. Absolutely incredible.

The Galapagos were the best part of my South America trip. The wildlife was unreal. Going to the zoo will never compare after getting so close to these creatures in the wild. I enjoyed being on a tour. I went with G Adventures and did their “18-30somethings” tour. We had a great group of girls and there was plenty of choice in which activities you did. Staying on the islands instead of a cruise ship meant we visited fewer islands but got to spend more time exploring each one. I would recommend the Galapagos to anyone interested in animals, ecology, evolution, or geology.