Has anyone been to the Galapagos Islands?

[hairy v]

Any tips on must-sees, where to stay and eat greatfully received.

TIA.

[22s]

It's epic, you're going to have a great time.

We went for a week during a tour of SA.

Are you a scuba diver/interested in it? I did my PADI Open Water there - it was amazing swimming with (non-man-eating) sharks etc, but I'd never done it before and the more experienced divers got to go to better places and see things like turtles etc. If I had my time again, I would probably try and do some diving in the UK to get to grips with the basics and even get the OW qualification before as you'll enjoy it a lot more if you're a bit more comfortable in the water.

We stayed here which was fine (we were on backpacker budgets!) but I'm sure there are plenty of nicer places: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g297533...

If you have any allergies, be very very careful. I'm a pretty good spanish speaker and have a peanut allergy - I asked specifically if there were nuts in the almuerzo (set lunch) because it smelt like nuts, they said no, stupid me ate it and next thing was anaphylaxis and a trip to the "hospital" (i.e. a room in a random building) with the deputy coach of the Ecuadorian national football team acting as my chaperone!

There's some kind of street market every night where they sell local food which is cheap and delicious (if you like meat, rice and beans).

We did a speedboat tour of the different islands which was okay - it was cool to see the other islands but iirc correctly the boat was very uncomfortable and it got a bit samey after a while!

Then of course you want to get out in the nature - there is some amazing wildlife so go to El Chato, Tortuga Bay, etc. Make sure you have proper walking shoes and not flip-flops!

Also, if you are flying through Quito try to do a day or two there - it's pretty cool. Guayaquil is a bit of a dump so I probably wouldn't bother.

Have fun!

[LimaDelta]

I've been, but on a yacht transiting the Pacific, so can't really help with food/accommodation advice. Great place though if wildlife is your thing (I guess it must be, otherwise why else would you go). Lots of hammer-head sharks which would feed at night in our underwater lights, and sealions which would sunbath on our swim platform. Some good diving too as mentioned.

[hairy v]

Thanks chaps

[Xenobian]

hairy v said:

Any tips on must-sees, where to stay and eat greatfully received.

TIA.

Yes, and a lot depends on how you're travelling, flying in and staying on the islands, or joining a cruise ship/yacht. For the latter, no need to worry as it will all be taken care of. If you are staying in a hotel on land, it is possible to take boat trips out to many of the other islands, and other such excursions to see wildlife. A lot of that will come down to timeframe and budget.

[NDA]

LimaDelta said:

sealions which would sunbath on our swim platform.

I assume full throttle shifted them?

[andy753]

hairy v said:

Any tips on must-sees, where to stay and eat greatfully received.

TIA.

Hello Hairy V! Having been lucky enough to go to the Galapogos, I think the best way to see the islands is by ship. There are many cruise lines operating within the region. My advice would be to travel with the cruise line which has the best environmental record as this whole area must be protected at all costs. Celebrity and Hurtigruten would be my first choice. We travelled with Celebrity and booked with Panache Cruises and they were excellent. Depending on how much time you have, you might also want to travel to Quito and then haggle with the cruise line ticket desks when you are there. It's common for ships to sail with empty cabins and you can usually do some kind of deal from what I hear. I think this is what I would do if I was younger and was a longer backpacking style trip. BUT most people have a very limited holiday time period in which case I would book well ahead of time. This is a useful website too: https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/galapagos-islan... Enjoy!