Galápagos Islands Travel Forum

Okay, im a seasoned travellor, yet finally feelign the need to visit the Galapagos's. Hate crowds, hate volume tourism and hate "package deals".

i plan to head over for 10 days early Novembner, plan to do some scuba diving, and plan to avoid the madding crowds.

Hence i need advice?? where best to fly into? where best to base myself from? how best to travel around? who best to contact? what should i plan and what should i wing when i get there? and how can i avoid the crowds and see some of ecuador at the same time????

Neil

Hmmm...not certain you have many choices with some of your requests for a "seasoned traveler". As for crowds...non existant except on the mainland. Independant travel..possibly non existant as well. you must have a registered guide if you wish to enjoy the pristine lands of the Galapagos.

For diving, I'd recommend using Agressor. My daughter did 10 days with them (actualy her entire dive shop rented both boats for a trip) and had a fabulous trip. How do you describe the feeling of coming up from a deep dive only to encounter about 3 dozen hammerheads in your path at 60 feet? Make that hammerheads that don't even give you notice as you pass through the school...You're just another big fish that they don't care to converse with as long as you're not looking at their intended dinner.

the two entry points would be Quito and Guayquil. Both have airports that serve the islands. Hilton has resonable hotels in both cities with shuttle service to the airports.

I partly agree with Agraichen on the crowds and (in)dependent travels to Galapagos. For the island you have to register and there is a maximum of days you can stay there. That makes sense as Ecuador tries to have sustainable (and for you that means non-crowdy) tourism there. Even in Ecuador you have a good chance to avoid the crowds.

I always recommend to get at least a glimpse of all three kinds of landscapes, Ecuador has to offer: the sea (costa), the mountains (sierra), the jungle (oriente/selva).

So if you fly into the capital Quito (most flights go there), you can acclimate first, see the city, and then you have the chance to either go to the mountains and the jungle first and then to Galapagos or vice versa - depending on when you get your ticket for the island.

For the mountains I'd recommend the south (if you have enough time), and there especially Loja. Its farther away but just beautiful. Riobamba, on the other side, is closer to Quito, has a great infrastructure but is quite crowded. For the jungle I definitely recommend the small village of Tena in the Provincia de Napo. Go on a jungle trip with an individual guide - and if you like it you can also go rafting there.

Have a great time in Ecuador!

For more infos, visit my travelpages (work in progress).

Thanks both of you, Dan, sounds like you have a bit of a plan there. But i stress i only have 10 days of work, so is that all possible??

As for accomo, must admit can't recall the last time i stayed in a hotel on my holidays!!!! So budget for me is more then acceptable.

As for diving, no chance of day boats, or 3 day trips?? really not into the liveaboard scene, as i tend to get frustrated diving as part of a pack. Would rather dive with a few people in isolated more challenging spots, then as part of a swarm of divers.

The thing about the Galapagos is that the islands are quite far apart. The reason you want to be on a liveaboard is that you can dive during the day and sail between islands at night. Single-day or even 3-day trips will not let you see very much--and believe me, you want to see what's on land as well as underwater.

You can do a 7-day trip that will fit your vacation time. It's not necessary to go on a huge boat--I did a trip on a boat that carried only 18 people. It was a fantastic trip, really something I will remember forever.

Getting to the islands and traveling there is not cheap. Be prepared.