But at the same time – I’m also sort of happy I went when I did – a time when Galapagos tourism is really needed.
Galapagos Tourism and Conservation – It Needs Us
Tourism in the Galapagos has taken a hit due to Covid. Unlike other destinations, tourism is really all this archipelago has; 85% of the local economy is dependent on tourism , not to mention that the conservation of this unique archipelago depends on tourism too.
Without tourism, conservation wouldn’t exist and conversely, without conservation, tourism wouldn’t exist. In the Galapagos, they are deeply knitted together like a family. Tourism dollars are needed and conservation dollars from the government are also needed; that’s the basics of sustainability.
With the pandemic’s airport closures and travel restrictions, tourism dropped by 75 percent compared to the 271,000 visitors in 2019. A four-month lockdown starting in February 2020 after Covid-19 was first detected in the region resulted in a total halt of tourism and a near-complete shutdown of scientific research.
This is the Time to Get Galapagos Cruise Deals
The good news for travelers is that as travel starts to ramp up again (YAY!), that means there are some great deals to be had on Galapagos cruises to the islands.
I went with Metropolitan Touring which has a very long history with the islands and is owned by a native Ecuadorian. They have so many options when it comes to a Galapagos Islands vacation starting with multiple ship options. The company operates three vessels in the islands: Santa Cruz II with 50 cabins and space for 90 guests; Yacht La Pinta with 24 cabins for 48 guests; and Yacht Isabela II with 20 cabins for 40 guests. The company also operates Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel on Santa Cruz Island if you want to do more land-based adventures.
Because Metropolitan Touring has all of these options, they can normally offer some pretty good deals that go along with stops at their other award-winning properties in Ecuador; Mashpi Eco Lodge and Casa Gangotena historic hotel in Quito .
My best advice on how to learn of their current Galapagos Islands cruise deals is to follow them on social media as they announce all of their Ecuador deals and sales there first! Metropolitan Touring Facebook | Metropolitan Touring Instagram
Now that you have found a great deal to travel to the Galapagos it’s time to start the fun part…the trip!
Choose a Galapagos Cruise Itinerary that is Right for You
The Galapagos has 13 main islands and 7 small islands. Most people only have a week to spend on a Galapagos vacation, so that means you’ll have to specifically choose which islands you want to visit. Cruises in the Galapagos normally have a few different routes; eastern and western are the most popular that cover specific islands in 5 to 7 days. Metropolitan Touring also has a northern route.
And since each island is different, you’ll want to choose your route carefully based on what wildlife you want to see and what activities you want to do. I’ve compiled a way to help you make this choice by sharing 13 things to know before you book your Galapagos vacation . Make sure you read this as it’ll help you understand which islands you may want to go to. Once armed with that knowledge, you can choose a route; eastern, western, or even northern.
My Eastern Islands Galapagos Itinerary on La Pinta Yacht
I chose the Eastern Islands cruise on Metropolitan’s La Pinta Yacht. This gave me the chance to see and photograph 11 of the ‘ Big 15 Galapagos Animals’ and do a good amount of hiking and snorkeling. I didn’t really care too much about the towns, my goal was to be more remote.
We boarded the La Pinta from Baltra Island, settled into our cabins, and off we went!
South Plaza Island: Best Galapagos Landscapes and Sunset
We arrived at Plaza Sur before sunset, and everyone was excited about our first landing. I love that feeling of anticipation of experiencing the reality of your expectations – it’s exhilarating. And that’s exactly how I felt as I stepped off the zodiac and onto the island.
My first impression of the island was that it was really barren, but what it lacks in actual trees, it makes up for with spectacular vegetation. The island glowed with color. A dense carpet of vibrant red and purple Sesuvium combined with unusual prickly pear cacti wowed me upon first look.
Our guide told us that during the hot season (Feb to May) the carpet is lush green. But in the dry season (June to January) the colors change to spectacular red, orange, and purple tones; which is what we were experiencing now.
We hiked around the entire island (it’s pretty small), fought the wind, and enjoyed our first look at sea lions, iguanas, birds, and the funky-looking Opuntia cactus that were as big as trees. Endemic to Galapagos, the Opuntia cactus is the most widely distributed and numerous plant found in the Archipelago. The Opuntia is also known as prickly pear cactus and has six different species on Galapagos. They made the landscape seem other-worldly!
Plaza Sur is also known as the iguana island because it’s a location where the territory and breeding season of the Galapagos land iguana overlap with those of the marine iguana, giving rise to a unique population of hybrid iguanas. Iguanas that can survive on both land and sea…umm…so cool. And it’s only found on Plaza Sur.
On one side of the island were high sea cliffs that we could look out over and see nesting sea birds. And we learned pretty quickly that you had to be careful where you stepped as sea lions and iguanas were plopped right in the middle of our path.
We were also blessed with a full moon that night rising up over the ocean creating an even more spectacular scene. What a way to start our Galapagos cruise!
Santa Fe Island: Galapagos Hiking and Snorkeling
We went ashore on Santa Fe Island early in the morning. It was a bit cloudy when we landed, but it was perfect hiking weather – which is what I was excited to do there. We split up into groups; a strenuous hiking group and a ‘strolling’ group – you can guess which one I went on. Being able to split into hiking difficulty groups is something you can really only do on a larger expedition ship like La Pinta.
Our hike had us climbing some pretty steep terrain. I worked up a sweat, but getting to the top was worth it; the views of the bay and the beach were eye-popping. As we hiked our guides taught us about the wildlife on the island and also the trees.
Santa Fe Island Trees
I was pretty enamored by the white trees we passed called Palo Santo trees. Palo Santo is a sacred tree that grows in select parts of South America. Translated from Spanish, Palo Santo means Sacred Wood. You often find the wood used by Shamans. However, I loved these trees for their beautiful color and photogenic. The tree bark is white and silvery – but a yellow lichen tends to grow on them – making them this vibrant tree among a fairly desolate landscape on Santa Fe Island.
It was here where we could get up close to the Prickly Pear Giant Cactus trees too. They had an interesting way to camouflage and protect themselves. What appeared like bark on the trunk of a tree was really only a paper-thin covering hiding the spongelike layers inside that house the water the cactus preserves.
Snorkeling at Santa Fe Island
Santa Fe is also where we did our first snorkeling adventure! La Pinta furnishes all of your needed snorkeling gear including a short-sleeve wetsuit that is a must at this time of year when the water temps are a little cooler.
As I jumped in the water, it didn’t take me long to find a friendly sea lion. I gingerly swam towards it, and suddenly it spotted me and came swimming right toward me in an upside-down position. I squealed in delight as it would swim at me and then duck under me right at the last minute. The sea lions loved to be around people, twisting, dodging, and what I can only describe as playing with us in the beautiful Galapagos underworld.
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Our guides also led us to sea turtles and schools of fish and pointed out rays on the sandy bottom. But the sea lions – they were my joy. After that I knew I would take every opportunity to snorkel that they offered during my time in the Galapagos – it was epic!
San Cristobal Island: Galapagos Diversity
San Cristobal has a little bit of everything – even human life!
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
We stopped in one of the most populated parts of the Galapagos – Puerto Baquerizo Moreno – the capital of Ecuador′s Galápagos Province. About 6000 people live in the town but it was by far the most ‘urban’ (that’s a stretch) site we stopped at. At the port where most people entered the city, you could get a feel for tourism offerings as there were tourism shops, restaurants, and hostels. There was also a healthy population of sea lions that apparently thought they were just one of the local people. You’d find them on boats, beaches, picnic tables, and even waiting on park benches.
I think one of my favorite things I saw while walking around town was the playground with a sea lion slide – it’s something where you won’t find anywhere else…it just made me smile.
Cerro Colorado Giant Tortoise Refuge
The main reason we stopped in the town was to visit Cerro Colorado – a Giant Tortoise Refuge and breeding center. I knew about the giant tortoises on the Galapagos – but I don’t think I was prepared for just how big and prehistoric they were!
Years ago, the main victims of the human presence in the Galapagos were the tortoises. Now there are several centers that assist in the breeding process on the islands. This one on San Cristobol Island repatriates tortoises from other parts of the island to this protected area where they have quite a large area to roam. When eggs are found by researchers, they are taken to be cared for by the refuge for their first 5 years of life so that they can get off to the ‘right start’. This ensures that the species is safely repopulating and will continue for years to come.
Although the islands were once thought to be home to at least 250,000 tortoises, only about 15,000 remain in the wild today.⠀
Galapagos Giant Tortoise
The adults were incredible to watch move around at their slow pace. They were around 125 years old and 300 to 500 lbs. Their giant size has been linked to the absence of predatory mammals on islands, but researchers have also proposed that tortoises were already giants when they reached the remote archipelagos millions of years ago.⠀
Punta Pitt – Bring on the Boobies!
The blue-footed booby is probably the best known of the 3 types of boobies in the Galapagos, but did you know there is also a red-footed one (that has a blue beak!) and one that wears a ‘mask’ – the Nazca. And just how did these birds get their distinctive name? The term was taken from the Spanish word “bobo”, which translates to clumsy. This was because it referred to the comical way that boobies walk.
Punta Pitt was our first chance at boobie sightings. It is home to one of the largest populations of red-footed boobies. We landed on the beach and broke up into hiking groups to head up, up, up to the bird cliffs. Every day we were able to hike in the Galapagos – this is how we were able to get out and see all of those incredible animals. An expedition leader came with us on every landing to provide us context to what we were seeing and experiencing. The hikes weren’t necessarily hard – however it’s always great to get off the ship to stretch the legs!
I thought this hike was really beautiful, we hiked through some narrow areas surrounded by rocks and suddenly popped out on top of cliffs. This is where we started to see our first boobies. The red-footed boobies were staring at us from the trees, sort of blending in except for their red feet. Many of them were sitting on eggs. However, I think I was most stunned by how calm they all were with us just hiking a few feet from them.
