Originally Posted by synergistic

Just wanted to follow up here after our trip - I cannot say enough wonderful things about the islands, the wildlife, the landscapes, and the people. Alex (and Lisa!) were fantastic to work with, and handled everything for us. The tours he booked for us were absolutely perfect, on good boats with great crews. Now that we feel more comfortable on the islands, I don't think we'd need the same level of coordination from a guide - but the total cost was only about $100pp than if we'd booked the 'leftover' last minute tours, and he was able to guarantee us spots on high quality tours. Plus, when we ran into trouble (couldn't find giant bottles of water and couldn't bear to buy a bunch of small bottles just to throw them away, or I was having trouble getting my translator app to explain the idea of moleskin to a pharmacist) he was a phone call away, happy to help instantly. His food recommendations were on point, as well! I keep reading that the food there is meh, but I disagree completely - we ate like kings! So much seafood! And I'm already craving bolones and tortillas de verde!!

Something I didn't have the guts to ask you was how well Alex spoke english. His wife had told me that he went to university in the UK, so I knew it'd be at least passable... Turns out his english is excellent - and I'm hard of hearing, so sometimes accents give me additional trouble. His tour through the Darwin Station was a highlight of the trip - did he tell you he used to feed Lonesome George?? He was a joy to just walk around with, pointing out birds and plants and sharing information about the past and present of the island.

He also set up a tour for us on San Cristobal with another true gem - Fabo, with Galapagos Eco-Challenger. The 360 tour with him and his excellent crew was just incredible, and we hung around afterwards to chat with him and his wife. I feel a bit like you now, trying to spread the good word about this magical place and these amazing people online so we can share the wealth!


Oh, and for others - I 100% felt safer on the islands than I do in my home city, or even at our own national parks. Here, everyone is both vaccinated AND has tested negative recently. It is REALLY easy to stay in open air - we weren't in an enclosed room with other humans a single time between leaving the airport and checking back in ten days later. Everything is kept scrupulously clean, and everyone is far more respectful of personal space than I expected. We were thinking about Europe in November, but I think if we take a big November trip, it'll be back to the Galapagos.