piggi

I am hoping to use my FF miles to get my boyfriend and me to Galapagos. Can anyone who has been there tell us more about lodging information, and best time to go? I would like to snorkel or scuba dive. I'm not into camping, but if i must, I guess i will.

Can you fly to Galapagos or do you take a boat? Do you stay on the island in a hotel or camp?

Thanks in advance

trekker

You fly to Galapagos, and boat between islands. I suppose there must be some kind of lodging on land, but most visitors stay on their selected ship. Smaller is generally better. I'd recommend an internet search. The islands are very interesting, and do have good snorkelling and diving, but the water is on the cold side (Humboldt current), so if it's primarily a snorkelling/diving trip you're after, you might consider going elsewhere.

ZeppoX

A close relative travels to the Galapagos every year or so on a research project.
The trip as this person describes it involves overnighting in Quito (UIO) on the way to/from.
Then flying from Quito to the Baltra airport in Galapagos, which is on the opposite side of Santa Cruz Island from the town.
Then riding a bus across the island to town, Puerto Ayora.
Then, in my relative's case, by boat to the research site.

There is lodging in Puerto Ayora, but unfortunately I have no reports on them as the research project takes care of the necessary housing, erm, tenting.
There's also touristy stuff there, like T-shirt shops.
Hotel example: http://www.finchbayhotel.com/home.asp

There are several tour sites that provide insight on various touring options, which I understand involve departures both from Puerto Ayora and from the mainland.
Examples:
www.galapagostraveller.com
www.galapagosdiscover.com
www.gapadventures.com

Edit: thanks to "escog" for raising a good point re: camping, and I should clarify. My relative camps at a research site, established by the government of Ecuador on an otherwise unihabited island. Not only is camping on your own forbidden, also you are not permitted to "take" any wildlife -- not even fish, not even shellfish. And you cannot bring anything remotely resembling a seed, not even some Planter's nuts, not even some trail mix. Yeah, people get away with bringing such stuff, but those are the rulz. Was intriguing to send care packages a while back when this relative lived on that island for 14 months.

escog

As noted, you arrive in the Galapagos via airplane. When I did my trip, I went via Guayquil and left via Quito. As far as I know, there isn't any camping allowed in the Galapagos, so you'll have to do lodgings. I only spent a couple of hours wandering through Puerto Ayora, but it seems like an o.k. town, and there were plenty of operators offering scuba diving and snorkeling. I went in November, and most of us wore wetsuits against the cold water. It gets hotter during the summer, so things are a bit more comfortable for swimming. Otherwise, since Ecuador is on the equator, there isn't really a bad time to visit the Galapagos.

Most visitors arrange for a live-aboard boat tour of the islands. I did an 8-day cruise with Lindblad. There are many boats offering cruises of various lengths and for various budgets. Some people get lodgings in Puerto Ayora and then do day tours to visit various islands, but you tend to use up a lot of time traveling to and from islands versus living on a boat and traveling overnight.

naharragt

Others have made good points. Here's mine: we went in Febrauary. Great weather and warm enough water. For the Galapagos, you have to fly in and out of Guayaquil. I suggest staying there instead of Quito for 2 reasons. One, the altitude affected me. It didn't get to the rest of my family, but I was a hurting pup. We only stayed in Quito for the night between flights and it still took me down. Second, since we were only staying on the mainland for connections, there was no time to see Quito. All we did was drive between the airport and hotel. Besides jockeying in and out of the airport, there was no excitement.

Staying on the island was perfect. We didn't feel captive on a boat and didn't have to worry about the seas. We stayed at a great place in the middle of the main island of Santa Cruz. It wasn't cheap but it was great. There's plenty of more reasonable places in town. The hotel hooked us up with a tour operator who ran day boats out of each side of the island. We went to the Plazas Islands one day, Bartholome Island (the quintessential Galapagos spot, I think) another day and did snorkeling outside the harbor another day. There's a great beach you walk to from town. Getting there is half the fun.

Walking around the tortoises in the wild was great. In town, you have the Charles Darwin institute. There a great pizza restaurant in town. I forget its name, but I could describe it to you. In short, there is plenty to do on the island.

If you have a few extra days, travel to one of the other islands for a few overnights. We didn't have the time, but we met folks that did it. Send me a message if you need more info. Do not hesitate. Start making reservations!

hauteboy

No way to use FF miles to get to the Galapagos themselves; the only airlines that fly there are TAME and AeroGal, neither are a member of other FF's. The best you can do is getting to Quito or Guayaquil, then buy a roundtrip for about $380. There are only two inhabited islands, no camping is allowed on the others. The best way to see the islands is a boat tour, best to book these in advance unless you have some time to hang around in Puerto Ayora until one opens up. Most boats offer snorkeling and/or scuba, but the water is very cold. On our scuba trip we used 5 mil full wetsuit including hoods and gloves and I was still cold!

birdstrike

^ for Lindblad . I did an Alaska cruise with them last July. On returning I immediately signed up for a Baja cruise and a Galapagos cruise (winter '07).

I'm really looking forward to the Galpagos. I think it would be hard to do a land-based trip there, but then again, I've never been.

naharragt

It was easy to do a land-based trip. The decision was a no-brainer for us: wife doesn't adjust well to boats, plus 2 girls ages 9 and 10. We stayed at the best place on the island (Royal Palm), with a pool, great dining and an awesome detached "room" - lvingroom, two bedrooms each with their own huge bathrooms, master had its own sauna. I know we missed out on sights and sounds only the cruisers experienced, but it certainly felt like we saw plenty. We were in complete control of our days and slept on predictably steady ground.

piggi

how much time do you think i should allot for my vacation? 2 weeks? 3 weeks? I am guessing that many feel that I should fly into quito or guayil (sp) and just go straight to the islands, as these cities don't have much to see?

naharragt

We were there for only a week. We crammed things in, but more time would have been great. Also, with the extra time, you could head over to one of the other islands for an overnight - highly recommended I'm told. Two weeks seems plenty, but it will still go by quickly. Some people stay on land before or after their cruises.

birdstrike

Do a search in the Trip Reports Forum. There are a couple of reports that include the Galapagos.