With our time in Quito coming to an end, our trip to the Galapagos was the perfect end-cap to a great experience. Our friend, Michelle, and her daughter, Sadie, joined up with us for this adventure of a lifetime.
Getting to the Galapagos from Quito is very easy. The flight is only about 2 hours. Once we arrived, we realized we should have bought a $20 card at the UIO airport. However, since we didn’t, we were able to go to a much shorter customs line and pay the $20 and the $100 entrance fee all at once. The airport looks like you’ve landed on Mars. It’s small, simple and covered in vents that let the cool breezes blow through. Looking outside, you see an expanse of rock and red-dirt, cacti and wind turbines.
.
Once we were through customs, we hopped on a bus that took us to a ferry that took us to a taxi that took us to town. The entire trip was probably about 2 hours, including wait times. But you hardly notice the time because you are too busy looking at all of the new and strange sights
We stayed at the Hotel Ninfa. We were fortunate enough to have our stay gifted to us by our great friend, Michelle. This major act of kindness really made a difference in our gap year budget and was pivotal in us going to the Galapagos. We feel so grateful to have friends like her and cherish our adventure with her and her daughter! The hotel had everything you needed and was located in a fantastic spot. We walked everywhere and enjoyed the hotel breakfast and bar. We also booked our excursion through the hotel when we arrived and it could not have been easier.
The snorkeling excursion was one of the best parts of the trip. There are several islands to visit, but with only 4 days for exploring, we decided to visit the nearest one, Pinzon. Actually “near” may be an over statement! The boat ride to Pinzon Island was about 2 hours. I fought sea sickness from the beginning because of the choppy waters and speed of the boat. On the way out to the island, we stopped because a pod of dolphins (that looked EXACTLY like Killer Whales) was swimming by. This really helped my stomach calm down just enough to endure the final leg of the journey.
Once to Pinzon, we all jumped in the VERY cold water and took off. We saw sharks, turtles and sea lions. My husband, who took a separate Pinzon tour because of babysitting duties, was able to touch sharks while they slept! He also managed to film a Marine Iguana diving underwater to eat!
On the way back, to help with my sea sickness, I hunkered down on a bench in the back of the boat to nap. I had just dozed off when, suddenly, I felt myself being hurled to the side. My initial thought was that the boat had flipped. After I rolled through the air, I hit a pole and came to a landing on the bottom of the boat. I was sure we had capsized and I would have to save everyone on board. As I looked up to survey the damage, I realized only I had been damaged. The captain had taken a sharp turn and the bench I was on was not attached to the boat. I had flipped off and flew into a fishing chair. Luckily, the boat was fine, the passengers were fine and it was only I that had lost the battle with the sea. The upside was when the dive master was smearing ointment onto my battered knees without cleaning his hands or my knees, this really took my mind off of the fact that I had been sea sick! Win Win!
When we got back from the snorkeling, we were famished, so we went on the hunt for some seafood. What we found was a street called Charles Binford where restaurants set up tables in the street and cook fresh seafood on grills right outside. We ordered a lobster for 3 and were not disappointed! After, we went and had desert at The Galapagos Deli around the corner. We went to this deli a few times because the cake and ice cream were amazing and they had gluten-free options for Michelle. If you go, which you should, get the warm chocolate cake and then send me $20 as a tiny thank you for the best cake you’ve ever eaten. (*email me for mailing address)
The next day we decided to wake up early and walk the long walk to Tortuga Bay. This was about a 45 minute walk from the hotel. My husband had taken Scout the day before and had a fabulous time, so I thought we would do it again and have similar results: WRONG WRONG WRONG. Google maps took us 25 minutes in the wrong direction and Scout cried the. entire. time. By the time we actually made it to the beach, everyone was too physically and emotionally tired to do much else than sit and rest. The beach, however, was gorgeous and Scout perked up when she saw all of the sand she play in. But then we left and her day of crying resumed.
Later that day, we went for a quick look at the Ninfa Lagoon. It’s really beautiful and a very quick thing to do. The tide comes in and out of this lagoon, mixing fresh and sea water each time. Mysterious bubbles are attributed to the Nymphs that live in the lagoon…however, based on the rotten egg smell wafting around, I’d guess its caused by either trapped sulfur under the ground or gassy Nymphs. To tour the lagoon, you walk around a wooden walkway that surrounds the lagoon. We had a great time until Scout fell partially through a broken piece of wood. It was towards the end and she wasn’t hurt so NBD!
For lunch, Scout and I stumbled upon what might be the best located restaurant on the island. We needed some provisions from the grocery store (there’s only one store) and while there, I noticed a staircase with arrows pointing up. Ever the adventurers, we ascended the stairs hand in hand. As we emerged onto the third floor, we were greeted with water views and sea breezes. Oh, and an indoor play area for kids! (the food was just ok…but the view makes up for it)
On our last day, we decided to pack it in before our flight. On the way to the airport, we had the driver stop off at Los Gemelos and El Chato. Los Gemelos are sink holes that were created by empty lava tunnels collapsing. They are beautiful and impressively large and a great, fast sight on the way out of town.
After, the craters, we went to El Chato. El Chato is a tortoise reserve and includes tours of lava tunnels. Seeing the giant tortoises in person were better than I could imagine. Their size is hard to capture in photos and watching them walk and “talk” were extremely cool. It was the perfect way to end the trip. It was also here that I found out I am NOT allergic to bee stings!! #memories
I am so grateful to have visited the Galapagos. And even more grateful I was able to do it with friends. It is true, the animals do not care that you are there or that you are human, they are just enjoying their predator-free lives. We made so many great memories here and Scout is still talking about all of the animals she saw at the “zoo”.
