Wonderful trip to the Quito and The Galapagos Islands

Galapagos Islands | Jul 1 - Jul 12, 2024

Great hotel, beautifully appointed room with comfortable bed. Lots of options for the breakfast buffet and for dinner as well. Appreciated the two for one mojitos as well! Hotel has armed security 24/7 and feels safe.

We really enjoyed our time on the Archipel I. The food was delicious and plentiful. The chef put a lot of thought into offering a diverse menu for every meal. The fruit drinks provided whenever we returned from an excursion on shore or aboard the dingy were a great treat. The rooms are comfortable, with ample amount of space for storing luggage and clothing. On the first part of the trip we were in a room at the front of the boat which was particularly bumpy, especially because of the route we were on. For the second half of the trip, we moved to a room at the back of the boat which we found a lot less bumpy. The sea may have been less wavy either way but we liked being in the back better and really appreciated the opportunity to move. Overall, the staff on this boat are super.

La Palma Polo Club is a unique experience and location! Our room was HUGE. Loved all the windows and rustic decor. Only thing missing was a desk. Food was good at the restaurant too. Enjoyed walking the grounds. There are not many rooms so you feel like you are at a special place . We only stayed one night before catching our flight so we didn't use the pools or the spa.

Really enjoyed the Middle of the World experience. Very fun and worthwhile. We also enjoyed the tour of old Quito and the view of the city from the Virgin of Quito statue overlooking the city was outstanding!

Smooth transfer with lots of time to check in at the airport.

Friendly driver met us at the airport and we had a smooth transfer to our hotel for the evening.

Our guide knew of a few "private" birding locations where locales set up bananas and other fruit to attract birds to their property, including hummingbirds. These locations did not disappoint! We saw dozens of colorful and unique birds and were able to feed a vast array of beautiful hummingbirds. We also went to the butterfly refuge which was okay. The highlight there was seeing two kinds of toucans and a sunbittern on or near the property.

We are glad we saw the breeding center but it is nothing like seeing the giant tortoises in the wild! The breeding center focuses a lot on educating visitors about the tortoises and the Galapagos ecosystem. The baby tortoises from various islands was interesting to see.

We stopped by the twin craters on our way to the airport. It was cool to see the crater (we actually only had time to see one) but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it. The time we spent seeing the wild giant tortoises on property nearby was more worthwhile. There were so many of them - both male and female.

This island was the highlight of our trip! So many birds (red-footed boobys, blue-footed boobys, frigate birds and their chicks), everywhere you looked! Plus several short-eared owls and many other interesting things to see. It is a magical place.

This island was another highlight of our trip but not because of the wildlife. The landscape and view from the top is magnificent! Snorkeling after the hike around the cove was lots of fun too.