7 day Galapagos Experience

Galapagos Islands | Dec 21 - Dec 30, 2024

The Trip:
My wife and I did a 7 day expedition to the Galapagos Islands arranged by KimKim. Angie from KimKim was our Experience Assistant. She helped guide us through the decision making process and provided all the details of our trip. She was also available along the way as we needed some assistance with travel hassles related to late flights and such. Her assistance was invaluable.

Quito:
Angie arranged for two local guides to help us on our journey in Quito, Alejandro picked us up from the airport in Quito when we arrived (though our flight was quite late, and took us to our first hotel, so we did not have to worry about taxis or hotel shuttle transportation. He help us reunite with our lost back, and provided us with transportation back to the airport the next day to resume our trip to the Galapagos islands.

Upon our return from the Galapagos we were greeted by Fabricio. He met us at the airport, though our flight was several hours late. He provided transportation to our hotel in Old Town Quito. The next day, he showed us the highlights of Old Town Quito along with all manner of local and historic information as we toured Churches, monuments, Old Town, a Chocolate Factory, and stayed with us through our cooking experience. On our last day he picked us up very early and took us to the airport. Fabricio was very informative, kind, and genuinely enthusiastic to show us around.

Galapagos:
Upon our arrival in the Galapagos, we were met by Alex, our Naturalist and guide for our expedition. Alex demonstrated his knowledge enthusiastically though the lens of both local and learned understanding. Through his expert knowledge, he was able to show us all manner of plants and animals endemic to the islands including both the ones we expected and hoped to see, as well as some rare sightings. We visited four islands: Santiago Island, Isabella Island, Fernandia Island, and Santa Cruz Island. During our expedition we stayed on the Bonita Cruise Ship, a small ship that sleeps about 16 people. Daily we had the opportunity to hike the islands, travel in small boats along the coast viewing the various wildlife, and snorkel in the many bays on the islands. Most days we did all three. The crew performed their duties efficiently and expertly, doling out specific equipment for the days activities, providing zodiac transpiration to and from islands, keeping the cabins clean, serving chef prepared delicious meals and even a small party on Christmas for both the crew and the guests. The crew was polite, and extremely helpful during our stay.

To sum it up, my wife and I had a wonderful experience in both Quito and on the islands. I can highly recommend KimKim if you are considering a Galapagos Adventure Experience.