The Galapagos Islands have long been on our bucket list. Finally tuition-free when our youngest graduated from college, we treated ourselves to the adventure of a lifetime.
Here’s what we learned about being of “a certain age” and visiting the giant tortoises, blue-footed boobies and friendly sea lions of The Galapagos.
Don’t book the wrong trip!
You must book passage on a Park Service-approved boat to tour the islands. You can’t just show up and start looking around. For the protection of the animals and the ecosystems of the islands, the boats are scheduled so very few people are allowed on any one island at a time.
Choosing the proper boat with the proper group is imperative! Our boat carried sixteen passengers, and most vessels touring The Galapagos are that intimate. We didn’t want to end up on a party boat and we felt it was necessary to be with a group of people with similar activity levels.
After much research, we booked passage with Road Scholar, a non-profit organization that focuses on lifelong learning. We weren’t kept up by all-night revellers with more energy than we had, didn’t feel like we were holding up the pace on hikes and felt completely comfortable in our bathing suits in front of everyone.
Packing properly
The flights into The Galapagos have a 44-pound weight limit for luggage and cabin space on the boats is tight. It’s best to take less clothing and to plan on hand washing if the need arises. Extra heavy duty clothes pins were provided on our boat for hang-drying clothes and swimwear.
Bring comfortable, well worn, rubber soled shoes! The terrain varies greatly on each island. From sand to lava flows to hiking up to a volcano — you’ll need shoes with support that won’t give you blisters. Throw in a pair of swim shoes and some non-slip sandals for the boat and you’re set.
See more about the landscape of The Galapagos
Yikes! The sun is STRONG at the equator. Bring LOTS of sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses and a t-shirt for snorkeling. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen to the back of your neck! Better yet, cover it up.
Bring an extra pair of eyeglasses and don’t forget prescriptions. Just in case. If you are prone to sea sickness, talk to your doctor about remedies.
Keep a supply of large zip-type sandwich bags with you. These help keep moisture and sand out of your belongings and camera equipment.
Have a supply of pre-moistened lens cleaning wipes for eyeglasses. Works wonders on camera lenses as well. Salt air is sticky!
Pack a battery powered or wind-up alarm clock. We had a bit of confusion the first morning — the time didn’t update on anyone’s cell phones so far out to sea, so using the wake-up function was a lost cause.
Learn about how we pack and our always-adhered-to “One Trip Rule”!
Visiting the islands
Zodiacs boats are fun! But we’re not going to lie, they are intimidating at first. But it wasn’t long before we got the hang of getting in and out and perching on the sides like champs. There were always at least two crew members assisting with entrances and exits. We experienced both wet and dry landings and were helped along every step of the way.
The animals are incredibly unafraid of humans. Visitors must stay at least six feet away from the animals at all times. It’s surprisingly easy to break this rule as the animals have little fear of humans — if an animal approaches and comes within the six foot barrier, the HUMAN is obligated to step back.
Click here for our entire live-blog of our week in The Galapagos
Half the fun is in the water
The sea creatures are just as unafraid of humans as their counterparts on land. You will get up close.
You will be provided with snorkel gear and a wet suit. Wear your wetsuit. In addition to keeping you warm, wetsuits add extra buoyancy and offers greater sun protection. There’s no shame in adding a life vest to the equation either — snorkeling is WAY more fun when the struggle to stay afloat is eliminated.
See more about what’s going on underwater in The Galapagos!
While snorkeling, a guide will always be with you. We always had a guide in the water, leading us to, and pointing out the amazing sea creatures of The Galapagos. In addition, Zodiac boat teams stay close by to assist, watch over and provide a resting spot, if needed.
Many times, the captain of the Zodiac can spot a sea lion, turtle, penguin or marine iguana with his above-the-waterline advantage. If you decide to opt out of snorkeling you may ride along in the Zodiac.
If you’ve never snorkeled before, learn ahead of time. You don’t want to miss out on this:
Or this:
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
Click here for our entire live-blog of our adventure in The Galapagos
Delve deeper:
See the incredible work done at Giant Tortoise Breeding Center
Check out the lsg
Cavort with Sea Lions!
The Birds of The Galapagos – wild!
The Underwater World of The Galapagos
People live in the Galapagos?
YOUR TURN: Are The Galapagos Islands on YOUR bucket list? Have we inspired you to go?
Nice adventure! You captured great shots in your trips. You me a lot to create my bucket list. Thanks for sharing it.
What an amazing trip-to get up close to all the animals like that must have been quite an experience. You captured some great shots and re-emphasized that we need to make plans sooner rather than later to get there!
We would certainly advise that. Thanks!
The Galapagos Islands are so amazing! But it’s been a few years since we visited – we’d love to to go again. But we hear it’s getting more and more developed each year. Your Road Scholar boat cruise sounds ideal – we went on a much larger boat.
Only a few spots were developed that we went to, but I think we avoided a lot of it. It was fun to be on a small boat.
I would love going to the Galapagos with all those wonderful animals and sea creatures. Great post- appreciate the info about comfort and safety.
So excited to see you went to the Galápagos Islands, this is on my bucket list too. Out of 5 daughters between my husband and I we still have 2 in university. This will be our “tuitions over” celebration with Ecuador and Peru. All our girls worked through school, some more willingly than others We retired a couple of years ago and have been doing some rving in our camper (mostly west and Alaska) and a trip to Costa Rica. Still trying to decide what to do long term. We are still young like you guys and looking forward to some adventures! Congratulations on your son, really enjoy your blog!
Thanks Sharon! The Galapagos will be a fantastic tuition is over trip. All the best.
Amazing trip, I didn’t realize you could snorkel there, I thought it was much more protected than that. Would love to go some day.
The snorkeling was fantastic, as was the entire trip.
I still can’t believe we lived in Ecuador for nine months and never made it to the Galapagos. Big hole in our experience. Big hole in my head.
Ouch Tom! Guess you have to go back.
What a great adventure and brush with nature! I was also interested in the “season.” Guess it’s best to go in dry season.
Since the islands are right on the equator the weather doesn’t vary much over the year. That said, there is more rain from from December to May.
This post really whetted my appetite for a Galapagos trip. It’s up there with the Northern Lights on my travel bucket list. Road Scholar sounds like just about the right speed and excitement level for Mr. and Mrs. Excitement. Most valuable tip: the alarm clock. Who woulda thought?
Haven’t phones made alarm clocks obsolete? Anyway, definitely should be on every bucket list.
Excellent suggestions for making the most of a trip to the Galapagos, and Road Scholar sounds great. Never would have thought about the alarm clocks!
Our wind up alarm clock has saved our butts a number of times while traveling (and cruising)!
Great practical tips for visiting Galapagos. Your trip sounds amazing.
It was Donna!
The Road Scholar tour sounds like a terrific way to get up close and personal with all the amazing animals in the Galapagos. We love exploring nature sounds like we need to check out that tour.
We have done several Road Scholar trips and they have all been fantastic.
All excellent advice. My sister and I went to The Galapagos 7 or 8 years ago and it was a fantastic experience. We especially loved the twice daily opportunities to snorkel and experience sea lions swimming towards us really fast and then turning away when they got a couple inches from our face masks. It was alarming at first and then a thrill we hoped for every time!
It is alarming Kay, but so incredibly cool!
The Galapagos Islands have long held a fascination for me though I am yet to visit. Thanks for the many hints you have offered for when that day finally comes. It really does sound like a wonderful trip!
Hope you get to use our hints sometime soon Jenny.
The wildlife on the Galapagos has long held an appeal to me. Thanks for sharing this – I hope to go one day!
Hope you make it there one day, it is one of the coolest places we have ever been.
just starting to plan trip, like the road scholar trips. what time of year did you go, weather looked good.
The weather is more or less the same all year since it is right on the equator, some times are wetter than others. You can check here: https://www.quasarex.com/galapagos/when-to-visit
We went in June and yes, the weather totally cooperated.
I’m arriving today to Galapagos! Your posts have been a delight & so very helpful! Thank you!
Glad we could help, have a great time!