The Galapagos Islands

May 2nd - May 18th 2025

Giant tortoises, huge marine iguanas, playful sealions and of course, everyone's favorites, the blue footed boobies.  They're all here, and more!  We spent two amazing weeks here enjoying all the incredible flora and fauna.

Most people have heard about the Galapagos islands and likely have friends who have been there if they have not visited themselves.  And everyone comes back gushing - witness my opening comments - about this magical archipelago so its understandable if people's expectations are unbelievably high when they get the opportunity to journey here themselves. 

Truth be told, when we arrived, we weren't sure it was going to live up to the hype. It was a bit overcast which lessened the aura of the landscape plus the beaches we visited were not as pristine and clear watered as other places we've been like Tahiti and if you've ever been to a volcano in Indonesia or Hawaii the ones here keep up, but don't really surpase those.  This left me wondering what all the fuss was about.  

And then the magic started.  We started spotting the amazing wildlife even as we just strolled around the town of Puerto Ayora on the Island of Santa Cruz.  The animals were so close and had absolutely no fear of people.  Humans are advised to stay 6 ft away although the animals often break that rule on their own. Later on Isabela island we had some amazing experiences swimming with sea turtles, penguins and a sealion, right from one of the local public beaches, not even on an organized tour.  

Of couse we took some of those too and were treated to some amazing wildlife encounters.  At the end of the day, it's the animals and their abundance and accessibility that makes this place so special. 

Click on the links below to dive into the world of three of the archipelago's treasured islands.