(Day 1) • (Day 2) • (Day 3) • (Day 4) • (Day 5) • (Day 6) • (Day 7) • (Day 8)

DAY 1, Sunday

Quito – San Cristobal – Ochoa Beach – Leon Dormido (Kicker Rock)

We took the flight early in the morning from the recently renovated airport in Quito.

The flight Quito to Guayaquil takes just 25 min.; there is a 40 min. stop in Guayaquil. And from Guayaquil to San Cristobal 1 h 30 min. Galapagos is one hour behind Ecuador mainland.

The airlines that fly to Galapagos are: Aerogal, Icaro and Tame. They offer very good service and sometimes depending on the schedule they offer a good lunch.

Airline counters Waiting Room

Pictures by bmw

The landing was amazing! Because it seems that the plane is going to do a water landing, the island seems so small from the air that you think you are not going to make it, but do not get scared!, it is just part of the adventure.

Picture by bmw

When we descended from the plane the sun was shinning and we felt the warm air and the tropical breezes. We waited in the line to pay the entrance fee to the National Park which is $100 p.p or $6 p.p for Residents or Ecuadorians.

Picture by bmw

We finally met with the guides, two dark tanned and super kind guys who gave us some instructions and asked us to wait a little bit until all the rest of the group is done. Meanwhile you can do some shopping, it will be your last chance to buy things you need like underwater camera, t-shirts, sun block, etc.

You can also get drinks or ice creams, make phone calls, etc.

Picture by bmw

A short walk outside the airport took us to the local bus that was arranged and...

Picture by bmw

…brought us to the harbor, once there we are able to see for the first time the yacht that was going to be our “home” for the next 7 nights. The water was so light blue, that we all wanted to jump and refresh already, but instead we jumped into the dinghies and boarded to the M/Y ERIC. (M/Y = Motor Yacht)

Picture by bmw

The dinghies are the small motor boats with capacity for 8-10 persons. They are used to bring people to and from the motor yacht to the harbors, islands or places to be visited. When you are in the dinghies to wear a safety vest is a must.

Dinghies picture by bmw

On board the yacht we were welcomed by the smiling crew members we had also the safety and drill briefing on case of emergency.

This First Class yacht looks really nice, clean, ample and in good conditions. It has 4 decks:

SUN DECK

Great to sit on the sun, to get a tan or to take a nap or to get a book and read it in the shadow, there are chairs where you can sit or lay.

DOLPHIN DECK

In this deck, besides its 4 cabins, the equipment for snorkeling and diving is stored.

BOBBY DECK

There are 2 cabins. There is also the bar and dinning area, meeting room, TV with DVDs with movies you can watch whenever you want and books about the Galapagos that you can borrow. There is also a small corner with things that you may have forgotten at the last minute, you can buy sun protector, t-shirts, hats, mosquito repellent, films, etc.

IGUANA DECK

My cabin is located on this deck, there are 4 cabins there and each one has portholes.

We are at the sea level when we are sleeping, I could hear the sea crashing in my wall.

For people wanting extra comfort the best cabins are the ones in the upper decks (Booby 2 cabins, and Dolphin 4 cabins), they are more spacious and the most important is that being there avoids you from walking up and downstairs every time for the meals and activities.

My cabin Iguana 8, has 2 small beds, a closet and drawers beneath the beds. The bathroom has also a porthole; there is the toilet, sink and the shower. Shampoo, soap and conditioner are located in dispensers. Also white towels to be used inside the cabin and green towels to be used on the beach. Hairdresser is available too.

Picture by bmw

The guides gave us wetsuits, we tried our best sizes, also the snorkel equipment, and those items will be our responsibility for the next days. If we loose or break anything we will be asked to pay for it.

For lunch in the dinning area, this was elegant and very appropriate, in comparison to other yachts that I have seen. We enjoyed a hearty delicious mixture of vegetables, salads, spaghetti with mushroom sauce, just delicious!!

Picture by bmw

Lunch is always served buffet on board this yacht, while dinner will be a la carte.

While sailing we had lunch and headed up to our first spot: Ochoa Beach.

Ochoa Beach is a wide spread beach with light sand. The sea was a little bit choppy. Once there we had the chance to do scuba diving with a colony of sea lions. Behind the beach, there is a tidal lagoon where birds can be spotted including the rare Chatham mockingbird. It was sunny and warm... that made our entire group so happy!!

Picture by bmw

Later on we went in direction Kicker Rock, a huge rock with the form of a lion. We don’t disembark there just sail around this vertical tuff cone formation that abruptly juts up almost 500 feet out of the ocean.  On the cliffs, we find blue-footed boobies, masked boobies and magnificent frigate birds.

Picture by bmw

The sunset put its yellow-orange lights on the walls of it and it made just a landscape so beautiful. From the sundeck everyone was trying to get the best shot.

Picture by bmw

At 19:00 we had our briefing about next day activities. The guides are so kind and every day they write in a board the schedule of the day.

At night we had a great dinner a la carte, fish from the sea. Every night one or two couples are chosen to have dinner with the captain, he invites you for wine and tells you stories about his interesting marine life, and this makes it very interesting.

Picture by bmw

(Day 1) • (Day 2) • (Day 3) • (Day 4) • (Day 5) • (Day 6) • (Day 7) • (Day 8)