www.ecuadors.org

[Hedwig]

Hi

This is the first time I have visited this Branch. A friend and I are thinking of visiting the Galapagos Islands in March for a couple of weeks. Does anyone have any advice by way of do's and don'ts we should keep in mind before we begin to plan? There is all sorts of information in travel books as well as articles in newspapers and magazines, but I'd rather hear it from someone who has had the experience.

We have both travelled extensively in Asia and South America. We realize it is a short time, and we may have to pay a bit extra. I have a very basic knowledge of Spanish, so we would need English speaking guides.

Thanks

[hkdub]

Hi,

I think one of the best places to start planning a trip to Galapagos is to pick up Barry Boyce's book - A Travelers Guide to the Galapagos (available on line from Chapters)

It's a great place to start as it outlines the various classes of ships and itineraries and experiences by island/destination.

You can travel independently to Galapagos and stay in one (or more) of the 3 towns, but to see alot of the wildlife it's best to take a cruise.........regarding guides - to visit any of the Galapagos Park sites you have to be accompanied by a guide - another reason a cruise fits the bill.

We spent 4 weeks in Galapagos in February of this year - 3 weeks in Puerto Ayora (main town) and a week on a cruise (the Eclipse) - here's a link to our blog - happy to answer any questions you may have

[Vahip]

I'd also recommend a cruise - we also enjoyed our time in Puerto Ayora and if you have the time it is nice to do both - but you will see a lot more if you take a good cruise. One piece of advice I would give is to suggest you try to get on a boat that makes visits to Isabela and Fernandina as well as the more central islands - it is great to see the way the islands evolve from West to East - and the colder waters between these two islands make for different wildlife as well.