Galápagos Islands

The Galápagos Islands are amazing. Over the past week I have swum with sea lions, giants turtles, penguins, huge schools of fish, octopus and hundreds of other marine species. This is by far the best snorkeling I have ever done, and will very likely be the best I’ll ever do in my life. The islands are bursting with wildlife at every turn.

Marine Iguanas blend so easily with the volcanic rock I almost stepped on many before I saw them.

Walk around the iguanas to find your perfect beach spot

It’s wonderful to see the Galápagos locals interacting with the amazing wildlife as a normal daily activity. Cars drive around large marine iguanas sunning themselves in the middle of the street, people look under park benches before they sit to make sure there’s not a sea lion there who might take a bite at your ankle. It’s truly amazing to see such an abundance of wildlife that are not at all fazed by human presence.

Gorgeous sea lion

Pop your head up from snorkeling and discover more wildlife all around.

The famous Blue-Footed Boobies blend so easily with the rock.

I didn’t realise how exhausting touring through the Galápagos Islands would be. I have just completed an 8 day Galapagos on the Cheap tour that I booked with Geckos Adventures but was run by Intrepid Travel. 4am starts, rough boat trips between islands, walking for hours across volcanic rock, snorkeling, exploring, eating and drinking meant that I was completely spent by the end of each day. But I would do it all again tomorrow.

I’m so happy I booked a tour through Galápagos. The knowledge of an expert tour guide was amazing not only for the local language and customs, but the secret coves we were led to for amazing snorkeling, the schmoozing of boat captains ensuring our group were seated in the best spot to avoid sea sickness, and the explanations on the history, environment and ecology was completely worth the somewhat pricey cost of the tour.

Up close with the giant tortoises

Becoming a giant tortoise

The Galápagos is expensive. Everything on the islands needs to be imported and if the shipment doesn’t arrive, the locals go without. There’s no naturally occurring water supply on the islands so showers and toilets run off limited rainwater and drinking water is shipped in. We found that meals were a little more expensive than on the mainland. Dinner would usually cost $15 – $20USD + drinks, but there were certainly less expensive options such as a shawarma (kebab) for $6 and bakeries selling freshly made scrolls and empanadas for less than $1USD.

The wifi is also extremely limited. If you’re thinking you can be on Facebook and Intsagram uploading all of your amazing pictures everyday you’ll be disappointed. The Galápagos Islands are isolated. As a tourist, you are exposed mainly to the friendly, beautiful side of the islands and their people. But after speaking with some of the locals it’s interesting to discover that living in Galápagos is very different than just visiting. Whilst isolated, the Islands are very affected by the Ecuadorian government and the rules they impose.

Beautiful deserted beaches are everywhere if you know where to look.

Isabela Island is a sleep town that comes to life on the weekends.

But I loved everything about the Galápagos Islands and strongly encourage anyone who has the opportunity to visit and is thinking it’s too expensive to do it anyway. It will be one of the most amazing times of your life.