The Galapagos are not easy to get to. It took us four flights to get there, and we live at a major international hub. Despite that, we only spent three days on Santa Cruz Island. To some that may seem like a bit of a waste. After all, there were people on our boat excursion that had been planning their trip to the Galapagos for more than two years. Others treat a voyage to these islands as a bucket list trip. So why did we even bother with such a short, yet logistically challenging trip?
The appeal of the Galapagos is its diverse and unique wildlife. Giant tortoises, marine iguanas, and blue-footed boobies seem to be the primary creatures of interest, at least for us. There are about 13 major islands that make up the Galapagos. Technically, we visited just three of them, but didn’t feel the desire to see the others. We saw giant tortoises cruising around the grounds of our hotel, we saw marine iguanas on a walk at the beach, and boobies were abundant on our excursion to North Seymour. While there are red-footed boobies that can be seen on other islands, or a famous viewpoint at Bartolomé, the effort involved to get to these locales didn’t seem to match the reward in our opinion.
It seems to be an accepted belief that one must do a lengthy seafaring tour in order to properly see the Galapagos. Maybe you have the potential to see more, but it is doubtful that it is efficient. Some of these tours can be multiple weeks long with most of the time being spent bobbing along on the boat. Due to our concerns with seasickness, extensive time on maritime vessels did not seem like a lot of fun. As a result, we crafted a way that we could compromise. We would take a day-trip to North Seymour to see the boobies, and be land lubbers for the remainder. Perhaps the question is — should we have spent more time on the Galapagos?
We saw everything we needed to see, and then some. We could have spent a fourth day there, but I’m not sure what we would have done. The point is that it is possible to do these so called “bucket-list” trips without an excess of planning or dropping $3000 for a multi-day boat excursion. Naturally there are presumably many who would disagree with that statement. Of course everyone who plans a trip a certain way will insist that their way is the correct and only way to do it.
There could be an argument that spending more time on a boat could lead to more dolphin, ray, shark, or pelican sightings, but none of these species are unique to the Galapagos. That all reminds me of a fun limerick about the pelican. A curious creature the pelican, whose beak can hold twice as his belly can! Enough food for a week he can stuff in his beak, and I don’t know how the hell he can!
Anyway, hope you enjoyed the limerick. The point, however, is that the Galapagos are a very unique location with many unique species of wildlife. The pelican, however, is not especially unique and can be seen at many other exotic locales such as the Santa Monica Pier.
We were very pleased to have seen the giant tortoises, the marine iguanas, and the blue-footed boobies. These are a Galapagos specialty, and we were able to check those boxes along with land iguanas and frigatebirds. In the quest to see these creatures, the pace was relaxed, yet never dull. Adding a fourth day might have tested us to our limits. With a limited supply of good drinking water and a complete lack of decent cell service or Wi-Fi, simple tasks like eating lunch required more effort than elsewhere. Finding food was one thing, and not being able to check reviews on a place due to dodgy internet was another. I realize these are “1st world problems,” as people say, but an interruption from our normal way of planning. We do, after all, have to list ourselves on flights using the internet.
So what is the proper way of doing the Galapagos? Should one go all in, spend two to three weeks exploring the whole archipelago to ensure they leave no stone unturned? Or can one do as Bricole did and hit the highlights without hitting the sick bag? I suppose that all depends on the effort and money incurred versus the reward at the end. An entire day at sea to see one viewpoint on Bartolomé (in potentially bad weather) wasn’t really a gamble worth taking for us. While it is reasonable to believe that most people see more on the Galapagos than we did, I’m not entirely convinced.
Simply overhearing others on the one-day tour of North Seymour revealed that many had yet to see a giant tortoise. By choosing our lodging at the Semilla Verde, well outside of the main town, we not only positioned ourselves close to the El Chato tortoise reserve, but we also saw them roaming around the hotel itself.
I would argue that there is in fact a cost-effective and efficient way of seeing the Galapagos, and Nicole and I were able to plan a decent impromptu trip. Shorter doesn’t always necessarily mean missing out. Had we done a multi-day boat tour (Yikes!), I feel as though time would have been wasted. Not only is the weather a bit iffy on Galapagos, a set itinerary can be a bit limiting. It is bad enough to have to decide between standing outside in pouring rain, or suffering from heat and fumes inside a cramped boat. Now imagine doing that for a week.
Because we are ridiculously lucky in our ability to travel, in the past year we have been on beach vacations, national park hikes, and pilgrimages to historical sites. Each trip has a different mood, a different pace, and a different level of relaxation. I found Galapagos to actually be fairly relaxing even if we weren’t there that long. Traveling can be a balancing act in time. Feeling rushed to do everything versus yearning just to go home are both frustrating sentiments. With Galapagos, I think we found the right balance.
passports & pepto bismol 