Galapagos Trip Report - Eden Yacht

After finally making it to Antarctica earlier this year and having it exceed all our expectations, my wife Laynni and I, along with her parents, were pretty excited to embark on our 8 day Galapagos trip at the beginning of March. We had originally planned to pick up a last minute trip as we had heard that was the way to get the best deals but in the end our planning natures wouldn't let us pass up the trip we found earlier that seemed to meet all our criteria for timeline, price and itinerary. After much deliberation we decided on an eastern route which started at the Baltra airport and included Genovesa, Bartolomé, Floreana, Española and San Cristóbal as the highlights. Basically all the trips include the main island of Santa Cruz (including ours) but the major islands we missed out on were Isabela and Fernandina. Obviously I can't speak to what we may have missed out on but I can tell you the following as far as itineraries go:

1. Bartolomé had the most impressive viewpoint of the entire trip.

2. Devil's Crown off Floreana was probably our best snorkelling experience (plus we had dolphins chase us in the zodiacs).

3. Kicker Rock (called León Dormido, or Sleeping Lion, in Spanish) off San Cristóbal was the best combination of unique scenery and amazing snorkelling.

4. Genovesa might have been the best all-around island for us, and definitely would have been if the snorkelling hadn't been murky (which could change daily). It was a big part of why we chose the route we did as very few itineraries include it, probably because it is so far from everything else and involved 2 night journeys to get there and back. It was an amazing experience for our first significant landing (we had a brief stop at Playa Las Bachas on Santa Cruz the first afternoon). It had beautiful scenery and had a ridiculous variety of birds and wildlife.

The ship we were on was called the Edén, which is classified as "tourist superior", and held a maximum of 16 passengers (although we never had more than 15 at one time). The Edén, like most of the ships, does two different routes, one east and one west. One couple on our trip did both so were on for a full 2 weeks, but of the rest of us about half did the 8 day trip like us and the other half just did 4 days. When we arrived at Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz halfway through we had a bit of a changeover. Obviously money and time are going to be determining factors but in our opinions 4 days would not have been long enough. Better than nothing but just a taste of what is available. If you definitely can only do 4 days I would recommend the Floreana, Española and San Cristóbal leg. The couple that did 2 weeks found that just a bit too long and said they were having a hard time keeping up the necessary energy and enthusiasm towards the end. Be prepared, this is a busy trip. Up early every day and squeezing in as many activities as possible every day. All of which are terrific, but exhausting. If you really want to see it all and time is not an issue I might recommend doing one week, taking a break to relax on one of the islands for a few days or a week, then doing the second itinerary.

Our guide was Rubén Montalvo and he was great. Very knowledgeable and entertaining, and he worked tirelessly to make sure we saw and did as much as we could. The Edén crew of 6 was also outstanding, making our time on the boat as enjoyable and efficient as possible. The ship itself was small but comfortable and had a wealth of good lounging areas (in sun, shade or air conditioned, depending on your preference). The cabins were tiny as you would expect from a boat this size, but they were comfortable and everything worked well. We noticed that on some other boats of equal size, it looked like the rooms were bigger but they had fewer common areas (i.e. the 5 loungers in the shade) and since we spent most of our time in these areas we preferred them to having slightly larger rooms. There was a large area to hang up wet clothes at the back of the boat which very handy considering the number of times we snorkelled. The very top of the boat didn't really have seats (or good railings) but was great for having coffee/tea and watching the sun come up or a pre-dinner drink and watching the sunset. There was air conditioning in all the rooms which you controlled by opening or closing the vents or, in one case, stuffing a plastic bag in the vent to not have any air conditioning at all and keeping the window open. The door of the cabins didn't have locks but this wasn't a problem for anyone on our boat.

When it comes to choosing a room, the top floor rooms (where we stayed) are closest to the shaded loungers (which were in high demand during down times and travel) and have big windows that open so were bright and breezy. They had bunk beds and a few people complained about having no railing on the top bunk, which made it feel a bit precarious while crossing some of the rougher waters at night on the way to and from Genovesa. The top floor also has more movement so if you have sea sickness issues the lower floors may be a better choice. The 2 rooms on the second floor have 'double' beds which are really in between a North American single and double. Pretty close sleeping arrangements for a couple. The rooms on the bottom floor have two single beds but not a real window (just a porthole, I think). That floor is the most stable in rougher seas but the people in those rooms mentioned the noise from the engine and the anchor dropping on the nights that we travelled while sleeping (3 nights on our itinerary). Each type of room has their pros and cons but we chose the top floor rooms for the light/windows but Laynni's mom ended up moving her top mattress to the floor on the nights we were travelling to feel more secure.

There was a fairly roomy dining and lounging area where we took our meals, bought drinks ($2 for pop, $3.50 for beer, $7 for a glass of wine or cocktail, $40 for a bottle of wine) and enjoyed our nightly briefings with Rubén. He did an excellent job of preparing us for the following day's activities and making sure we knew what we needed to bring for each outing. I also thought the food was exceptional, especially considering the tiny kitchen and minimal kitchen staff. And they generally had snacks and juice waiting for us when we came in from snorkelling. Water, tea and coffee were free and always available. In general, we were fed vast amounts of food early on but for a couple days later in the week the portions became a bit limited. Still enough for us but only barely. Probably a good idea to bring a few snacks just in case, or pick some up in Puerto Ayora on changeover day.

A good reference to compare the different ships can be found here. Some other good links:

Galapagos Cruise Links

Galapagos Last Minute

Now, as for the journey itself, our daily schedule generally included three main activities:

Snorkelling

Incredible, and done far more often than we had expected (every day at least once, sometimes twice). Most of my main highlights occurred underwater. If you have an underwater camera definitely bring it. The snorkelling gear they provided was good quality and there were lots to choose from so no need to bring your own unless you are particularly attached. One of our concerns was whether we would want, or have, a wetsuit but it turned out that it wasn't necessary at all. In March the water was more than warm enough, although I can't say what it might be like other times of the year. I wore a t-shirt and shorts to keep from getting burnt and Laynni actually wore leggings and a merino wool shirt with long sleeves and a hood so she didn't have to worry about her calves, neck or arms, either. If you have a rash guard like people wear surfing I would recommend bringing that. Those that weren't as comfortable in the water snorkelled in lifejackets and generally were followed closely by one of the zodiacs so they could climb out whenever they needed.

Zodiac Cruises

These 8-10 person motorized dinghies were used to transport us to and from landings, snorkelling spots and just for cruising around and seeing the sights. Be extra careful covering up, and wearing sunscreen (including on the tops of your feet) when going on these cruises as there is no respite from the sun.

Landings

Usually twice a day we actually went on land and were able to walk around admiring the scenery and wildlife up close and personal. The paths are clearly defined to limit the impact of visitors on the fearless inhabitants of these islands, although as usual there are always a few people who insist on pushing it, always getting a little too close to the animals, and wandering a little bit out of bounds. I know the guides want everyone to enjoy themselves but I still think it would be good to be a bit stricter with these people when enforcing the rules.

We saw an absurd amount of wildlife, countless birds, fish and reptiles. But the highlights for me were the sea lions, iguanas, dolphins, sea turtles, manta rays and sharks (we even saw one hammerhead at Kicker Rock). We only saw a few penguins (they are much more plentiful on Isabela and Fernandina I'm told) but as we had recently been to Antarctica (where there were thousands upon thousands) that wasn't our biggest concern. About the only thing we didn't see were whales but I guess you can't have it all…

Rubén was a big fan of getting started as early as possible everyday (often at the crack of dawn). As hard as it was to drag ourselves out of bed that early, and to wait until we got back before having breakfast, it was definitely the right choice. It was much cooler out, we usually avoided the other groups entirely, and the wildlife seemed much more active. So if you are given a choice I would recommend the earliest start possible.

Our trip started at Baltra and ended on San Cristóbal and most people flew out the same day. We spent 5 nights relaxing on San Cristóbal and would definitely recommend at least a couple days if you have the time. It is a nice quiet little town with good beaches and snorkelling nearby and plenty of places to stay and eat.

Now, for a few packing tips:

Sunscreen - take more than you think because you will end up putting it on several times a day, not just once.

Umbrella - useful as protection from both the rain and the sun. On a couple of the landings we were standing out there with not a stick of shade for hours.

Bug spray - we didn't use it often but it came in handy on a couple of the landings.

Hiking sandals - useful for wet landings, although then you have to walk across the beach and they end up both wet and full of sand, which I hate. We just had flip flops and hiking shoes so we got out of the zodiac barefoot and put one or the other on after drying our feet with a sarong or towel. The hiking sandals would have been handy for the Post Office Bay lava tunnel as I ended up swimming in my shoes and they took days to dry (although that was optional). Be prepared that any shoes that you wear on a landing will be put in a bin with a lid so to not spread sand around the boat. We ended up using both pairs of our shoes on the landings and just went barefoot the entire time we were on the boat, which worked well. Although the bin got pretty damp and rank by the end, which of course meant our shoes did, too.

Beach towel - the Edén provided them, but if your boat doesn't you'll want to bring one.

Don't overdo it on clothes - storage space is limited and you'll be wearing the same things almost all the time anyway. Very casual.

Water bottle - they did provide a couple 500ml bottles in your room but we prefer a larger, refillable one (they have a water dispenser in the dining area to fill it up with).

Well, that is about all the information and advice I can think of. If you are interested in reading some more entertaining (but less informative) stories about our experience you can check my travel blog. It was so much fun it warranted two entries.

Have a great time!