Is the Galapagos Worth It?

Sally Lightfoot Crab -- Santa Cruz

It's been a couple of weeks since we returned from the Galapagos and it seems that everyone has an opinion of the place. We've heard some say it was the best vacation of their life and others say it was just "okay."  I think it has to do with two things: expectations and cost. I can tell you right now, if we paid more than $25 per person for lodging a night we would have been disappointed. I only say that because we saw just as many -- if not more -- creatures at Isla de la Plata than we did in the Galapagos, except marine iguanas and tortoises. Of course, we went to Isla de la Plata (Poor Man's Galapagos) in July when the blue footed boobies and frigate birds were mating and the humpback whales were breaching. Our snorkeling experience was excellent as well -- enjoying a variety of tropical fish, sea turtles, dolphins and sea lions.

The Galapagos is a different kind of experience; it's a mixture of Jurassic Park meets Marine World! And it's definitely not a lay in your hammock vacation, although I'm sure there are some who take it easy while in the Galapagos; we just weren't one of them. We literally dropped into bed every night -- going, going, going all day until we couldn't take another step.

We saw more than our share of creatures on the island, but they weren't all at the same place at the same time. You may be disappointed if you go to a particular island and only want to see flamingos, but you end up taking pictures of yellow finches because that's all there is to see. 

Taking the ferry from Baltra to Santa Cruz

Blue Footed Boobie

Santa Cruz Island -- Baltra to Puerto Ayora

That being said, we had a wonderful time in the Galapagos and want to go back! We flew into Baltra Airport and took the ferry to Santa Cruz Island (Puerto Ayora), which is the most populated island of the Galapagos with a variety of restaurants and hotels. We stayed in a small hostel that was right across the street from the Ninfa Lagoon and on the way to Tortuga Bay. It was a 5-minute walk into town which made it convenient, yet we were far enough away from the noise that we had a peaceful night's sleep. Breakfast was served at Hospedaje Germania from 7:00 - 8:00 a.m., but sadly I never got up that early. I ended up enjoying my veggie omelet across the street at Casa del Lago around 9:00 a.m. on their lovely veranda.

Breakfast spot!

We were on a mission to stay within a budget of $1,200 total for the entire trip, including airfare, two nights' stay in Guayaquil, meals and taxis (a total of seven days).  I'm pleased to say we did it! The average person spends anywhere between two to ten thousand dollars. You can find cheap airfare at Despegar.com for $279 per person on TAME and lodging for as low as $10 per night. Since August is considered low season, you can bargain with hostels. If you're a planner, you may not feel comfortable with that, so making reservations is a reasonable option.

The weather was perfect: 64 at night and 74 during the day with sun-filled days and no humidity. The water temperatures were fairly cool due to the Humboldt current, but we found it refreshing and in shallow water it was warm.

One of the biggest decisions you will need to make before booking a trip is to decide whether you are going to be land based or cruise the Galapagos. The cruise ships can handle anywhere from 16 to 100 people -- traveling at night and arriving in the morning for island exploration. Cruises can range from two days to ten days and each island has its own unique experience, so if time and money aren't a consideration then I'd probably vote for a cruise! Since we were "Galapagosing" on a budget, we opted to stay on Santa Cruz and do day trips.

Galapagos Sea Lion sunbathing with Sally Lightfoot Crabs

Yep, he's real...my favorite little guy on the island!

Marine Iguana at Puerto Ayora

Tortuga -- 100 plus years old

There were two big surprises: The famous Tortuga Bay was not my favorite beach (Garrapatero Beach won my heart) and the tortoises -- I couldn't wait to meet -- were definitely not that great. But the marine iguanas, Sally Lightfoot Crabs and Galapagos Sea Lions were mesmerizing and definitely ate up most of my "film."

Tortuga Bay with a "few" visitors! 

Panorama of Tortuga Bay

Marine Iguana

Sally Lightfoot Crabs at Tortuga Bay

Marine Iguana slithering around at Tortuga Bay

Darwin  Finch in the white sand of Tortuga Bay

Trail to Tortuga Bay --  2.5 km

Our favorite day was a trip across the island (14 miles) to Garrapatero Beach which can only be described as beautiful and exotic. For half the day, we had the entire place to ourselves which was amazing after fighting the crowds at Tortuga Bay. Overnight camping is allowed at Garrapatero and kayaks are available to rent for exploring the coves and inlets. We actually went there to see the flamingos, but ended up finding so many varieties of birds that we couldn't name them all. I would have gladly traded a few more days at Garrapatero and it will definitely be the first place we go when we return. They are in the process of making a bike trail from Puerto Ayora to Garrapatero and it should be completed by next year. However, we took a taxi (ida y vuelta) which was $25 and arranged a time for our taxista to pick us back up. The taxis are not yellow cabs like we're used to in Cuenca, but rather four-seater white Toyota trucks!

Santa Cruz in relationship to the other islands of the Galapagos

Garrapaterro Beach -- my favorite!

The waters of Garrapatero Beach

Kayaking at Garrapatero

Garrapatero's white sand beach

Marine iguana hanging around the lava rocks

Emerald and Turquoise Waters of Garrapatero

Crabby Rock

Opuntias (cacti) found everywhere on the island

Wear water shoes -- the lava rocks can sneak up on you!

The most memorable evening was my birthday which we spent at Angermeyer Waterfront Inn.  We took a water taxi (panga) from Puerto Ayora to the other side of the bay where Finch Bay Hotel and Angermeyer Inn reside. We had reserved seating right by the water and admired the colorful lights of Puerto Ayora and listened to the vibrant music coming from the yachts in the bay. The other nights we ate at Hernan's Cafe, Galapagos Deli or Il Giardino, but a special occasion called for one night's splurge. The staff of the Angermeyer is a class act and sang "Happy Birthday" in English along with complimentary dessert.

Sea lion lounging on the deck!

Puerto Ayora

Angermeyer Inn Restaurant

Yachts and Pangas

Pier at Puerto Ayora

There's more to tell about our trip, but I'll save that for next time. In my estimation, the Galapagos was an adventure of a lifetime and totally worth it. We did a lot of walking, hiking, trekking, swimming and snorkeling -- not much laying around in a hammock. We would fall into bed at night and not remember hitting the pillow -- only to wake up the next morning for more of the same.

Was it worth it?  Absolutely!

Until next time...hasta luego,

Hosteria Mandala and the "Galapagos"!

One of the things on my bucket list is to go to the Galapagos, but it seems every time we plan to do it something always comes up, so we keep postponing it. But we know a sure vacation is always waiting for us at the Mandala. When we arrived in June for a week, Maja and Aurelio said, "We  moved you to another room, but I think you'll like it!" When she handed us the key, I screamed. The colorful wooden key ring was in the shape of a turtle with the words "Galapagos." I couldn't believe it! Finally our dream of going to the islands came true.

Our spacious bathroom in the Galapagos Suite

We couldn't have been more pleased with our new accommodations. The Galapagos Suite is one of the newest ones at Mandala and comes with its own private veranda with a gorgeous view of the ocean. The bathroom is huge with a walk-in shower and comes with a double bed and a single bed and also a refrigerator to store your snacks and drinks. Most of our days were spent out on the porch, lounging in the colorful hammocks, reading a book and listening to the ocean waves. I can't tell you how many wonderful naps we enjoyed as we listened to the ocean. Just writing about it makes me want to jump back on a bus and head to Puerto Lopez.

Galapagos Suite Overlooking the Ocean

Many folks have asked us how to get to Puerto Lopez and surrounding areas and I have to tell you that there's no easy way to get there, but it's definitely worth it. We break the trip up by heading to Guayaquil on the bus from Cuenca ($8.25). Our favorite bus lines are San Luis Executive and SuperSemeria. They come equipped with bathrooms (male and female), air-conditioning, movies and a water cooler. The seats are super comfortable and recline with lots of leg room. We've taken vans, but find that the bus is better than a plane ride. We took a van once and said "never again." We kept telling the driver to slow down and he went even faster. After a 3-1/2 hour bus ride, we arrived at the Guayaquil Bus Station which is more like a shopping mall with buses on the side. We headed immediately to Sweet and Coffee and enjoyed a Chai Latte and then took a taxi to our hotel. Since we collect Marriott points, we stayed at the Marriott Courtyard in Guayaquil which is next to the San Marino Mall. The taxi ride is about $5.00 from the bus station. The Marriott has a great restaurant, excellent service, a spa, gym and pool. We usually get a corner room which is floor to ceiling glass with amazing views of the city.

San Marino Mall

Sweet and Coffee

Restaurant at Marriott Courtyard

In the morning after breakfast at McCafe across the street from the Marriott, we took a taxi to the bus station. Normally, we take the bus to Jipijapa (3-1/2 hours) and then take a bus to Puerto Lopez. I have to admit that the bus from Jipijapa to Puerto Lopez is not a fun ride. The other option is to take the Ruta  del Sol Route along the coastline which is longer but more scenic (5 hours). Since we have done both, we splurged and took an air-conditioned taxi (not van) from the hotel to Puerto Lopez (3 hours). Our driver was amazing and gave us a guided tour along the way. The cost of a van would have been about 80 dollars and the taxi was $100. When we arrived at the Mandala, we treated our driver to lunch which is always appropriate when you arrive during the lunchtime hour.

We arrived refreshed and ready to enjoy the rest of the day without getting sick from the bus ride! It was worth every "centavo." During this trip we visited our favorite place -- a day at Los Frailes (the most beautiful beach in Ecuador). The Mandala will pack a picnic lunch if you ask them and the trip by mototaxi is $5.00 one way. Los Frailes isn't that easy to get to either, as the dirt road from the main road is fairly bumpy, so if you have a bad back you should hang on for dear life. The ride is about 20 minutes. My idea of paradise would be to build a house on the beach of Los Frailes! This jewel of South America is a must-see and plan to spend the entire day. The park closes at 4:30 p.m. so you'll want to get an early start. Unfortunately, it is best visited on a sunny day which can be unpredictable given the June-July weather on the coast. Most days are cloudy during this time of year, but we hit it on a perfect day -- lots of sun! We hiked up to the look-out point (Mirador) where we enjoyed a breathtaking view of the Ecuadorian coastline. There are micro-climates along the coast so if it's cloudy in Puerto Lopez it can be a spectacularly sunny at  Los Frailes. We've been fortunate to always have sun-filled days a Los Frailes.

Los Frailes

My Los Frailes Dance

View from El Mirador at Los Frailes

The rest of our time on the coast was spent relaxing in our hammocks, going for walks along the beach in Puerto Lopez, and taking a day trip to Montañita. We've heard that you will either love it or hate it. We just happened to love it and had an amazing meal at the Dharma Hotel (the only 5-star hotel in Montañita) with a beachs-side restaurant and great prices. After lunch, we walked through the hotel lobby, enjoyed the poolside view and headed on our way to the point of Montañita where we watched some surfers ride the waves. The bus trip was $2.00 from Puerto Lopez to Montañita and was well worth the trip.

Dharma Hotel at Montañita

The Point

Ceviche Carts

Souvenirs Anyone?

We enjoyed all our meals at the Mandala from breakfast with fresh fruit and homemade bread to five-course dinners at night. And, of course, my favorite indulgence -- coconut gelato! After living in Italy for six years, I give the Mandala five stars for the best ice cream in Ecuador. It was also our favorite "midnight" snack (three scoops and two spoons)!

The Cove at Puerto Lopez

Breakfast at the Mandala

Coconut gelato at the Mandala!

Leaving the Mandala is always sad because Maja and Aurelio are like family to us; Maja is Swiss in origin and Aurelio is Italian so it's the perfect combination. After we said our goodbyes we headed to the bus station in Puerto Lopez by mototaxi and took a "hopper" bus to Olon ($2.00 per person). In Olon we changed buses to the Libertad Peninsular Internacional (CPL) (cost $6.00 per person) and oh what a difference. This bus is is more like riding in an airplane complete with movies, reclining seats, beverage and food service (and I don't mean the vendors who hop on the bus). We took the Ruta del Sol which is much more scenic and we couldn't believe all the new developments -- row after row of gated communities dotting the coastline.

CPL Bus Service complete with "flight steward"

Gated Community near Guayaquil

Sunset at Guayaquil

Ruta del Sol

Lots of Gated Communities

Guayaquil Bus Station

View of Guayaquil from our room at the Marriott

It was about a four-hour bus ride into Guayaquil, which was all smooth sailing with the new road. After we got into the bus station, we took a taxi to the Marriott's and enjoyed a relaxing dinner at McCafe across the street. It was an overcast day in Guayaquil and the humidity was gone, so it was a pleasant and slightly cool evening in the city. The San Marino Mall is within walking distance to the hotel, so we did a little window shopping before we turned in for the night.

I'm not sure how it happened, but when we arrived at the bus terminal we got placed on the Oriental bus instead of San Luis Executive. Never again! The only buses we will ride are San Luis Executive and SuperSemaria. Thankfully, the scenic view over the Cajas on a crystal clear day made up for everything that was lacking on the bus (including a non-functioning bathroom).

 We never imagined that we would ever go to the Galapagos because we thought it was too expensive, but on my birthday (August 15th), we flew to Santa Cruz Island and spent a week. It was a trip of a lifetime and we would like to go back and visit Santa Isabela and Fernandina Islands. The cost was amazingly inexpensive because we got great tickets on TAME Airlines, stayed in a hostel, and ate out at inexpensive restaurants.

In the next few blog posts I'll share about our trip to the Galapagos on the cheap, but I have to say that staying at the Mandala and going to Los Frailes was my favorite vacation of the summer (our winter). There's nothing that can compare to the beach at Los Frailes and it's definitely the most beautiful beach in Ecuador. And the Poor Man's Galapagos (Isla de la Plata) has everything you can see in the Galapagos except for the flamingos, the large tortoises and penguins. In fact, Isla de la Plata is one of the day trips that you can take from the Galapagos!

Stay tuned for more on the Galapagos...

Until next time...hasta luego!