Galapagos / Ecuador Tour Review: Quito, Baltra Island, Puerto Ayora, Bartolome Island, Wildlife, Snorkeling, One-Week Trip

Review by traveler

ann h.

1.15.2024

General Info

Traveler Review

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Galapagos / Ecuador

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

The Quito tour was very nice. Hotels in Quito and Galapagos (Puerto Ayora) were excellent.

After Quito, it went downhill. I was never given any contact information of the company there or the names of the tour guides. I had no idea of where I was having dinner each night (I thought it was at the hotel but the tour guide on the 1st day told me I was not eating at the hotel).

I did not know that when I arrived in Baltra (Galapagos) the tour was starting right from the airport. My water bottle and swimsuit, hat were all packed in my suitcase since I thought we would stop at the hotel first. The guide did not have any water for me and I was thirsty.

I had told our agent that I get very seasick but I didn't mind boats to go from Puerto Ayora to the different islands but that I would not sit on a rocking boat while others snorkeled, I said I was ok sitting on the beach while others snorkeled.

He assured me that he checked with the tour company and they said that they would be snorkeling from shore.

I told him my main goal was to see the giant tortoises, iguanas, and blue-footed boobies.

On the 2nd day, the boat ride to Bartolome was 2 1/2 hours one way. The seas were very rough and the main thing about Bartolome was its beauty. I opted out of the tour.

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

Continued:

3rd day we went to Seymour which was an hour ride and I was happy to see all the animals that I wanted to see.

But, on the way home, we sat on a rocking boat for an hour because snorkeling was a part of the tour. At that time I opted out of the trip the next day. On day 4 the trip was also a long boat ride to Las Plazas to see scenery and snorkeling, so I opted out.

I was supposed to get vouchers from someone when I arrived at Puerto Ayora, but the whole time I was there, I never got vouchers with guide/dinner information. I told my agent that I was very disappointed with the communication between the travel company and the company they used in Galapagos.

The owner contacted me to find out what went wrong. He offered me a half-day land tour but I had tripped and hit my head and my eye had swollen shut so I declined,

All in all, it was not like that last trip to Japan that Zicasso organized with another company.

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

I would like to have been informed that every tour included snorkeling. As I stated in the previous paragraphs, snorkeling was ok if it wasn't from the boat.

Travel Company Comments:

Thank you Ann for taking the time to write your review and highlight the things that didn't work well for you. Firstly, I hope that you are feeling better now after tripping on the curb outside your hotel.

I am disappointed to hear that you weren't informed well enough about your trip arrangements and that you felt we fell short on this detail. As with all trips, we try our best to be specific about the activities you'll undertake by providing a detailed itinerary that we use to communicate services (before you buy), and another day-by-day voucher that we send out 10 days prior to the trip. We don't typically include timings for meals, as this is best communicated through the local guide during the trip. Regarding the rocking boat that you experienced whilst others snorkelled. As you know, this year we experienced the El Niño phenomenon which heats the sea currents more than in regular years. This led to more choppy seas during your trip. For safety, the captain of the boat decided that it was too dangerous to approach the beaches for the snorkelling activity, but opted instead for snorkelling offshore. I too am prone to motion sickness, so I understand that being on a boat that is rocking back and forth whilst others are snorkelling isn't much fun. For this reason, I was happy to offer you a land-based option for the following day.

It is our aim that our clients have the best trip possible, so we will review our processes in our documentation to ensure that we are offering the correct information for a successful trip for all future clients.