Why You Should Vacation in the Galapagos & Ecuador

If you have never spent much time thinking about Ecuador – you are not alone. I would say that almost every time we told someone that we were going to Ecuador, there would be a pause (probably while they tried to remember where Ecuador is) and then a “Why?”

Wading in the ocean all by ourselves - plenty of photo opportunities and so peaceful.

The Galapagos

The number one attraction in Ecuador is the Galapagos and with good reason. The Galapagos Islands are so amazing as to feel unreal. The animals are not afraid of humans at all, and the water is so blue that you feel like you have stepped into a postcard. There are simply not enough adjectives to describe how amazing this place is. We have posts detailing our experiences on three of the inhabited islands: Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristobal.

There are four inhabited islands (some people say five, but I don’t think Baltra really counts). Floreana Island only has about 100 people on it and is typically only briefly visited by cruise ships. The other three islands have pretty decent services and amenities. I think of all of the islands Isabela Island was our favorite. It is the least populated (about 1,800) of the major islands, but the vibe is amazing. There are marine iguanas everywhere! If you love animals, ocean views and tropical breezes, the Galapagos are so worth the trip.

The boardwalks through the mangroves were some of my favorite places.

We always thought that it was super expensive to go to the Galapagos, and while it is expensive, there are many ways to keep costs in check and still have a fabulous time. Another misconception that we had is that you had to take a cruise. Not true! In fact, I think that we had an excellent experience at a fraction of the cost by not taking a cruise. Many of the activities that we did for free are part of a cruise itinerary. That doesn’t seem like a good deal to me – especially at $1000 per person per day! There are some things, of course, which are only possible to see via the cruises. But did you know that there are others that are off-limits to the cruises? One of our favorite experiences was snorkeling at Los Tuneles. We had an amazing time, and cruise ships are not allowed to go there. I plan to write another post detailing the pros and cons of cruises and independent travel, but for now, just know that there are choices.

This is not an uncommon sight in the Galapagos. Wildlife is everywhere!

The Galapagos offer a myriad of other activities besides wildlife watching (although wildlife watching was by far our favorite activity). We also surfed, went diving, snorkeled, swam, hiked, biked, hung out on beaches and just watched the waves roll in. I can’t even describe how awesome it was. I would go back in a heartbeat.

Ecuador – The Mainland

Mainland Ecuador is overshadowed by the fabulousness of the Galapagos, but it is a fantastic destination all by itself. It is a land of contrasts: cold mountain peaks and hot sandy beaches, steamy jungles teaming with life and arid landscapes where the plants top out at three inches and you feel like you could go for miles without seeing another living thing. I loved it. There is so much to do! We did all of our beach and ocean activities when we were in the Galapagos, so we skipped the mainland coast this time. The farthest we ventured from Quito was actually only about 150 miles, but we felt like we saw so much! We hiked waterfalls and Cotopaxi volcano (up to 16,000 ft!) with amazing people. We visited Baños de Agua Santa (Baños for short) – the Adventure Capital of Ecuador and went ziplining over 100’ valleys, whitewater rafting in the Amazon Basin, visited a 250’ powerhouse of a waterfall and our favorite – canyoning. At Quilotoa we saw a gorgeous crater lake where the lake’s surface is over 11,000’ above sea level. In Mindo we hiked in the cloud forest, saw incredible butterflies and hummingbirds up close, toured a chocolate factory (and pigged out on chocolate too!), and took a silent chairlift ride over the treetops. Quito itself is quite impressive with amazing architecture and colonial streets. When we left, we kept saying – “next time”. We already want to go back.