By the time our tour to the Galapagos came to start the following week, we were more then ready to kiss goodbye to Quito and head back to the beaches and wildlife.
Our tour was organised by G Adventures and was called Galapagos on a Shoestring. We spent a week island hoping between San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, Isabella and then back to Santa Cruz.
It was a jam packed week full of activities, boat trips and early mornings. However it was such a relief to have everything organised for us. For one week we didn't have to worry about accommodation, transport or what to do each day. Our trip was structured by an amazing tour guide called Blanca. She genuinely made the trip so much more enjoyable. Her interest and excitement of the islands and the tour was infectious.
We had a busy week of walks, snorkelling, lying on beaches and of course wildlife. I was blown away at the sheer accessibility of the animals. Arriving in San Cristobal we found ourselves instantly surrounded by sea lions. They are so calm and unthreatened by the people who live there. I would never have really believed that they could live so harmoniously alongside a tourist town if I hadn't seen it myself.
Our next stop was the island of the giant tortoises, Santa Cruz. Whilst here we visited a national park and a breeding centre which was potentially my favourite part of the whole trip. The tortoises were so incredible and it was amazing to see how much they are cared for on the island.
Also whilst on the island of Santa Cruz we has the opportunity to go camping. This was a nice change from the hostels and dorms we had been staying in. The weather was not great and rained most of the day but luckily cleared for the evening. This called for a camp fire and roasting marshmallows with a scary story from our tour guide. The tents were very large for two people and extremely comfortable. Whilst here our lunch, dinner and breakfast was provided for. The meals were huge! Starters and main courses. This was a welcome change to the rationing we had been doing and was lovely to have proper home cooked food.
Last but not least we visited the island of Isabella where we were able to go on a boat tour to see the Galapagos Penguins. This was a day tour costing $40 that included a walk to see iguanas, as well as snorkelling. We unfortunately didn't have any penguins around whilst snorkelling but we saw other groups who did. I was insanely jealous of this.
We then returned to Santa Cruz to fly home on the Friday. This called for a last family meal before we all went back to Quito.