If you can choose one holiday destination... choose Galapagos!

We have just returned from 7 days of absolute wildlife heaven and are still processing all the things we´ve seen. We travelled from Quito with GAP adventures and had 7 nights on board GAP Voyager 3; visiting (in order) North Seymour, Rabida, Santiago, Sombrero Chino, Bartolome, South Plaza, Santa Fe, Santa Cruz, Floreana, Espanola and Baltra. So a busy few days!

Every day was unique for its landscapes, animals and birds. The islands are millions of years old and many are formed from lava. We walked along red, green and white sand beaches, atop rugged cliffs and on black volcanic rock. It is unbelievable how at ease the creatures of Galapagos are with the tourists that traipse through their islands. You can see from the photos how close we were able to get, and some animals even approached us (particularly sealion pups!), meaning we had to back away.

We saw tons of sealions, several Galapagos penguins, flamingoes, frigate birds, iguanas, tortoises, boobies (!), sharks, turtles and rays. As well as all this, on our last evening, as the sun was setting in a striking red sky, we saw a whale and.... about 5 or 6 dolphins swum alongside the boat as we sailed. They were absolutely beautiful and so fast! The crew on board encouraged us to whistle to attract more of them, and it seemed to work. None of us could believe it had really happened when they finally left, about 10 minutes later.

There was ample opportunity for snorkelling, with beautifully clear blue waters around most of the islands. We came within arm´s reach of turtles, sharks, rays, playful sealions, hundreds of fish and extremely cute penguins as we swam.

The things we´ve seen, along with the people we´ve shared it with, a fantastic guide and the happiest, most enthusiastic crew we could hope for, have made our Galapagos experience everything we´d hoped it could be and more. The pictures (and there are plenty more where they´ve come from) speak much more adeptly than my ramblings, so I refer you to them for a better idea of what an amazing week we´ve had. A truly unforgettable experience.