It's going to be hard to do the Galápagos Islands justice in this blog. We were expecting the cruise to be excellent, but it was better. Every day I was like an excitable child at Christmas, wanting to be out there with the animals.

The flight from Guayquil left a little bit late but we got an unexpected sandwich onboard so all good! As we taxied to the terminal after landing, Simon had already spotted an iguana before the plane had even stopped! We then had to wait for a couple of hours at the airport for everyone else on the cruise to arrive on different flights. We weren't sure who to expect on the cruise but were pleased when it turned out to be Europeans and two Americans in their 20s and early 30s.

Once everyone arrived, our guide, Jairo, shepherded the 15 of us onto a bus and then small boats called pangas that took us to our boat, the Golondrina 1 (turns out the original somehow sunk a few years ago), which would be our home for the next seven nights. Although looking quite inferior to lots of other boats that we encountered on the way, it had everything we needed, at a better price. We got to see the same wildlife as everyone else and eat plenty of great food but paid less for the privilege of a tiny cabin with bunk-beds, which we hardly spent any time in anyway. Our own private bathroom had reasonably warm showers and at the height of luxury for us, our beds made and fresh towels given daily. There was a dining room and a sun deck, as well as a small outside covered area (to avoid bird poo!). The crew were great, including Wilson who was hilarious and like an overgrown naughty schoolboy. On our last day, when taking us back to the boat in the panga from the town of Puerto Ayora, he took us under a catamaran and cackled away as we all ducked into the panga to avoid being decapitated! The food was really good with fruit at every meal and plenty of salads and vegetables and three courses at lunch. We even got snacks twice a day and tea and coffee nearly all day. Luxury for backpackers! The weather was warm so it was nice to be back in shorts every day. The water was not so warm so after snorkelling and getting a bit chilly on the first day, everyone opted for wetsuits. After a couple of days, we became so accustomed to being at sea, that we felt like we were swaying whilst on land: a very weird feeling!

Jairo, our guide, was excellent. He was very knowledgeable and spoke very good English. He seemed to really enjoy his job and was able to answer all our questions. We'd heard that some of the cheaper boats employed substandard guides, but Jairo was great.

We visited many different islands and sites on the islands and saw so much variety; of animals and landscapes. We were kept quite busy with walks and snorkelling every day. There were some animals that we saw all the time, like sea lions, crabs, marine iguanas and birds like frigates and finches but we also got to see lots of species endemic to a particular island. A Galápagos rule is that you need to keep at least two metres away from the animals but this often wasn't possible as if they were on the trail (that you can't deviate from) we would sometimes find ourselves stepping over something. Here is a brief overview of what we saw on the islands, although we saw much more at each site.

Playa Las Bachas on Santa Cruz: we stopped here on our first afternoon for a walk and a snorkel off the beach and saw:

- Sally Lightfoot crabs: we were to see these at pretty much every site but they are nice to look at with the adults having a bright orange and red colouration. Birds think they're poisonous so they can happily hang out on the rocks in full view and not be eaten.

- An octopus that slimed its way along the rocks trying to catch a crab. Jairo said this is the first time in five years as being a guide that he's seen this.

- Black marine iguanas: again, we were to see these everywhere but they are the only lizard in the world that goes swimming.

- Great flamingos. We saw two, very pink and big.

- Several bird species, flying and on land.

- Lots of different tropical fish, including some very large colourful parrot fish.

Day 2 was spent on Genovesa island in the north: one of the reasons we picked the cruise although a long rough journey overnight to get there. A very desolate looking landscape full of rocks and silvery trees with no leaves. Whilst walking, these were the highlights:

- Red footed boobies: a bird with bright red feet and blue beak, very striking to photograph in the bleak landscape. We saw loads including lots of fluffy white babies who regarded us with curiosity (Albert and I had a staring competition - see photos)

- Nazca boobies: mostly white with black masks and orange beaks.

- Short-eared owl: these are difficult to see but we were lucky to see one. It is the only owl that hunts in the day as it doesn't need to worry about predators.

- Manta ray: seen from the land leaping out of the water.

- Sea lions: we saw hundreds of these on the cruise but this was the first time we were to see them very close. Possibly my favourite animal, enjoying so much time lounging on the beach.

Day 3 we went to the incredibly stunning Bartolomé island where unfortunately our day there was cut short and we were sadly unable to snorkel with penguins or visit neighbouring Santiago. Whilst we were out walking around the volcanic cone, covered in red rock and dust, one of the crew members was busy slicing into one of his fingers in the engine room so we had to transport him to the mainland for hospital treatment. But we did manage to see:

- Galápagos penguin: swimming around by the rocks. They are the most northern species living just a few miles from the equator.

- Lava lizards: again seen everywhere but did vary from island to island. The females have bright red cheeks. We saw some mating.

In the afternoon, an alternate snorkelling spot was found and Simon saw a white-tipped reef shark swim right under him (I was above water trying to de-fog my goggles!)

Day 4 we went to two islands, the first was South Plaza where we saw another landscape full of green cacti and a floor of red carpet- weed. Here we saw on our walk:

- Sea lions: a bachelor colony where the males go if they need a bit of R&R before they are strong enough to defend a territory. We saw two making lots of noise at each other but a bit half hearted, especially when one flopped down on the ground mid bark.

- Land iguanas: a mostly vegetarian animal, enjoying prickly pear cactus fruit, we witnessed one eating a dead bird. Everyone needs a treat now and again!

- Red billed tropic bird: a graceful white bird with beautiful long, wispy tail feathers.

In the afternoon we visited Santa Fé and did some great snorkelling as well as a lovely late afternoon walk. Probably my favourite island for variety. At one point it got a bit ridiculous when there were so many animals to look at that Simon didn't know where to point his camera! Snorkelling, we saw:

- Sea turtles: so big but yet so graceful underwater. We saw quite a few.

- Stingrays

- Sea lions in the water with us.

On land we saw:

- Galápagos hawk: another rare animal to see but we saw five or six. On the panga back to the boat, I saw several of them eating an iguana.

- White tipped reef sharks: lots of them swimming right on the beach shore.

Day 5 took us to one of the inhabited islands, San Cristóbal, where we visited two land sites and one snorkel site and then the town in the afternoon and evening. At the first site we were on a beautiful white sand beach where we saw:

- Sea lions: I spent some time observing a two-three week old pup who was very cute but made some awful noises as he was taken swimming in a small 'learner' pool with his mum. Sea lions make hilarious noises; we would often be peacefully watching some wildlife and suddenly hear a noise which sounded like a mixture of a drunk person and someone throwing up, and then we would know a sea lion was nearby. The pups were even funnier, sounding like a lemming (from the computer game) getting squashed.

- Great blue heron: standing on one leg to reduce stress in its heart as its feet and head are such a long way from its heart.

- Ghost crabs: the same as we had seen in Panamá, scuttling into their holes.

Our snorkel trip was to Kicker Rock, a huge rock in the sea that has a lot of marine life round it. To start with we weren't seeing much, apart from lots of small jellyfish that several people got stung by, but then we came across the following:

- Galápagos Shark: pretty big, fortunately swimming at a safe distance.

- Sea turtles

- Sea lions

- A huge shoal of fish beneath us that obscured any view underneath.

On our second land visit, we had our first sighting of the famous blue footed booby, including some fluffy babies. The male is picked by the female on the quality of its blue feet, although it is the female that has the brighter colouring.

In the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno we had some free time so we went to the interpretation centre to learn more about human inhabitants of the islands over the years and the current challenges with growing population and tourism. After that we joined the sea lions on the beach for an ice cream. In the evening we went back into town for some drinks at a bar.

Day 6 took us to Española Island where our walk took us past many animals, including several endemic species. As the island is one of the oldest and also quite far from others, this seems to have created the conditions needed for unique species. In the afternoon we went to a lovely beach where I did some snorkelling but didn't see anything new. The landscape was different again with dramatic rocky shores and cacti peppering the rocky landscape. Highlights on the land included:

- Endemic marine iguanas: with large red-pink patches, they were piled up en-masse. We also saw loads of them swimming on the way back to the boat.

- Waved albatrosses: again only found on this island and with a small population. Unfortunately they don't really help themselves by rolling, and sometimes breaking, their one and only egg. We saw several babies although they were massive! They can live to 40.

- Snake: about one metre long. Too quick for a photo.

Our last full day was spent with the morning on Floreana Island with a very early start where I spotted two mating turtles near our boat before breakfast. Our walk on land showed us:

- Great Flamingos: this time six of them.

- Sea turtles: several of them just off the beach, mating. Apparently this can take three days.

- Sting rays: huge amounts of them very close to the beach - definitely not a spot for swimming!

Just off the island we snorkelled around an old volcano crater, called Devil's Crown, where the current was quite strong. Here we saw:

- Galápagos sharks

- Golden rays: five of them swimming in graceful formation underneath us for ages.

By the afternoon we had arrived back at Santa Cruz and to the large town of Puerto Ayora. Jairo took us round the tortoise breeding centre which I think was much enhanced by having him explain things to us. The purpose of the centre is to breed tortoises from the species which have small populations - due to hunting in the past - and then release them when they are about three years old. We saw where Lonesome George lived in the last years of his life and we saw his 'mentor', Super Diego, proud father of approximately 1,000 who does not heed mating seasons.

After this we had some free time in the town where we found ourselves a deal in a hotel for the following night. That evening we all went to Bongo Bar to celebrate our last night of the cruise.

On our last morning (very sad) we had one more island to visit, North Seymour and it definitely delivered. The two highlights were:

- Frigate birds: we finally got to see the males with their red neck sacks inflated like balloons and got so close to them as they sat at their nest sites, waiting for the ladies. An awesome sight.

- Blue-footed boobies: we saw the mating ritual of the booby dance. A male solemnly lifted each foot up in turn for the female to see. She wasn't that interested in him though so he had to do lots of attention-grabbing wing displays whilst making a wheezing sound. After a while things were going better and together they rearranged sticks in the (rubbish quality) nest on the ground.

After this it was back on the boat for a quick breakfast and before we knew it we were being dropped off at the airport and were saying goodbye to our cruise-mates. It was very sad to end it but Galápagos so far has been a dream come true and I have loved every minute of it. We were glad that we'd booked some extra days on the islands as flying straight back to the mainland would have been so disappointing. Just before we got off the boat for the last time, in true Galápagos style, we watched a Galápagos shark, almost two metres in length, circling the boat.

Katy