The Galapagos Islands lie nearly 1,400 kilometers off the coast of mainland Ecuador. Eighteen main islands and three smaller ones make up the Galapagos, along with more than 100 rocks and islets. For anyone interested in history, science, wildlife, or soft-sand beaches, it’s a paradise destination.
Alas, because most people visit via a multi-day cruise or some other guided tour, the Galapagos has a reputation for being very expensive. Most people are scared away by the price tag they assume is non-negotiable.
But the Galapagos Islands don’t have to be prohibitively expensive. In this week’s video, we self-tour two of the main islands over 10 days. The trip is a gift for Eric’s birthday and Father’s Day! Caspian learns to snorkel. We see one-of-a-kind species like the marine iguana and Galapagos tortoise that don’t exist anywhere else on earth. We navigate planes, ferries, water taxis, land taxis, and changing plans–plus all the paperwork required. And, yes, I get jumped by a sea lion (more than once).
Eric says this is his favorite place we’ve been since we left the United States nearly two years ago!
Watch now:
The video shows our experiences well, but we don’t include the tips or how-to there. Instead, we wrote a full guide about how you can self-tour the Galapagos Islands.
What’s new?
Up next on YouTube, we visit the famous Cotopaxi, then drop down to Baños, Ecuador, which is famous for its thermal baths. Then we swing back up in elevation to Chimborazo, which is actually closer to the sun than Mount Everest. For such a small country, Ecuador’s extremes are quite impressive.
Tomorrow, we’ll arrive in Lima and begin the bureaucratic process of suspending our temporary import permit. In 11 days, we head to the United States for a return visit. We’ll be there the rest of 2023 before continuing our drive through South America.
Thank you for being part of our journey!
-B
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