Following on from the previous post, the reason for all our panic regarding the protests in Ecuador was that we had a trip booked to fly from Quito to  the Galápagos Islands and the insurance didn’t cover trip cancellation due to civil unrest, so we had to get to Quito no matter what!

Hans at Finca Sommerwind was providing us with up to date information and with the protests continuing we made the decision, along with another couple, to take a taxi back to Colombia and fly from Ipiales to Quito via Bogotá.  It was going to be a long and expensive day and we’d arrive in Quito earlier than we needed but it was still cheaper than losing the Galapagos trip.  What we didn’t bargain for was the Avianca desk in Ipiales insisting that we needed a confirmed flight out of Ecuador and despite all the explanations that we were driving and having proof our van was in Ecuador, the only way they were going to let us board, was to book a flight.  To top that we couldn’t book it online and had to use the onsite travel agent who was painfully slow but we boarded with about 40 minutes to spare despite arriving three hours early.  After a further delay at Bogotá and our pre-booked taxi not being available immediately, we finally made it to our first hotel in Quito around 4.15am!

We spent a day wandering around the Old Town by ourselves.  There are plenty of places to sit around the main square and watch the world go by and Uber is really cheap to get around.  We’d heard stories about parts of Quito not being safe so we stuck to the main tourist areas where there were plenty of very friendly and helpful tourist police.  

We returned a couple of days later on a Quito City Tour organised by GAdventures where we visited some of the city’s highlights.  We viewed the sprawling city  from the Virgen del Panecillo and the roof of the Basilica del Voto Nacional and tasted some rather fine chocolate!

The tour also included a trip to the equator which crosses just to the north of the city and we were able to stand with one foot in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern hemisphere.  We also did a few fun experiments whilst there including balancing an egg on the head of a nail – Bob was the only one in our group who managed it!

The trip to the Galapagos began early the following morning with the airport transfers organised by GAdventures.  They had also arranged for our Galapagos Transit Control Card (USD20 each and paid in cash to the company).  Upon arrival in Baltra there is also a fee of USD200 per person for entry to the islands and again we paid this in cash – we’d seen some reports that cards might be accepted but that the card readers only worked intermittently and we didn’t want to risk not being able to get in!

After returning from the Galapagos we had one thing to do and that was get back to the van!  The protests were still ongoing but with the help of Hans, we took a shared taxi back to Ibarra.  On a normal day, that drive would be 130km and three hours maximum but we had to travel 700km via the coast and take 11 hours but after the experience we had just had in the Galapagos, it was worth every minute and kilometre.

Hotels

Hotel & Rooftop King Experience by David

We booked this as we needed somewhere cheap and cheerful to stay for a couple of nights and this hotel had the added bonus of being very close to the old town.  At time of booking and with discounts this was $52 a night for the room and included breakfast, albeit a very basic one.

Safe to say this was one of the quirkiest hotels we’ve ever stayed in – full size glitter horse anyone!, and it was a lot of style over substance but the location made up for everything with the main square being a short walk away.  The rooftop bar and restaurant gave great views over the city at night.

Hotel Hilton Colon

Booked as part of the GAdventures package (extra nights could be booked at £90 per night), it was a typical big chain hotel and we could have been anywhere in the world.  We did find a great Middle Eastern restaurant nearby but the hotel is a bus/taxi ride from the old town.  We were booked in Executive Rooms which, along with free wifi, gave us access to the Executive Lounge where we could have a drink and relax.

Galapagos Cruise

There are many more photos on our Facebook page here and here

After much deliberation (and confirmation from a friend in the trade that it was a good one) we decided to treat ourselves to the Central and East Islands cruise on the Reina Silvia with GAdventures.  We opted for cruising as a way to see as much as possible (we sailed between islands overnight) and we weren’t disappointed.  The 8 day, 7 night cruise took us to Santa Cruz, Española, San Cristobal, Santa Fe, South Plaza, Genovesa, Santiago, Bartolomé, Rabida and Chinese Hat.

The Reina Silvia takes 16 passengers and a crew of 10 for whom nothing was too much trouble.  Our days on board consisted of breakfast, an activity, a snack, maybe another activity, lunch, free time, activity, snack, free time, briefing for the following day, dinner, free time and bed.  The food was tasty and plentiful, all freshly cooked and served either in the dining room or up on the sun deck, which is also where the jacuzzi was located. 

Our cabin was spacious with a private bathroom and balcony.   The rooms were cleaned and tidied a couple of times a day and the towels washed regularly.

The activities were optional and included hikes, snorkelling and kayaking – all part of the package (as were the flights to and from Quito so we had absolutely nothing additional to organise ourselves).  We also had the services of a National Park guide, Omar, whose knowledge about the fauna and flora of the islands was phenomenal.

We came to the Galapagos to see wildlife and each island had something different to offer.  The highlight was probably the snorkelling where we were joined, at different times, by sea lions, penguins, turtles and sharks.

We spent no cash whilst at sea but ran a small bar tab for the trip which was settled on the last evening by card or cash.  The only other cash needed was for tips for the crew and guide.

This was a once in a lifetime trip and we can certainly recommend this tour.  It wasn’t cheap, even with it being on sale, but we felt it was worth every penny and were spoiled rotten.  

There are many more photos on our Facebook page here and here