I was sceptical at first: KLM needed to push my flight by a day, 3-days before my flight the booked cruise on board the sailing yacht Mary Anne fell through. A friend worried me beforehand when she told me you weren’t allowed to see animals up close.

The Team of Galapagos PRO did a great job at handling my worries, I embarked on a beautiful replacement motor yacht with my own single cabin and the local support and guides can only be praised. Engaged, helpful and friendly.

The 14-day Galapagos cruise was beautiful, my thanks to Hanzel Martinetti, the passionate nature guide and former ‘Seal’ on board. The group size varied quite a bit during my stay, ranging from 7 to 14 and back to 9 people on board. Rather interesting. I never thought that I would be able to come into close contact with rays when snorkelling or come across friendly sharks, penguins, flightless cormorants, turtles and playful sea lions. Most impressive were the giant marine iguanas we observed grazing underwater. The red- and blue-footed boobies as well as the Frigatebirds that accompanied us were a nice sight. Also, the Iguanas and marine iguanas. And much more. The vessels have great ‘timeslots’, much better than the day tour boats. My telephoto lens allowed me to get really close to the animals and the 2-meter distance is reasonable to protect the animals and easy to maintain.

It was nice to spend some time on land after the cruise to experience the locals of the island and to buy great art and t-shirts. Exploring the national parks on the island of Isabela and Santa Cruz on my own was very nice. More freedom than with a group.

Meeting Gundi, a descendant of German emigrants, who became the first nature guide in Ecuador and also made a difference politically, on Santa Cruz island was an honour. Jean’s Home was a great accommodation for me.

Before I returned I had an overnight stay in Guayaquil and enjoyed the safe surroundings of the hotel, bought Panama hats and saw more Iguanas in a park.

I will probably come back, I have to, I missed the albatross since they only arrived on Española island a month after my return.

It was more beautiful and incredible on the Galapagos islands than I ever could have imagined.

Thank you for the great support and assistance in my ‘crisis’ and the perfect preparations by the Galapagos PRO Team!

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This trip allowed us to get an insight into the culture, animal kingdom and nature on the mainland as well as on the islands by boat and hotels, that we haven’t experienced ever before. We enjoyed it immensely and would highly recommend Ecuador and Galapagos. For this Galapagos PRO is a very experienced and professional service provider. The itinerary as well as the excursions and accommodations were unique and without a fault and can be recommended. The local support by Galapagos PRO was perfect and was always available for questions or special requests and could always competently assist in specific situations. Every guide we met in different locations was very experienced and had a broad knowledge of Flora and Fauna and the historic development.

Thank you for everything and this unforgettable experience.

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This trip allowed us to get an insight into the culture, animal kingdom and nature on the mainland as well as on the islands by boat and hotels, that we haven’t experienced ever before. We enjoyed it immensely and would highly recommend Ecuador and Galapagos. For this Galapagos PRO is a very experienced and professional service provider. The itinerary as well as the excursions and accommodations were unique and without a fault and can be recommended. The local support by Galapagos PRO was perfect and was always available for questions or special requests and could always competently assist in specific situations. Every guide we met in different locations was very experienced and had a broad knowledge of Flora and Fauna and the historic development.

Thank you for everything and this unforgettable experience.

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Organization, crew, meals, islands, snorkeling, hikes … everything amazing

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Quito – Cotopaxi

Everything was perfectly organized, from the preparatory information to the realization of the trip. Pick-up and transfers went smoothly.

At Quitos ‘Wantara Garden Suites’ we enjoyed a very nice stay.

The Hop-on-hop-off bus tour gave us a nice overview of the city. I focused my tour on an extensive walk around the old town.

The literal highlight was the hike up to the hut on the Cotopaxi. The selected route was less steep but also rather strenuous and demanded quite a bit of willpower from me due to the thinning air. Our guide Adrian carefully instructed us. Accordingly, everyone should keep their own pace and not try to ‘keep up’. Everyone made it. On our way back we went a different, steeper route and no one proclaimed that we should have taken it on the way up too.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t too great, there was quite a bit of fog and we had some rain and hail.

Back at the parking lot we were visited by an Andean fox but in the fog we mostly saw its outline.

During my stay in Quito, Yannik ensured that I had all the required information and a sustaining breakfast.

Throughout my entire trip, he inquired in regard to my well-being and my impressions.

Ecuador rainforest river cruise

After a smooth transfer to the MY ANAKONDA. The vessel (details: https://anakondaamazoncruises.com/cruises/anakonda-amazon-cruise/) offers a ‘Standard Suite’ that is more than just a ‘touch of luxury’.

Previous heavy rains had left the river heavily saturated with sediment. If they collect in places and firm up, they can form sandbanks that aren’t visible from above water. Once, this vessel got stuck on one such sandbank.

With the help of the boat’s propellers to loosen the sand and a strong motorized canoe, the ANAKONDA quickly came free. The boat is built with the least amount of draft, which allows it to sustain this grounding with no damage.

The first night we experienced our first touch with the rainforest during a night walk under the guidance of an amazing guide who brought us up close to frogs, a variety of insects, a tarantula and a porcupine – up in a tree.

Without our guide on our day tours we would have never spotted anything through the thick bush of the jungle. Every so often he pointed out different bird and monkey kinds to us, which he expertly explained.

Spotting the pink dolphin was one of the highlights. They were so quick that it wasn’t possible for me to take a picture. I did take a mental picture and will keep it in my memory.

The care and support of the crew were outstanding and deserve the highest recognition.

I was sorry to see that on a vessel with a capacity for 40 passengers, only 5 guests were on board. My hope for the future is more guests on board the ANAKONDA.

Galapagos cruise

Checking in for the flight to Baltra went smoothly and without problems thanks to the extensive advice beforehand. During the flight unsuspicious forms were handed out in which one confirms to not bring prohibited food to the islands and acknowledge that in offence you will receive a 650$ fine. You then hand all documents in upon entry – best to fill out everything on the plane.

Upon arrival at the Hotel in Puerto Ayora Mrs Karin Kügele greeted me and explained the upcoming itinerary. She also brought me to the port.

Visiting the tortoise breeding centre is a must. On my way back I came across the first Iguanas that casually crossed the shore road.

The AIDA MARIA vessel was furnished accordingly and the meals were exquisite. The attention and wholeheartedness of the crew deserve the highest recognition.

The animal kingdom is truly unique, birds and iguanas vary from island to island, when snorkelling penguins and sea lions were scurrying about, colourful fish, and even a Galapagos shark and seahorses came into view. Astonishing, the grazing marine iguanas, I bumped into one on its way up. A cormorant bit my hand … maybe it confused it with something to eat. It didn’t hurt, just felt odd.

Jairo our guide described every animal extensively.

From the boat, you could spot dolphins in the distance. Some big sharks circled behind the stern at the last night.

To summarise: an incredible tour.

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Our trip with Galapagos PRO (In a group with a previous individual itinerary in Feb/Mar 23) was unforgettable. Unfortunately, we can only rate up to 5 stars. Well deserved!

One star to all the people who supported, guided and spoiled us from the planning of our trip up to our return flight.

Part of that was the Galapagos PRO team in Frankfurt (assisted us in short notice travel changes due to a strike) and locally (including the founder), the guides on our excursions to the Papallacta Thermal Pools, Mindo rainforest and Cotopaxi (all three highly recommended) as well as the crew on board the Grand Daphne, that brought us safely to all destinations within Galapagos and showed us the Ecuadorian cuisine (unfortunately high prices for wine).

One star to the incredible nature guides.

Very competent and ready to answer the many questions we had calmly and very understandable. They brought us closer to the unique fauna and flora of the Galapagos and the mainland and made us aware of the problems and difficulties the ecosystem faces.

One star to the great organization.

Our individual itinerary was just as greatly planned as the group tour. Even spontaneous trips to a coffee plantage, to the tortoise breeding centre on San Cristobal or unscheduled snorkelling tours were well planned and very much enriched our journey.

One star to the entire group.

In parts, the landing in early mornings (6:00 a.m.) and paths on the islands could pose quite a physical challenge. Our group accepted these and supporting one another was without question. The disputes between guests from time to time were handled very professionally by the experienced guide Beate and Hein, this way a mutiny on board the Grand Daphne was averted.

One star to the people who support and keep this incredible and unique ecosystem up.

For example the administration of the national park, the Charles Darwin Station (we didn’t get to know any staff), volunteers that lay in one spot for days to count turtle eggs that were laid there, the nature guides that through their work try to bring this beautiful spot closer to people and show them how vulnerable this ecosystem ist, the tourists that take their impressions from their respectful visit home with them and maybe bring it closer to people through their explanations.

It’s impossible to describe all my impressions in a review. Visit the dreamy, unique but also fragile archipelago and see it for yourself!

We definitely recommend Galapagos PRO and we would travel again with Beate Zwermann and her team anytime.

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It feels like paradise being in the nature and animal kingdom of the Galapagos islands! Highlights were excursions to the islands of North Seymour, Bartholome and Española. Every island is special in its own way and absolutely amazing!!! The excursion to the volcano Sierra Negra was very impressive.

We spent three nights on the islands of Isabela, Santa Cruz and San Cristobal. The stay on Santa Cruz should definitely be extended because the island offers many excursions and sights. Maybe it also makes sense to stay longer on the island of Isabela. (We didn’t visit Los Tuneles but saw some great pictures our acquaintances took.

Quito is also worth a visit (historic old town, Penecillo, Teleferico – highlight was the Basilica del Voto Nacional), we haven’t always felt safe in the old town though. The excursions to the Mitad del Mundo, Cotopaxi (the weather was bad unfortunately – fog/snow) and Papallacta were also interesting.

The local staff of Galapagos PRO were quick to assist and always available. Additionally, our guides and nature guides from the Galapagos were very competent and nice to be guided by. Kudos!

Last but not least all transfers went smoothly, also all flights!

A few last words to the additional stops is Brazil (Iguassu, Rio de Janeiro), carried out by the partner Aniyami: Everything went very well – very friendly, helpful, flexible and competent contact persons/guides – and in German (very comfortable even if you could communicate in English or Spanish) Recommended!

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Thanks to the extensive itinerary description I was very informed about the entire trip to the Galapagos. At the same time, I was also provided with a list of needed utensils. The range was very extensive. Throughout the entire trip, we were well taken care of and always looked after. Especially great was the service was the local organization by Beate Zwermann and her team. That needs to be pointed out.

We were also very happy with our guide, that accompanied us the whole time on board the vessel. His composure and professional competence were outstanding.

Galapagos is gorgeous and fascinating. Every animal we encountered wasn’t shy and exuded friendliness. There seems to be a bit of magical calmness throughout the Galapagos. Singles were integrated into the group and welcomed with open arms. There was one couple that didn’t agree with integrating themselves into the group and rather irritated everyone else with their prejudice. Unnecessary! It was obvious to me that they didn’t study their program thoroughly. Tip for organizers: Potential customers should apply for an active holiday, to see if they are suitable.

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The organization, realization and assistance throughout the trip was excellent form the beginning until the end. Staying in Quito as well as visiting the islands of San Cristobal and Santa Cruz and the connect excursions were a wonderful experience. Our highlight was the cruise with an amazing nature guide that brought us up close to the animal- and plant world. Personally, my highlight was snorkeling, it opened up an entire new world to me. We had an unforgettable vacation and our thanks go to the team of Galapagos PRO in Frankfurt as well as the local team in Ecuador/Galapagos, that wonderfully took care of us.

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Dear Galapagos PRO Team,

we award 100 out of 100 points for the advice and organization of our Galapagos trip!

We’d like to thank Stephan Boyn.

All questions were answered friendly, conscientiously and competently!

He was very patient and for that thank you!

Our itinerary was very detailed and explained all island changes including all information regarding official requirements. Very helpful and practical.

It was especially amazing to have a local German speaking contact person, that always stood by and assisted us.

We got their names in numbers whilst still in Germany.

Once we arrived we received a welcoming, friendly WhatsApp message, things are though through and everyone works together.

Karin surprised us just a few minutes after our arrival (Hostal Lava House) with a phone call and asked how we were, a very nice gesture in a foreign country with out any knowledge of Spanish.

After a few days, I started to have stomach problems and wrote to Karin to ask what I could do about it.

Just a few minutes later I got a reply: Origano tea and again a few minutes later the nice lady from Lava House stood in front of me and brought me the biggest cup of tea, together with a tablet which she hygienically took out of the packaging.

What more could you want? Incredible!

The Lava House was great (recommended by Stephan), super clean, great breakfast, only cheerful staff, nice little garden, various seating areas and comfortable hammocks.

A definite recommendation!

On Isabela we got to know the lovely Rebekka personally, on day she didn’t see us and we promptly received a WhatsApp message asking if everything was alright. Of course we replied: most definitely!

It was with her help, that we were able to change our accommodation without any problems on the second day, we are very grateful for that!

Actually, I don’t want to go into it any further, it was uncomfortable for us.

We have seen a lot of the world and we were aware that we had booked a 2 star hostel (like all the accommodation on the islands) but we felt absolutely uncomfortable.

Neither one of us had ever experienced this before.

There was a kind of tower room, which we were allowed to see by the current occupant.

It became available the next day and if we had been told that we could change to this room after one night, we would most probably have stayed in this accommodation.

The difference in rooms was like day and night, like black and white, ours and the “tower room”.

By the way, the good man at the reception was very nice and we could have changed the room, but (unfortunately) our final decision was made and we wanted to get out completely….

We looked at three other accommodations early in the morning and were especially warmly welcomed at the Hotel Cally.

Unprompted, the son-in-law showed us two rooms that could hardly have been nicer, we immediately fell in love.

Rebekka immediately pulled out all the stops and consulted with Yannik in Quito, as she is not responsible for bookings.

He also contacted us immediately and helped us very quickly and without complications.

Extremely short official channels, very well connected, thank you!

However, the immediate move had a small catch: one night in a transitional room with single beds.

For us, that was more than OK.

We were put in room no. 0.

We liked it so much that after a few hours we asked if we had to move or if we could stay in this “transition room”.

We were allowed to stay.

We were aware that the kitchen window was almost within reach and we probably had to expect some clattering in the early morning, but that also had its advantages: Waking up, bright, out and looking for turtle tracks on the beach.

We were very happy and hardly heard any noise from the kitchen.

A very quiet environment that allowed us to relax.

By the way, the breakfast was very, very tasty.

The family and staff around the Cally always had a smile on their faces and we could hardly say hello as quickly as everyone there did.

That’s good fun, and by the way, one of the single beds was big enough for both of us.

The boss himself drove us to the airport free of charge.

For all those who come to the Cally, the youngest of the family loves gummy bears!

Arriving on the island of San Cristobal at the Casa de Laura, the boss made a slightly cold impression, but it improved when she spoke to us.

We also felt very comfortable at the Laura, very centrally located, yet heavenly quiet.

There was a small, wonderful garden with benches in the courtyard.

The rooms looked a bit older, but were 100% clean and nicely furnished.

Outside, were hammocks and various seating areas, which we had almost everywhere to ourselves, as we had “enough” time on each island to linger in the accommodation. Sometimes we even heard sea lions.

What was a bit unfortunate was the lack in seats, as there were only 16 seats in the breakfast area.

On two days, a group occupied all the seats before 7:00 a.m., so we had to wait until 7:45. Breakfast was from 7:00 to 8:00 and actually we are always there early.

This is not a complaint, we just found the organization of the few tables not ideal.

Finally, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks once again to all involved, from Galapagos Pro, for this perfectly successful trip!!!!

We will recommend and praise Galapagos Pro wherever we can, we promise!

I am happy that our dreams came true and that we had such a strong partner at our side!

THANK YOU!!!

Best regards