We saw amazing scenes and wildlife every day!...
Galapagos Islands | Oct 28 - Nov 6, 2025

Jennifer
Jennifer M.
Ashburn, VA | Reviewed on Nov 10, 2025

We saw amazing scenes and wildlife every day! The local guides were all fantastic - very knowledgeable, helped us negotiate some of the tougher terrains, and kept us informed of travel arrangements. There were a couple of glitches with taxi pickups, but we knew who to contact to fix it. The hotels (Ikala on Santa Cruz, Isamar on Isabella, and Seaside on San Cristobal) were all really nice, especially the Ikala.
The speedboat transfer from Santa Cruz to Isabella was HORRIBLE! 2 hours of constant jostling and slamming down HARD on the water every few minutes was frightful and gave me a backache. The flight arrangements all worked fine.

Hotel Reviews
Ikala Galapagos Hotel
Puerto Ayora

The rooms were large, clean, and very comfortable. The restaurant was fabulous!

Authenticity & Character
Tropical vibe beautifully landscaped
Location
Very close to downtown and ferry connections
Staff
They packed us a breakfast to go when we had early departures
Cleanliness & Comfort
Wyndham Quito Airport
Quito

Nice modern hotel, clean comfortable rooms. Frequent shuttle to airport. Very good restaurant, although the service was slow one night.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Just a few minutes from airport
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Isamar Hotel
Puerto Villamil, Isla Isabela

Beautiful view of the beach.

Authenticity & Character
Small hotel with local flare
Location
Right on beach
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Mostly clean and comfortable. The windows were not sealed well so we had little iguanas in the room.
SeaSide Hotel
Galapagos

The room was large and clean and comfortable. The breakfasts were large and OK

Authenticity & Character
Location
Walking distance to town
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
There were some small creepy crawlies in the bathroom, other wise clean
Activity Reviews
Transfer to the airport for your flight back home (Departure)
Transfer to the airport for your flight back home (Departure)
Galapagos Islands

Our guide and driver came on time and whisked us to the airport. Our guide helped us with our luggage into the airport and helped us check in.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Welcome to Ecuador: Let Your Adventure Begin!
Welcome to Ecuador: Let Your Adventure Begin!
Galapagos Islands

It was nice after a long day of travel to be met by a driver with my name on a card.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Welcome to Santa Cruz Island:  Highlands (Plant a Tree)  & Charles Darwin Research Station
Welcome to Santa Cruz Island: Highlands (Plant a Tree) & Charles Darwin Research Station
Puerto Ayora

It was great to be met at the plane and taken for our afternoon activities. The giant tortoises were really cool. Lunch was good, and fun to be outside so we could watch the birds and tortoises.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Experience the Pristine Beauty of Galápagos Islands: Discovering an Uninhabited Island
Experience the Pristine Beauty of Galápagos Islands: Discovering an Uninhabited Island
Puerto Ayora

The wildlife were fabulous, saw many new species. The trail got a too rugged for my sister and I so we were able to wait at a designated area and meet the group later. Lunch on the boat was fantastic. Getting in and out of the small dinghies to get to the boat and island were challenging for us, but the crew was great to steady us.

Quality of Experience
Seeing blue footed boobies and frigate birds and sea lions.
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Very helpful to us old ladies with some challenges.
Transport
Nice boat with good seats, nice bathroom
Discover the Wonders of Tintoreras Islet: A Journey into Breathtaking Biodiversity
Discover the Wonders of Tintoreras Islet: A Journey into Breathtaking Biodiversity
Puerto Villamil

We saw the elusive Galapagos penguins!

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Isabela Island's Treasures: Exploring the Breeding Center & Wetlands
Isabela Island's Treasures: Exploring the Breeding Center & Wetlands
Galapagos Islands

The wetlands had some good bird sightings. The walk was quite long, but mostly the scenery was worth the hike.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Welcome to San Cristóbal Island! Visit the Interpretation Center, Tijeretas Hill, or La Lobería
Welcome to San Cristóbal Island! Visit the Interpretation Center, Tijeretas Hill, or La Lobería
Galapagos Islands

We didn’t do Tijereas Hillsince it was late in the day, but the Interpretation Center was interesting, and La Loberia with all the sea lions was cool.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Very accommodating with bringing us a driver when the walking looked too far.
Transport
The restaurant recommended by our guide for dinner was great!
Embracing Nature: Discovering Wildlife on Española Island
Embracing Nature: Discovering Wildlife on Española Island
Isla San Cristóbal

We saw the Nazca boobies and the waves albatross here, very special wildlife and scenery. The trails were rocky and quite challenging.

Quality of Experience
Wonderful unique sights
Food
Chicken was dry and overcooked.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Our guide helped us with the rugged terrain, even taking my phone to take lots of pictures when I had to concentrate on navigating the trails
Transport
The boat was small and fairly spartan. One engine failed during our return, but so we had to slow down and return to dock late.
Free morning on San Cristobal until Departure
Free morning on San Cristobal until Departure
Isla San Cristóbal

Not much was open so early in town, but watching the sea lions was fun.

Quality of Experience
Local specialist: Karla Guerrero
Karla
Karla Guerrero
Local specialist in Ecuador | Replied on Nov 12, 2025

Hello Jennifer,

Thank you so much for sharing your valuable feedback about your trip. I’m truly happy to hear that you had such an amazing experience in Ecuador. Your comments help us continue to grow and improve.

I hope to see you again in the future, perhaps on another adventure here in Ecuador!

Warm hugs from the middle of the world,
Karla