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DIY Galapagos May 2017


roseclaw

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"I am an ornithologist with a background in evolutionary biology focusing on genetic drift within island biogeography"

 

There can be no more perfect match for "The Enchanted Islands" than that.

 

You have taken island hopping to the next level!  And you were able to see five key islands with your DIY plan that provided the major bird species, plus iguanas, tortoises, and sea lions.

 

If being overcharged for a taxis amounts to $2, that's pretty good.

 

So sorry you were ill but you got your Galapagos Penguins before it struck.

 

Have you ever tried over the counter Bonine for motion sickness?  I think the non-drowsy formula of Dramamine is the same thing: Meclizine.  I to get nausea very easily but Bonine has saved the day for me many times.

 

How did you make the panel of pictures?  Looks great!

 

Thanks for showing us another way to visit the Galapagos and 2017 is not too far back at all.

Edited by Atravelynn
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@Atravelynn I did a lot of research before going on this trip. The reason I chose early May was to see the nesting albatross. Obviously that didn't happen, so I guess I'll just have to go back!

 

I usually have a scopalamine patch behind my ear, and I take rx grade Meclizine for vertigo. But that just knocks me out, and I wanted to be wide awake to experience everything. Basically I'm a mess, and I hate to be drugged. Medications always effect me strangely.

 

The panels of pictures are because I'm lazy. They're screen captures from my facebook album. :D

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May should be right for the albatross  Jan-Mar they are supposed to be gone but then back after that.  "... so I guess I'll just have to go back!"  That's the spirit!

Looks like you spent a lot of time creating those attractive arrangements.  Sometimes laziness is the best approach.

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The albatross were there, but the boat was filled.

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Thanks for sharing, it was fun to see a different way to visit the islands and I’m sure will be a good resource for people.

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Wow, the trip report I felt in love with! DIY and affordable ... two words I would never connect with Galapagos. Thanks for opening my eyes, @roseclaw.

 

 

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@roseclaw thank you so much for this 'new way' of seeing the Galapagos, so many useful ideas to see what the Galapagos have to offer.

 

Sorry to hear you were so ill on the boat.

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Atravelynn
On 6/29/2019 at 6:41 PM, roseclaw said:

The albatross were there, but the boat was filled.

Got it!

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Great report and wonderful pics. We did a semi DIY land-based trip to the Galapagos a few weeks ago, and I loved seeing some familiar sights and some things I didn't see in your pics.

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Hugely enjoyable! Thank you for letting me piggy-back on your explorations of the Galapagos.

I really enjoyed your candid style of reporting with no detail too small to include. (Except I notice you're keeping quiet about just how much that charter flight cost you. :ph34r:)

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Interesting read, thanks.

 

We did a combo of a week on a small boat tour and a week diy and really enjoyed both.  The Galapagos is an amazing place.

 

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kittykat23uk

Very interesting report thanks for sharing.  Apologies if I missed it but you seem to have included all the costs except for the charter flight which I imagine was one of your greatest expenses! Would you mind sharing that please? :)

Edited by kittykat23uk
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@kittykat23uk yeah, I purposefully kept quiet about the price of that charter flight. You're more than welcome to do the math. It was $200 per a seat, and for a charter, one needed to buy every seat on the nine seat plane. But there were two of us, so I only needed to buy 4.5 seats. So yeah, that cost the same as the entire rest of the trip.

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kittykat23uk

Ouch! That's gotta sting! Hope you and your friend recovered from your various health issues during the trip! :) I really enjoyed reading your report. Thanks for sharing! 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks @roseclaw for sharing your adventure. Sorry for you some things didn't work out as planned for different reasons. Hope you did enjoy it as much as you could despite some health issues.

 

Your pictures took me back to my Galapagos trip years ago. No tourists petting the sea lions then, hopefully it doesn't happen that often... :/

When we booked, I was convinced an organised cruise was the only way to explore the islands. So your TR can be very helpful for others planning their Galapagos trip.

 

How many tourists did you see/meet overnighting in hotels/hostels on the islands? We always had dinner on board, so I assumed the islands towns would be quiet at night with mostly locals in town.

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@LarsS There were a fair amount of people on each island at night, more so San Cristobal and Santa Cruz than Isabella. Santa Cruz had people showing up for their cruises early or trying to book a discounted last minute one. Same with San Cristobal but fewer. There were maybe a few hundred people on Isabella total at night and that included the locals. And we saw no one in the streets except workers at the restaurants and people dinning.

 

We were one of two rooms booked at our hostel on Isabella, one of three on San Cristobal, but Santa Cruz was nearly booked full.

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