Featured Trips

Past Trips

SEA STAR
SEA STAR
Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Ecuador
15 Aug, 2019

Reviews

DM
Galapagos and Quito trips were awesome. Yumiko and Rodrigo (Galapagos Natural Life) and Betty (Galapagos Discovery) did a fantastic job creating the right customized schedule for me that included airport pickup and drop offs, Quito day tour, North Seymour/ Mosquera island day tour, and Bartalome island day tours. They booked my hotels and took care of all my itinerary needs. Always responsive over WhatsApp. When LATAM had a flight cancellation, Betty rebooked an additional night and transport with just a phone call. Highly recommend them for their professionalism, thoroughness and exceeding expectations!
By Debi M for Quito + Galapagos, 8 days 24 sep - 01 oct 2023 on Oct 04, 2023
We had an unforgettable time because the natural pristine environment unspoiled by humans really sells itself. The most beautiful areas of the world are that way because they have been protected from development. Luckily the Government of Galapagos is generally doing a good job protecting the special areas. Although I wonder what damage is being done to some of the islands with the constant stream of tourists setting foot on the islands? We were met by a charming polite young driver with a sign, he was as helpful as he could be but unfortunately we cannot speak Spanish, and he could not speak English. He was really nice, kind and helpful. We took a bus with many others from the first Carbon Neutral Airport in the world because that is the only way to get from the airport to a ferry costing a dollar each that took us across the water to a taxi, we stopped at the twin craters, but there was no sign telling us what it was, there was no sign explaining it at the entrance, which would be helpful. I looked at it quickly because I wasn't aware it was part of the tour, I didn't see the other crater. This is where it would be helpful to have a written page briefly explaining what was happening for the day, the driver could hand this to us, since there was a language communication issue that prevented us knowing what was happening. We went to El Chato Giant Turtle sanctuary and Lava Caves which was interesting, the giant turtles have to be seen to be believed. Lunch was good but could have been better, (a salad as part of lunch would have been nice it was quite minimal) got the feeling the staff were a bit jaded. Fantastic environment very special. Second day was incredible snorkeling seeing giant turtle, shark, octopus, many exotic fish. I wish more time could have been spent explaining and ensure face mask fit properly to everyone before we got in the water, it was a bit rushed and assumptions were made that everyone knew what they were doing with the snorkeling equipment. My husband cut his underarms from the life jacket riding up quite badly, he kept it on while swimming to protect from sun, which turned out to be a big mistake. Spend plenty of time getting fitted up properly so you can really enjoy snorkeling. Anti fogging for masks would have been useful, I had to keep taking off my goggles to clear them so I could see stuff which was frustrating. lunch cooked by boat staff on both days was incredible, the staff on both snorkeling trips were gracious, kind, informative, and their efforts and attitudes make the trip 5 star. I highly recommend Galapagos Natural Life, all the staff were amazing. Make sure you read up on details on what you are doing each day. Sometimes you have to wait longer than you want but sometimes this is for safety. We stayed in a 'tourist class' hotel which was a hostel. It was sufficient, clean, mostly helpful staff. In hindsight I might have chosen a more expensive hotel with more facilities. Breakfast was not so great and the coffee was not good at all that's being polite which surprised me. It would have been nice to have access to great coffee at the hotel when we needed it, this was not possible, maybe because it was 'just' a hostel?. The a/c was very good and the beds were great. We didn't want to spend $ on accommodation but that was our choice. The hotel was quite noisy at night because our room faced a busy road, with motorbikes and people partying. Make sure if you are a light sleeper you have accommodation that is quiet, Puerto Ayora is a bit of a party town. The people there are so happy, seems like everyone is laughing all the time. Ecuadorians seem to be the kindest happiest people on earth. Puerto Ayora is safe, fascinating, interesting. Don't miss the Darwin Research Center, we came upon it because the guide mentioned it in passing since I mentioned my husband was a scientist, otherwise we would not have known about it. Don't go near wild animals and respect the laws regarding their protection. We were told not to take anything on the first day snorkeling and that everything is provided, so we didn't take any cash, so we couldn't tip the boat staff :( It was an honor and privilege to visit, and we have unforgettable memories, but afterwards I did wonder at what harm is being done with the constant stream of tourists treading over the islands, we went to Baltra Beach in North Seymour, the sand was like white pepper, all the islands we visited had a 'lost world Robinson Crusoe' feel to them if that makes sense. Some children in our group were picking up coconuts and dolphin skulls, and I thought to myself probably shouldn't be touching anything. We passed another group on that hour we were there, so who knows how many thousands are treading over these precious islands and what damage is being done in the name of tourist dollars? Somewhat hypocritical of me, I know. The staff were really amazing and helpful; we had a challenge on our last day when the engine on the boat had to be repaired; we waited from about 10am to about 1pm for it to be repaired, we nearly gave up, but communication was limited from the harbor site due to lack of cell phone reception etc, in the end they did a good job and we were able to go out on the boat, we were so happy and relieved, we didn't care about the inconvenience.
By Joanne F for GALAPAGOS ISLAND HOPPING 4 DAYS BALANCE on Aug 08, 2023
Galápagos Natural Life were excellent. They organised everything for me so that a car would pick me up every morning and take me to wherever I needed to go, and I had no problems. They also chose a really enjoyable and interesting itinerary for me. Highly recommended!
By Duncan M for Upgrade Hotel 15 - 19 mar 2023 on Mar 22, 2023

References

I recently booked a Galapagos cruise for my wife and myself with Galapagos Natural Life (GNL) and I'm very satisfied with the services rendered and my overall experience. Rodrigo, the Tour Manager, was with me every step of the way, answering all of my questions and concerns about getting to the airport, the check in procedures and document requirements. He was always available to answer a question no matter the time of day or day of the week. Even though we arrived two days before the start of our cruise, Rodrigo gladly arranged for transportation from the airport to my temporary residence and back again to the airport for the Galapagos flight which he also arranged and booked for us. Full disclosure, I had attempted to book the same cruise to the Galapagos Islands with another well known travel organization in Quito but dropped them due to hundreds of dollars of unexplained fees in their pricing. GNL's pricing was upfront with no hidden or unexplained charges and I found their pricing to be a much better value as it included my flights to the islands. The cruise ship, the Galapagos Legend, was amazing and I highly recommend taking a cruise to see the islands. When we decided to spend an extra night on Santa Cruz island after disembarking, Rodrigo cheerfully provided hotel recommendations and arranged for our luggage to be separated from the cruise ship and delivered to our final stop where he had arranged for a taxi to pick us, and our luggage up, and bring us to our hotel. All of this extra service was above and beyond the scope of the original tour but he did it for us anyway. We were so impressed with our experience with GNL, we decided to visit their office in Quito to express our gratitude. We were warmly received by Rodrigo and his staff who treated us more like good friends than customers inviting us to share breakfast and coffee with him. I would highly recommend anyone looking to book a cruise or tour to the Galapagos Islands and/or Ecuador to consider GNL if professional and personalized service as well as a seamless travel experience is important to them.
By John B on 12 Aug, 2023