Galapagos Islands

[Nullifier]

Well my friends I leave friday for the Islands. We fly to Miami and then Ecuador. After spending the night we are of to the islands. the first week is on the islands best ship "Legends". We will island hop snorkeling, hiking etc. The second week we will be at the mangrovve inn hotel. A little adventure hotel that offers all the fun outdoor stuff except kayaking LOL! We get back on the 24th of the month we will have stories and pics to post upon our return.

I am going on this trip with my wife and her parents and 2 siblings. should be a great time and a true luxury galapagos trip. We spared no expense on this one!

 

[Howard70]

You're going to love this trip!

A couple of suggestions:

1. Take plenty of mosquito repellent. The Red Mangrove Inn is really nestled within mangroves. it's a great site, but mosquitos can be a bother this time of year.

2. While on Santa Cruz (your week at the Red Mangrove Inn), there are several day hikes you can take without guides (or at least you could take them without guides as late as 2004). Guides are great, but you might be a bit tired of being led around by that second week. My favorites are:

a. Hiking to the top of Santa Cruz (Cerro Crocker). Fantasitc views only moderately spoiled by cell phone towers (look the other way if you can...). Any taxi (best is one of the crew cab Hilux's because the road can be rough to the last part of the trailhead) will know how to get you to the trailhead. The Red Mangrove may still have an old Land Rover that they use to haul you about.

b. A trip to the Tortoise Reserve. You can spend a day walking among the largest turtles you'll ever see. Again, taxis know how to get you there.

c. Visit Miguel Arias' lava tubes. One way in to the Tortoise Reserve goes through Miguel Arias' farm. He's built some low key trails through a fantastic set of lava tubes. Stop and have a coke at his stand and ask to see the lava tubes.

d. Spend a 1/2 day in the Scalesia Forest around the los Gemelos pit craters. Again, any taxi...

Have fun!

Howard L. Snell

 

[Nullifier]

thanks for the tip. we have left the red mangrove week open at this point so I will throw those suggestions in the hopper.

 

[bh4rnnr]

Have fun, sounds like a good time! Friend Greg has been in Ecuador for the last five months. Just got a e-mail about his latest town celebration including the local mafia.... Need to get down to South America with him. Anyway, hope you have a awesome trip!! Look forward to the photos.

 

[Nullifier]

Hi from

Well all Hi form the galapagos! the trip so far has been awesome. Quite the opposite of Scot and Chris´s freezing cold adventure. It is really hot hear but that makes snorkeling with sea turtles penguins and sealions all the better! Our hikes have led us to some amazing island terain. Up close to boobies albetrose, frigate, tortoise, land iguans, amrine iguana, finches, hawks, mocking birds, and a whole lot more.

Yesterday was a realy great snorkeling day. We had seals and sea turtle come to withing 3´of us and actually hang out for some great underwater pics! Can´t wait to get a chance to show them off.

Hope all of you are doing well. I´ll check in again soon.

Brian

 

[viter]

wow!
I am watching a program on National Gepgraphic right now about Galapagos and being very jealous... but happy for you guys at the same time!
have more fun and post up those pics!

 

[mountainpete]

Sounds like a great time Brian! Looking forward to those pictures :victory:

 

[seth_js]

wow!
I am watching a program on National Gepgraphic right now about Galapagos and being very jealous... but happy for you guys at the same time!
have more fun and post up those pics!

Did you watch all three hours? Awesome show. A nice TV and HD never even cross my mind, but when I'm watching a show like that all I can think about is how awesome it would be on a big TV in HD.

 

[Nullifier]

my folks went to my house and set my dvr. it will be col to see it al again once we get home.

The red mangrove is an interesting place. to much to go into but very neat. tomorow we are going scube diving at a place know for large schools of hammerheads so keep your fingers crossed for big school!

Today we hiked a few lava tubes, saw a buch of gient tortoise, and did some shopping.

sad the trip will end friday but all good things must come to an end. got to get to work adn start saving for the guatemala trip and all the upcpming work tot he rig!

Anyway if I can upload some pics ina day or 2 I will

Brian

 

[kcowyo]

It is really hot hear but that makes snorkeling with sea turtles penguins and sealions all the better! Our hikes have led us to some amazing island terain. Up close to boobies albetrose, frigate, tortoise, land iguans, amrine iguana, finches, hawks, mocking birds, and a whole lot more.

Sounds like an amazing trip so far Brian! Hope the rest goes just as well. Looking forward to hearing more about it and seeing the underwater photos upon your return.

Have a safe trip home! :088:

 

[viter]

Did you watch all three hours? Awesome show. A nice TV and HD never even cross my mind, but when I'm watching a show like that all I can think about is how awesome it would be on a big TV in HD.

I only watched about half, but still it was pretty amazing - like a place out of this world...

 

[Nullifier]

Well today was an amazing scuba trip. Unfortuntly no hammerheads but we saw several white tip and galapagos sharks. we saw several sea turltes and had a sea lion come down and literally come down and play with us for 20 minutes. the highlight was a large school of 35/40 spotted eagle rays passed by and then doubled back for another pass to check us out. the vis was not fantastic but the sealife was amazing. definetly rivals the great barier reef for places to see sealife on a scub trip hell for a snorkel it might be the top destination in the world!

Tomorrow is our last day on santa cruz. we have schedule a taxi to take us for a hike to the top of santa cruz in the a.m. and then a hike tot he craters in the afternoon.

Thurday we fly back to quito at 12 and spnd the night and fl to Tampa in the in the early a.m. so sad to go back tot eh grind but I guess we all have to go home sometime right.

 

[Purple People Eater]

we will have stories and pics to post upon our return.

And they are where?