Galapagos Trip Reviews

Accommodations Review

Casa Gangotena is lovely and well-located in Quito.  Hotel Oro Verde in Guayaquil is convenient with friendly and good service.  Both have excellent restaurants.  The Galapagos ship - Cormorant - was absolutely perfect for touring the islands.  Intimate, clean, experienced Ecuadorian crew, and great food.

Meals Review

Excellent food, always many choices available, and I am sensitive to dietary changes - but had no problems on the ship.  I would suggest that on the ship, because their lunches and dinners are so varied, and with 3 or 4 courses, that they have a menu letting passengers know what the next meal consists of - even a chalkboard in the dining area would be great.  Eating is such a fun part of the ship, it might enhance the experience.

Crew & Guides Review

Daniel, our guide was extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about everything Galapagos.  We also had part of our trip guided by Xavier, who was also very knowledgeable, but a bit less dynamic.  He did not snorkel with us for example, and did not seem to relate to the guests very well. 

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

The "what to bring" list was very helpful, though we could have used more hiking shirts, with the heat and humidity of the islands.

Traveler Advice

Read the history, the wildlife, the geology before you go.  It will enhance your experience.  And shave your mustache - it makes for much better snorkeling.

Accommodations Review

Both the Grace and Napo Wildlife Center were wonderfully comfortable.

Crew & Guides Review

Our Galapagos guide, Rafael, was incredibly knowledgeable and informative.  He always went the extra mile to insure that each guest had the best possible experience and  I required more attention than most being older and having mobility issues.

Accommodations Review

All accommodations were first rate. The Galapagos aboard the Sea Star Journey was the best!

Crew & Guides Review

Hanzel had a great sense of humor and his evening briefings were really entertaining. I was always comfortable with him as our leader. The entire crew of the Sea Star were wonderful as well.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Andrew was very responsive and laid out an excellent program. Everything went so smoothly and the itinerary was spot on. This really was one of my very best trips ever. We covered so much and experienced so many diverse climates and cultures. Will use AdventureSmith again and thank Andrew for his great planning.

Traveler Advice

Be prepared for sea sickness, we all had the [Scopolamine] patch.

Crew & Guides Review

Very professional, very knowledgeable, very accommodating for the photographers. He was also really interesting.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

There were no surprises and Andrew was very patient with all our questions.

Traveler Advice

You need to love to experience nature, see new things and be willing and able to walk in the heat. You need to like being with a group, and be in pretty decent physical shape. 

Accommodations Review

Seaman Journey was a wonderful catamaran! The crew and the accommodations were absolutely first class. The seas were very rocky (because we traveled in July), and there were times that we were airborne in our bunks at night. We were thankful that we had the Scop patches!

Meals Review

NOTHING could be improved as far as the food was concerned. Fresh salads, good meals were all beautifully served and delicious!

Crew & Guides Review

Our naturalist, Daniel  Gordillo, was extremely knowledgeable, professional and passionate about his work. He gave us a real feel for the wildlife and these wonderful islands. Since our trip was a little unconventional (as we left the cruise on Santa Cruz and took a motorboat to San Cristobal), Daniel actually accompanied us to our island (as he lives there).

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

We were very well prepared for this trip. However, that being said, it surpassed our expectations.

We would absolutely recommend AdventureSmith to anyone! The person we dealt with, Andrew Browning, was extremely professional and accommodating. We didn't book this trip until about 6 weeks before departure, and he gave us about 4 cruise options to choose from.

Traveler Advice

You can pack light! Everything was very casual ... bring plenty of sunscreen!