One of the most insane experiences of my life was my trip to the Galapagos Islands.

As a lover of animals and all things nature-related, it was my dream holiday. But, honestly, this trip-of-a-lifetime would blow anyone away. The landscape around the islands is stunning. I’ve never experienced nicer sunsets anywhere in the world than I have watching the sun go down over the water in the Galapagos. For me, though, what puts this adventure above any other is the wildlife. The Galapagos Islands are a complete wilderness. There are towns on a few of the islands but the National Park covers 97 percent of the land, leaving most of the islands uninhabited. So, for the vast majority of places you will visit, there will be no people other than the rest of your group.

Tourism

The isolation is ideal for enjoying all the beauties of the islands, and it's how Galapagos National Park Authorities plan to keep it. For years there has been a back-and-forth debate about tourism restrictions on the islands. On the one hand, The Galapagos National Park Authorities want to preserve the wildlife as much as possible and a large number of visitors threaten that. On the other hand, tourists bring in money. So far, the National Park Authorities have won out but Ecuador has been losing money in recent years and visitors to the Galapagos often spend big amounts quite happily. Either way, it means you should get out there as soon as possible because there will be downsides to whoever wins out. If tourist restrictions are relaxed, there will be more crowds around the islands, and if they are tightened, it will be harder for you to get there in the first place.

The Wildlife

There are very few land predators so most of the animals on land are almost completely unafraid of people. Sea lions sunbathe on rocks and beaches and you can walk right through a group of them without any issues. When I was visiting, there were a lot of baby sea lions and even then the mothers were very relaxed about people getting close to their cubs (that being said, make sure to keep a respectable distance). The sea lion cubs were naturally very curious and just look at the above photo for proof of how adorable they are IRL. We had to scamper back from the babies so the mums didn’t get worried but there were several teenaged-sea lions who came right over to check us out. There are so many different types of birds around the islands. We saw the incredible albatross who, it turns out, are really not the most affectionate of parents, only visiting their chicks to feed them and then flying right off again. There were Blue-footed Boobies all over the place that never failed to amuse with their bright blue feet and their absolutely adorable chicks, which were basically just big puffs of fur. Just look at them. So fluffy! And Red-footed Boobies. Their feet weren’t quite as exciting but they had beautiful beaks of blue, pink, and purple. The smaller birds of the islands, like the Galapagos mockingbirds or the various finches, were almost as curious as the sea lions and a few of them followed us around, hopping in between everyone. This little buddy must have followed us halfway around the island. There is nowhere else in the world that gives you the chance to get as close to wild animals and to experience them in the same way as you can here.

The Giant Tortoise

The only big animal that showed any shyness were the giant tortoises. They were relatively happy to munch on grass with us wandering around, but if we got in any way close to them they'd disappear right into their shells. The giant tortoises of the Galapagos are where the group of islands got its name. The old Spanish word galapago means saddle and was used to refer to the shells of the tortoises. One of the types of tortoise found on the islands is called the saddleback tortoise because of a lift in the front of its shell, similar to the horn of a horse's saddle. They are amazing to watch and as you can see below, they really grow to huge sizes.

Cruises and Prices

Most visits to the Galapagos are cruises, the majority on small yachts for under twenty people but some are a lot bigger and can take up to 100 people. The yacht I was on was called the Angelito. It could accommodate up to sixteen people, pretty small as I'm sure you'll agree. I would definitely recommend going for a smaller boat as they are much more personal. Bigger groups mean waiting for everyone before doing an activity and it also means that you have huge crowds with you on the islands. A smaller group meant we were able to really immerse ourselves in the experience. Smaller yachts often mean cheaper cruises too. There are generally several cruise-length options. Around eight days is the recommended amount of time, which was the length of my trip. It gives you a chance to visit a lot of the different islands and to take in a wide variety of the wildlife. With a lot of the smaller yachts, you can get an eight-day trip for around $3500-$4000 (about €3000-€3500). Most of them also offer shorter trips, such as a four-day trip, for about $1500-$2000. For those of you who are visiting Ecuador anyway and have some flexibility around when you can take your Galapagos trip, you could take a risk and try booking a last-minute cruise. A couple in my group did this and their price was a lot cheaper. So if you’re not set on booking a high-end, luxury yacht, this can be a relatively affordable trip, especially considering it is the trip of a lifetime. Visiting the Galapagos Islands may not be a budget trip but I can guarantee you - they are worth every penny.