Sandy & Garry B – Oliver BC | Galapagos and Ecuadorian Amazon | Feb-March 2017
Hi Jen,We had a spectacular time.The Galápagos was first class all the way. We had a FANTASTIC time in Galapagos. They were outstanding, from the caption to the housekeeper, they were all first class. Very pleasant, efficient and caring, for both their passengers and the environment. We had fantastic meals and were well looked after, actually spoiled. Our guide Galo ensured we saw everything the Galapagos had to offer. Galo was an awesome guide and he kept us very busy. He was super knowledgeable, very eager to share and you could see his obvious passion for the islands. We toured and snorkelled every day. We swam with the giant sea turtles, many kinds of fish, sea lions, the odd shark and the Black Sea iguanas, for those that like them. (Not my favourite! Haha!). The islands were amazing, all kinds of birds and marine life to see. I would highly recommend the Anahi to others! Fantastic!
Excellent in every way! The Villa Laguna Hotel in Puerto Ayora is a lovely hotel, small and quaint. There was an outside pool, which felt like heaven in that heat. The staff were wonderful and very helpful when we enquired about activities in Puerto Ayora. They also serve cold beer for a nominal fee which was a plus! The Wyndham Quito Airport hotel was amazing, our room as awesome. Great service! Breakfast was included with the stay and I can honestly say it was delicious. The hotel staff were friendly, courteous and extremely helpful. I highly recommend this hotel, outstanding! The trip to the NAPO centre was an event for sure. Our 11:30 am flight was delayed over three hours so we didn’t arrive until 4:30 pm. We were met at the airport and quickly taken to the water taxi which would take us down the Napo River. Off we went in a river taxi. Of course, we were on the boat when it got dark……the driver hardly used his lights which was a little worry some for me (since he was going FAST and there was tons of wood, etc., in the river) but we arrived safe and sound at the dock for the paddle boat. Now, that was an experience I won’t repeat, Garry loved it though. The headlight was a flashlight on the bow of the boat. I found it spooky, Garry thinks I’m nuts. Anyway, down the river we went in just about total black for 1.5 hours. Along the way we met a very pissed off Caimon who was eating an anaconda beside the boat…..he kinda of snarled at us when they flashed a light at him. Fricking scary for me. However, we arrived safe and sound and were greeted with a wonderful meal. After dinner, we were taking to our cabin and advised that our start time the following day wouldn’t be too early! Yippee! The cabins were very, very nice. We saw lots of birds and mammals over the next two days. Our guide Marcello was amazing at finding birds with his scope. He caught on quickly that my husband was a birder and was extremely helpful with bird identification.
The Wildlife Centre was awesome. We found lots of birds, oh, yes we watched a 10 foot Caimon swimming around the lake. Ooooohhhh yuck, I didn’t want him anywhere near me. Lol. All in all it was a super holiday. This trip was only possible with the excellent service we received from Jen Lubey, Tour Specialist with the Heritage Safari Company. She proved us excellent service while planning the trip and provided us with a detailed outline of our entire trip which was extremely helpful. We referred to this outline numerous times. (A few people on the Anahi commented that there tour company had not provided them with detailed itineraries.) Thanks also to Andre and Christina from Tropic, Quito for their service.
It was a trip of a life time, with we have some wonderful memories. Thanks!
