Islas Galápagos

Anyone who asks me what's at the top of my list for most incredible experiences is no doubt going to be subjected to an unbearable amount of gushing about how amazing The Galapagos Islands are. No matter how much praise I give them, it's almost impossible to completely appreciate their beauty without seeing them firsthand, but none the less I'll try to give a little insight into my Galapagos experience.

Galapagos 2010

Gari, Kelly, Alex & I

Gari, Kelly & I pre-snorkelling with turtles

Again booking through Quito locals Happy Gringo, we were able to get a last minute booking for four of us, which set us up on an 8 day boat tour including flights, accommodation, food and tour guide. We were incredibly fortunate in the fact that we were able to get an amazing deal allowing us to afford a normally much more expensive tour package - all due to our last minute nature and flexibility with travel plans. If you are comfortable with last minute plans, or are flexible with travel plans I couldn't recommend booking a Galapagos tour in country any more! In discussions with our fellow tourists on our boat we found that those who had booked in advance had paid up to double the amount for the exact experience.

'The most beautiful face in the world'

Lonesome George

Our tour was with G Adventures, who provided us with whom I can only explain as one of the most amazing tour guides I've come into contact with yet, Julio. If you ever meet the man, please be sure to ask him about 'the most beautiful creatures in the world', his beloved Iguanas. We also had the amazing experience of seeing Lonesome George, the last known of the Pinta Island Tortoise subspecies before he died in 2012.

The Blue-Footed Booby

Baby Fur Seal

Getting up close and personal with the fur seals

We were inundated with incredible wildlife and natural beauty across the few islands that we managed to experience. Most notable would be the unforgettable Blue-footed Booby (even for the name alone) and the pink iguanas, which were definitely the beautiful faces that Julio insisted they were! We were incredibly lucky to get up close and personal with both fur seals and sea lions, not to mention swimming with the Galapagos tortoises.

I was unique in the experience of coming a bit too close for comfort to a Galapagos shark, which I was told in hindsight that they're not too fond of eating humans (however the experience was none the less terrifying at the time).

The pictures don't do it justice, but I can't recommend it enough, if you ever get the chance jump, leap and bound straight at it!

-Melissa