Category: South America

We spent 4 days and 3 nights cruising around the Galápagos Islands on a small yacht named the Calipso.  The vessel slept 16 passengers with 9 crew members. The intimate atmosphere allowed us to get to know our fellow guests more than typical tours. We are grateful to have sailed with some very amazing people and look forward to potentially meeting up with them again in the future.

This was an excursion-heavy itinerary which took us to several of the islands. Peter, our naturalist guide, shared tons of information about the islands, plants, wildlife, and history along the way. On our excursions, we would take a zodiac to different scenic locations. The highlight for us was the snorkeling. We’ve snorkeled quite a bit and in different places around the world, but this was, by far, our favorite snorkeling experience!  

The volcanic rocks under the water on Floreana Island were teeming with thousands of vibrant fish of all shapes and sizes. We saw a white tip reef shark swim directly under us. He was minding his own business, so we minded ours too and kept swimming (in the opposite direction).  We got a great view of a sea turtle gliding gracefully through the water. It was such a spectacular day we didn’t think we’d be able to top it, but the next day we did just that. We sailed to Santa Fe Island and during our snorkel many sea lions swam with us. They would jump into the water from the rocks and zoom past us, twisting and playing. It was truly magical. I think the sea lions were wishing Rex a happy 50th birthday!  

We don’t have any pictures of our underwater adventures because we didn’t have a camera capable of underwater photography. We realize now that we need to fix that and will be looking to purchase one soon. We don’t want to miss capturing these breathtaking aquatic moments in the future.  Plus, we want to be able to share them with you. 

Now roaming in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador 🇪🇨!

The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago chain of islands off the coast of Ecuador. Like Hawai’i, they were created over millions of years as volcanoes erupted and the tectonic plates shifted forming large land masses surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. 

After our change of plans due to the political unrest in Peru, we added a few extra days in the Galápagos Islands. We stayed near the harbor in Puerto Ayora which is on Santa Cruz Island.  

We didn’t have any prearranged tours for these extra days, so we literally roamed around to see what we could find. 

We visited a local fish market where wildlife and tourists stand side by side watching the fish mongers prep the day’s catch. 

We also visited the Charles Darwin Research Station where our guide educated us on the history and wildlife of the Galápagos and saw the most famous of the islands’ tortoises, Lonesome George. George was the last member of his species who sadly died about 10 years go. His body is now on display in a climate controlled exhibit within the facility. 

Boy, is it hot here!  The temperature itself is always around 27° C / 80° F, but the humidity and the intense sun made the afternoons unbearable. So, we followed the script we used in the Amazon and went out in the mornings and then retreated to our hotel after lunch to cool down until late afternoon as the sun started to set and the temperature dropped to a more manageable number. 

We rented a taxi to take us to an area higher in elevation in the middle of the island to El Chato Ranch to walk amongst the giant tortoises where they live and roam freely. Seeing these large creatures up close was a great experience not to be missed if you come to Galápagos. 

We also walked a nature path around two giant sinkholes and explored lava tubes created millions of years ago when this island’s volcanoes were still active. 

We were told to make sure we tried the Brujo fish. Brujo is a scorpionfish and it was delicious. We tried it at Bahia Mar. Great atmosphere, on the water with delicious food. It was a great close to our stay on Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos. 

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Hot springs?  Yes, please!

After returning from the Amazon, we had a couple of days in Quito before we had to fly again, so we took a break to enjoy volcanic hot springs about an hour outside the city high in the Andes Mountains. The Papallacta Hot Springs was beautiful. We arrived before our room was ready, took a hike along an adjacent nature preserve, and enjoyed the hot pools while the front desk held our bags. We soaked in the warm water and watched the clouds crawl across the mountains for most of the afternoon. It even rained pretty hard for about an hour, but we didn’t care. The cold raindrops felt nice as we floated in the steamy water. It was very peaceful and relaxing. 

The next day, we took a spontaneous side trip to visit a rose farm. Roses are one of the top six exports for Ecuador, which makes production very important for this region of the country. 

Sacha Rose Farm is located in the heart of the Ecuadorian Andean region at 10,500 feet above sea level. Natural springs, rich soil, and the perfect amount of sunlight are needed to produce the biggest roses on the planet. And boy, are they big. Some stems can be over 6 feet long and the bud base as big as you fist. 

In Ecuador, you can purchase 25 long-stemmed roses of any color for $2 US. Yes, only two bucks. Try to get away with that this Valentine’s Day!

We took a tour of their flower beds and the production facility. It was fascinating to see how they were sorted for various markets, prepped, boxed, and stored for shipment. We were told it takes only two days from harvest to arrive anywhere anywhere in the world for customers to purchase. 

The farm exports to major distributors for 50¢ to 90¢ per stem depending on the rose. That’s quite the markup when buying roses from your local florist. 

We didn’t know what to expect when we decided to visit this farm, but the tour turned out to be a nice surprise. 

We’ve visited the Ecuadorean highlands, the Amazon, and the coastal region. We have one more region to visit. Any guesses where we’re off to next?

As we make our way back to Coca for our flight to Quito, we wanted to leave you with an understanding of the incredible wildlife in this area. 

The last few days have been eye-opening and educational. We loved every minute of our time here.  La Selva Ecolodge isn’t a zoo or an amusement park. It is the real deal. The area surrounding the lagoon is teaming with life and this is their home. We were merely guests here. Even though we were told several times that wildlife sightings aren’t guaranteed, we were very fortunate to see so much during our stay. 

The Amazon is wild and untamed, some creatures can actually kill you, but with great guides, jungle friendly insect repellent and a pair of rubber boots, you can immerse yourself in the beauty of the the rainforest. If the Amazon region isn’t yet on your list to visit, you have to add it. 

Our naturalist guide shared with us some photos he had taken of some (but not all) of the wildlife we encountered and told us we could share them. We also took so many photos we couldn’t post them all, so we added them to the end of the video. We hope you enjoy it. 

We are in Ecuador for another 15 days. This country is incredible.  If you are interested in a trip to Ecuador, we can help you plan it.

Today we visited a smaller clay lick in the Yasuni National Park where, if you are lucky, the scarlet macaws come down for a drink of the mineral-rich water that pools in this area. It had rained heavily the day before, so our guide warned us we might sit there for three hours with no wildlife sightings, and to bring a book to pass the time. 

From the river, our guide led us through a small coffee plantation, and a narrow rainforest trail to a covered outdoor theater constructed by the park for viewing without disturbing the birds. Our small 4 person group were the first to arrive and got prime seats in the front row. Then we waited. We had to stay seated and completely silent (you know that was very hard for me) to not spook the macaws. Surprisingly, after about 10 minutes of reading our books and periodically searching the trees for macaws, we heard squawking from above and the tree tops began to move. We saw one macaw, then two, then four. Within minutes about ten huge scarlet macaws were milling about in the trees!  After further squawking, the first macaw dropped to the ground and began to drink, a minute later the second, then the third. Once the fourth dropped and tried to drink, a scuffle broke out and two flew back into the trees. This continued as each bird took its turn drinking. After about 20 minutes of watching these colorful birds, a loud barking call was made off in the distance, apparently alerting the flock of a potential danger. They all took off at the same time and were gone. Our guide told us that might be all we would see for the day, but sometimes they come back, so again we waited. About an hour and a half later as more people were entering the theater, a new group of macaws began to drop in. It was an incredible sight to see. These creatures are magnificent!

Our afternoon excursion was a trek through the rainforest in search of new flora or fauna. We saw a fungi called the wine cup (our kind of fungi!) and had to escape a migrating group of army ants who were using the same narrow trail we needed to walk down. I kept seeing the scene from Indiana Jones where the ants swarm the bad guy, so I picked up my pace to a light jog and got the heck out of their way. 

This was our last day in the rainforest, as all good things must come to an end. We aren’t happy we are leaving this majestic place, but we are leaving it very happy.

Our adventures aren’t over yet. We still have more of this beautiful country to explore.