John Bailey of Bailey Travel escorted a trip of 18 people to Ecuador's Galapagos Islands from April 25 to May 5. They flew to Quito, then Guayaquil, then an old Air Force base in the Galapagos.
From there, they got in little rubber boats called Zodiacs, which took them to the 98-passenger Xpedition ship (operated by Celebrity Cruise Lines). They cruised nearly 700 miles around the islands, using the small Zodiac boats to go from ship to land.
"Sometimes you had to chase the seals away so we could land," Bailey said.
His travel tip: All of the Galapagos Islands belong to a protected national park, so no one is permitted on the islands without a licensed, authorized guide.
Note: I have been to Ecuador twice, but I never made it to Galapagos, so I am obviously very jealous that I am posting this on my blog as a "Wish you were here" rather than a travel tale and photo from a journey of my own. I have read about Galapagos since I was little and so it has always been atop my list of places to go. I've heard it can be rather pricey though. Any tips on doing it cheaply?
Quick quiz: What is the largest (most populous) city in Ecuador? Post your guess as a comment (no Googling or otherwise cheating)
Celebrity Cruises sounds like the way to go!!!
The Galapagos Islands is on my life list and your picture totally depicts the adventure as my mind would see it.