Hi
Folks in Internet Land and Water,
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| Joanne & Richard explore Galapagos |
Perhaps
you have googled your way here in hopes of locating useful
information about the NationalGeographic Islander expeditions
in the Galapagos. My wife Joanne and I booked a ten-day
trip on the Islander in June 2015. A free airfare from
Miami to the Galapagos for the June 21st expedition enticed us
to sign-up for this time slot. Almost everything was
included in expedition price:
Free
airfare on American Airlines from Miami to Guayaquil, Ecuador and
back
-
-
$200
gift certificate to B&H photography store,
All
transfers between airport, hotel and ship
"Escort
service" starting in Miami to make sure you don't get lost
All
meals, soft drinks, snacks on board including breakfasts at the
hotel and
Tour
of the Charles Darwin Research Center and a highlands tour of
Santa Cruz including wild tortoises, a coffee and
sugarcane farm with still and an excellent lunch at a rain forest restaurant.
The
Hotel Hilton Colon is nothing but first class. The Avianca plane
looked to be brand new with lots of leg room in economy.
Extras
are:
A
DVD documenting the expedition plus a behind the scenes tour.
$50
Alcoholic
beverages - only $4 for a bottle of beer
Tee
shirts or other souvenirs -about $24/tee in Santa Cruz,
Suggested
tip of $180 pp for 30 crew members and
Wireless
Internet connection - slow and expensive
We
purchased the DVD. The video is astonishingly well done.
The trip price is fair considering the number of crew and the quality of
service.
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| National Geographic Islander |
You
may have noticed that I refer to our trip as an expedition, not a
cruise. Well, the expedition part is all taken care of by the
folks at Lindblad and the Islander crew.
You will just be a tourist. That's all you can be unless you find
some kind of volunteer position as all trips into the park area which
covers most of the land and sea in the Galapagos require permits and a
licensed naturalist. The Islander is
not a cruise ship. You will not find a casino, swimming pool or 24
hour buffet. What you do find is amazing wildlife, up close
snorkeling and kayaking along shorelines and hiking island trails.
The National
Geographic Islander is
registered as an expedition ship. To me it is a
luxurious ship. The least expensive cabin on the boat, the one
we booked, featured a bed wide enough for four, a small desk
that served for our notebook computer, ample storage space, head,
shower and sink. The lounge, dinning room and upper decks are
beautifully appointed.
The Islander is
a catamaran which means that it has two hulls making it more stable
than a monohull, but not as stable as a big cruise ship with
stabilizers. The boat moves around a little in a seaway
but not much. Mostly, the ship motors from anchorage to
anchorage in the early morning hours when folks are asleep. I
was surprised when one morning our expedition leader complained
and apologized for the ship's motion during the night as I
had found the muted motion to be comforting. I didn't hear
anyone else complaining about the ship's motion but the staff offers
free sea sickness medication for landlubbers just in case.
Each
hull holds a big Detroit diesel to propel the ship. Also, a big
Detroit generator provides all the electricity that the guests and
crew can possibly use including A/C. The ship was way too cold for me
but probably just right for others. A water maker makes more
water by reverse osmosis that anyone
could want. The water is purer than your water at home. A big water heater makes hot water for showers. As
my old boss was fond of saying, "Just like downtown!"
How's
the food? We found the breakfasts and lunches to be very tasty,
the dinners less so although some people raved about all the
meals.
What's
best about the National
Geographic Islander besides
its location in the Galapagos and its luxurious accommodations?
The crew, of course. Lynn Fowler, the expedition leader, has
many years experience including six months of camping alone with
tortoises in one of the island's calderas for
her Ph.D. research. Park rules require that a
certified naturalist accompany us tourists on every hike, kayak
paddle and snorkel. Our naturalists were exceptional. I
have the impression that Ben could talk about the different birds we
spotted for months on end if given the chance; his knowledge of the
Galapagos is`extensive. Juan Carlos also served as photo
instructor; he received training from National Geographic. Enrique,
only 25 years old, was also pressed into service as the ship's sea
lion pup by the many kids on board. He held up well.
We
were among the oldest of the tourists who ranged from five to
eighty-two. All of us were able to hike across rough terrain and
snorkel. I brought my hiking stick but it went unused as hiking
sticks are available on board but only a few of us needed them.
What
to bring? After you sign-up , Lindblad will send you travel
information including a list of stuff to bring with you. Although
all snorkeling equipment is available on the ship, we brought our own
masks, snorkels and wet suits. It's up to you, but if you bring your
own mask that you know for sure it fits; that is one less worry. And
you know your own wet suit will keep you reasonably warm.
There
were lots of high quality cameras in use on our trip. Before
the trip, I received a link to a web seminar presented by a National
Geographic photographer. He provided tips and reviewed some of the
cameras then available. One tip that I did not follow was to store
the camera outside the state room; I didn't see anywhere to store the
camera and didn't bother to ask. Every day, the maid
turned the A/C down to absolutely freezing and then we turned the A/C
off. When the freezing cold camera hit the outside air, condensation
formed on the lens until the camera warmed up which took awhile.
Our
posts below chronicle our trip. You can also see some of my better
photographs. Some of the other tourists got much better ones
and David, the video chronicler, just amazing.
Books I read before the trip:
The Galapagos: A Natural History by Henry Nicholis
Galapagos: In Darwin's Footsteps by Mark Newman
Our last full day was pent on the spectacular northern island of Genovesa and it is one of the most pristine islands in the archipelago. We began with an early morning kayak along the shore where we spotted Nazca and red-footed boobies and tropicbirds along with some small fur sea lions (a different species than what we've seen previously). Later we went on a naturalist led walk. It is amazing that the birds just sit there in their nests or in the mangroves and are not at all afraid of people. Richard and the rest of the photographers were ecstatic because its easy to get some great shots.
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