Ethan G.
5/5
My wife and I just returned from an 11-day cruise on the Tip Top II, booked through Galapagos Travel. The trip was first-class all the way, with a few caveats travelers should be aware of.
The agency’s website is one of the best we’d encountered, with lots of detail about what to bring and expect. That said, the website is also misleading as the map and itinerary posted is for the Tip Top IV, while many of their trips use the Tip Top II which follows a DIFFERENT itinerary and does not stop at all the islands as the Tip Top IV. We wish the agency website was more upfront about the different itineraries and which tours followed which route.
The guides for the trip were OUTSTANDING. Our guide was Daniel Fitter, perhaps best known for his book “Wildlife of the Galapagos”, one of the top-reviewed field guides to the Galapagos. Daniel was absolutely outstanding in his level of knowledge and willingness to share. He was accompanied by his cousin Joed in the role of naturalist, who was a never-ending fountain of information about the birds, animals, plants, marine life, and local cuisine. Both Daniel and Joed were highly enthusiastic, extremely kind and professional, and always ready to lend a hand or take a question. I have never encountered better guides. Daniel and Joed made sure we were always the first group onto the islands under the best light for photography and at the right times for seeing the wildlife in their active state. In most cases we were also the last ones off the islands, often staying for sunset and straying far longer in each destination than the other tour groups. In contrast, many of the guides from other tours we encountered seemed in a rush to get through their destinations, spoke in broken English, and offered little in the way of information about what their groups were seeing. Our guides made the additional cost of booking with Galapagos Travel well worth it compared with "bargain" agencies.
The ship and accommodations aboard the Tip Top II were outstanding and the ship’s crew excellent. The food was simple but delicious and well varied, often including local offerings as well as familiar ones.
Accommodations in Quito at the Hotel Mercure were quite nice. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, with an excellent breakfast buffet included with the room. The only negative was that the windows were not well sound-proofed and on two occasions the “boom-boom-boom” of the bass from a hotel fiesta kept us awake until after midnight.
Pick-ups and drop-offs at the airports were well-coordinated. Our only complaint was the early flight schedule to Galapagos from Quito, which necessitated leaving the hotel at 4:30am local time (1:30am in my California time). The intention was to get everyone to Galapagos early so that we could get orientated and have a half-day of activities. Nevertheless, it would have been nice to sleep in and adjust a bit first, and I only ended up feeling like a zombie for a day or two after as a result.
The ship-board schedule was equally intense, with wake ups around 5:00am followed by breakfast and landings on the islands around 6:00am. The morning walk was typically followed by a short break and snorkeling in some of the most amazing spots – besides all the different fish, we got to swim with sea turtles, penguins, sea lions, dolphins, and even a few sharks and an octopus! After lunch, we had either a second snorkel or kayaking opportunity, followed by a second walk on the islands in the evening light. After dinner was a nature or historic talk, and an overview of the next day’s activities.
In summary, this is a well-done trip and the guides and schedule Galapagos Travel uses makes this a top choice for seeing the islands and the wildlife. Highly recommended!
