Galapagos - before / after the liveaboard

[HJ]

I've just managed to book a trip next year in August which is very exciting. It will be our first time in Galapagos so we are wondering whether to add on a topside trip either before or after the liveaboard trip either land based or one of the cruises. Any thoughts / recommendations? I'm not sure how much of the islands you get to see from the liveaboard trip.

Thanks!

 

[RJP]

I've just managed to book a trip next year in August which is very exciting. It will be our first time in Galapagos so we are wondering whether to add on a topside trip either before or after the liveaboard trip either land based or one of the cruises. Any thoughts / recommendations? I'm not sure how much of the islands you get to see from the liveaboard trip.

Thanks!

You don't get to see much of the land stuff on liveaboards.

My buddy and I stopped at Macchu Picchu on the way home instead of staying in Galapagos...

 

[scubajoe86]

We did back to back liveaboards to combine a land trip and a dive trip. One week on the Ocean Spray doing land excursions and some snorkeling followed by a week on the Galapagos Sky for diving. We had 1 night in between the boats on San Cristobal. We were really glad we did 2 boats as the 2 land trips that were part of the Galapagos Sky itinerary really weren't enough to understand the true uniqueness of each island. I can't say enough good things about both boats as they really were 1st class operations. No major issues and even the very minor items they addressed quickly and professionally.

 

[cephalopod2]

You can see a lot of beautiful vistas from the liveaboard and may get to spend some quality time with frigates and boobies either drafting the boat or perched on a railing, but the land visits are now limited - nowhere near enough to experience the full beauty of the islands and their wildlife in my experience. You will likely visit Bartolome, and Santa Cruz for tortoises (the latter the most touristy and populated of the islands). I would consider North Seymour and possibly also South Plazas day trips if you are starting/ending in Santa Cruz. I have done both multiple times and would do both again. You can also do a Bartolome day trip (earlier start, longer day) if your liveaboard isn't hitting it.

Depending on how much time you have, many liveaboard divers spend time in Isabela pre/post trip now, which has a lot of wildlife (including penguins and tortoises) and tour opportunities, as well as a volcano hike, a very beautiful lava bridge area, etc.

All my trips I have done significant extensions, including land-based diving from Santa Cruz, San Cristobal and Isabela; day trips to other islands by boat; Isabela land tours; local exploring via foot, taxi or motorbike (motorbike may be impossible now). Working with someone local makes it a lot easier to book some of the smaller hotels, find out the best DMs and dive ops currently, etc.

Hope you'll let us know how your trip was when you get back!

 

[Scared Silly]

Regardless of the trip we have found that doing the land based portion before the water based portion works best for us. That is especially true when doing a week of diving. The other factor is more practical. One rarely gets dive gear dry and leaving stowed damp for a week is going to lead to more than monk suit smells.

 

[champ]

We did a week liveaboard on the Aggressor and I thought it had enough of land visits. I would add on 4 days at an Eco Lodge in the Amazon, maybe 2 days in Quito and 2 days on the country side.

 

[Doc Harry]

Plan Your Own Galapagos Vacation
There is certainly plenty to see and do in the islands, especially if you prefer to plan your vacations and you've got a year to do your research and planning. It's easy to ride water ferries from island to island, lodging is easy to find and dirt cheap ($15-$25 per night if you don't need a fancy room), and you could keep yourself busy sight-seeing on each and every island. Get a good map and take plenty of taxi money!

There is enough to see and do that you can even arrive in the islands without a plan and shoot from the hip while you're there, which kinda what I like to do.

Take Land Tours
There are plenty of tour operators on the islands (especially in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz) and you can sign up for pre-arranged day tours if you are more unsure of yourself or a bit lazier.

Take a Cruise
There are also many cruises through the islands, with landings on multiple islands and a lot of nice hikes. The cruises provide tour guides to go ashore with you. Some of the cruises also include a lot of snorkeling (which I find boring). This is a really fantastic choice if you can afford another live-aboard trip in addition to your scuba live-aboard trip.

Remember that the Galapagos is on the equator and the sun is brutal. You'll want long-sleeve everything and sun hats, but make sure all of your clothes are light and airy because it can be oppressively humid as well as oppressively hot.

Of course, you can spend your extra time on the mainland instead of the islands - but why?

Avoid going through Quito if you can, and fly into Guayaquil instead. The Quito airport is a long way from the city of Quito and the airport is plagued with fog problems, so you may get diverted to Guayaquil. If you must fly through Quito, allow a couple of extra days in Quito as a buffer so that you don't miss your flight to the islands - and then miss your dive cruise.

FYI - the flights from Quito to the islands usually goes: Quito > brief stop in Guiyaquil > Islands

Enjoy.