You have completed your basic research - you have selected your ship, your itinerary and you have dates.

Now, on to PLANNING:

     When to Go

     Getting There

     The Focus or Part of the Whole

WHEN TO GO?

If you have the luxury of traveling anytime, you can further maximize your Galapagos Experience by considering two influences:  weather and "who's in, what's up" so to speak.

WEATHER: In the real world, for you and I weather on the equator is not dramatically different any time of the year though it does influence life in the islands. 

WHO'S IN, WHAT'S UP: There are plenty of animals and plenty of activity in the islands all year. But each species has its cycles - when they mate, when the babies are born, when the kids are infants, when they are juveniles, when they learn to fly or fend for themselves. The Waved Albatross, as an example, take extended vacations and are not in residence December to April.

GETTING THERE:

There are plenty of flights into Quito and Guayaquil, from the US and from Latin America.  While not manatory by law, it is "mandatory by reality" to be in Ecuador two nights before flying to the islands for embarkation.

Why? To ensure that you do not, literally, "miss the boat". Because if for some reason - weather or mechanical - you do not arrive the first night, you still have another day to get to Ecuador. If you are not on the morning flight designated as "the flight" by your ship, you will miss the ship and there will be no way to catch up. Everything will be lost and there are no refunds of any kind.

So, plan on being in Ecuador two nights before the cruise.

THE FOCUS OR PART OF THE WHOLE?

Going to the the Galapagos may be the main goal of your journey or it may be part of a larger trip.

There are plenty of experiences in Ecuador: the rainforest, the cloud forest, Indian Markets, Haciendas, activities such as biking, hiking, trekking. Depending on what you want, you can easily spend two to three weeks just in Ecuador.

And the Galapagos are very often combined with Peru, giving a historical addition to the world of nature - a perfect combination of History and Natural History "Incas & Islands". 

NEXT WEEK - WEDNESDAY JUNE 1 - CHAPTER THREE, GALAPAGOS 101:

      DOING - Is it really a cruise, The Average Day , Wet vs Dry

LADATCO's preferred ships and itineraries 2012

2011 Holiday Space