HEIDI K.
Galapagos and mainland Ecuador
The 'Grace' is a wonderful traditional boat although a bit noisy and rocky on rough seas, but we loved it; we had a very nice spacious room; the staff, food and our guide (Raffa) were excellent. The daily activities were well organized; however, if you don't like swimming, diving or at least snorkeling twice daily, what do you do? Sit on the boat! The excursions on the various islands are lovely, but way too brief; one has no time whatsoever to walk along the lovely trails for a couple of hours to observe and enjoy the diverse landscapes and/or wildlife. We saw some great sea life, some rare creatures and birds close-up and liked seeing the islands, but I would not say that it was "a trip of a lifetime". We subsequently spent 2 weeks traveling on main land Ecuador by car which was fabulous, the roads are good, well sign-posted and driving is easy. Guayaquil (the Hotel del Parque is wonderful but way off the beaten track), Cajas National Park, and especially the colonial centers of the towns of Cuenca (the Hotel Mansion de Alcazar is lovely and has a good restaurant) and Quito are well worth spending time in; the Gangotena Hotel in Quito has a great location on the Plaza San Francisco and is good for exploring the historic center of town, but the restaurant is mediocre, and there are no good restaurants in the area (they are in the modern part of the city quite a long way away); we only liked the breakfast buffet. Driving north from Quito to visit various lagunas and haciendas is a wonderful experience. We stayed for 4 full days at the Hacienda Zuleta which is a spectacular place, however, it is way overpriced in our opinion and there is relatively little to do: horseback riding which is great and hiking which is arduous and treacherous on the longer trails. Overall it was a great trip; traveling on the mainland contributed considerably to our very positive travel experience in Ecuador and we would certainly go back to explore more of the mainland.
Response from Quasar ExpeditionsAug 23, 2017
We very much appreciate your review, Heidi. We have many guests tell us that the Galapagos was their trip of a lifetime and we understand that this is especially true for those who have a deep love of nature and wildlife. The Galapagos really is the only place on earth where one can so reliably get so close to, and even interact with, wildlife. As opposed to many National Parks around the world, the activities in the Galapagos are mandated exclusively by the Galapagos National park. This means that when, where and how long all cruises in the Galapagos spend at landing sites is determined by the National Park and not by the cruise companies, which is part of the reason why the Islands continue to be wild, pristine and beautiful today. Our yachts typically visit two different landing sites each day for up to 2 ½ hours per visit (duration is also mandated by the Galapagos National Park). We also typically spend an hour snorkeling at two different sites every day (the park does not allow scuba diving during cruises unless it is a dive dedicated cruise) along with some sea kayaking and zodiac rides. Add it up and you can see Quasar offers a very full day of activities, taking time for lunch and to change the yacht’s position to the next nearby landing site during the day. We have found that passengers tell us that there is so much activity that they might like to take a bit more time to relax, but that would mean missing some excursions, which is something guests opt not to do when on the Islands. All our hikes are dedicated to seeing the wildlife so we are frequently stopping to admire the animals, with guides serving as interpretive naturalists. While the snorkeling in the Galapagos is arguably the best in the world--with opportunities to snorkel with sea lions, sea turtles, Galapagos penguins, marine iguanas and tropical fish-- even for those who choose not to go in the water Galapagos offers lots of wildlife viewing at the landing sites. One can see things like giant tortoises, iguanas, sea lions, fur seals and many different kinds of birds including the famous blue footed booby. During some of our zodiac rides we visit mangrove estuaries that are like looking into giant aquariums full of sea turtles and rays, so that even those who don’t go in the water can have an amazing experience of the marine life. Did we mention dolphin and whale watching? Finally, it is a shame that you didn’t have more time in Colonial Quito as we could have had you sample a range of restaurants such as the Theatrum, which is very highly rated. Yes, Hacienda Zuleta is expensive, but as the former home of former President Galo Plaza, it is equivalent to staying at the Kennedy compound in Cape Cod with the exception that was first built at the end of the 1500s. There are other Haciendas one can stay in near to Zuleta that are about half the price and still have a great deal of history, but Zuleta is the best of the best, with the most extensive lands and amazing history. We thank you for your sincere feedback, and recommend that anyone who has doubts or concerns give us a call at any of the numbers found on our website www.quasarex.com or by emailing us directly at [email protected]. Thank you, The Quasar Expeditions' Management Team