Introduction

Herein lies the story of our magical trip to the Galapagos Islands, located on the equator about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. The islands belong to Ecuador, and most of the land and surrounding water are part of the Galapagos National Park. The Park Service tightly controls access to the islands: for example, group sizes are limited, number of people on an island at any one time is limited, island visits must occur between sunrise and sunset, and all visitors must be accompanied by a Park Service Guide.

.We made our travel arrangements with Natural Habitat Adventures in Boulder, Colorado; they, in turn, sub-contracted with Quasar Nautica in Quito. We made the choice based on travel reviews, size of ship, length of trip, and time of year available. We were pleased with the arrangements, and the folks from Quasar Nautica were especially good – we were well cared-for throughout the trip.

This log is chronological, describing what we did each day, with pictures throughout. To save space, the photographs are intentionally small – to see any picture in full size, just double-click on the photo. Enjoy …..