Travel Articles: Ecuador

Kate and I, both being self proclaimed "foodies" welcomed as much of our trip revolving around food as possible. We became accustomed to snacking between meals and looked forward to the pick-me-up of trying new and unique flavors between our excursions. I’m fairly adventurous when it comes to new food and live by the “gotta …

There is so much to see in the Amazon from trees, flowers, creepy crawlies, birds, and beautiful sunsets. You are surrounded by the wilds of the forest, so its easy to get up close and personal with it! Paddle out on the lake to sit in the silence of the rainforest or hike a ways in to the trees and find a new friend.

Not only is the a massive amount of diversity in flora and fauna in the Amazon so are the difference in experiences you can have! Daily hikes reveal the uniqueness of the rainforest, stop for a swing on some vines growing from the trees, spend the morning in a tree-stand in the canopy spying for birds.

A visit to local indigenous communities …

We met a veterinarian studying in Galapagos--her current job is catching Short Earred Owls and collecting DNA samples to see if they vary from island to island. She was planning on diving with Academy Bay Scuba in two days, and offered us her spot so that my husband and I could go instead. So nice of her! We had to dive then, because our trip …

The next few days we spent in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz. It is a pretty quiet little town, with plenty of shops, restaurants, tour centers and dive places. There are hostels, bed and breakfasts, and resort type hotels. There are plenty of opportunities to arrange tours to other islands from here. Our 'home base' was La Peregrina Bed and …

On our final day of the cruise, we were up early for a visit to Mosquera Island. It is small, with a beautiful beach. The largest group of sea lions we encountered on the trip lazed on the sand or in the vegetation. The lighting was gorgeous--the benefit of the early embarkment. Sometimes photography was more difficult in the harsh, mid-day …

Rabida is dominated by the color red. Red beach, red paths, red rocks everywhere.

We hiked up above the beach and had a nice view back down.

Along the way, we got to see the Galapagos dove. It's a pretty bird, with iridescent purple along the side of its neck.

More Darwin finch sightings, and it is today's artist inspiration.

I found …

Elizabeth Bay was full of wildlife. There is no landing place--we explored from the dingies. The red mangroves are a great refuge for a variety of animals.

We viewed eagle rays, golden rays, bluefooted boobies, sea turtles, sea lions, flightless cormorants...on the water we saw 16 penguins and flying fish!

This series of photos (more in the …

Today was the first of two days visiting sites on Isabela Island. We landed at the harbor for Puerto Villamil, the town on Isabela, and with all the rain, our bus was late. So we explored the area, walking the trails and the beach.

A sea lion slept next to the trail. I could hear her inhale and exhale. It's so cute the way they tuck …

Up early for more adventures!

Bartolome island is an interesting place. The rocks are fantastic--there are amazing lava formations everywhere. And, on the way in....we saw a Galapagos penguin!!! That was an artist's inspiration, for sure!


Long ago, a group of penguins followed the cold Humboldt current up from Antarctica and settled …

Genovesa island made me feel like I was inserted in a National Geographic special. First of all, we anchored inside the caldera, as Genovesa is the top of a volcano. It really gave you a strong impression of the origins of these islands. This is a giant cove.

In Darwin Bay, I was greeted on the beach by the strange, hollow-tube sounding …

Galapagos began to show off immediately. As we were coming in for a landing, we spotted two yellow-orange land iguanas off the runway.

Darwin finches and lava lizards dodged in and out between groups of travelers.

We could smell the warm, moist air of the ocean. We were greeted by our guide, waited for our group then transferred to a bus, …

When you are planning a trip this big, it is good to have information. The islands have a lot to offer, and choices are always tough.

My trip was the end of May, 2015. We were in a "mild El Nino event", so the weather isn't typical for every year. We had rain most days. When it was rainy or overcast, it was quite nice.

The sun …