7 Days Galapagos Expedition: San Cristobal & Santa Cruz Island

Traveler Reviews

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  Danielle

  April 15th, 2023
  3.0
  Luckily the scenery and the excursions are great as for the tour personnel that has a lot to be desired. Upon our...
  Luckily the scenery and the excursions are great as for the tour personnel that has a lot to be desired. Upon our arrival at San Christobal airport, we were not met with our tour guide, and after 2 hours decided to speak to other tour companies that were there to help us out. Due to a lack of internet and Wifi, we were not able to communicate with the tour radar company. The other tour guides acquired a taxi for us and the taxi driver was fantastic and figured she would drive us around the island to figure out where to take us at no charge until she could get a hold of somebody with information. We were dropped off at a tour company that was listed on my itinerary who had no idea and was extremely helpful in allowing us to use the wifi to communicate since we were not informed prior to where we were staying since it was super secret squirrel info. We had to wander around the town for a bit while the tour company we were with went to the airport to pick someone up so we went to lunch, even after confirming our flight details and flight numbers prior to our departure for this trip, it was reported they were at the airport 3.5 hours after our arrival and we were not at the location. Finally, we met up with our "tour operator" who brought us to the location we were staying. At this time we have now wasted the majority of the Free day we had in the town stressed and hoping I did not book through a false website. All of the places we stayed were very nice! At this time we were informed of what time to be ready in the am for our day trip. Unfortunately, there are very limited places to get breakfast that early, and service times at said locations take too long so have meals that do not need to be cooked ready to go. The next morning we met with someone who took us to our trip meeting spot and was informed the snorkel equipment would be issued on the boat, take note I do not believe they clean the equipment or test it, half the stuff was broken or not fitted appropriately. The food on the boat excursions was probably some of the best food I had, they are amazing cooks. One of the day trips was a bit rough since it was a fishing boat not meant for all-day tours and had no place to actually sit outside, inside was a dry area so no wet stuff. that did make for a really long day. The Ferry is an experience in itself with very stagnant air. Make sure you have dollar coins available for small little boat fees that are not previously mentioned until already in the taxi boat. On Santa Cruz Island our tour guide did not communicate with us at all, there was a bit of a language barrier but our Spanish was functional but she did not even communicate with us in Spanish. Just follow her while speed walking. The same tour guide also abandoned us at the Darwin Center and we were left to fend for ourselves returning, luckily it is a gorgeous walk, and taxis are readily available. Due to being stranded at the airport we were compensated with a meal but were told what we were allowed to have and where we were going and at what time. It was a little time-constricted due to the excursion they booked for us that day we got back to the hotel 10 minutes prior to the dinner reservations the same tour guide who refused to communicate with us brought us there. The Kicker Rock snorkeling is amazing, do not miss that one. The 360 tour was awesome as well. The wildlife definitely likes to show off. I had a Go-Pro for the aquatic adventures as well as the land adventures and it was a wonderful investment. Highly recommend. If the tour guides communicated with us directly it would have been a lot smoother, Thankfully our hotel in Santa Cruz was amazing (Posada Del Mar) a small family-owned and operated hotel, and EXTREMELY helpful and wanted all the best for their customers. Every day they made sure we knew what was needed for the trips as well as the times we needed to be where. With all that being said I would do this trip again, just ask a lot more questions prior to going. Communication is key! that would have made for a less stressful trip.Show more
  Traveled in March 2023
  

  Reply from: Responsible Travel South America

  Hi Danielle, Thank you for leaving your feedback, it is important to us and we’re sorry to hear that not all of your experience was positive. We strive incredibly hard here to make every traveler experience enjoyable and we’re sorry we’ve been partly unable to meet your expectations this time. As you can hopefully see from our other reviews, your situation is the exception and far from our usual high standards and company values. In response to your comment about your transfer from San Cristobal Airport, we can assure you that usually we meet travelers upon arrival, but when this doesn’t happen it’s frustrating for everyone involved and I hope the dinner invitation somewhat made up for the inconvenience. Regarding the quality of the boat and snorkeling equipment, please know that we will address this review with the team so they can learn from it and improve. Thank you for bringing this to our attention as you have mentioned communication is key! Thank you again for sharing your feedback with us – we take all reviews seriously and will use them in our continuous improvement efforts! All the best, The Ecuador Galapagos Travels Team

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