Carol Shaddix Cruises Silversea to the Galapagos Islands!
Friday, February 21, 2025
To begin, my husband, Doug, and I traveled on Silversea, as they are the best cruise line to the Galapagos Islands. Why? Not only have been doing it the longest, they have the most amazing guides (all from the Galapagos Islands), and they have the newest and most luxurious ship specifically designed to sail this area.
Side Note: Another reason I’m so glad we used Silversea is – unlike a lot of other destinations – you really need someone who’s been doing this for decades to arrange all the logistics. The National Park Service heavily regulates these islands to keep them as pristine as possible. Silversea takes care of meeting all those guidelines for you, and using Silversea’s Door-to-Door service is the easiest, most inclusive, and stress-free way to travel.
Now to the Trip Highlights:
Day 1-2 - Quito
The Galapagos Islands are about 700 miles from Quito and our package included two nights there. It was an easy 5-hour flight from Atlanta to Quito, and our 2-night stay was in the beautiful JW Marriott.
The Silversea staff was there to greet us when we arrived – and stayed there until the last flight came in at 2:30am! They had our welcome package ready for us, and said someone would be at the desk the next day from 7am to midnight until our departure in case we had any questions.
We got a great night’s sleep, then the next day did the included tour of Quito, which included a drive around the city.
We also got a tour of a chocolate factory, as Ecuador is known for its microclimate conducive to growing the cacao beans. We learned that dark chocolate has significant health benefits, but milk chocolate has none, and white chocolate is not chocolate at all, “in fact, it hurts my heart to even say the two words together,” said Jared, our tour host!
We learned that Ecuador’s biggest exports are:
- Oil, Shrimp, Bananas, Cacao, Tuna Fish and Roses!
The guide told us that due petroleum being such a high export, their fuel costs are very minimal. For instance, they can do public transportation for as little as 35 cents.
What caught my attention was the roses – they were everywhere in this hotel! Due to their position at the equator, the roses grow straight and tall – the stems must have been 3 feet long! They were in huge arrangements, and are changed every week by the hotel’s in-house floral department. I asked how much it cost the hotel for these beautiful flowers, and while she said she didn’t know for sure, we were told you could usually buy 75 rose for $5!
After our two nights there, the next morning was an early departure to Quito and the Guayaquil airport, then on to the Galapagos. The luggage had to be separately scanned and tagged prior to landing in the Galapagos to be sure no foreign substances would be introduced. When we picked up our luggage in Quito, they all had green zip-tie closures so they couldn’t be opened and anything else added.
The Silversea guides walked us through the airport as far as possible, then we waited for our smaller plane to take us to Guayaquil, where we picked up additional passengers before landing in San Cristobal where we would board our ship.
Our arrival in San Cristobal had us go through their customs process (there are fees for this, but included in your Silversea fare). Then all the luggage was lined up and the officials had a dog go through and sniff all the luggage to be sure nothing was there that shouldn’t be.
From there we identified our luggage and the Silversea guides took us to the bus and to the zodiacs to board the ship where we had a delicious lunch!
Our staterooms had a welcome bottle of champagne as well as expedition backpacks and a stainless refillable water bottle to use on our excursions.
Day 3 - On to the Islands!
On our way to the ship, we did a detour to see an abandoned boat that had a
platform for sea lions. Once onboard, we had a delicious lunch, followed by the mandatory muster drill.
Next up was the snorkeling gear distribution in preparation, which included wet suits and snorkels, fins all in a duffel-bag backpack, followed by the destination briefing.
We set sail mid-afternoon, and our first evening was highlighted by the sunset sail away around Kicker Rock, where the captain circumnavigated it several times so we could all get the best photos. Then it was on to a delicious dinner of beef tenderloin for Doug and grilled sea bass for me.
Day 4 – Bartolome Summit & Buccaneer Cove
The day started early this morning, and you could choose from a zodiac tour or an adventure hike. We chose the hike, and had to be off the ship at 7am to walk up Bartolome Summit, one of the area’s most beautiful panoramic viewpoints. It was a two-hour excursion, but lots of stops in between as we spotted the wildlife and learned about the plants unique to this island.
We got some incredible photos, saw Lava Lizards, Darwin Finches, and a Marine Iguana as well as some fun photos.
Side Note:
One of the fun parts of this summer trip was seeing the multigenerational groups that were onboard. One made a great celebration of their mother’s 75th birthday – all 31 of them! Another family chose to take their grown children and their spouses on their 50th anniversary celebration. Another group was made up of several families who all participated in swim team when their children were young but had stayed friends through the years. They all gathered to explore the Galapagos while reconnecting with each other.
Such a great way to create friends and family memories that will last for years to come!
We went back to the ship for a quick change to get ready for our beach snorkeling for beginners. (It had been too long since I had done any snorkeling, so the course was a good refresher.) Speaking of refreshing - the water at this time of year is very cold! The Humboldt Current is what brings a lot of cold and nutrient-rich water to the Islands, which causes the marine life to thrive. It is also what makes snorkeling a very cold experience, but we did it! There was the cutest Galapagos penguin swimming in the waters as we were starting our lesson, too.
After that experience, we went back to the ship for a hot shower, but on the way in, we were greeted by Juan, the Hotel Manager with the best hot chocolate I’ve ever tasted! What a nice welcome that was!
We enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the Grill – the section on the top of the ship which has great views (and delicious fish!), serenaded by music while and the Captain and the Maître ‘d made sure we had everything we needed. Then we went to a kayaking briefing as we wanted to participate in that excursion later in the week.
We had time for a quick Sunday afternoon nap, then to the zodiacs for a tour of Buccaneer Cover, Santiago. On this excursion, we saw lots of Blue Footed Boobies, Nazca Boobies, Brown Pelicans, Frigate birds and sea lions. We learned that the Frigate birds are called “the pirates of the Galapagos” because they can’t get wet or they will drown. If there are fish on the surface of the water, they can scoop those up with their long bills, but never land in the water like other birds do.
In order to get the food they need, they basically terrorize other birds who have caught fish, chasing them around and sometimes even biting their tails and swinging them back and forth until they throw up the fish from the stress. Then the Frigate birds eat their fish – just like real pirates!
Then it was back to the ship in time for a lecture on the geology of the Galapagos by the Silversea Naturalist. Later – and as would be the case for every night, Sofía, our Destination Leader, would give a briefing on the next day’s adventures – which would be Fernandina and Isabela Islands that we would visit the next day.
Day 5 – Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela & Punta Espinoza, Fernandina
Today’s highlight was the search for the Galapagos Penguin, which is not found anywhere else in the world. It’s one of the smallest species of penguins and the only one that lives north of the equator. Scientists estimate there are about 1,000 breeding pairs, which also makes it one of the rarest penguins in the world, too.
Add to that, is the fact that about 90 percent of the population is in the western islands of Fernandina and Isabela, so this was the perfect opportunity to spot them.
Our morning started with a zodiac tour where we visited the coastline of the Ecuador volcano. The weather was beautiful, and we saw lots of Blue Footed Boobies, sea turtles and sea lions.
Next up was the deep-water snorkeling tour. After the experience with cold water beach snorkeling the day before, I wasn’t sure I was going to be up for it. However, seeing a sea turtle close to the ship was the sign I needed to brave the cold and give it a try.
I am so glad I did!! I was with Dominica, our naturalist guide, who had a Go Pro with her. We saw some wonderful fish, but then also saw so many huge sea turtles as well as Marine Iguanas that were swimming and eating together. She got our group photo, and at the end of the tour, we saw a horn shark as well, apparently a rare thing to find.
It really was an amazing experience! How often do you get an opportunity to see such incredible animals up-close?? Of course coming back to the ship to that wonderful hot chocolate made it well worth the effort, too.
Did I mention that there is a heated towel and bath robe rack, so the staff greets you upon your return with warm towels and bath robes? Very luxurious treatment!
The afternoon’s lecture was from the Expedition Filmmaker, Jorge Prigann, who told us how to take the best photos during our trip. As you would expect, he has an amazing ability to capture the perfect photo, so the timing of this talk was very helpful in preparing us to take better photos during the rest of the trip.
Three rather obvious, but often overlooked tips:
- Clean your lens before every photo – take notice of how often you are touching your lens every time you are grabbing your phone, whether it’s out of your pocket or purse. As Jorge said, “If you take 1,000 photos, clean it 1,000 times!”
- Be sure the camera brightness is up - While advanced photographers may make adjustments to the lighting, for most of us, we will want the brightness up to capture the best photos.
- Try to get eye-level with the animals – this will give you the best perspective for your photos.
That afternoon was a nature walk to Punta Espinosa. We had a dry landing to an island known for its many marine iguanas. They were everywhere, just basking in the sun (did you know they snort sea salt?) We also learned about the lava cacti, which as the name suggests, grows through cracks in the lava and survive with very little water. As the lava fronds die, it decomposes into a dirt-type substance that allows other plants to grow which otherwise would not be able to.
It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed walking around this island, seeing the many little sea coves which had seals playing in the water or guarding their domain, as well as iguanas and crabs everywhere posing for photos!
Day 6 - Tagus Cove & Mangroves of the Galapagos Islands
This morning we opted for an adventure hike on Tagus Cove, Isabela Island. We were immediately greeted by a Galapagos sea lion, penguins, as well as a group of flightless cormorants coming right up to our ship! The flightless cormorants – as the names suggests – are birds that swim but can’t fly! They are fascinating to watch and incredibly fast.
Our adventure walk started at 7am, and was a 2-hour hike up and around the caldera with frequent stops for our naturalist guide to provide insights into the animals and plant life unique to these islands. One time, we were probably five feet from a juvenile Galapagos hawk, who just sat there watching us and letting us get photos of him before flying away.
**Note on Nature Walks** While these are about 2 hours long, and sometimes going to higher elevations, there are plenty of stops along the way, so definitely would not consider it demanding. If you are going in the summer season (Jan-March), it will definitely be hot, though. There’s not much shade, so you will need the protective shirts, hat and the eco-friendly sunscreen that the ship provides.
After returning to the ship, we had time for a quick change to go deep water snorkeling. Today we saw green sea turtles, thousands and thousands of minute baby jellyfish, which are the turtles’ favorite food, and countless species of fish. At one point, I popped my head out of the water and a flightless cormorant was within arm’s reach! It stayed there for just a few seconds, then dove into the water after its prey. It was fascinating to see how they streamline their bodies into almost the shape of a bullet (and just as fast) to catch their food.
The water was chilly – no doubt about it. However, one of the tradeoffs to this time of year is the currents which feed these waters. As a special benefit of going this time of year is the abundant organisms provided by the Humbolt and Crommwell currents, which bring cold and nutrient-rich waters from the Artic - the animals thrive on it.
Tip: While Silversea provides wetsuits, they are short sleeve and short leg versions. The water was around 68-74 degrees, and some guests even brought their own wetsuites, as well as gloves and water shoes. While that conflicts with my “pack lightly” policy, I was somewhat jealous of their foresight! I’d at least recommend bringing extra layers to wear under the Silversea-provided wetsuit – like leggings or spandex top-type shirts, which would hold in some of your body heat.
Besides seeing all of the wonderful sea life, as I already mentioned (but worth mentioning again!) one of the best rewards for going out in the ocean is coming back to the ready-made hot chocolate or hot cosovalo tea. It is served in little espresso cups, and while both are delicious, the hot chocolate must be made of straight cream, cocoa and sugar!
A warm shower or dip in the jacuzzi reset the body temperature, then we had time for a delicious lunch. There are three venues on board – the Grill, which is upstairs with a wonderful view of the ocean, the main restaurant, and room service. All are wonderful, but room service is especially good!
After some time to read and rest, we had a zodiac tour of the mangroves of the Galapagos Islands. These are the most salt-tolerant trees in the world and their root system extends above the water, and some can grow 65 feet tall. The shallow waters they grow in is a haven for animals, as it’s a refuge from sharks and other predators.
We were so excited to see a sea lion up in one of the mangrove trees, and we were told that while they have the ability to climb, this one likely waited for high tide to find his elevated resting place.
Then in another cove we saw a Galapagos penguin – they are very fast and illusive, and yet we saw three of them in this cove and they were doing their mating call to each other. It was amazing!
While we had seen the sea turtles while snorkeling, the shallow waters where the mangroves were growing was crystal-clear, and the sea turtles were hovering on the surface. No deep-diving needed!
Then back to the ship to enjoy lectures prior to getting ready to have dinner with the ship’s captain!
Day 7 – Post Office Bay & Punta Cormoran, Floreana
The day started early with a kayak adventure. Not being very proficient in ocean kayaking (or any kind of kayaking for that matter), we attended a lecture on how to navigate the pedal-powered kayaks, then kayaked around the peaceful waters. We saw sea lions, green turtles, penguins, someone saw a white-tipped baby shark, and lots of birds fishing in the calm waters.
We returned to the ship and then boarded a zodiac for the island of Floreana. Known for its freshwater springs, it became a popular place for passing vessels to replenish their vessels with fresh water and was a place for whalers in the 18th century to rest and allow them to replenish their supplies.
In order to stay in touch with family back home, the sailors developed a free postal system: They used a barrel as a makeshift post office box. Sailors would leave letters in the barrel, and when new sailors came to the island, they would sort through the mail in the barrel. Any mail addressed to places close to the sailor’s hometown was taken with them so they could personally deliver it when they returned.
You can still participate in this centuries-old tradition today. When you stop at Post Office Bay, if you see a postcard from someone near you, take it with you and deliver it upon your return. You’ll share some fun memories together of your time in the Galapagos!
As we returned to the zodiacs, there were four baby sea lions playing right by the boat. They were adorable!
After lunch, we went deep water snorkeling. We were in the water for 45 minutes, and for at least 25 minutes of that time, there was a playful sea lion that kept swimming and doing somersaults around our little group. It was like he was enjoying the attention and performing for us!
One of the guests we became friends with had a GoPro, and filmed it – it was unforgettable.
After returning to the ship (for more hot chocolate and a shower), we took the zodiacs back out to Punta Cormorant on Floreana Island. We did a wet landing on the beach and were met by three flamingos and a sleeping sea lion. It was a beautiful soft-sand beach – everything there is so quiet, and the peacefulness permeates everything because each island is uninhabited and so remote. We searched for sea turtle nesting areas, observing birds and flowering plants with our guide while walking along the beach. At the lagoon, they had a high-powered telescope set up so we could view the flamingo and birds across the water.
We saw an incredible sunset there, too – a picture perfect way to end the day before boarding the zodiacs to return to the ship for the briefings on the next day’s activities and a delicious dinner.
Day 8 – Santa Cruz Island (Giant Tortoises!)
The activity for the day was Santa Cruz Island – one of the few populated islands, but with less than 10,000 people
There was an early riser option to visit Montemar, a coffee plantation, then later head to Manzanillo Tortoise Reserve to visit the Galapagos Tortoises, found nowhere else in the world. (In fact, the name of the islands came from these animals.) The giant tortoises were everywhere! They can live up to 180 years, and can weigh up to 265 pounds for Saddle-backed males and 772 pounds for dome-shelled males. While they an eat several pounds of food per day, they are also able to store that energy in fat, and can survive months without eating or drinking, too.
That afternoon we visited the Fausto llerena Breeding Center for Giant Tortoises. We saw baby turtles up to those much older, which were being bred and prepped for release. This will help researchers know exactly how long they live.
There was some free time to shop, and we walked back to the port, purchasing souvenirs along the way. Lots of fun getting Galapagos souvenirs, such as Blue Footed Booby socks!
Day 9 – Cerro Dragon & Punta Bowditch, Santa Cruz
We woke on the other side of Santa Cruz Island to do a nature walk on the coast and inland hill and lagoon. We saw land iguanas (these had yellow heads and feet), some marine iguanas (black, that swim), and some rare bird sightings. We were back at the ship by 10:30, then ate lunch, a quick nap, then had an afternoon on a beautiful beach on Punta Bowditch where we did more bird watching, saw many crabs, yellow finches, frigate birds and two manta rays.
It was like having your own private island where we could stay there as long as we wanted, and there were zodiacs to take us back to the ship whenever we were ready. It was a relaxing way to end our trip before having to return to the ship and pack up to leave the next morning.
That evening, we had a Galapagos trivia contest, then our Expedition filmmaker, Jorge Prigann, premiered his video of our trip. We were all given a thumb drive of his amazing photos, too. A truly wonderful memory of a truly wonderful trip!
Day 10 – Return to Civilization
Returning home is a process, no doubt. We were taken by zodiac to the San Cristobal pier about 7:30am, then escorted onto transfer buses to the airport (which was about 5 minutes away.)
The San Cristobal airport is tiny!! While there is a lounge there, it is very small also, so there’s not much to do while waiting for the commuter plane to return us to Guayakil, then back to Quito. If you have Door-to-Door Service, the package also includes a night at the Quito hotel, giving you a chance to see more of Quito and ease back into reality before your return flight home.
Where else can you go that offers such an abundance of unspoiled nature, while being hand-held all along the way with expert guides pointing out and explaining everything you see?
**Tip: There are a lot of moving parts to booking this trip, and that is one of the reasons we wanted to personally experience before recommending it. If you are interested in traveling to the Galapagos with Silversea, call us today at 770-421-9627, and we can give our insights into the best time of year, stateroom categories and additional tips to help you determine if this is the best fit for your next vacation.
The Galapagos Islands are truly a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and well-deserving of the high place it holds as a bucket-list destination!
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