Ecuador & Galapagos by Lucy

I have recently returned from eighteen days in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands and I am still stunned at what an incredible place it is. I loved everything about Ecuador: the food is excellent -(even if a little too much at times), the scenery is varied and stunning, the people are so friendly, and the accommodation unique. There is so much to say about this great country but in the interests of time here are a few of the highlights.

The Amazon jungle lives up to its reputation as an amazing place and the journey there was an experience in its own right. A thirty minute flight from Quito took me to a small town called Coca, where I travelled by motor canoe for two hours along the Napo River. This was followed by an easy thirty minute walk through the jungle to the edge of the lake and finally a fifteen minute paddle across the calm waters in a small dug-out canoe to the lodge. I really felt like I was in the middle of nowhere!

The scenery was so lush and vibrant, the plants crowding for every available space. I was bewildered by the enormous variety of flora and fauna but the guides, with their home-grown expertise, were encyclopedic in their knowledge. They were incredible, spotting things that were hard to see even once they had been pointed out to me!

I spent my time there enjoying the many activities on offer which included the canopy walk, three towers each thirty-six metres high with rigid walkways between that were a hundred metres long. Thankfully it didn't feel that high as I couldn't see the ground, just the tops of the trees! It was great just waiting to see what birds came past and it was also pleasantly cooler than the humid forest floor. There was also a butterfly house, a parrot lick, many forest trails and creeks to explore in canoes either during the day or at night.

Returning from one jungle walk, I was sat at the front of the dug-out canoe paddling. The light was fading and as it did so hundreds of bats began swarming over the water looking for bugs. I was flinching so much I had to close my eyes and paddle 'blind' but thankfully my guide, more accustomed and assured of the bats' unerring navigation, steered from the back.

Ninety minutes south of Quito is the 'Avenue of the Volcanoes', a long valley scattered with small villages and surrounded by incredible volcanoes, many of which are still visibly active. There are many things to see and do in the area, from visiting local Indian markets to horse riding around the national parks of Antisana and Cotopaxi. At the hacienda I stayed in this area I had a beautiful view of Cotopaxi volcano, the highest active volcano in the world. It is a perfect pyramid volcano covered in snow and at sunset I was lucky enough to watch it glow pink.

All the haciendas that I saw were unique, grand yet at the same time rustic, homely and cosy. They have big lounges with open fires, lots of family photos and books on the local area, and dinner was always a big three course affair (as was lunch for that matter!) in a salubrious dinning room. They also have the most wonderful gardens, not totally manicured, but with stunning flowers and plants.

I ended my trip in the Galapagos Islands, unsure as to whether they would live up to their huge reputation. Having been and seen them for myself, I can safely say they did.




The islands are more beautiful than I had imagined with so much more wildlife than I had hoped for and all, amazingly, so unafraid of humans. I don't think I stopped saying "Incredible," and "Amazing," the whole time I was there! Even my night in Puerto Ayora, a small town on the island of Santa Cruz, I had to watch my step so I didn't tread on a sea lion or iguana. Our hotel had a big blue heron sat on the edge of the pool whilst people were sunbathing next to it and splashing in the pool. Another hotel I visited had a sea lion sat next to the pool minding its own business and another had five iguanas sunning themselves by the outdoor bar area. The line between man and animal certainly blurs here.

My time in the Galapagos was spent either viewing the wildlife on the land or in the water snorkeling with it. The sea lions whilst being quite vocal on land are much more playful in the water - they enjoy swimming up to you and blowing bubbles at your mask or swimming towards to you and at the last minute diving underneath you. By the time you have turned to see where they have gone they are back round in front of you. On land I sat a couple of metres from a new born sea lion pup - just two hours old - whilst it suckled from its mum. This is how the world should be, with man and nature interacting peacefully with equal respect.