Traveling to Ecuador came after a long hike in Peru to Machu Picchu. You can read all about the hike here! After arriving back in Cuzco, Peru after our hike, we immediately jetted off to Quito, Ecuador to get ready for the cruise we were doing through the islands.
Aerie Bathing Suit | Oak + Fort Pants | Adidas Sneakers | Lack of Color Hat | Kate Spade Sunglasses
First, Quito, Ecuador.
Quito was an amazing place. It had so much South American charm, but also a lot of tastes of home here in Canada. After hiking for 6 days, it was a great place to get back into a city.
We had a tour guide for pretty much our entire 2-day trip to Quito because there is SO much to see, and honestly not a ton of time to do it. Plus, the city is HUGE, so trying to walk everywhere is almost impossible. That being said, Uber was so cheap, I almost thought my app was malfunctioning. I’m talking a 25 minute ride for under $2 Canadian. So, it’s definitely a viable option for getting around.
Brandy Melville Top | Aritzia Trousers | Urban Outfitters Scarf | Birkenstock Sandals | Kate Spade Sunglasses | Bag bought from local market
Head to the top of El Panecillo for amazing views of the entire city. I love being able to see a city from all angles, and this stop is a must if you want to take a peak all around Quito.
They have the Intinan Museum which has history and cool experiments directly on the equator line, that in my opinion, is a must visit. Super touristy, but it’s SO cool to see all the experiments they do right on the equator line.
Another must visit, is the historic downtown area of Quito. There are beautiful old buildings to see and discover interesting facts about the city. The weirdest and coolest one I remember, is that there are floor tiles that are actually human bones in some of the old dignitaries houses!
You CANNOT leave Ecuador without trying one of their traditional desserts: Bizcochos! It’s basically biscotti with caramel and cheese, and it’s life changing.
Now, the Galapagos Islands.
I had done a project on a bird that’s only found in the Galapagos Islands when I was in 6th grade. It’s crazy the stuff you remember because I pretty much remember nothing else about my learning that year, other than this bird that has a huge red pouch under it’s neck. Seeing that bird was probably one of my favourite parts of the entire cruise! I know, bizarre. But it is what it is!!
My family and I did a 5 day cruise around the Galapagos Islands on the Galapagos Legend.
We stopped at and got to explore a bunch of the Galapagos Islands and see so much wildlife on each island.
To be completely honest, it was not what I was expecting at all. The islands are made of lava rock, so they are quite barren other than a few shrubs and grasses. It was amazing how unafraid the animals were of humans though. The sea lions wouldn’t move if you walked right beside them!
We went snorkelling at every island, and it was incredible! You could go both from the deep sea or from the beach and both had their benefits. One of the snorkelling spots had the most amazing colourful fish I’ve ever seen in my life. It was National Geographic like people!
Each island is known for a different kind of animal populating it. One had a ton of sea lions, one with land and sea iguanas, one with Finches, etc. You got to explore all the islands (with a guide of course), and see all the animals in their natural habitat.
This cruise was all go, go, go. There were activities every moment of every day it felt like! Keep in mind though, you can always skip an activity if you need some time to rest! I would suggest making sure to go on every island they bring you to. It’s okay to skip some of the boat activities, but likely you won’t have another chance to see the islands. Definitely enjoy your relaxing time, but make sure you’re making the most out of the trip!
Make sure you pack mostly activewear and swimsuits when you’re planning for your trip. Other than 1 dinner, I was in my workout wear for the entire cruise. Other than when I was in my bathing suit that is!
Another thing to keep in mind while you’re in the Galapagos, is there’s little to no wifi. I had the learn the hard way since we didn’t know that as we got onto the boat, and I didn’t bring any books to keep me occupied. Now, in reality, there’s not a ton of time to waste on your phone or computer anyways, but I had planned to download podcasts and read on my laptop which I couldn’t do aboard the ship.
Make sure you are fully stocked up on books, magazines, podcasts and the works before you board your boat!
I will admit that as amazing as it was, I was slightly disappointed just because it wasn’t what I was expecting. We had just come from an incredible hike up the Salkantay Trail in Peru so we were on a high, and the Galapagos kind of sort of didn’t live up to it.
BUT… Did I still love it, YES.
Traveling to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. The scenery was incredible but the history was even more incredible in my opinion! We even got to see graffiti left by sailors who had traveled to the islands as far back as 1875!
Have you ever been traveling to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands?! Let me know what you thought in the comments.
xx Victoria
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