Sure, you’ve heard about this archipelago of volcanic islands that are part of the South American country of Ecuador (even though they’re nearly 600 miles off its coastline). But what is it that makes the Galapagos such a bucket-list destination?
- They’re home to an extraordinary number of wildlife species.
From giant iguanas and tortoises to sea lions, exotic birds and sharks, the Galapagos has an astounding array of wildlife. If you can’t get a fabulous selfie here, you don’t know how to work a camera. These animals, fish and birds – who are generally not afraid of humans – live with the knowledge that they are in charge, here, not the humans. Much like the Big Five you’ll see on safari, these animals behave as nature intended, with no interference from humans. You won’t see any dolphin petting zoos, here.
- The islands are absolutely pristine, and this kind of unspoiled nature is found in few remaining places on Earth.
Fine white sand beaches. Volcanic rock. Few resorts. (The hotels that exist are mostly small, boutique operations of just a few rooms.) This is nature as it existed five million years ago – a fantastical landscape of volcanic cliffs and outcroppings, limitless, uninhabited beaches, crystal clear blue/green water, and wildlife everywhere you look. It’s a whole lot easier to take amazing photos here because there aren’t 300 tourists in stretch pants marring every shot.
- It’s expensive to tour here, and difficult to get a permit – thus an option not available to everyone.
In order to preserve the unspoiled nature of this magical destination, the Ecuadorian government imposes strict limits on the number of people who can travel here. Like Antarctica, the goal is to limit humans’ impact on the ecosystem by limiting the number of camera-wielding tourists toting bags of pork rinds.
This limitation means that cruise ships must be more yacht-like (i.e. generally only big enough for 100-200 passengers, and in fact many only hold 25-50), and that only a few of these can traverse the islands at any given time. These economies of scale mean that prices will, obviously, be higher than they would for a 4,000 passenger Mediterranean cruise where everyone does the Macarena at dinner.
- The weather is ridiculously temperate.
Although it can drizzle and be foggy from July to November (depending somewhat on which island and side of that island you’re on), temperatures range in the 70’s throughout the year. So you can wear that glitter thong or a breezy caftan and feel equally comfortable.
- You’ll have major bragging rights.
Now…add to this the fact that Ecuador is a very LGBT-friendly country (they have anti-discrimination laws on the books and legalized same sex marriage in 2019), and you have a can’t-miss destination. Quito, the capital city, where Brand g’s Galapagos adventures begin (with two pre-cruise nights) has LGBT+ bars, restaurants and Pride events.
Let’s face it: None of us travels to impress others, but who doesn’t love a good story to dine out on? A Galapagos cruise is a trip few of your friends are likely to have taken. So, talking about – or doing an uninvited slideshow of – the amazing wildlife and scenery of these unspoiled islands is sure to inspire others to secretly plot your untimely death.
Brand g is returning to the Galapagos for 2025, with a full-ship charter of the National Geographic ship, Endeavor II (which hosts the finest wildlife guides you’ll find anywhere, and includes amenities like glass bottom zodiacs, an underwater camera that will capture photos for the group, a video chronicler, etc).
Check it out here:
https://www.brandgvacations.com/trip/2025_galapagos/
