点评:I've had several people ask me what the highlight of our Quito, Ecuador and Galapagos Islands trip was, and frankly it's hard to pinpoint anyone thing so I tend to tell them: all 8 days!
Our trip started with being greeted and picked up by our amazing travel agent, Maite. She was delightful from start to finish. Easy to communicate with via email, phone, and whatsapp. Maite consistently made sure we had what we needed. Surtrek supplied our driver, Christian, and our tour guide in Quito, Juan. Christian was a great driver. He knew the roads inside and out and we always felt safe. Juan probably knows everything about Ecuador -- and interestingly also Chicago!
The time in Quito was fabulous. We enjoyed seeing the sites of the city and the cloud forest nearby. We ate delicious food and really had a treat with great weather.
Maite and Christian got us to the airport for our trip to Galapagos and made sure we were smoothly through security. I've never had such personal service!
Our time on the Horizon was fabulous. The staff onboard were top to bottom great. From the tour coordinator to the housekeeping to the culinary to the guide and of course the folks who drove the dinghys that got us to and from every activity. The food was top knotch with a lot of variety. The activities were fun and not overly strenuous, but also not lethargic. A nice balance.
I was pleasantly surprised that in November there were no bugs, so no need for bug spray. Of course plenty of need for sun screen still! But the temps were great. High 70's and low 80's Fahrenheit.
We saw basically everything in the Galapagos: penguins, blue and red footed boobies, frigate birds, owl, land and marine iguanas, sea lions everywhere, and of course the giant tortoises! During snorkeling we had [small and hammerhead] sharks in the water with us, sea lions in the water, schools of brilliant fish, and 1 amazing encounter with a sea turtle only feet away from my mask. It was breathtaking. Some folks say later in the summer is the best time because the water is clearer, but in our case the water was still quite clear and the animals were much closer to the surface, so it worked great. And the crew provided us with wet suits, so that helped with buoyancy and with warmth.
After Galapagos we were shocked to have Maite and Christian back with us at the airport. We expected since our planned activities with Surtrek were done that we wouldn't see them again, but no they were there to meet us again and make sure we transited to our final hotel for a few hours sleep before the final trip home. It was a very pleasant surprise, and frankly just made it so much simpler than being "on our own".
The coffee, the chocolate, the hummingbird sanctuary, all the beautiful sites. Dessert all the time. Just a really great trip!
I'd go back to Ecuador in a heartbeat, and Surtrek is absolutely how I'd organize my trip to make it hassle free!
翻译:有几个人问我,我们在基多、厄瓜多尔和加拉帕戈斯群岛的旅行最精彩的是什么,坦率地说,很难说出任何亮点,所以我倾向于告诉他们:全部 8 天!
我们的旅行从我们出色的旅行社 Maite 的迎接和接机开始。她从头到尾都很愉快。通过电子邮件、电话和 WhatsApp 轻松沟通。Maite 始终确保我们得到我们需要的东西。Surtrek 为我们提供了司机 Christian 和我们在基多的导游 Juan。Christian 是一位很棒的司机。他对道路了如指掌,我们总是感到安全。Juan 可能对厄瓜多尔了如指掌——有趣的是,他还对芝加哥了如指掌!
在基多的时光非常棒。我们喜欢参观城市的景点和附近的云雾森林。我们吃了美味的食物,在好天气下真的享受了一番。
Maite 和 Christian 把我们送到机场,准备前往加拉帕戈斯,并确保我们顺利通过安检。我从未享受过如此个性化的服务!
我们在 Horizon 上度过了美妙的时光。船上的工作人员从上到下都很棒。从旅游协调员到客房服务人员到厨师到导游,当然还有驾驶小艇接送我们往返每个活动的人。食物是一流的,种类繁多。活动很有趣,不会过于费力,但也不会让人感到疲倦。平衡得很好。
我很惊喜地发现 11 月没有虫子,所以不需要杀虫剂。当然,防晒霜还是很必要的!但温度很棒。华氏 70 度高温和 80 度低温。
我们在加拉帕戈斯群岛基本上看到了所有的东西:企鹅、蓝脚鲣鸟和红脚鲣鸟、军舰鸟、猫头鹰、陆鬣蜥和海鬣蜥、到处可见的海狮,当然还有巨型陆龟!在浮潜期间,我们遇到了 [小鲨鱼和锤头鲨],海狮在水中,成群结队的鱼群,还有一次与海龟的奇妙邂逅,它离我的面罩只有几英尺远。那真是太震撼了。有些人说夏末是最佳时节,因为那时水更清澈,但就我们的情况而言,水仍然很清澈,动物离水面更近,所以效果很好。船员们还为我们提供了潜水服,这有助于浮力和保暖。
离开加拉帕戈斯群岛后,我们很惊讶 Maite 和 Christian 又回到了机场。我们以为,既然我们和 Surtrek 计划的活动已经结束,就不会再见到他们了,但他们没有,他们在那里再次与我们会面,并确保我们在回家之前转移到我们最后的酒店睡几个小时。这是一个非常令人愉快的惊喜,坦率地说,这比“独自一人”要简单得多。
咖啡、巧克力、蜂鸟保护区,所有美丽的景点。一直有甜点。真是一次很棒的旅行!
我会毫不犹豫地回到厄瓜多尔,Surtrek 绝对是我安排旅行的最佳方式,让我的旅行无忧无虑!