1 month in the Galapagos islands

Well, there we have it. Our 1-month adventure living and working in the Galapagos has now come to an end. Quite honesty it has been nothing short of one of the best experiences in both of our lives. We had pre-conceived expectations of what to expect before we arrived from watching doco’s, video’s, Instagram posts and social media marketing the shit out of this location. However, none of which lived up to the reality of actually being here, experiencing this truly unique place and the wildlife that calls this Archipelago home.
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The work here we did was great, and we couldn’t have asked for an easier job. We loved spending time at Jimmy’s farm, meeting his family and learning so much invaluable information both in farming in Ecuador but also how Tourism works here. We are also incredibly grateful for this opportunity as it allowed us to travel further and longer on a shoestring budget. 

Waking up each day to the sounds of only nature and peaceful surroundings in something which will we definitely miss but it will be nice to get back to the ‘grind’ of reality, WIFI, working and overall to get back on the road to continue our gap year adventure. We are now on day 53 as I write this out of 365 days and so far with only a few mishaps I can say that we are having the time of our lives.

Galapagos is a beautiful destination which has such a feeling of sheer magic. It is a special place that we both hope continues to be protected and preserved to maintain the abundance of incredible wildlife, flora and fauna. Like the rest of the world, it needs work, but from the time we have been here we have witnessed the conservation projects taking place, including the sea turtle and giant tortoise breeding/birthing programmes as well as sustainable farming and the protection of the endemic plants here.
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I feel so emotional leaving here as I cannot believe how incredible it has been to be immersed in such fantastic arrays of wildlife every day. To drive into town and pass giant tortoises on the road, to buying the catch of the day while fighting off hungry sea lions, pelicans and frigate birds, to tripping over marine iguanas while walking to grab some lunch from one of the many delicious bakeries. This is no joke, no exaggeration – this is just daily life for the locals who live here…and we got to experience it all. 

It was an unreal experience and one which we do not take for granted as we know exactly how blessed we are to have made this experience happen. The thing is, it is 100% possible. Galapagos has had the reputation for many years as being a ‘high end’ destination for only the rich, but we are far from that and we managed to travel on a budget for 1 month, without hopping on-board a cruise (albeit, would have been lovely) and yet, experience all the wildlife that we came here hoping to see. 
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As mentioned in my social media channels, if you have any questions about planning a trip here then please get in touch! We have now spent enough time here that we have a lot of tips, tricks, money saving hacks and perfect itineraries based on your time-frame here. Wee just happy to help as this destination should be accessible to everyone as it is truly wonderful.