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We had a wonderful experience booking our land based tour with Galápagos Alternative (GA). Starting with Susanna who helped us create a customized itinerary tailored to our interests with lodging with water views/waterfront to the hands on support we received on each of the three inhabited islands we visited. On Santa Cruz, we were greeted by Jill, one of the owners of GA, at our hotel, after having received a private guided tour of the tortoise farm and a VIP welcome to the Galápagos. In fact, this level of personal interaction was afforded to us on all three islands. Every evening, the GA representative spent a little time chatting with us about our day of touring and briefing us on the activities the following day. We felt thoroughly spoiled and no request was too small for them to try and fulfill. When my spouse was unwell, they made sure he received the care needed and at every juncture they made sure we were taken care of. In fact, on Isabella, when the plane changed its schedule at the last minute and tried to take off early without us, the GA representative charged down the tarmac to talk to the pilot and ensure we were on it. Thanks to her, we were able to continue without a hitch and keep to our itinerary. If you decide to go land based in the Galápagos, go with GA. They are hands down the best tour agency we ever worked with. Thank you Jill and Javier for the gift of delicious Galápagos Alternative coffee beans to take home with us. It didn’t last long enough.…
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Date of experience: July 2021
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My husband and I booked with Galapagos Alternative (GA) for our trip in August. We worked with Lauren. I cannot say enough good words about our experience with GA and Lauren! I am an experienced world traveler. I usually book all of our trips myself, but for the Galapagos you really need someone who knows the islands and can book you for the experiences you really wish to have. Galapagos Alternative is land based verses being (and sleeping) on a ship the whole time. This is what we wanted. We wanted to walk around the small towns and enjoy the island beaches on free time and not be confined to a ship. This trip was PERFECT! We spent 10 days on three different inhabited islands as well as visited by boat so many of the uninhabited islands! It was a dream come true and we will go back for sure! When American Airlines canceled our flight to Quito at the last second, Lauren was awesome in helping us in whatever way she could. I was emotional and panicked. We missed a day of our tour due to American Airlines, but our trip was still one of the best 10 days of my life! Book with Galapagos Alternative. I have all the confidence in the world you will be happy with them. Cynthia Preston- World Traveler!…
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Date of experience: August 2021
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On their website, Galapagos Alternative (GA) states that "Traveling with Galapagos Alternative is like visiting a friend". We could not agree more! This was our second trip with GA and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this exceptional experience. Susanna worked with us planning the trip to provide options for hotels and activities according to our interests and budget. The accommodations were great and our guides were exceptional. The local connection that GA has with the communities on each of the islands allowed us to experience the Galapagos from a local point of view. We love to travel and seldom work with tour companies but we would have missed so much had we not been under the wing of Javier and his friends. Everyone we met was committed to conservation and their pride and knowledge of the unique nature of the islands radiated like the sun at the equator.…
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Date of experience: May 2021
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My favourite part of the trip was going to Isle Lobos and snorkelling with sealions. Galapagos Alternative was a supurb group to work with for many reasons . They went above and beyond being our travel agent many ways . For instance , when one of our group lost his cell phone the head guy traced it to a house and confronted the people there to return it and they did! He met us at our hotel evert morningl and made sure we knew the plan for the day and walked us to our boat or bus and often met us later for dinner. During Covid the availability for doing excursions took more effort than I suspect is usual and even though our group was small they hooked us up with excellent guides , boats and excursions that were first rate . The diving company we used was probably the best on the island (Iguana Divers) and this is important for safety reasons as its not for beginner divers. They made us feel especially welcome and made it a trip of a lifetime. I recommend them and don t think you will find a better choice highly…
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Date of experience: January 2021
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Galapagos Alternative setup a perfect 3day trip of Quito and Cotopaxi. Sabine was our Galapagos Alternative agent who did such an outstanding job of every connection during our stay. Really can’t say enough good things about Sabine and the job she did for our party of 4. Starting from the arrival in Quito at 11:45pm at Mariscal Sucre International Airport where we were picked up by Ivan our driver and Quito tour guide for the following morning. Ikala Hotel Quito was superb in comfort, cleanliness, hospitality and dining. The tour of the city was given by Ivan and the driver was Angel that was all entertaining, efficient and interesting. The following day we toured Cotopaxi that was given by Luis. It was a 2hr drive to the parking lot by the entire way we were given detailed information about the surrounding areas and how to prepare for the altitude of 5,000meters. It was a beautiful trip and a wonderful lunch. The last day in Quito was a free day that we enjoyed by visiting the museums. Two nights we dined at Achiole Ecuador Cuisine that was recommended by Ikala Hotel that was delightful. The morning we departed we were picked up promptly at 5:45am and arrived at the airport in plenty of time and well informed to depart to Baltra. Thanks Galapagos Alternative for everything!…
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Date of experience: February 2020
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