I have been to 106 countries and 324 cities, traveled 8.6 million miles and never had a bucket list but if I had one, the Galapagos would be on top of the list and Eric’s deputy, Nils, would be the person to go to. It was nothing short of astounding. In my Jewish Tradition when one sees the natural wonders of God there is a short prayer we say, thanking God for sharing his beautiful creation with us. I wanted to say this prayer again and again.
– Pollack Family
We are back, and sadly so, from one of the most amazing holidays we have ever had. Thanks so much for putting together the itinerary and importantly for the absolute flawless execution of the holiday. Our guides were always there to meet us, never late, all of our paperwork was in order and flights documentation when we needed. It makes the holiday so much more fun when you don't have to worry about where to go and when, as someone else always has your back.
– Tina Orlando + Ian Waring
We decided to take this trip with little time to plan. Eric and his colleague Nils did a nice job of planning a diverse trip for our family of 5 (teenage boys ages 18, 16, and 13). The naturalists that were on our daily trips with us were fantastic. We loved the Galapagos Safari Camp on Santa Cruz. The food was unbelievable and staff very helpful. The Iguana Crossing on Isabella was a nice change of pace to be right on the beach. We enjoyed time to walk on the beach as well as into town. It is hard to pick our favorite day-trip. We were surprised with a last-minute surf lesson, which was such a treat!
– Lippman Family
The Geismar family all returned safely last night. The trip was spectacular. Thanks very much for all you did to arrange everything. Herding 13 people around is no easy task, but everything in the Galapagos went off without a hitch, and the scheduling of the activities worked out very well. There was variety and change of pace from day to day, and never a lack of interesting things to see and do. Our naturalist Jorge was very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and great with the children, and made every excursion enjoyable.
The villa itself worked out great for us. We were all glad we had gone the villa route, rather than an exclusively boat trip; it was much less confining, especially for the children, and the pools and openness were well used. It's a great option for large family groups.
The other surprise was Santa Cruz Island itself. The giant tortoises in the highlands are of course amazing to see, but also some of the beaches are spectacularly beautiful, especially Tortuga Bay. And Puerto Ayora is fun to walk around.
So again, we all thank you for all your thoughtful organizing, and Eric, it was good to meet you in person Wednesday morning. Here's 8 year old Sam Dornstein's comment on the trip:
"So far in my life this has been the farthest, the best, the most wonderful place I've ever been or could ever imagine in my heart."
– Geismar Family
