08/06/2023 Saturday marked our day of departure of Galápagos. We treated ourselves to a little more sleep than the days prior and then had breakfast on the hotel’s rooftop, which overlooked the bay. After packing our bags, we got picked up to get to the airport, but not before making … Continue readingGoodbye Galápagos – Galápagos #4
07/06/2023 The morning after, we had to wake early once more for a full-day trip to the volcanic island of Bartolomé. So we waited tiredly at the hotel for the tour bus to pick us up, again with Elisabeth, our babysitter, in the front. After a half-hour drive to the … Continue readingThe Moon Landing – Galápagos #3
06/06/2023 The next morning we had to part early (5am) for a day trip to Seymour Norte, a small island north of Seymour, where we had landed the day earlier. We had only learned the night before that all day every day the tours would start this early (or even … Continue readingAnimals of Galápagos – Galápagos #2
05/06/2023 Having seen a lot of Ecuador in a brief period of time, our trip was far from over. As a matter of fact, we had four days of exploring the Galápagos Islands ahead of us, filled with numerous encounters of beautiful animals. But I am getting ahead of myself. … Continue readingTurtle Rain – Galápagos #1
03/06/2023 – 04/06/2023 We got up very early (around 4am) the next morning to go and explore the Amazon rainforest. We got into two pickup trucks which took us from the hotel to the shuttle bus at the nearest tarmac street. From there, it was an hour-long drive to Río … Continue readingInto the Amazon – Ecuador #8
01/06/2023 – 02/06/2023 Dinner on a Volcano 01/06/2023 After having spent time in the mountainous cloud forest of Mindo, we had plans to visit a different kind of mountain: a volcano! Notably, one 5897m high. We were in the car for a few hours, again passing by Quito, and after … Continue reading5897m – Ecuador #7
01/06/2023 Before leaving Mindo, we had one last stop planned at a hummingbird watching point. This bird sanctuary offered us the opportunity to get significantly closer to the animals than before. We sat on a wooden porch and waited for them to come by. With my camera in sport mode, … Continue readingBirdwatching up close – Ecuador #6
31/05/2023 The next morning we woke up early, i.e. 6am, as one of the hotel’s team members had invited us to join him on a morning hike through the Cloud Forest to explore the jungle. A cloud forest is characterised by persistent low-level cloud cover at higher elevations. Unlike rainforests, … Continue readingThe Cloud Forest – Ecuador #5
30/05/2023 The subsequent morning we started into the day with some real good breakfast. It turned out we really were the only guests and we got excellent service. We had a variety of coffee, fruits and bread with different toppings. After breakfast we packed our belongings as we were already … Continue readingShopping, Water & the Mountains – Ecuador #4
29/05/2023 The next day we checked out of the hotel and were taken back to the airport by a shuttle bus in order to rent a car there. We got a KIA and were quite impressed that all of our luggage fit in, but it was surprisingly spacious. It was … Continue readingOtavalo Nature – Ecuador #3