Henk traveled with Aves Travels in September / October and told us about his great passion for birds and photography. A visit to the bird-rich cloud forest near Quito could not be missed in the program and for Galápagos we chose a 12-day cruise expedition to see as many of the islands as possible. Finally, two more nights in a hotel in Puerto Ayora to relax and digest all the new impressions. Read his experience below and see some of the beautiful pictures he took on his journey – it was hard for us to choose from all the exceptional footage we received!:
“In consultation with Aves Travels, I fulfilled a wish and went on my dream holiday to the Galápagos Islands at the age of 65. I searched the internet and found Aves Travels. Marianne Salmans of Aves Travels turned my wishes into a 19-day journey. First a visit to Quito, then three days of cloud forest, a 12-day tour in the Galápagos Islands and finally 2 days to recover on Santa Cruz.
I visited Bellavista cloud forest and did some walks there and especially bird watching. A beautiful environment with many colourful birds and many species of hummingbirds. I am always surprised that you can approach the birds so closely.
After the cloud forest I embarked for the 12-day expedition in the Galápagos Islands. Marianne had recommended a few ships and eventually we opted for the EcoGalaxy, which confirmed to be an excellent choice. Great ship with spacious cabins, very good guide, very friendly crew and delicious food.
The expedition started on the island of San Cristóbal, where the fellow travellers had arrived in the meantime. We started in the afternoon and at the first landing we spotted the first sea lions. We were also able to swim with the sea lions during the first snorkelling trip, a special experience.
Santa Fé is known for its land iguanas. Sea turtles were also observed during snorkelling.
The expedition continues to Seymour Norte and Isla Mosquera where we explore the islands and where we also made beautiful snorkelling trips.
The island of Genovesa is an absolute must-do! The bird island par excellence. Here you can observe various types of boobies. For me, the red-footed booby was a very beautiful and colourful bird. Furthermore, many birds were observed and also the short eared owl.
On Santa Cruz we visited the Charles Darwin Research Station, where the eggs of the giant tortoises are hatched and cared for until they are large enough to be released in nature.
After Santa Cruz the island of Isabela was visited. On this lava island we saw sea lions, penguins, sea turtles, blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas and rays.
The island of Fernandina consists of lava and mangrove forests. During the walk we see many marine iguanas resting on the rocks. Also here is the only cormorant that cannot fly. The Galápagos hawk is also regularly observed.
The island of Santiago is known for its black lava beach where many sally lightfoot crabs are present. The island of Rábida is characterised by its beautiful red beach and cliffs. We also visited Santa Cruz. In the north, the mangrove-lined creek for spotting white-tipped reef sharks, rays, lava herons and pelicans.
After a visit to the island of Bartolomé the expedition ended in the Highlands of Santa Cruz where we visited the giant tortoises.
The dream journey came to an end and I look back on a fantastic journey with many highlights. A new adventure every day, also thanks to the advice and suggestions from Aves Travels, I thoroughly enjoyed this trip.
