My next tour to Galapagos Islands begins on July 16th and people have started asking questions. "How physical is it?" seems to be the most common.
Our tour was aboard the yacht Daphne. The crew was magnificent and the food wonderful. Our guide, Chary, was the best. (at left: Judy looking out from second deck.)
Life on the boat was interesting. My hat is off to sailors around the world! Several people on the trip got some form of seasickness. That ranged from a little woozy to uncomfortable. Others weren't bothered at all. It was interesting who was impacted and who wasn't.
I was woozy most of the time we were on the boat. I wore pressure bands and took pills twice. Some people wore the patches behind their ears. Luckily, we left the boat twice a day so the woozy feeling went away once I hit land or went swimming. There was relief.
The boat has four levels and each involved a stairway. I got pretty good at going up and down once I learned how to use the hand holds. But a trip up or down stairs still involved a certain amount of pulling or steadying. When the boat was underway, it rocked from side to side or heaved up and down. That involved a lot of steadying. I found my muscles were in motion all the time. Toward the end of the trip, I loved how I had adapted and could go up and down stairs without a problem.
That was life on the boat.
Leaving the boat involved moving from the big boat to a small inflatable zodiac or panga. The crew was there to coach us each step of the way. You'd get as steady as you could on the big boat, hand your equipment to a crew member, grab on to a crew member's arm, step to the panga, let go, settle down, gather your equipment, scoot into place, rock-and-roll as the other people get on. All that with a life jacket, hat, sunglasses. By day three or four this was routine and there was a certain joy in mastering the task.
The landings were wet or dry. Wet involved handing your equipment to a crew member, turning around on the edge of the panga, putting your feet in the water, stepping off, steadying yourself in the waves, and walking ashore. Sometimes that was gentle and easy and sometimes the waves were active with sand washing out from under your shoes. Only one person slipped and that was on the very first day. We all learned our lesson and never had any trouble from then on.
Dry landings were on a dock, rocks, or stairs. The panga rocked in the surf. Dry landings always involved moving from the rocking boat to stairs. Some were slippery and some were completely dry. Yet we never lost anyone or any equipment thanks to our wonderful crew.
Then the walks on each island were different. Each was rocky, of course. Each involved elevation. Some were over rocks the entire time. Some were across sand. The outings were 90 minutes to two hours so not horribly long but were in the sun and over uneven terrain. We had two landings a day.
The shooting was physical as well. I carried one camera, two lenses, and a shoulder bag plus water bottle. That's eight to ten pounds of equipment. Things were at eye level, overhead, then low to the ground. Lots of subject were so close it was fun to get down on the ground to shoot them from eye-level. That involved getting up with the usual little light-headedness that comes from squatting and standing. Then back to walking, then squatting, then walking, then standing still, then walking, then getting down on the ground, etc. It was very physical if you really wanted to get the shots. Some people just stood or sat but I found it necessary to move up and down a lot.
So it was a beautifully physical trip. Lots of motion all the time. Lots of exercise and adventures. Adults and kids who were physically active did fine. I loved all the exercise.
For those with any physical limitations, though, it was harder. The boat crews are used to people with all physical skill levels. They work very hard to get people to and from each location. Some people on our trip passed on various outings. They stayed on the boat and slept, read, or photographed.
The key is knowing your limits and physical abilities. Exercise in advance and get your body in shape. The Galapagos Islands are amazing and should not be missed.
Strabo Tours coordinates our trip. The dates are July 16-26, 2012. The trip begins in Quito, Ecuador, with a day trip to see tropical hummingbirds in the Mindo Valley. Then we fly to the Galapagos Islands for the rest of our adventure. I hope you'll join us.
