Nadines Travel Blog

 La Fortaleza is a lovely place to stay in a quiet area of Puerto Ayoro.  The small hotel is built to look like a fort and is owned by a wife and husband team.  Gianna is the wife and is super friendly and helpful.  We booked the highest room with the lookout but only used our second floor a little due to lack of time.  There is a hammock table and chairs in this extra space. We stayed with family and friends and they used the pool every night to cool down as it is super hot in the Galapagos Islands. The complimentary breakfast was good and filling. Where breakfast is served each morning. The beds were comfortable and the bathroom was large.  The water pressure in the shower was not great, but other than that it was fine. It is air-conditioned if you like or screened doors and windows.  The place is clean and well-kept. It is about a 15-minute walk to the pier and taxis are readily available on the island but we only used to get to the airport. I would...

While flying over the Galapagos Islands it appears to be barren.  We were very excited to finally get a chance to experience Darwin's legacy which we learned in high school.   The Galapagos Iguanas were there to greet us as we walked off of the tarmac onto the sidewalk. They were everywhere.  We tried to collect our bags but Dax's replacement bag with all of his new clothes was missing.  It took roughly 30 minutes to locate his bag and the workers had literally left it on the tarmac.  We celebrated when we heard the good news with a few high fives and whoops. We boarded the 5-dollar bus which took us to a small 1-dollar boat ferry which took us from Baltra Island to Santa Cruz Island.   My blue hard-sided bag precariously sitting on the bow of the boat. This tiny boat was a bit of a laugh and completely overfilled with people and luggage.  The trip is swimmable so I wasn't too worried.  You get off the boat and you have to hire a 25-doll...