Galapagos Islands Vacation

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What you should expect and how to be prepared for these landings on Galapagos beaches.

The philosophy behind the expedition concept in some Travel companies implies to visit destinations with little human presence, or at least with few man-made facilities.

This is the reason why some Islands are impossible to visit due to their rugged geography.

In the Galapagos Islands there are some places where the only way to visit them is by adding a small dock (made out of rocks and cement) and a few steps.

These Galapagos Sites offer a dry landing. Commonly, these docks are highly occupied by Galapagos Sea Lions who find the flat surfaces of a dock quite pleasant compared to the irregular volcanic terrain the Islands are made of.

This type of landing during your Galapagos islands vacation requires the assistance of the crew of the boat, since they will provide extra hands for stable walking.

All guests start walking afterwards, and the land exploration has started.

Some Galapagos Beaches can have a high exposure to wave action, or just a rocky substrate, making these conditions impossible for landing.

The beaches that allow proper landings are those part of the assigned visitor sites and provide direct access to the walking trails.

Keep in mind during your Galapagos Islands vacation that naturally, disembarking on a beach is different than a dock.

So, we use the term wet landing. Upon arrival, our deck hands will position the landing craft at an angle which partially blocks the wave action.

You come to the front of the boat, sit on the pontoon, and swing you legs over towards the water.

At this moment, water level should be up to everyone's knees (although in few occasions can be higher).

Walking substrate will be sand, and within a few minutes you will be ready to start exploring the Island, and enjoying your Galapagos Islands vacation adventure.

It is very common to hear some visitors asking quite in advance what landings will happen on the next day's program.

This is because they want to plan the kind of shoes to take, if towels are needed, or if walking with wet shoes is all right (sandals, waterproof snickers, etc).

See Beautiful Galapagos Island Pictures here

This is how the Galapagos Expedition starts on any given Island. So a good advice on your next Galapagos Islands vacation is to ask in advance if it is going to be a dry or wet landing! so you can prepare accordingly.

These were some Galapagos Islands vacation tips that I hope will become useful for you when planning on visiting this Archipelago for the first time.

Galapagos Recommended Reading:

The Diving Guide: Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos Islands, is world renowned for adrenaline-charged diving and unique, fearless wildlife. These "Enchanted Islands" beckon both divers and non-divers from around the globe who come to dive with whale sharks and walk with giant tortoises. (This is the best diving guide I've ever read)

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