THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS - Ecuador
Galapagos Islands
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Wolf Volcano, San Cristobal Island
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This adventure was on the 13 Night Celebrity Xpedition Galapagos & Machu Picchu Package. Starting in Quito, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and built upon the ruins of an Inca city, our first day started early and ended very late. We signed up for an in-depth city tour which took us to several ornate, Baroque churches to the Half of the World park and museum where we each took turns standing on the Equatorial line and having our passports stamped honoring the event.
As you will note in the slideshow below, our long days continued on the ship including the very first night where we were awakened by the Captain at about 4:30am to advise us that Wolf Volcano on San Cristobal Island had erupted for the first time in 32 years. Our little ship hurried to the island (about 2 1/2 miles offshore), where we all stood on the decks to view a once in a lifetime, front row seat in order to take in this amazing spectacle.
For Michael, who grew up in South America and had previously visited dormant volcanoes as a child, this was a pure delight!
As a side note, it would be somewhat misleading thing to say that it was an "easy trip". With that said, many on our trip were not in the best physical condition and they simply participated in the activities that were most comfortable for them.
Personally, I would say that there was something for everyone. Below is a slideshow of all the sites we saw during our visit, including the active volcano eruption on Wolf Island, as well as a Tiger Shark so very, very close to our Zodiac as we ventured out to one of the outer Islands.
As you will note in the slideshow below, our long days continued on the ship including the very first night where we were awakened by the Captain at about 4:30am to advise us that Wolf Volcano on San Cristobal Island had erupted for the first time in 32 years. Our little ship hurried to the island (about 2 1/2 miles offshore), where we all stood on the decks to view a once in a lifetime, front row seat in order to take in this amazing spectacle.
For Michael, who grew up in South America and had previously visited dormant volcanoes as a child, this was a pure delight!
As a side note, it would be somewhat misleading thing to say that it was an "easy trip". With that said, many on our trip were not in the best physical condition and they simply participated in the activities that were most comfortable for them.
Personally, I would say that there was something for everyone. Below is a slideshow of all the sites we saw during our visit, including the active volcano eruption on Wolf Island, as well as a Tiger Shark so very, very close to our Zodiac as we ventured out to one of the outer Islands.