Galapagos & Amazon (Archipel I)

The Napo Lodge Wildlife centre lodges are amazing and very comfortable. Lots of wildlife to see from the open canoe up the various creeks and the easy walking through the jungle. In Galapagos we did the western itinerary (B) this time having done the eastern itinerary 10 years ago. We found the two to be quite different in some ways with noticeably fewer seabirds on this trip compared to 10 years ago although they were slightly different times of year. However this itinerary is much better for penguins and turtles and the flightless cormorant can only be seen on itinerary B. B is said to be better for whales but we didn't see any - just dolphins. Either way it is a tremendous wildlife experience but don't expect an idyllic tropical island paradise, the islands can be quite stark and barren and the water is cold despite it being on the equator.

I hoped for a lot, but expected nothing (especially in the Amazon) but we saw more wildlife than I knew there was! And as for the Galapagos.....Sensational. Holiday of a lifetime and would recommend to anyone. Truly brilliant. Am delighted to have managed to have whittled my photos down to about 650 (and 35 videos!). The Napo Lodge was stunning with fabulous staff but the Cachalotte was possibly even better (though cabin much smaller and less glamorous than lodge). The memories will be something I treasure forever. The organisation from beginning to end made everything so easy and I will definitely be travelling with Exodus again.

Great trip first to Napo then to Galapagos. We were delighted with the quality of service, organization and attention to details.

Went with my 22 year old son July 18 .. flew via Bogotá to Quito on Avianca ..Long transit at Bogotá Airport, recommend buying transit lounge pass, but staff very unhelpful, and on return trip . Quito high altitude and lovely authentic hotel .. restaurant close by , son ate guinea pig ,, and recommend artisan market for Alpaca poncho and Panama hats .Long boat ride to Napo destination and wonderful accommodation in newest palapa on lake edge with outdoor jacuzzi , deck and hammock, but very little free time to relax ..stinky turkey birds ...great character and plumage ...Canoe rides fab, but not much wildlife can be seen from canoes because of dense undergrowth . Super watchtower at Napo valley for birdwatching ..no good if you can’t do heights, climbed two other watchtowers for amazing views over canopy to see blue macaws and toucans ..best view from watchtowers with scope provided and set up by Eduardo ..also took pics through scope ..can sway a bit with large group up top ..not for the faint hearted ..also saw cayman and river otters from canoe ..managed to get away from noisy Australians by ducking out of village tour , and instead Eduardo took us for a. Jungle trek and climbed watchtower on our own to see blue macaws ..absolutely fantastic . He also presented us with an enormous male crested owl after a trek ..so exciting ... back to back excursions, got bitten last night as too tired to be vigilant, blessed the fact we had our vaccinations ..lots of monkeys ..very hard to see ..your own bins an absolute must .. one sloth , through scope ..hard to see ....Very remote location ....parrot licks amazing ..back to Quito and then to Galapagos, fortunately for us we were upgraded to Beluga ...lovely boat, no time to rest...daily very early starts ..on and off a panga to islands ..all that you could wish for ..2 more owl, barn in lava cave ..short eared owl on open terrain ..swum with sea lions, lots of turtles, son went diving in washing machine ..not good clarity .ha ha ...all the boobies you could wish for ..right next to you .. ..albatross ..nesting ..eggs, chicks tropicbirds , yellow warblers ..finch, Galapagos mockinbird .. marine and land iguanas everywhere ..sea lions ..no penguins ....could see golden rays from cliff top ..a lot of walking ..daily ..extreme snorkelling ..very cold water for me ...my shortie not thick enough ..even with rash vest ..too exhausted to do one afternoon on lava island ..thought I would rest in cabin, but staff had a noisy get together ..also rough sea on night journeys ..every night ..barely slept ..big day with tortoises ..returned via night in Guayancil ..more alpaca from market ..and then Bogotá to London ..arrived home totally exhausted ..not enough sleep throughout trip ..good food on board ..took my own snorkel and fins .. saw a juvenile hammerhead from panga on last day around mangroves , juvenile sharks .spotted rays and turtles plentiful ..managed to change cabins for final 3 nights ...put in tiny cabin .originally ...one porthole and not enough daylight ..make sure you get one with at least 2 portholes ..upstairs cabins open on to seating area ..but best with huge windows ..lots of getting on and off pangas and trekking ..would rate level 2 ... came home and slept for a week ......camera with bird watching zoom lens essential

Excellent wildlife, the snorkeling was amazing - turtles, sea lions and occasional (small) sharks. Good guides. Hectic with early starts and busy schedule. Worst experience was having my bag with all my valuables stolen from the hotel lobby - although we were aware of steet crime we did expect to be safe within the hotel.