Kayaking in the Galapagos
The "kayaks" for this trip were inflatable Feather Craft, most of them double kayaks. The very friendly crew assisted us
in getting into the kayaks from the rear of the boat.
We paddled by many high cliffs and into sea caves.
We paddled into a beautiful sunset the
first evening.

Sunset comes at six every day, all
year, as does the sunrise. So, it was
early to bed and early to rise to get the
most out of the trip.
One evening there were lots of very
small jelly fish. All of a sudden I saw
a turtle and stuck my camera into the
jelly fish water to catch this photo of
a large sea turtle.
Roger was a terrific leader. He has a kayak venture company called Eskape Sea Kayaking in Santa Cruz California.
Eskape Sea Kayaking.
Roger was always paddling back into the holes and rocks and a couple times his ventures turned exciting.
Here Roger attempts to roll his
Feather Craft. When that did not work,
he mounted the kayak with the
greatest of ease.
Finally, what better way to end an account of this
wonderful adventure than with a picture of a ghost crab.

Also, some comments about the kayaking. Even though
the waters were fairly calm, the catamaran did seem to
cause some sea sickness among several of us participants.

The quarters are close. One participant became
concerned when she found she was sharing a double
bed--actually two singles side by side. Since there were
only seven people on this trip, they were able to give her
her own cabin.

This is a fairly strenuous trip. Most days ventures began at
six and we were usually still going strong until dinner at
seven. Even though the temperatures are not high, the
humidity and direct sun can be a challenge.

Meals on this trip were absolutely sensational.

The reward is a small group size and getting to do a lot
more stuff than on most Galapagos trips. Everyone on our
trip had a great time. But this is not a trip for the average
visitor to the Galapagos, which is what made it so unique
and special for those who participated in our journey.

A word of caution. The Feather Craft are not exactly
regular kayaks but do work under the circumstances.
Prior to taking the Galapagos trip, Jackie and I visited Cusin and the Cloud Forest. If you would like to read about that
part of the venture, click on the next link. Whatever you do, don't confine your trip to Ecuador to the Galapagos as so
many people do. There is a lot more to Ecuador than the Galapagos and Paul at Explorers Corner was very helpful
guiding us on to other options.
On the longer days I grew tired in these craft. If more attention had been paid to securing the foot rests, this might have
been less of a problem. My foot rests slipped down as the paddle progressed and then my back would not stay erect.
As inflatable kayaks, the Feather Craft do require more effort than a traditional sea kayak to go the same distance.
Also, some paddles took place before breakfast. Bring a snack for these occasions.