#GalapalustPlus: Adventurelust returns to Ecuador, Plus some extra magic ✨

Wow guys… 🥺🥺

Just writing this on the flight home from Ecuador.. it’s been such a whirlwind that I feel like I haven’t even had time to process/reflect, but what an incredible adventure it’s been!!

This was the second tour to Galapagos I’ve hosted with my brand/biz/empire Adventurelust. I am just really honoured and really grateful and really proud.

I just couldn’t ask for more, really. Amazing adventures, each of them so diverse, my incredible partners at Enchanted Expeditions, and so so much love and appreciation for my Adventurelust group, I mean I couldn’t ask for better vibes. Our group is so hilarious and grows so close and shares these incredible memories and it is just so so special. I have not laughed so hard and so consistently for a very very long time. I am grateful to have these people in my life, honoured they would come spend their time and money to join me on these trips, and proud because I put this all together and good vibes attract good vibes :)

ANDES

Our first optional add-on adventure was Hacienda El Porvenir, a traditional Ecuadorian ranch bordering Cotopaxi National Park, its namesake volcano GLOWING through the majestic clouds that roll past it. We drank canelazo tea, ate obnoxious amounts of food (including Michael’s slab of raw steak followed by hot chocolate and cheese, yes hot chocolate and cheese, it’s a thing). We strolled the trails on the property across the windy landscape, enjoyed a spa afternoon in the sauna, jacuzzi, and cold pools, and rode our horses across the hills that felt like we were straight out of a movie to get a front-row view of Cotopaxi in all her glory. We bundled up in our alpaca sweaters and sat by the fire in that blustery Andes wind, and came back to a hot water bottle heating up our beds for sleep. That is ELITE accom behaviour. An iconic start to our adventure.

AMAZON

Our last optional add-on adventure (I’m saving the main event for after) was a trip to the Amazon Rainforest: Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, known for its incredible variety of wildlife. We saw macaws, parrots, toucans, 3 diff kinds of monkeys, a shadow of a sloth, caimans in the night, frogs, snakes, bullet ants (everyone’s fave). We sweat through our clothes as we walked through the jungle in both day and night, we relaxed on the canoe cruising through the river and its tributaries, we had the most peaceful sleeps ever to the sounds of the jungle roaring. We stayed at Tapir Lodge, a rustic accommodation that was immersed in the jungle. The food was Michelin star level, hammocks were also elite, and the owner Kurt kept us laughing and definitely entertained throughout. We went and saw a shaman for a healing ceremony, dipped our pinkie fingers in some ayuhuasca just for kicks, helped make some yuca bread at a local community. My fave parts were the sunsets, tranquil cruises through the magical flooded forest. Good times, good company, many laughs, a true adventure.

GALAPAGOS

Now onto the main attractions.. the Galapagos Islands. This is how it all began, back when Enchanted Expeditions reached out to me on Insta years ago asking if I had any interest and I was like uh hello Galapagos is #1 on my bucket list. So we went last year and had a magical, magical cruise (blog post on that cruise here!). Going back for round 2, this time the western islands of Isabela and Ferdnandina, was a no brainer, as we had a few returnees and deposits from last year who were already locked in. But I had planned on this being my last Galapagos cruise; it’s a lot of work to organize, outside of where i am normally based in Cape Town, a far journey and quite expensive to get there, I wasn’t sure if it was where I should invest my own personal time aside from of course booking trips for my clients to go on their own!

But by day 2 of the cruise, I was already committed for round 3. There’s no way I can’t go back to this place. It’s too magical, and the magic will happen every time, it shows up in different ways, it will always capture my heart. I didn’t have the same shock value of “wow animals are everywhere!” as it wasn’t my first visit, but I can still appreciate the wildlife, the remoteness of the islands, the golden hour as the sun starts to set from our yacht, the incredible landscapes that are so diverse and breathtaking, the constant presence of animals at all times (turtles every time you look out at the water). It was epic to see my new group members experience it for the first time, it really is like nowhere else on earth.

There were some parts about last year that I preferred, and magical moments that could never be replicated, but we had our own new moments this year — like the hundreds and hundreds of dive bombing blue footed boobies fishing at sea. The kayaking through mangroves FILLED with turtles. I discovered my new fave island, Fernandina, which is jam packed with marine iguanas and we got to see so many of them swimming, something we missed last year. We got beach drunk on Isabela, toes in the sand. We got to repeat our dolphin snorkel magic, an experience that was the most special thing to happen last year, one that I heard was so rare and never expected again. I spotted a small hammerhead in the water off the boat, completely out of the blue, could not believe it. Then.. after much talk and half-kidding manifesting… we saw an orca whale. Our guide karla hadn’t seen them in 4 years. That was the highlight. After that day I heard at least 3 people in the group say things like “this is the best day of my life” “this is the best trip I’ve every been on”. So ya. We will be going back in 2024, you comin’?!?

There are a million more moments to share, for now I will say feel free to browse the trip hashtag #galapalustplus… and then book a trip through me or join my next tour (voyaging in August 2024) to experience the magic for yourself 😉✨