January 28, 2026, Day 8 of the Cruise
Well, this was our departure day. We had a morning activity to visit the Gemelos Twin Crater, and then would need to get ferried to the airport on Baltra Island. From there we would fly back to Quito and stay again in the Wyndham hotel next to the airport as we were flying out again in the morning. The staff on this ship have been a well-oiled machine. They were so knowledgeable, organized, and personable. I would recommend Go Galapagos to anyone who ever wants to do this.
First we had to disembark and say goodbye to the Coral 1. We love you Coral 1!
On the way to the island we passed this sort of collection of trees that just looked like they were coming out of the water. It was weird and cool.
The crater was cool, and the guide showed us lots of flowers and birds along the way.
Back at the docks, while we were waiting for the ferry to take us to the airport pick up, a whole flock of Boobies all dove at the same time. It was wild. I missed the actual dive but caught the simultaneous take off. It was definitely a show.
Once we got to the airport, we were reunited with some of the people from the cruise. We had stayed in touch with Kristin and Rich who had spent the last few days on one of the Islands and it turned out they were leaving Galapagos the same day as us, and it turned out they were on our flight!
Once we arrived in Quito, we arranged to go to our hotel beside the airport and then uber into Quito for a last dinner with Kristin and Rich. They already had a reservation at a fine dining restaurant called Zazu, which we had heard of as well.. It turns out that we ended up eating at all three of the restaurants that our original driver/guide had said were the best in Quito.
We had a fantastic dinner and then left Kristin and Rich for maybe the fifth time now? The only pic I got of that night is the pic of my drink, a Pisco Sour which Kristin introduced me to. I will be making these at home.
