I just returned from the Galapagos last week. We did the Westin in Galapagos. I recommend doing the west first. That is what I was told from several of the naturalists. It was amazingly unforgettable, the trip of a lifetime. We were on the Silverseas Origin. They were the best we had 10 naturalists that were all extremely knowledgeable. Every day we did snorkeling and explored the islands to see the most amazing animals. First we flew to Quito in Ecuador for two nights then we flew to the Galapagos and spend seven days board the ship and then we flew the Guayaquil and then back to Miami. We were on the ship for 7 days and we were up very early 6:30, breakfast at 7 am off the ship at 7:45. Most mornings we did snorkeling or kayaking and always walks on difficult Terrain. The two hour walk on the island with the lava flow was worth it but extremely difficult terrain. Getting on and off the zodiacs on days when we had a surge was especially fun and potentially dangerous but the crew made it easy with their assistance. I suggest brushing up on some of exercises to gain abilities that require strength and stamina. Bring really good hiking shoes. I brought four cameras and four lenses. Don’t bother with the tripod. They give you a backpack but I used a camera backpack. One mistake that I made was not buying the underwater housing for my Sony RX 1000 VII. I bought a Kodak underwater camera that was awful, a piece of junk with terrible lens. Other than that I had the right gear. Primary camera was my Canon 5D mark IV with normally a canon 24-70 2.8L and my Canon 5DS. For add lenses I brought a Canon 70-200 2.8L III, a Canon 100mm L macro, and Canon 100-400 f4.5-5.6L also a 1.4x converter. I used a Blackrapid two camera shoulder harness at times that I highly recommend. Most important is to bring a hat or two to protect you from the sun that covers the back of your neck as well. You must bring a super lightweight windbreaker to protect you from sun and the rain at times. But Sun protections must. During the one week vacation on the beautiful ship we crossed the equator four times! I am still processing about 2000 pictures. I intend to post a an album shortly on Adobe Portfolio. This will be a new app for me to use.

We were there for both itineraries. We figured for what we were spending just to go that we may as well pay for both. We were able to walk around Puerto Ayora, see the museums, have a wonderful lunch on the bay and do some shopping while the boat crew did the turn-around for the second week, but that was fine with us. We could stroll and enjoy the day while our luggage stayed aboard.
You will see many amazing sights on either but will miss much if doing only one. There’s a different species on every island, some the same and others not. Some have tortoises and others don’t, but you will see them no matter what you choose. There are other islands with creatures that can be seen no where else in those islands. You may wish you could do them both when you realize it’s your last day. Even after the three + weeks we spent in Ecuador and the Galápagos, we wanted more time.

But one caution, brush up on your hiking, snorkeling and kayaking skills before going. We had two hikes, two snorkels and one kayaking expedition every day. Joked about it being Galápagos Boot Camp. It was worth every minute.