Erika Maguire

Hello,

My Dad and I just returned from our Nov 22-29 Galapagos cruise aboard the Natural Paradise, and I wanted to let you know how much the crew added to our overall experience. 
We of course loved all the excursions, wildlife and landscapes, but what put our experience over the top was the top-no tch naturalist guide, Andres Cadena as well as the superb crew.

I feel so lucky that we had Andres as our guide. He was incredibly knowledgeable, kind and funny and did an excellent job navigating our group. I never felt like we were rushing from place to place and during our excursions, he would always stop to explain what we were seeing and patiently answer questions (our group had a lot).

He also did informative evening briefings and told us exactly what to expect the next day. I very much appreciated that he suggested things to bring and what types of clothes/shoes would be ideal for the next day’s activities.

He also put together a few mini presentations for us, like one of the history of the Galapagos for instance, and even created a video for the group that included videos and photos from our eight days together.

Jorge was also incredible. He always had a smile on his face and was so attentive to guests; he expertly anticipated what guests needed before they had even asked for anything. Also, on the last day, as we were leaving Isles Lobos, he even got off the dingy and ran up the trail to help an older guest descend the rocky trail. I thought that was so kind. He even dressed up every night for dinner, which just showed again how much he cared about his job and providing the best experience for guests.

Alejando was wonderful as well. Always laughing, always there to help everyone with whatever they needed. And Fernando made such incredible food!

But truly, the entire crew was so friendly and wonderful. There were so many little things they did that they didn’t have to, but since they cared, they did it anyway, like help guests put on their wetsuits, wrap dry towels around our shoulders as we got out of the cold water and put down dry towels on the dingys so you wouldn’t get wet. They clearly cared for guests as well as one another, and they were always hustling, always laughing, and it just made our experience so joyful and memorable. 

We are so grateful to the crew and feel so lucky to have met them all. Thanks so much!

Sincerely,