ABD Amazon Escape & ABD Galapagos

[abdgeek]

Has anyone done both the current ABD Amazon Escape & ABD Galapagos trip? I just realized that the luggage requirements for both are different and I’m not sure how I’ll be able to pack. I’m doing the Amazon Escape before I go to the Galapagos and it limits you to one suitcase while you’re allowed to have two suitcases (carryon and checked) on the Galapagos trip. The ABD website says you can leave luggage at the Wyndham and pick it up on your way to the Galapagos, but I don’t know how I feel about that. Here are my questions:

• How did you pack for both trips?
• Did you have to leave a suitcase at the Wyndham?
• What did you forget to take on the Amazon Escape that you found you needed?
• Did ABD provide boots for the walks or did you need hiking shoes?

I’m going in December, which I know is supposed to be warm. However, I’m definitely taking long pants and tops for the Amazon nature hikes. I know the Galapagos is supposed to be warm then, but not sure if I’ll need long pants or shorts on the boat. Any tips would be appreciated.

 

[AquaDame]

While we did not do it through ABD, we booked a similar trip on our own during January (and loved it so much we went back to the Galapagos that December). We also stayed at the Wyndham. Zero issues leaving our luggage there in both directions. We left one set of clothes in a suitcase when we went to the Galapagos, returned and swapped our swimsuits and flip flops for raincoats, long socks, pants, and hiking boots before the flight to Coca. December was definitely warm... I did bring a single pair of pants and a long sleeve shirt just in case but did not use them. Most wore shorts though a few older folk did switch to pants at dinner - I'm almost always cold but never felt chilly onboard. The Amazon was a different story... I am not.... great... with spiders so I pretty much covered up for the hikes even though it made me a hot sweaty mess. For me it was better than the alternative of risking a mental breakdown whenever I felt anything on my leg.

 

[aggiedog]

I would have no problem leaving luggage at the hotel. That's a common practice and it will be perfectly safe. Consider packing cubes, where you can divide out your Amazon vs Galapagos clothes ahead of time. Less to have to go thru to make sure you don't forget the few things you'll need both places.

 

[abdgeek]

While we did not do it through ABD, we booked a similar trip on our own during January (and loved it so much we went back to the Galapagos that December). We also stayed at the Wyndham. Zero issues leaving our luggage there in both directions. We left one set of clothes in a suitcase when we went to the Galapagos, returned and swapped our swimsuits and flip flops for raincoats, long socks, pants, and hiking boots before the flight to Coca. December was definitely warm... I did bring a single pair of pants and a long sleeve shirt just in case but did not use them. Most wore shorts though a few older folk did switch to pants at dinner - I'm almost always cold but never felt chilly onboard. The Amazon was a different story... I am not.... great... with spiders so I pretty much covered up for the hikes even though it made me a hot sweaty mess. For me it was better than the alternative of risking a mental breakdown whenever I felt anything on my leg.

Thanks for sharing your experience with leaving luggage at the Wyndham. Knowing that this is something that is common place puts me more at ease. I know ABD wouldn’t suggest it if it wasn’t ok, but having to live out of one suitcase really caught me off guard. I typically pack across my suitcases when I travel, but I like your idea about packing one for the Amazon and one for the Galapagos.

I’m with you on the crawling critters. I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t do the Amazon while in Ecuador, so I’m going to try not to be too jumpy about the wildlife. I normally live in shorts when it’s warm, but figured it would be best to wear light colored hiking pants and long shirts on the nature walks to mitigate the chances of being bitten by something or having something I don’t want to crawl on me. It should also make debugging before getting back on the boat easier.

 

[mathgeek]

I just did both of these in July. I packed dry fit pants and long sleeve t's for the Amazon (I'm also not great with bugs but knew I'd regret not doing the Escape). They provide rubber boots on the Anakonda for all of the excursions. The one thing I wish I'd had were more pairs of long socks for this part of the trip to wear with the boots. I wish I'd taken 6 pairs for this part alone. We rarely wore our own shoes for the Amazon excursions (it rained - a lot). They also provided ponchos. And make sure you have lots of bug spray. I had wipes, but it helped to have spray b/c they recommended you spray your boots too.

For Galapagos I had shorts and t's and hoodies and some joggers. I had been advised to save one pair of long socks for the Galapagos portion b/c on the day we went to the turtle farm, they provided boots. My hiking shoes and snorkel mask were my best purchases for this part of the trip. People did sometimes change for dinner, but not super dressy.

The AC was chilly (to me) on both ships, so I'm glad I had hoodies and long pants along. It sometimes took a bit to warm up after snorkeling in the cold water.

I travel solo, so I only took one big suitcase and a backpack. I did use the layover day in Quito between the Amazon and Galapagos to reorganize my suitcase and dry out some stuff that was still damp from the Amazon humidity.

 

[abdgeek]

I just returned from the ABD Amazon Escape & Galapagos trips. Both trips were great. Kevin & Robby, both from Ecuador, were our guides in the Amazon. Kira joined them for the Galapagos, so we had three ABD guides for 83 people. There were 19 ABD and 1 non-ABDer on the Amazon trip. Nine of the 19 people continued to the Galapagos. Below are some notes I made from both trips. Hopefully, they will help others as they plan.

Wyndham Quito Airport

• Has a free airport shuttle to hotel—sits to the right outside the exit doors after baggage claim. If you book the Wyndham OYO, you will use this. If you book pre/post nights through ABD, they will provide a bus to take you to the hotel.
• No bottled water in rooms—water refill stations in hall and carafe in room for water
• Ask for washcloths if needed; as is typical overseas, none were provided in the room
• Toilet paper goes in toilet

Amazon escape—Kevin & Robby guides

• Able to leave any luggage didn’t want to take in storage at hotel
• 35 minute flight to Coca
• 1:45 motorized canoe ride to boat
• Filtered water provided on boat
• Toilet paper goes in wastebasket
• Wi-Fi provided, but didn’t always work—can’t stream, just email and text
• Electric outlets behind bed; USB-A charging port in reading light
• You need binoculars to see animals—if you’re a bird watcher or similar, you’ll have the power ones you need; unless you have a very good zoom on your camera, you won’t be able to get pictures of animals high up —mine wasn’t strong enough for detailed pictures; I saw a lot of animals; the naturalists and guides will point out animals and try to help you see them—the rest is up to you
• No welcome dinner where everyone introduces themselves; no parting slideshow
• Things do no dry quickly on the boat

Galapagos Legend—Kira, Kevin & Robby guides

• No elevator
• If you choose, you will be off the boat 3 times for morning, afternoon, and early evening activities
• No washcloths—bring own if needed
• If you don’t snorkel, often provided a glass bottom boat to view wildlife without getting wet in afternoon
• It took about 2 days for my swimsuit to dry—bring at least 2; some days you are snorkeling twice
• Went in December and provided wetsuits for snorkeling. Although we were told the water was 68-72 degrees (depending on where we were snorkeling), the water was cold!
• Water bottle stations provided on boat
• Things do not dry quickly on the boat
• Wi-Fi provided, but didn’t always work—can’t stream, just email and text

Feel free to ask any questions you may have. I’ll try to answer them.

 

[aggiedog]

When we were there in April 2023 (not ABD) we were told to turn our wetsuits inside out, that way the inside dried out first. Worked well.

Did you have a clothesline on the top of the ship? We had a small one, where everyone rotated suits/rashguards. That also generally worked well. Either way, absolutely bring 2 sets so you're not putting a wet one on every afternoon.

Glad you had a great trip! We loved the Galapagos so much we're going back May 2025 with our adult-ish kids.

 

[abdgeek]

When we were there in April 2023 (not ABD) we were told to turn our wetsuits inside out, that way the inside dried out first. Worked well.

Did you have a clothesline on the top of the ship? We had a small one, where everyone rotated suits/rashguards. That also generally worked well. Either way, absolutely bring 2 sets so you're not putting a wet one on every afternoon.

Glad you had a great trip! We loved the Galapagos so much we're going back May 2025 with our adult-ish kids.

We did not have a clothesline on the top of the ship. The Galapagos Legend had a room where all the wetsuits and snorkel bags were hung after each outing. They also had two machines in the room. I don’t know if they were dryers or not, but several people did use them. I chose to only wear one suit each day. So I would put my wet swimsuit back on for the 2nd snorkel and just hang it in the room in between snorkel sessions. While it was a shock at first, once I put on the wetsuit, it was fine. When we snorkeled from the beach, we did so after a hike and put our wetsuits on there. Otherwise, we put our wetsuits on before boarding the pangas for the deep water snorkeling.

 

[aggiedog]

We did not have a clothesline on the top of the ship. The Galapagos Legend had a room where all the wetsuits and snorkel bags were hung after each outing.

I suspect that's a function of the size of the ship. Our ship had 16 pax, so easier to create space for just 16 wetsuits outside and a small clothesline.

 

[AquaDame]

Out of curiosity which lodge does ABD use on the Amazon..? I had a heck of a time choosing when we went a few years ago - it turned out great, but I've wondered...

 

[rebeccam31]

Out of curiosity which lodge does ABD use on the Amazon..? I had a heck of a time choosing when we went a few years ago - it turned out great, but I've wondered...

They don't. You're on a riverboat. The one we were on was the Anakonda

 

[abdgeek]

Out of curiosity which lodge does ABD use on the Amazon..? I had a heck of a time choosing when we went a few years ago - it turned out great, but I've wondered...

ABD uses the Anakonda Riverboat as their base for the escape. The boat only docks at night because it can’t see to navigate the Amazon River then. The one night we were still traveling at night, there was a man in a canoe with a stick to see the water depth that was going ahead of the boat. We left the boat each day by motorized canoe and went to our various activities. Some of our activities were in the Yasuni National Park. However, we did go to Amazon Dolphin Lodge one day to do a nature walk, have lunch, and swim and kayak. We were the only ones there, so I don’t know if ABD rented the lodge out or if it is affiliated somehow with the Anakonda.

I researched lodges before deciding to do the riverboat with ABD. I’m glad I did because it decreased the amount of time I had to spend with bugs. It was also nice to be on a boat with AC and other comforts that made the trip more enjoyable.

 

[AquaDame]

They don't. You're on a riverboat. The one we were on was the Anakonda

Ahh thats right. I knew when it was both trips together, and not sure why I thought it may have changed when they split them up. Thank you.

I researched lodges before deciding to do the riverboat with ABD. I’m glad I did because it decreased the amount of time I had to spend with bugs. It was also nice to be on a boat with AC and other comforts that made the trip more enjoyable.

AC was definitely a deciding factor with us as well! I'm glad we stayed where we did but the bugs DEFINITELY come out at night. I got slapped in the face more than once on the walk back to our cabin from dinner.