In the Footsteps of Darwin: HX Galapagos Expedition Cruise Review

Having never been to the continent before, Quito proved to be a great introduction to South America and it was lovely to break up the 11.5 hour flight with this pre-cruise stay. The Ecuadoreans we met were so friendly, helpful and polite.

Our full day tour included visits to the grand San Francisco Catholic church (taking it slow up the spires due to the higher altitude!), the glistening gold Church of the Society of Jesus, a deliciously hearty meal at El Crater Hotel and Restaurant as the clouds eased in to the dormant volcano from the nearby Cloud Forest, and an Ecuadorean chocolate tasting at Indemini Baez. We relished our stop on 0.0 degrees at the equator, with one foot in the southern hemisphere and one foot in the northern hemisphere!

Landing in Baltra was quite surreal with its lunar landscape, turquoise waters and bright, white sandy beaches.

A short hop through immigration, and a five-minute shuttle bus to the port, landed us in our panga (zodiac) to board the ship in the bay - we had finally arrived!

Ports of call on our Eastern Isles (the oldest isles in the Galapagos) itinerary included Punta Pitt on San Cristobal, the only site where it's possible to see all three species of boobies in the Galapagos; Santa Fe island; the beautiful island of South Plaza, that's covered in scarlet sesuvium succulents and prickly pear cacti; and Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz, where we visited Charles Darwin's Research Station.

I also loved Crianza's Tortoise Territory - this was so informative and enabled us to see Lonesome George's taxidermy as well as learn about the conservation efforts for giant tortoises - a species which gave the archipelago its name over 3,000 years ago. We also called in to the island of Espanola where we visited Gardner Bay and Punta Suarez to see waved albatross and rainbow iguanas; Eden Islet, which is great for spotting reef sharks; and North Seymour island, which teems with frigate birds and their renowned red gular pouches.

Expedition itineraries in the Galapagos are structured similarly with activities such as snorkelling, panga rides, walks and hikes operating both in the mornings and afternoons. It's up to you what you choose and how you spend your time, but when on a trip like this, it's great to try everything.

Panga rides brought us comfortably closer to crabs, sea lions, fur sea lions, herons, shearwaters, storm petrels and marine iguanas, on numerous occasions. We saw all of these within the first hour of landing at the airport and arriving to the ship!

Hikes and walks (of two miles max) through the rugged terrain, across lava rocks and over boulders took us to sightings of the famous blue footed boobies, albatross, brown pelicans, giant tortoises, land iguanas, frigates, Galapagos hawks, Nazca boobies, finches and warblers.

You don't have to be an experienced snorkeller to snorkel in the Galapagos. If you're nervous like I was, the HX expedition team ease you in to gearing up in your wetsuit, flippers, mask and snorkel (all provided by HX), and talk you through the procedure of jumping into deep water, or walking backwards into the sea from the beach, and then float and swim along with your underwater camera (a must in the Galapagos!), to bring the underwater world to life, right before your very eyes! Our encounters with reef sharks, sting rays, curious sea lions, star fish, parrot fish, razor sturgeons, salema, goatfish and angelfish (like scenes out of Finding Dory) will stay with me forever.

Cycling, paddle boarding, kayaking and glass-bottomed boat trips were also offered throughout our expedition, and could be signed up for each evening.

The youngest islands of the Galapagos are in the west and are where you can find penguins and flightless cormorants that arrived via the Humboldt current from Antarctica. Flamingos were the only other wildlife we didn't see and that's because they are located on the northern islands.

I was allocated a Deluxe Suite aboard MS Santa Cruz II, located at the aft of Deck One; this generous-sized cabin with compact bathroom was ideal for a jam-packed itinerary, but if you'd like a more spacious cabin, I'd recommend the Darwin Suites on Deck 3.

Briefings for the days ahead were held conveniently in the bar, which had a lovely sheltered, outdoor lounge area to relax in the afternoon or enjoy a cocktail and BBQ in the evening.

Lectures and documentaries were shown in the library, which also stocked a coffee machine, biscuits, microscopes and a selection of destination-related books. The games room also offers board games, card games and blu-ray DVDs or you can jump into the two Jacuzzis and head up to the Sun Deck to top up your tan. Next to the Jacuzzis you'll also find outdoor washers and dryers which are complimentary to use during your cruise.

MS Santa Cruz has one restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast and lunch are buffet style, whereas dinner is a la carte, and the food on board is Ecuadorean cuisine most days.

Sustainability is at the heart of HX Expeditions with their onboard Green Stay programme. A special green hanger placed on your cabin door handle indicates that the team will only replace towels, hoover and make the bed each day without using liquid cleaning products.

Your participation in this programme sees HX donate 50 cents daily to sustainability projects. The team take your dinner order at breakfast each morning too, to avoid unnecessary food waste.

Whilst this archipelago is a long way to travel from the UK, every day was a Big 15 tick sheet of wildlife and a feast for the eyes with extraterrestrial landscapes. To have visited a place of natural history, untouched in parts and conserved everywhere, is something truly special to have experienced.

The Galapagos leaves a lasting impression on you to look after our fragile world and arm you with a deep respect for scientists and researchers who dedicate years or their entire careers to understanding and protecting this ecosystem. A humbling expedition to this part of Ecuador that needs to be on your travel bucket list.