Galapagus - clothing/footwear

[Canadianhey!]

We will be touring the Galapagus end of July-beginning of Aug. What kind of footwear and clothing should I pack. I presume flip flops will not do for the excursions. Any help appreciated. Thanks

[ghstudio]

Flip flops would be the worst choice for this trip, unless one planned to stay on the beaches and miss much of the wildlife. The paths are not necessarily flat, you will be walking on stones, etc.

 

Bring lightweight walking shoes, shorts, short sleeved shirts...or pants that can be pulled up a bit when you take your shoes off and have to go into six inches of water...what they call a wet landing.

 

A brief search of the internet showing groups touring the galapagos will show you what folks wear.

Edited January 24, 2015 by ghstudio

[ozark74]

We will be touring the Galapagus end of July-beginning of Aug. What kind of footwear and clothing should I pack. I presume flip flops will not do for the excursions. Any help appreciated. Thanks

 

Go to Xpedition roll call and look for anyone back part 3. Any question you have can be answered. There has been many list posted about what to bring and not to bring. If you have time there is a part 1 and part 2 you can read.

[Jade13]

You could break your neck wearing flip flops. Many areas/landings are very rocky.

 

Please bring hiking shoes, and water shoes for the wet landings. We have been twice.

Edited January 24, 2015 by Jade13

[lawgirl]

Water resistant Keene or Merrells .... Kind of sandals. Closed toe box for walking on volcanic rocks. Something with some holes, not sneakers. You get wet getting off the zodiacs, so sneakers would stay squishy. Make sure they have good soles and are comfy! Tons of walking.... Bring a few options in case one pair doesn't work out. Best vacation we have EVER taken!! Enjoy! :D

[cruisemuse27]

cant wait ...we are off in december...I am a non swimmer...but will stick my face in the water....yes I know I should be on the expedition boards and I am...just couldnt resist it here....

[EagleRocker]

Water resistant Keene or Merrells .... Kind of sandals. Closed toe box for walking on volcanic rocks. Something with some holes, not sneakers. You get wet getting off the zodiacs, so sneakers would stay squishy. Make sure they have good soles and are comfy! Tons of walking.... Bring a few options in case one pair doesn't work out. Best vacation we have EVER taken!! Enjoy! :D

 

Agree about the Keen sandals with closed toes and bringing multiple options. I wore these most of the time. You also can get away with Teva type open-toed sandals if you ask ahead of time and find out whether a walk will be on a trail or over rocks. I also took a good pair of walking shoes for the non-wet landing hikes - I found the extra padding and support helpful when clambering over rocks (especially the lava rocks) and walking long distances. You will be advised ahead of time whether to expect a wet or dry landing, so can plan accordingly. Flip flops are fine for around the ship when just hanging around, eating lunch, etc.

 

Also, when I went two years ago, a number of the naturalists wore Crocs (the ventilated clog style with a back strap). I actually think those are perfect for some of the wet landing excursions - they dry fast and they provide decent support.

 

As for clothes, I suspect it will be warm when you are there, so light clothes (as in both cool and light-colored, but no yellow due to wasps, or so we were advised) and layers. Dinner is not dressy as such, but more dressy than excursion-wear. I wore skirts and tops and the odd summer dress, with sandals, to dinner (many wore capris and casual tops, which was fine as well); for breakfast and lunch, anything goes. I found the dining room to be pretty warm, as did others. For excursions, if you are going to snorkel, you will need to wear your bathing suit under your clothes, so take clothes that will accommodate that (I usually just wore comfortable shorts and a t-shirt). I liked to wear clothes that had pockets, so I did not have to lug a pack of any kind. Convertible pants are really handy; I wore them sometimes and my husband lived in them (plus they hand wash and dry really fast).

 

This trip is fantastic but be advised, there is very little down time. You are up early for the morning excursion, race back to grab lunch and get cleaned up if you need/want to, then out again shortly for the afternoon excursion, then race back to get cleaned up for dinner and the evening presentation about the next day's events (a must attend). Dinner is a long process usually, so not a whole lot of time after for fun.

 

Have a great trip.

[still-learning]

These are the best; good support and protection on rocks, light weight, water proof, and no "break-in" period-very comfortable from day one. http://www.amazon.com/Keen-Whisper-W-Womens-Whisper-Sandal/dp/B003H4QFVY

Edited January 25, 2015 by still-learning

[dz9yvr]

These are the best; good support and protection on rocks, light weight, water proof, and no "break-in" period-very comfortable from day one. http://www.amazon.com/Keen-Whisper-W-Womens-Whisper-Sandal/dp/B003H4QFVY

 

Waterproof???? I'm not sure that a sandal can be descried as waterproof :confused:

[Bruin Steve]

Okay...now I'm beginning to worry...

I'm going on this trip in July...and I had just about settled on bringing a pair of sandals I already own...waterproof, dry fast, velcro fastening...but they are open-toed and maybe not the best hiking shoes...

 

Should I buy a pair of Keens instead?

 

Which ones?

These:

http://www.amazon.com/Keen-Class-Water-Raven-Burnt/dp/B00E0J55JS/ref=sr_1_4?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1422201952&sr=1-4&keywords=keen+men%27s+sandal+waterproof

 

...or these:

http://www.amazon.com/KEEN-Newport-Sandal-Raven-Aluminum/dp/B008J4T442/ref=sr_1_1?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1422204436&sr=1-1&keywords=keen+men%27s+H2

 

Or this one:

http://www.shoebuy.com/keen-kanyon/357982/1426135

 

Or something else?

 

Also, I keep reading these run a little small...

I normally wear a size 10EEE or 10.5EEE...Should I order in 11?

 

Thanks...

Edited January 25, 2015 by Bruin Steve

[lawgirl]

They don't make the Keen I wore most days, but it is kind of like this

http://www.amazon.com/Womens-Rose-Sandal-Sweet-Neutral/dp/B008J4S6NW/ref=sr_1_2?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1422206026&sr=1-2&keywords=closed+toe+sandals

 

Any of the options in above post would work. Honestly, I ordered a few options and wore them around the house, keeping the ones I liked and returning others. I also took a pair of hiking sneakers, but never wore them. I took Merrel sandals with open toes and wore a few days (like at the park where we saw Lonesome George before he died). However, most excursions I wore the keens. Btw, my husband actually brought crocs and wore them a lot on the hikes, as most guides wore those as well.

 

I brought AND WORE two outfits per day for excursions. We went in May and it was very humid and I needed to change at lunch between excursions because my shirt, at least, was wet. I wore a lot of wicking sleeveless athletic tops and wicking shirts. You do not need particularly fancy clothes for dinner. I wore a hat a lot too. Hope this helps.

[lawgirl]

Waterproof???? I'm not sure that a sandal can be descried as waterproof :confused:

 

Not sure why this is confusing? Of course any shoe gets wet it you submerge it in the ocean....what the poster meant I am sure is that the fabric is water repellant and dries quickly so as not to leave blisters. The poster was correct that the Keen Whisper is a great option.

[Viv0828]

I wore an open toed teva type sandals with no problems. Some of the walking is along fairly level paths and you could wear flip flops there. You can always stash a lightweight pair in your daypack if you wish.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[cruisemuse27]

I will only bring the one pair of shoes for the outdoors ..keens...with the toe closed, heel open....wore them in pouring rain in amsterdam...they seem to repel the water....and a pair of crocs for inside and as an alternate if needed...

 

I really recommend them...

[Bruin Steve]

I went ahead and settled this problem...for us...

 

This morning, I went to a travel fair sponsored by my local travel agent at the Westlake Hyatt here in Westlake Village, CA. After that, I realized that across the street from the hotel, there's a shoe store that carries Keens...

 

So, I went over there and tried on three pairs of sandals:

Keen Kanyons

Keen Clearwater CNX

Teva (can't recall the style)...

 

Since I normally wear a size 10EEE or 10.5EEE and, recalling these tend to run a bit small anyway, I asked to try on a Size 11...

 

Unfortunately (for them), their stock was down and they only had these three pairs to show me in my size...and I didn't particularly care for the color they had available in my size...But, it was great just to see them in person and to be able to try them on...

 

Turns out that the Keen Kanyons--even in a size 11--were WAY too narrow and felt small...The Tevas fit okay, but felt a bit heavy and clunky and the shoes did not feel like they were that securely attached to my foot (maybe if I played around a bit with the laces)...

 

Anyway, the Keen Clearwater CNX felt fairly remarkable...First off, the Size 11s felt almost perfectly suited for my foot...comfortable and secure...And, most importantly, the shoes felt VERY lightweight...

 

So, when I got home, I did a little more internet research on them. Turns out that they ARE considerably lighter than even the other styles of Keen sandals--and were designed to be...The sole is thinner--though it still supports the foot very well and provides all the necessary cushioning for both water and rocky trail hiking. But they won't take up much weight in the suitcase...or cause much drag walking through the water...

 

So, I went on the internet and ordered a pair--in "Gargoyle/Super Lemon" color...Yeah, sounds strange...but it's really light gray with yellow stitching and highlights...

My wife saw me ordering and said she wanted a pair too...So we bought her ones in "****ake/Baltic" (funny...the Cruise Critic automatic censor program bleeped the name...It's a type of MUSHROOM"...starts with Sh...)--sort of a medium brown with turquoise stitching/highlights...

 

So...there's one issue down...

5 months, 6 days to go...

Edited January 26, 2015 by Bruin Steve

[Jennlee.2]

I wore Teva sandals for touring the Galapagos and they worked well. And water shoes for snorkeling. I did have a fall once, on Espanola, where the terrain was very rocky and I wasn't paying enough attention to where I put my feet, so be careful at all times and have shoes with some support (heel strap for sandals, etc).

 

For excursions with dry landings, some of our male tourists would wear tennis shoes with socks.

 

Would definitely not wear flip flops except maybe just on the boat itself.

 

Shorts and lightweight shirts and swimwear was pretty much all we wore clothing-wise, along with hats, although some kind of coverup can be useful as well as sun protection. It is generally quite warm. And a big bottle of sunscreen, reapplied more often than you think you should.

 

Note: I haven't been on X for Galapagos, I was on a smaller ship/yacht, but the excursions/terrain would be the same/similar.

[jspirit]

We found that lava rock slippery , rough and uneven, and were happy we wore our light hiking shoes that had a good grip on the bottom. Especially the day we hiked to the flamingos .Our whole group also used their walking sticks!

I would be concerned about wearing crocs on that type of hike as they could be slippery and do not hold your foot securely .

Wore Keens a lot but for dry landings we often felt more secure in our light hikers. Hope that helps.

[Canadianhey!]

Do we have to apply for a visa to get into Quito? If so where/how do we go about doing this.

[lawgirl]

Do we have to apply for a visa to get into Quito? If so where/how do we go about doing this.

 

Hello! You probably should be posting your questions under the "Galapagos ...anyone back" Thread. There are 3 massive threads under the Xpedition roll call forum. You can search those threads and find out all answers to everything about the Galapagos. I spent hours and hours on those threads.... They are full of great advice!