Chelsea's Yoga Retreats: Galápagos Islands

Ahh, I'm so excited to bring you a recap of my incredible Galápagos Islands yoga retreat! It truly was one for the books and a great destination choice for my first international retreat since Covid hit. Goodness, when I chose the Galápagos little did I know it would be THIS amazing. It was a really timely reminder of just how inspiring and fun these retreats are and got me looking even MORE forward to Sicily and New Zealand, which I have coming up later this year (peep more info on those retreats here if you're interested)!

Alright friends, let's talk Galápagos, shall we?!

Day 1

We all flew to Quito, Ecuador where we spent our time at Selina Hotel. A super cute boutique-style space with activities every night! Quito is surrounded by hills and volcanoes and to arrive at night felt like a special surprise to awake the next morning to get the lay of the land. We spent the day touring the city, walking its streets, and visiting the Basílica Del Voto Nacional. It was this gorgeous church covered in gargoyles and stained glass. We climbed its stairs to take in views of the whole city. Quito sits at 10,000 feet so climbing those stairs had us saying hello to our lungs!

We also took part in a cooking lesson and made two Ecuadorian dishes and a dessert and homemade chocolate sauce with local fruits. Most of what we ate on this trip was lots of fresh fish, coconut, passionfruit, and rice! I was a happy happy eater here!

After lunch, we headed to the equator! We got a stamp on our passports for such a big occasion, learned how the magnetization changes on our earth’s line, and lots more about Ecuador and its animals.

We ended the evening with a creative yoga class to unwind from all of the traveling and a big ol’ box of empanadas to share before we headed to bed. Next up, the Galápagos Islands and early morning flights!

Day 2

Let the transfers begin! We woke up suuuuper early to prepare for our flight from Quito to Guayaquil and then to the Galápagos Islands. Our travel this day went something like this: bus to plane to layover to plane to bus to boat to bus to the hotel!

We landed in Santa Cruz around lunchtime, beamed as we stepped out of the place and into 85º heat, and headed straight for a giant tortoise visit before checking into our hotel.

When you fly to the islands you actually land on an island reserved for the airport and have to transfer off by bus and then boat. We learned quickly that the less you have to carry and transport the easier getting around the islands it’ll be. Most of us packed a lot... haha plus all the yoga mats!

The day was spent watching giant tortoises roam freely in not only the breeding center but also on the side of the roads. It’s like stepping back in time to watch these dinosaur-like creatures. We sampled some Caña Manabita liquor locally made and hiked through a lava tube in search of an owl that we never found.

I think a really wonderful piece of each one of my retreats is the guides that join us to teach us about the locals and the way of life on the islands (or wherever we are traveling to). Jessica, our guide on this trip, was SO much fun, so knowledgeable, and just an absolute joy to have around.

That evening I held a yoga class on the rooftop where we watched the sky turn shades of pastel as the sun set. On our way back from dinner that evening, Jessica walked us to the piers to see sharks swimming below and sea lions taking over benches that are normally meant for humans. We spent so long filming their funny antics.

Day 3

This day was probably one of the coolest and likely most unique experiences of our lives. We had a privately chartered yacht for the day!! We woke up early and grabbed swimsuits, sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses and headed for the water.

We spent the day visiting small islands to see frigate birds, iguanas, blue-footed boobies, and snorkeling with so many animals! We were not quite prepared for the equator sun, as we all got nice and toasted that day, but goodness was this day one that we’ll never forget. Snorkeling alone brought lots of back-body sun-kissed legs and shoulders. We swam with sharks, rays, turtles, and oodles of fish chomping on the coral.

A day made up of lots of lounging, bonding, deep talks, great food (made up by a staff of 5!), swimming, beaching, and animals. Our evening ended with a group dinner out for sushi and our newly beloved caipirinha cocktails.

Lots of questions on where this suit was from so here ya go!

Day 4

We transferred to Isla Isabella today which entailed a long day of travel and a two-hour ferry ride through the ocean. When we say ferry we mean a smallish boat that holds 40 and you aren’t to walk around or use a bathroom unless it’s a BIG emergency.

Once we were all settled in our new hotel we set out to find Marine Iguanas! Ya know, the ones that swim in the water, which the Galápagos are known for? Seriously cool! By the end of the day, we had seen so many they almost felt common! They’re everywhere and on everything! We also snorkeled again today but this time we swam with baby sea lions! Just too cool to twist and turn with these little pups underwater! Did you know they even have penguins in the Galápagos? Yep, we saw some of those too!

The evening ended with yoga on the beach! We were able to walk from our hotel directly there and the ocean sounds were our playlist for the evening. Well that, and the hum of mosquitos after the sunset.

Day 5

We hiked on this day! It was a 10-mile hike called Volcan Sierra Negra on the Island Isabella and it was all volcano! We saw the world’s second-largest caldera and hiked up to the peak of some of the parasitic volcanoes in its range. This will be a hike we will all likely remember forever. We ate fresh guava from trees on the hike and soon learned of the ‘curse of the guava’ which causes some major belly upset. I may have gotten the worst of it which plagued me for about 4-5 miles of the 10-mile day. Note to self: don’t eat the guava.

Around the halfway point of the hike, we watched the rain-filled clouds roll in like sheets that moved right into our path. THIS was one of my MOST favorite memories! Hiking in warm tropical pouring down rain while on a volcano… how many can say they’ve done that?!

After many, many hours hiking in these volcanoes we headed back for some quiet time before our chill 2-hr yoga hip workshop which wrung all of the hike out of our toes, ankles, calves, and thighs! It was lovely and the mosquitos left us alone that evening! Needed.

Day 6

We visited the coolest breeding center on this day and saw baby giant tortoises that were only 2 days old! The day was spent having the owner at the breeding center answer all of our questions, show us all of the babies, hang out with the oldest tortoise there, which he guessed was over 125 years old, and watch feeding time!

The rest of the day was a VERY chill day. Time to explore the island, sit by the pool, visit, airdrop photos and videos, eat, and lay around in hammocks. After many days of doing, it’s nice to not do. :)

Day 7:

We headed back to Santa Cruz for our last night on the islands. It’s about a 4hr day of travel including a 2hr ferry ride. With most of the day surrounding travel, it was so nice having our last day of yoga on Santa Cruz. Tonight’s class was a Yin class and goodness, was it good for quiet, calm, and reflection.

Following yoga, we changed direction and got ready for our last night on the islands. This evening was fun! We treated ourselves to one of Jessica’s favorite restaurants on Santa Cruz. We drank more Caipirinhas, ate, laughed our tails off and a group even went for some karaoke and salsa after dinner was over! This group quickly became like family and I love each of them so dang much!

Day 8:

Another travel day, but this time we head back to the mainland to Quito. I told you, a lot of travel! We added up just how many hours were spent in transit to and from Quito to the islands and back… ready? 22 hours. TWENTY-TWO! That wasn’t even the time it took to get to Ecuador.

Our final day included buses, boats, planes, covid tests, a farewell dinner, and an unbelievably heartfelt time in the library at our hotel. The question, “What will you take back home with you from this experience?” was asked and by the end we were all crying together, hugging, and planning our next time so we could all be together again.

Nine life-changing days with these women and we all flew home that night and the next morning. It somehow felt long and all too fast at the same time.

The trip had us all trying new things, finding bravery through moments of panic and anxiety, and seeing ourselves in each other. To share time with women, women that we have never known before, and find validation, commonality, kindness, and compassion with women that hold space—I think we all needed it. Following a pandemic, it can feel hard to put yourself out there. Harder even, to be brave and try new things after two years of playing hermit. I know that I allow space to bring groups like these together. That is what a travel retreat is all about. I always hope everyone has big takeaways, no matter what they might be, but I never anticipated how much I would take away as well. I’m forever changed. And these women have changed me. You never know how much you need something until you're brave enough to take a leap (or a plane, a bus, a boat, a ferry, a van, etc.).

Here’s to everyone brave enough to leap.

PS - If you're looking for links for everything I wore on the trip, check out this post!