Author Archive for Marc Patry
Marc Patry owns the specialty Galapagos travel agency “Cultural and Natural Heritage (CNH) Tours” along with his wife Heather Blenkiron (the TripAdvisor destination expert for Galapagos). Marc worked at the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galapagos National Park Service for 4 years before embarking on a career with UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre. During his 12 years there he was responsible for monitoring the state of conservation of Latin American World Heritage sites – including Galapagos. Few travel agents know Galapagos better than Marc and Heather.
The 5 most photographed sites in Galapagos
While most people consider Galapagos as a wildlife photographer’s paradise (they are not wrong), the islands also offer a wide variety of striking land and seascapes. Born of fire, the archipelago consists of over 100 islands and islets formed by regular volcanic eruptions over the past 5 million years. The newest islands to the west
9 places to swim with penguins in Galapagos
By Marc Patry on May 15, 2018 in Adventure Travel, Ecuador, Leisure Travel, Regions, South America, Speciality Travel
The Galapagos penguin is one of the smallest and rarest of the 20 species of penguins alive today. Only knee high, it’s also the only penguin that lives in the northern hemisphere (some of them live just a tad above the equatorial line in Galapagos). Its ancestors likely drifted up on the cool Humboldt current, 
Galapagos: the 7 top-rated visitor sites
We asked 12 naturalist guides with a combined 231 years of guiding experience in Galapagos to rate each visitor site on a scale of 1-100 against 5 distinct criteria: i) overall diversity and abundance of animal and plant species; ii) chances of seeing iconic Galapagos species; iii) landscape beauty iv) beach quality and v) snorkel
5 best snorkeling sites in Galapagos
By Marc Patry on Mar 22, 2018 in Attractions, Ecuador, Going Out, Leisure Travel, Regions, South America, Speciality Travel
Underwater Galapagos offers even greater wildlife viewing than on land. The Galapagos Marine Reserve is among the largest in the world, covering an area equivalent to the size of Greece. In 2001, the Galapagos World Heritage site, formerly applied only to the land portion of the archipelago, was expanded to include the newly created reserve. 
7 great reasons to take the family on a Galapagos expedition cruise
By Marc Patry on Feb 18, 2018 in Cruises & Boat Travel, Ecuador, Family Travel, Regions, South America, Speciality Travel
Leaping dolphins, darting penguins, lumbering giant tortoises, diving boobies, graceful rays and eerie iguanas – these are just a few of the unforgettable sights you can expect to share with your children on a Galapagos family cruise. The islands were tailor made to provide a diversity of once-in-a-lifetime moments you’ll reminisce about for years to come. 
Galapagos: where to encounter giant tortoises in the wild
By Marc Patry on Feb 18, 2018 in Adventure Travel, Attractions, Ecuador, Featured, Going Out, Regions, South America, Speciality Travel
Sure, you can walk on down to the Charles Darwin Research Station in the town Puerto Ayora to have a look at captive tortoises in their pens (part of a breeding program) or do the same again in the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal island, and one more time in Villamil on 
