It all started in 2004...
Galakiwi has been around for 20 years. Sometimes we find that hard to believe!
What started as a new and crazy idea in 2004 of offering organized multi-island land tours, has evolved quite a bit, but also stayed the same.
We offer a wider range of specialized Galapagos land tours now, but still do a lot of custom Galapagos tours, and student educational tours, as we always have.
20 years ago it took a lot of conversations, and convincing, to start to build the type of trips we offer today. It took years to get things right as we built up relationships with families across the islands who run their own boats, hotels, restaurants and other services that go into a Galakiwi land tour in the Galapagos.
it wasn't always easy, and the islands still present many challenges today, but we're awfully proud of everyone on our team that has helped us along the way, and enabled us to give back and help our Galapagos communities in return.
Things STARTED TO COME together in 2007...
Our very first website was basic, and had the following on the homepage:
"Galakiwi bring you a wild unforgettable Galápagos Islands Experience. The Galápagos Islands are known worldwide for their fearless wildlife, but no amount of hype can prepare you for such a close encounter with nature. Here you can amaze at giant 200kg tortoises lumbering through cactus forests, enjoy the entertaining courtship display of the blue footed boobies and magnificent frigate birds, or snorkel with penguins, sea lions and sea turtles, all close up." - Galakiwi website, 2007-2008
Sounds pretty much the same as what we do today, doesn't it?
Testimonials started rolling in, which gave us the encouragement to keep doing what we do!
"December 2008: While other tours were riding around in zodiacs, we were actually swimming with dolphins. Unforgettable!" - Jeff & Jenny, USA
NEW WEBSITE in 2011, SHARING THE GALAKIWI DIFFERENCE
By 2011, we had our first real, functioning, website that allowed us to share more information about what makes Galakiwi Different with our potential visitors.
Galakiwi was no longer just a dream, it was a reality. Active Galapagos land tours were "a thing" that we had established, including the special opportunity to have people stay overnight on Floreana Island (population less than 100!) and learn about the intriguing human history of the Galapagos Islands.
We knew from an early stage that wildlife brough people to the islands, but the people were what made them biggest impression.
BIGGER Website, NEW Tours, growing fast in 2015...
Sometimes we miss our old ground floor office that was on the malecon in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. In those days we had unreliable internet and were sometimes 'forced" to take afternoons off work. We grew into a bigger office with a larger operations team, and the internet has since greatly improved too.
We have grown, yet we are still the small, local operator we have always been. Based in the Galapagos, raising families in the islands. Tim and Crystal have three children now, and many of our team members have growing families as well. Perhaps we're raising the next generation of Galapagos naturalist guides, or marine biologists and conservationists. It will be exciting to see all of our children grow up over the next 20 years and follow their own paths.
By 2015, we were working on unique tours such as a Galapagos biking tour and Galapagos photography tour. Our committment to operating the best land tours in the islands was something we were proud of. Not just for our own success, but because of how much our tours benefit others.
Every time you travel with Galakiwi more than a dozen families directly benefit from your visit to the islands. We're not a faceless corporation that lines the pockets of CEOs with your vacation money, nor do we fly in other tour guides or "managers" to assist the local Galapagos Naturalist Guides. We don't need to. Our guides are the best, and make us proud to showcase the amazingly talented and passionate people that live here in the Galapagos.
It was heartbreaking to us when the pandemic hit and tourism dissapeared. We couldn't do enough to help our friends, staff, and communities in the islands. it seems so long ago now, but had a huge impact on us, and we are grateful to have survived when many other small family businesses didn't.
Beyond 2024...What next?
Today, the Galakiwi Promise lives on, stronger than ever, and we can't wait to make an even bigger and better positive impact over the next 20 years as we strive to always offer you the very best Galapagos travel experiences.
Giving back has been a big part of our Galakiwi success. We can't divulge anything yet, but we do have some very exciting work underway that will help build up our Galapagos community and continue to make positive changes in the islands for many years to come!
We hope to see you soon.
