i’m going to start this post by saying: no, i’m not actually going to the galapagos (unless, of course, someone wants to send me…)

the fabulous folks over at sanctuary retreats got in touch with me recently, asking where in the world i would choose for my dream vacation and after a lot of deliberation (i mean, seriously, there are so many places i want to go) i landed upon one of the last true wildernesses on earth: the galapagos.

the UNESCO-protected archipelago consists of some 19 islands and more than 40 islets, created six million years ago, and each island forms it’s own unique ecosystem which is home to a wide variety of endemic species from albatrosses to sea lions, pelicans to iguanas, cormorants, flamingos, sharks, whales and the tortoises that gave the islands their name. sounds pretty blissful, right?

sanctuary retreats offer a fantastic sounding selection of galapagos island cruises and asked me to put together my “virtual suitcase” of things i would pack for their 3 night galapagos cruise to genovesa island with no limits on weight, size or price (if only real trips were like this!)

so here’s what i’ve come up with, all packed into a bright yellow samsonite paradiver case:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22

some fantastic swimwear, snorkeling gear, underwater camera, a smartphone with 41-megapixel camera loaded with holiday tunes (i’m road-testing the nokia lumia 1020 at the moment and loving it!), high factor sun protection and a roomy rucksack for daytime excursions… what more could i need for this trip of a lifetime?

(all galapagos photography © sanctuary retreats)