Galapagos Islands, party of 10

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Who: Louise and Bob Geier of Kensington, Md. (the author); Patti, Ken, Logan and Adam Duffy of Oakton, Va.; Dicky, Angie, Taylor and Lauren Geier of North Potomac, Md.

Where, when, why: Our family of 10 visited three of the Galapagos Islands in mid-July. We [Louise and Bob] took a cruise to the Galapagos in November 2011 and loved the adventure, education and animal sightings, so we decided to bring our children and grandchildren back to this paradise. During our first trip, we befriended our guide, Daniela Cox, a Galapagos native. We were later able to host both Daniela and her brother, Martin, at our home in Kensington. Their father, Whitman Cox, a naturalist, contacted us afterward and invited our entire family to the Galapagos for an experience that we would never forget.

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Highlights and high points: When we arrived at Whitman's house, the sea lions lounging around on the naval base next door immediately captured our attention. Within an hour of our arrival, we had seen more than 70 sea lions, as well as blue-footed boobies, iguanas and "Sally Lightfoot" crabs on the beach and rocks in front of his house.

Whitman is the ultimate educator, and he held our fervid attention throughout the trip. He started by taking us to a welcome center that vividly explained the history of the Galapagos as well as the history of his family and its members' accomplishments. One evening, with help from laser pointers and a bright sky, we all received an incredible astronomy lesson that pointed out planets and constellations that we could never see at home.

Cultural connection or disconnect: The most rewarding element of our seven-day adventure was the time we spent with the Galapagos people. We ate all our meals at local restaurants, and stayed in Whitman's house with his family and at bed-and-breakfasts on each island. Being a native, Whitman knew everyone on the islands and introduced us to many people. Plus, a major thrill for our grandchildren was the reunion with Martin Cox, whom they remembered from his visit to Maryland.

Biggest laugh or cry: One of our favorite excursions was to Los Tuneles on Isabella, where massive lava formations are home to innumerable forms of sea life — from six-foot whitetip sharks to six-inch sea horses. The agility of our boat's captain was awe-inspiring, as he maneuvered between outcroppings allowing us to see blue-footed boobies nurturing their young and others sitting on eggs. One exciting sight was a sea turtle — just like the ones in the Baltimore aquarium — in the wild.

How unexpected: While leaving our scuba and snorkeling site at Kicker Rock, our captain encountered a school of at least 25 dolphins that decided to join us and race along beside our boat for several minutes, then allowed our crew to dive in and swim with them. On our final night on Isabella, we visited a local market and met a group of young people from around the world who were on a work-study tour of the Galapagos. As we made introductions, we learned that one young man there was from Garrett Park, Md., less than a mile from our house. Talk about a small world!

Fondest memento or memory: Meeting the people of the Galapagos made this excursion one of our finest. They are fiercely passionate about their environment and do all they can to preserve it while proudly making it available for others to enjoy and become passionate about it as well. This trip will forever be etched in our memories and particularly those of our four grandchildren, ages 13 to 17.

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