It was 8am and I was already getting the Galapagos all over body sweat. Being a person not used to sweating, I couldn't believe I was feeling so clammy first thing in the morning.

My fellow tourists and I were equipped with snorkeling gear and took the dinghy to a small island which looked like a crumbling Ayers Rock.

The beach's sand was actually rich volcano ash, terracotta in colour and powdery to touch. We were all shiny, sweaty messes as Edwin took us up a hill on one of his informative nature hikes.

Unfortunately the heat was so intense that most of were just gagging to get into the water.

The view was another beauty and we were wowed by all the marine iguana sitting like kings of the hill, but the idea of the upcoming snorkel was all anybody could focus on.

That and how in Edwin's Ecuadorian accent 'marine iguana' sounded just like 'marijuana'.

Once we finally did don the snorkeling gear and waddle backwards to the shoreline, we were met by unimaginable disappointment.

It was just past 9.30am and the water was like lukewarm soup. It was far from refreshing and I jumped in desperately wishing for the nippy water you find in New Zealand.

But as we snorkeled the magic of the Galapagos Islands became clear. The water visibility was perfect and the sun created dancing strings of light around hundreds of colourful fish.

We were glad the warm water allowed us to stay in so long without the wetsuits worn by  the tourists from the ridiculously large cruise boats in the area.

If you're into wildlife, you have to go to these islands. You can get so close to the animals because they are completely unfazed by human interaction.

The baby sea lions even chase you wanting to be patted, which is strictly not allowed on any of the islands.

Honestly, I'm sure it's impossible to be disappointed by a Galapagos adventure.

Next stop: We walk on the result of a huge volcano explosion which created a jet black island 120 years ago.

Check out more photos from my trip in my Flickr album.

Read more of Kelly's blogs.