GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS, ECUADOR

ANGELA DUKES, CREATIVE DIRECTOR For any lover of the natural world, the Galápagos Islands have always held an irresistible appeal and I’m no different – it’s been a lifelong ambition to visit with my family. So many tales – in print and on the big and small screen – are told of Charles Darwin’s time on Galápagos, and how his five-week study of the animals of the islands inspired his theory of evolution presented in On the Origin of Species, that visiting would almost be part-pilgrimage, part-wildlife expedition.

Around 1,000km from South America, yet technically part of Ecuador, the 19-island archipelago is so remote that once it was only visited by refuge-seeking pirates, but it’s the isolation, or, rather, the unique wildlife that developed as a result of that isolation, that’s always drawn me to them. The giant tortoises, the marine iguanas, the flightless cormorant: across a landscape shaped over millennia by volcanic eruptions, it would be the most unique safari in the world, with an almost otherworldly feel to it. Staying at the luxurious eco-resort Pikaia Lodge pikaialodge.com would make a great base from which to explore.

For a photographer, Galápagos is the most perfect location shoot. The locals – the furry, feathered, scaled and shelled ones that is, not the 30,000 walking, talking ones – are said to largely remain unfussed by the passing travellers, so often stick around for a portrait or two. With the vivid blue-footed booby, the volcano-red chest of the magnificent frigatebird, multicoloured paintwork of the Sally Lightfoot crabs and even the muted tones of the local tortoises; when the beautifully barren Galápagos landscapes can’t deliver the palette you want, the residents will.

I’d combine my visit with a trip to mainland Ecuador, taking in a second of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. Different landscapes, different climate, thousands of different species – it would be an experience to make up for any time in lockdown.