Wanderlust Travel Magazine (UK)
Ian Melvin Locked down on the Galápagos Islands
Scottish traveller Ian was on a once-in-a-lifetime South America adventure when the COVID-19 lockdown began. Here, he shares his four-month lockdown experience on Isabela Island...
My South American trip started in Buenos Aires and went down to Ushuaia, across to Uruguay and then back to Argentina, to Chile, Bolivia and Peru. I was travelling for about four months before making it up to Ecuador. As I arrived, I started to see more news about coronavirus reaching South America.
People were saying, ‘Maybe you won’t get to go to the Galápagos?’ I remember thinking, ‘Oh no, that’s the one place I wanted to go the most.’ At the airport to the
Galápagos, they were already screening for the virus, but I made it to Santa Cruz safe and sound.
Things were normal for the first couple of days. I could do the things that I wanted to, like scuba diving with the hammerheads – around 100 of them in total. But there were a lot of rumours going around about what was happening.
When I reached Isabela Island, it was 17 March, and they told me that the island was being closed. I had arrived here on the very last ferry.
Of all the places that I’ve visited on this trip, this was the best possible place to be during lockdown. It’s a very peaceful island, with about 2,500 people. I’d arranged to stay with a host family and they were happy for me to stay as long as I needed.
And, why would I leave here? I registered with the embassy and told them where I was, and my family at home in Scotland said, ‘Fair enough, you’ve probably made the right decision.’
Lockdown turned out to be for much longer than I thought. Because of the language barrier, the first two weeks were the most uncertain.
I was being told the news by the
I was just living on the island.
I wasn’t going on a boat to be taken to specific spots to see animals, I was finding them for myself.
After six weeks, I left my host family’s home and I’m now staying in another place by the beach. I’m not paying tourist prices and I make money online by doing a bit of English teaching. It’s all still a bit odd. There aren’t really any other visitors, so the locals will come and see me. They’ve been really nice.
For the locals, there’s quite a lot of uncertainty still. They are struggling without having business coming in, so they want the tourists to come back, to get working again. It’s definitely a tough time, but they’re helping each other out a lot, sharing resources. They’ve come together.
This experience has been great for me personally, but the lack of visitors has been really bad for the Galápagos Islands. Maybe not for the wildlife but obviously tourism is important for conservation and research too.
Because of the emergency situation, my visa’s been extended. My plan is to stay on the islands as long as possible. I hope to be here when schools start opening up so I can volunteer to help with teaching.
On Isabela, the islanders have been so kind and helpful, even though it’s been a really hard time for them. I want to give something back to the island which has been a home for me.
It’s been a difficult time around the world, but you’ve got to make the most of opportunities. My opportunity was to experience the Galápagos Islands in a more natural state. I’m trying to not take it for granted. Every time I walk down the beach or see more wildlife, it still feels like a dream.
To have this wildlife to myself has been incredible. I wasn’t being taken to see animals, I was finding them for myself