If it’s good enough for Charles Darwin...
...it’s great for Wendy Gomersall as she encounters the wondrous wildlife of the Galapagos Islands
THE Galapagos Islands are one of world’s most famous places for wildlife watching – and, with no big predators to fear, the animals don’t run away from human visitors so you can get extremely close to the sea lions, giant tortoises, iguanas and birds. It’s like directing your very own Planet Earth TV show.
A province of Ecuador, the volcanic archipelago of 21 islands, some uninhabited by man, lies in an isolated spot in the Pacific Ocean, about 600 miles off the coastline of South America.
Because of the islands’ isolation, many of the animals and plants here show special adaptive traits, developed over thousands of years to help them cope with their unique environment.
These provide living proof of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. Indeed, he visited in 1835 and observed, for example, the way the claws and beaks of finches varied from island to island depending on the terrain and food source.
Research on all this is still being carried out at the study centre named after the great naturalist.
Thanks to the many wildlife documentaries filmed here, you’ll probably know what you’re going to see, with a bit of luck and depending on your itinerary: mostly pristine environments populated by three kinds of boobies, sea lions, giant tortoises, marine, land and Santa Fe iguanas, frigatebirds and massive albatrosses, penguins, fur seals, cormorants, flamingos and a gorgeous little hawk.
What you do need to know, though, is how to get there. You should definitely do it on a cruise. There are a few options, but if you want a larger ship offering better facilities, greater elbow room and more stability in rough waters, pick Santa Cruz II.
Launched a few months ago, it is more than 230ft long and accommodates 90 passengers in 50 cabins, from singles to triples. This is an expedition ship, built for adventure, but it’s still pretty comfortable, with modern furnishings, a lounge and library, a restaurant serving very good food, and a bar and lounge with al fresco dining.
Eight naturalist guides lead groups of about 16 guests, so you’re able to ask lots of questions and feel well looked after – as you get on and off the pangas, or tenders, at assorted ports or remote beaches, there’s always a helping hand to be had.
The guides know their stuff, too, of course, so you’ll soon be able to tell a red-footed from a blue-footed from a Nazca booby.
Snorkelling equipment is provided free on board, and the ship also has a glassbottom boat so that you don’t have to get into the water. There are extremely buoyant kayaks to use, too (paddling around the edge of a remote bay was one of the highlights of this trip for me).
The Galapagos is not a good destination for young children – who wants their experience ruined by someone else’s squealing kids? – or anyone with a physical disability that prevents them from easily climbing ladders and stepping in and out of a bobbing boat.
It is absolutely perfect for active (and financially fit) oldies who spend their weekends biking and hiking. We flew to Quito, capital of Ecuador, via Madrid, a hideously long journey – thank the Lord for the sanctuary that is Casa Gangotena, a luxurious boutique hotel on the main square of the Old City, Plaza San Francisco. Do take the walking tour to meet hat-makers, chocolatiers, coffee-makers and herbalists; the hotel can even arrange a treatment in your room if the jet-lag’s a problem.
We enjoyed a cooking demonstration and tasting menu at Zazu restaurant, too – well worth the extra £55 per person.
Then from Quito we flew to the Galapagos and landed on San Cristobal Island. There was a 20kg (45lb) luggage limit for the flight, and the islands – a national park – prohibit the introduction of any seeds, fruits, vegetables or food, though they don’t seem to mind about the litter thrown on the streets we traversed on the way from the airport to our cruise ship.
I was quite shocked. The islands inhabited by man can hardly be called pristine. Still, our ship,
anchored at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno ready for our four-night cruise, certainly was.
Now, if you’ve seen one Galapagos island, you have not seen them all, and if you have your heart set on seeing one particular member of the aforementioned Galapagos Big 15 in its particular natural environment, check that your cruise actually goes there.
Our itinerary, for example, did include a trip to Punta Pitt on San Cristobal, the only place in the Galapagos where the three species of boobies can be found.
On Santa Fe Island we saw sea lions, armies of them – we cried over a newborn with its heavy placenta still attached trying to lumber around; laughed at another lost baby finally, and very joyfully, reuniting with mum. All the iguanas hereabouts are fascinating little dinosaurs of assorted colours, seemingly fearless until a beady-eyed hawk hovered overhead. Next stop, South Plaza, is one of the smallest islands in the archipelago, and home to more sea lions and seabirds nesting along the cliff edge. At Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, we visited the Charles Darwin Research Station and waved at Dashing Diego, replacement chief tortoise attraction since the death of beloved Lonesome George in 2012. Puerto Ayora, where most land-based visitors stay, is a fairly busy tourist town where you can restock on memory sticks and search for souvenirs. Our next stop, and another highlight, was Espanola Island for extraordinary albatrosses. We watched a mini-drama worthy of David Attenborough as the big birds went through elaborate mating rituals. What a palaver!
On our last day, we disembarked and transferred to the gorgeous Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel at Punta Estrada, across the bay from Puerto Ayora. The hotel has undergone refurbishment and has a private beach, scrumptious large pool, restaurant, bar and sun terrace, perfect for some doing-nothing time.
OR IF you haven’t seen enough wildlife, take a private tour out to North Seymour Island aboard the luxury yacht Sea Finch, a good spot to see dive-bombing pelicans and magnificent frigatebirds, looking like mini-gliders with their massive wingspans of 6ft and more.
After the Galapagos, we headed north to the Ecuadorian cloudforest to marvel at little birds at the opposite end of the size scale.
Set within the Mashpi Rainforest Biodiversity Reserve to the north-west of Quito, uberchic Mashpi Lodge sits in a rich ecosystem of trees, vines, mosses and other green stuff.
There are animals, but don’t get over-excited about spotting anything in the dense shrubbery – resident naturalists might gather up mini-frogs and snakes for you to have a look at, though.
The lodge has a small spa and very good restaurant, a Life Centre full of butterflies, and a sky bike canopy ride with steep trails, and a 85ft Observation Tower to climb – vertigo sufferers should avoid it. But it’s worth coming this far just to see the utterly delightful, multi-coloured and mesmerising hummingbirds. We loved them. The forests of Mashpi have 22 types, and there’s a feeding point where the tiny birds will whizz around your head as fast as giant bees, teeny wings fluttering so fast you can barely see them. Keep still, and finally they’ll land on the lip of a feeder to sip up syrupy liquid before heading off into the greenery. They were fantastic – and almost as fascinating as the amorous albatross.