Evolution, not
The United Nations has declared 2017 the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. SARAH MARSHALL cruises through one of the world’s most fragile ecosystems, the Galapagos Islands, and discovers it’s as pristine as ever
OPENING her eyes for the very first time, a newborn sea lion gurgles through a mouthful of sand. Coated in a translucent film of bodily fluid, her skin glistens in the sunlight as she wriggles free of the pulsing umbilical cord still attached to her mother.
Overhead, plundering frigate birds, hungry for a bite of the afterbirth, threaten to shatter the idyllic picture. And even higher in the sky, a bigger metal bird roars past, bringing a different species of new arrivals to the island of San Cristobal.
Sitting quietly on the beach, I witness the birth, while children paddle in the surf, just metres away.
It’s the perfect fairy-tale portrayal of the Galapagos Islands – a utopia where animals and humans harmoniously co-exist.
Cast away in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the Equator, the volcanic archipelago is famous for its endemic species, whose largely predator-free existence has left them fearless.
Isolation (it’s 1,000km from the mainland) has been vital to the success of these fragile ecosystems, but an increase in the number of tourists and the expansion of human settlements could potentially upset that delicate balance.
There are now 25,000 people living permanently in the Galapagos, and visitor figures amount to around 225,000 annually.
It’s hard to believe this new world could bear any resemblance to the pristine environment Charles Darwin explored in the early 19th century, but as the groundbreaking naturalist identified, evolution is in the DNA of these islands.
In San Cristobal, the closest island to Ecuador, sea lions have learned to live comfortably with CRUISE from Venice to Rio on MSC Musica via Bari, Valletta, Malaga, Funchal, Recife, Salvador, Buzios and more, and get a balcony cabin upgrade and a free one-night hotel stay pre-cruise The cruise starts in Venice and two nights after.
Departing from Gatwick on November 11, the 24-night trip is priced from £1,399 per person, saving £600pp) including flights.
Book by February 28 at cruisenation.com or call 0800 408 0761. their two-legged neighbours. king-size beds and a wall of
At the beachfront Golden Bay windows framing the sea – and Hotel, two Balinese day beds the service five-star – two top have been commandeered by grade naturalists attentively guide boisterous, blubbery pinnipeds, the group, double the allocation and every evening, a mischievous given on most ships. adolescent affectionately known Exploring the Galapagos as Samuelito, splays his Islands is a meticulously flippers on the best planned operation; seat at the cocktail access is restricted bar. to 70 landing sites
Eager to and ships cannot explore the revisit the same islands in a location within a sustainable way, 14-day cycle. As I’m embarking on a result, crossovers a cruise with the MV with other groups Origin, a sumptuous Hatch of the day: are rare.
A magnificent frigate 20-passenger yacht But life on-board
bird chick on Genovesa custom-designed for never feels rushed greater fuel efficiency and fitted or scheduled; lunches are long with an on-board treatment plant with ample time for dreamy to avoid dumping grey water into siestas, often spent rocking gently the ocean. in hammocks on the top deck as
The facilities are first-class curious frigate birds soar above. – vast en-suite bedrooms with MV Origin operates two seven-day itineraries. I choose one incorporating Genovesa, in the northeast, where three types of booby bird can be found. Red-footed boobies wrap their russet red webbing around the brittle branches of parched bushes; their blue-footed counterparts cavort in buffoonish play below.
Tufty-feathered juveniles frantically – and futilely – flapping their wings in a premature attempt to fly complete the big top entertainment. A male yellow warbler bird doffs his brilliant red cap to the performance, and hops through the undergrowth in search of bugs.
Avian displays are a highlight on any Galapagos itinerary. It was the finches, after all, that helped shaped Darwin’s theory of evolution.
But not all birds here are native. The greater flamingos on Santa Cruz island ended up here accidentally, marooned by the trade winds from Miami.
“You could say they were trapped,” explains our jovial naturalist, Gaby. “But I prefer to believe they chose to stay here.”
Watching the carefree pink swirls parade balletically through a brackish lagoon, I tend to agree with her.
There are an estimated 650 flamingos in Galapagos, but the residents of Rabida island have all disappeared, frightened away by sea lions.