non-stop, visual overload: The Galapagos

“Hence, both in space and time, we seem to be brought somewhat near to that great fact — that mystery of mysteries — the first appearance of new beings on this earth.”

Charles Darwin notes after visiting the Galápagos Islands in 1835.

For us, visiting Darwin’s darling was a pipe dream until friends’ tales of their first-hand experiences moved it to the top of the list. An opening in our (very loose) itinerary and a last-minute deal on a small group charter landed us on the Monserrat, a classic level motor yacht that would bring all the mystery of the origin of species to life. Boarding a dingy pointed at our boat silhouetted against a volcanic archipelago in the distance, our 7-day cruise began. Not a moment was wasted experiencing this once-in-a-lifetime visual overload - a real feast.

The waters around the Islas Galápagos are deep, teeming with a kaleidoscope of colours thanks to the active sea life below. Our snorkeling adventures – sometimes two in a day – opened up an underwater world of every tropical and rare aquarium wonder plus playful sea lions, turtles, rays and the “oh so feared”, but regally graceful sharks. Being part of a small group of diverse tourists from 20 to 80 years old, all acting like kids on Christmas morning was unforgettable. Images captured and shared by this crew made sure we recorded every moment of underwater and land-based joy. (Thanks to exceptional photographers including our guides Yazmani and Pablo – plus Debbi, Jay, Ingrid, Rick, Heather, Judy, Ralph, Nayana, Bastien, Pat, Norbert, Hilde, Bart, Kellen, Francine, John, Louanne, Tom, Mangus, Anika, Mark, Janet, Sandy, Kevin).

At every turn, you’re confronted with different domains, kingdoms, class, order, family, genus, introduced, endemic, and invasive species - even if you can’t quite remember the meaning of any of those terms from middle school biology. As a friend put it “it’s like being in some type of Jurassic Park” with faces, claws, beaks and hides resembling dinosaurs and dragons of both reality and fantasy. It would be easy to become overwhelmed, but awestruck is more like it. This is NOT a zoo, there is no captivity, only conservation and respect for what has always been here.

It was the variation of beaks of the island’s finches that led Darwin to finalize his theory of natural selection. Birds play a big part of what you explore on this trip both on hikes and just watching what’s flying, fishing, landing or perching nearby. We were always instructed to stay a safe distance away (not for our safety, but that of the wildlife) and yet they seemed fearless. Humans weren’t identified here as their predators or food source – merely onlookers. Maybe they were as curious of us as we were of them?

A trip to the Galapagos Island is not the simplest of logistical puzzles. The Galapagos National Park has restrictions on visitor numbers, responsible tourism practices must be followed, decisions need to be made about land-based stops or water access tours and booking well in advance is advised due to high demand. This really presented a problem when we waited until November to decide on a potential January trip and couldn’t find a boat with a cabin in our price range for the amount of time we thought we needed to explore. A listing on Galapatours for last minute availability at a drastically reduced price sealed the deal. We had to change rooms after three nights to accommodate a passenger change-over, but it was well worth sacrificing our queen size bed for two singles and three additional nights. The tours are offered in successive segments. Our itinerary (C, D) included San Cristobal, Española, Floreana, Santa Cruz, Santiago, Genovesa and a final morning back at Santa Cruz.

Schedules were announced at the evening meal the day prior, mostly to get your head around a 7am start while on holiday. The food was always delicious, combining traditional Ecuadorean and Continental dishes prepared by Chef Daniel. Drinks are on you, and you can spend a bar tab’s worth or be a teetotaller. Yaz and Pablo, our fearless leaders, were always around for questions on activities or just to get a Galapagueño’s perspective on all this tourism trade. And all the rest of the Monserrat crew were exceptional. We did this stop as budget as we could book into and still found we had a bit of lux. But if you want top of the line, there is always the National Geographic Islander II with its 26 suites that accommodate 48 passengers and offers a 1:1 guest-to-crew ratio. For us, it was a lovely ship to admire from afar. Of course, there are dozens of other ships to choose from, matching whatever your budget. If you do go, plan ahead for some reassurance or just risk it like us and make a last minute decision to save some money.

Even with a jam-packed tour schedule of snorkeling and hikes, there was plenty of time for some naval and sky-gazing on the upper deck, beach swims, strolls around port towns, visits to research centres, an unexpected walk through a lava tunnel, and a kayak paddle or two. (If your relationship can handle a double kayak. For us the verdict is still out). One special stop on Floreana Island was a visit to Post Office Bay. In a time worn tradition dating back to the 18th century, whalers left messages for their families to be delivered by passing ships. We went through the hundreds of postcards left by fellow tourists and chose two to hand deliver (or mail if impossible). One to Pape’ete in French Polynesia and one to Auckland, NZ – our final stops on this eleven-month adventure. The spirit of travel carries on.