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A Galapagos Eco-Adventure
After decades of travel, no other destination pops so readily into my mind. I need notes of my trip only to provide lost names of islands, boats and fellow travelers – the image of every bird, lizard and animal remains vividly imprinted:
- Sun baked marine iguanas rudely spitting salt from their nostrils.
- Booby birds with webbed feet of a blue I previously had not seen in nature.
- Countless frigate birds, with their hysterical, throaty warbles and ballooned, crimson breasts.
- Sea lions attacking my son’s sand castle and chasing him down to the surf.
Exploring the Galapagos Islands is not a Disney-esque, sanitized eco-adventure tour, but it’s also not an exercise in self-deprivation, thanks to the civilized touches of Ecoventura and its three small, 20-person ships. For connecting or reconnecting with a loved one, a child or a grandchild, Ecoventura’s Galapagos excursions provide a mix of adventure and comfort in an other worldly setting. All it takes is a healthy pair of legs, an ounce or two of stamina - and a little letting go.
After passing through the low slung airport and scruffy port town on San Cristobal Island, a few hundred miles west of mainland Ecuador, my 10 year-old son Jamie and I were whisked by dinghy to Ecoventura’s Flamingo, our home for seven days along with 16 other adult passengers. After a quick tour of the ship, a safety drill and lunch of fruit, salads and pasta, we pulled up anchor and headed out to sea, stopping at a nearby beach for swimming, snorkeling and an introduction to the friendly Galapagos sea lions that playfully dive and twirl around us humans in the water. As we chased the sun that first evening aboard the Flamingo, hundreds of bottlenose dolphin danced beside us for an hour, a spectacular welcome to the islands.
Days of Exploration
The daily itinerary was well balanced between mesmerizing, meandering nature hikes and free time for exploring. Following a buffet breakfast, we boarded dinghies for a brief cruise along an island wall to catch sight of adorable Galapagos penguins, colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs and sea turtles before disembarking via a wet landing (hopping into shallow water) or dry landing (stepping onto volcanic rock or a slippery dock). Our two delightful Ecuadorian naturalists Melina and Juan Carlos, would split the group and (usually) slowly hike for two hours along designated paths through varied, otherworldly landscapes amid seemingly prehistoric lizards, birds and animals.
Dinghies then took us back for lunch and a break, and then it was snorkeling time amid starfish, sea lions, sharks and walls of fish or simply beach time to build sand castles near the surf. Upon re-boarding the Flamingo, our friendly bartender was waiting with empanadas (Jamie’s new favorite food) or some other tasty Happy Hour pastry or other snack. Then it was lazy time up top the ship as we cruised to the next island (usually through much of the night). In the early evening Melina or Juan Carlos would review the day in the ship’s cozy conference room and map out the next day’s adventure. We dined with other passengers in comfortable booths overlooking the water, and then it was homework time (Jamie was missing a week of school), a look at the unfamiliar stars and off to bed before a 7am wake up call. Never rushed, never bored.
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