I’ve got two words for you: Galápagos Islands

That’s what my dear childhood friend emailed me when she was pitching a destination for our December 2019 vacation, our first together since she joined my family on a cruise sophomore year of high school. No, that’s not true - I met up with her and her brother in Portland, Oregon back in ‘15 for a weekend. But this was a much grander adventure and an epic way for me to close out an unbelievable year of travel.

For half of the trip, we traveled around the Galapagos aboard the Archipel II, a 16 passenger catamaran.

"YES."

My response was immediate and promptly followed by a Google search. I can’t remember exactly what I knew about the Galápagos at that point, but it’s safe to say next to nothing.

Ahhh 💗 Immersing myself into a new culture. My favorite part of travel. So I thought I’d share some things that I learned from this extraordinary experience.

1. The Galápagos Islands are not your typical tropical paradise. There are 13 major islands, 5 are inhabited. The remaining can be visited but only on tours. Most of the islands are devoid of vegetation and some bizarrely look more like the moon than Hawaii. That said, more humans live here than I would have imagined. And there’s a surprising level of development in the island towns geared toward tourism - which is thriving (or was thriving before this weird time).

• Isla Santa Cruz - the archipelago’s tourism hub, about half of all Galápagos residents live in Puerto Ayora

Brandy shares a birthday with Darwin so we had to get her in front of the 12 de febrero street sign. 

• Isla San Cristobal - the easternmost island in the archipelago, as well as one of the oldest geologically & when it comes to tourism Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is second in importance

We arrived at the first stop on the 360º Tour around San Cristobal: Rosa Blanca Bay

Brandy jumping for joy at Leon Dormido (Kicker Rock), an hour northeast of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.

One of the coolest moments for me!
Swimming right above this spotted eagle ray, one of 15 species of ray inhabiting Galápagos waters.

• Isla Isabela - the largest island accounting for half the archipelago’s land mass, located on the western edge of the archipelago and one of the youngest islands, the small town of Puerto Villamil is increasing in popularity

• We didn't visit the other two major islands, Isla Baltra and Isla Santa Maria.

2. Where are the islands? I got this question a lot.

They lie on the equator in the Pacific Ocean, off the west coast of South America, about a two hour flight from Ecuador, the country to which they belong to today.

Lanchas (speed boats) head daily to the islands of Isabela and San Cristobal (two+ hours). The rides can be rough.

3. That’s the place with the turtles, right? Another hot comment.

Technically tortoises, but yes. 🤓 (Tortoises live on land. Turtles live in the water.)

So the story goes: Back in 1535 (when the islands were owned by the Spanish Empire) the archipelago was accidentally discovered by the first bishop of Panama, Tomas de Berlanga. In a letter to the King he noted the giant tortoises, and at some point the islands were named after the Spanish word for tortoise, Galápagos. Or was it the Spanish word for saddle? No lo sé.

4. Endemic, native & introduced plants and animals. What’s the difference?

Not just the namesake tortoise, but many of the creatures that call the Galápagos home are found nowhere else in the world (aka endemic). How cool is that!? It’s like this mythological land of biodiversity and a big reason why it’s one of the few places left on Earth where the human footprint is kept to a minimum.

Despite their size and fearsome look, Galápagos land iguanas are harmless vegetarians.

Native animals are found naturally in Galápagos and elsewhere: the Blue Footed Booby and Frigatebird are good examples. Introduced species are found in Galápagos because they were brought in by humans, intentionally or accidentally. The goat is an example of an introduced species. For obvious reasons, it’s the endemic species like the Giant Tortoise, Galapagos Penguin, Waved Albatross, Flightless Cormorant, Galapagos Sea Lions, and the Iguana species that people come to see.

Giant pre-historic tortoises live for several hundred years. 

Galápagos penguins are the only penguin in the world that lives above the equator (and in the tropics).
Exceptionally quick, it was extremely difficult to snap a photo of them swimming.

Apart from penguins, the flightless cormorant is the only flightless seabird in the world. Can you spot it?

Galápagos land iguanas engaging in territorial head-butting contests to defend their terrain. 

5. Make Way for Ducklings.

Sign: STOP. Don't disturb the sea lions. Use the other entrance!

Do you remember in the children’s book Make Way for Ducklings when Mrs. Mallard leads the ducklings ashore and straight to the highway in hopes of crossing to reach the Boston Public Garden? And Michael the policeman stops traffic for the family to cross and then calls the police headquarters and instructs them to send a police car to stop traffic along the route for the ducks? No wonder the Mallard family decides to stay in the Garden to live happily ever after - life is catered to them.

That’s the best way for me to explain the Galápagos. Animals rule the world and the humans are nothing more than slightly annoying paparazzi hoping to get a snapshot of the untouchable and famous celebrities.

Behind the scenes.

That's the shot! 

Even if you have no interest in the study of living things, the opportunity to get up close to the creatures that live in the islands and the waters is captivating. Though if you’re like my mother and fearful of our feathered friends I’d say this probably isn’t the best place for you.

What is so fascinating (and unusual for us non-islanders to comprehend) is that these creatures have evolved in isolation without human contact for such a long period of time that they are less shy or frightened of us humans.

Let me just tell you from firsthand experience this allows for some really sublime animal encounters!

Came across sleeping sea lions nestled within some of the crevices in the rocks. They looked so comfortable.

Sally lightfoot crabs have spectacular coloration and sometimes appear to walk on water.

Darwin wasn’t mincing words when he described the Galápagos land iguanas as “ugly animals, of a yellowish orange beneath, and of a brownish-red color above: from their low facial angle they have a singularly stupid appearance.”

I drove the panga (inflatable, motorized dinghy) back to the catamaran after an excursion!

A school of golden rays gliding together in a quiet Galápagos lagoon.

A green sea turtle and some kind of sea turtle 😏 slowly cruising by one another.

Watching the Galápagos green turtle gracefully glide through the water was like a meditative experience.
I saw many - it was really relaxing to swim beside them and watch them do their own thing.

Lucked out and got to swim with a few playful sea lions. 

If you haven’t heard the story about how a sea lion pup mistook me as his/her mother you should ask me next time. It’s a good one. Just look at that pup's punim!

This is the pup who stole my heart.

I have to say, I was gunning to be a dolphin in my next life but I may want to come back as a Galápagos sea lion now. The "welcoming party" of the islands. These adorable creatures optimize their days to sunbath with their loved ones - on the shore, the pier, a park bench - with no regard for the world. And when they need a break from that, hard as it may be, they play gracefully in the surf. Sounds delightful to me.

All in all, the Galápagos Islands were an unforgettable travel destination, especially if you consider yourself a nature and animal lover. Only thing I’d do differently is skip Charles Darwin’s On The Origin of Species as a preread. His quote on the theory of evolution by natural selection summed it up enough (for me).

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, not the most intelligent that survives. 
It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.

What a way to wrap a decade!