galapagos

26 CAA mAgAzine WinTeR 2014

clear view a visit to the Galapagos is a

must for nature lovers

Dramatic lanDscapes anD enDemic wilDlife make the GalapaGos islanDs worthy of their worlD-renowneD reputation

By lauren Jeromeh

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galapagos

It’s the trip of a lifetime, the one trip everyone says you have to do. That’s a lot of weight to put on a collection of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean. As soon as we land on Baltra, though, where we'll board our ship, just over a two-hour flight from Quito and about 1,000 kilometres off the shores of Ecuador, I realize this place—

desolate, still and almost mythological—really is different from anywhere else on Earth. Over the next four days of getting to know my fellow passengers, I learn that for

most of them, this visit to the Galapagos is part of a larger trip that includes other South American highlights such as the Bolivian salt flats, the Amazon and Machu Picchu. There are 18 of us aboard the Monserrat, a modest but comfortable 10-cabin vessel with a dedicated crew, and we span from a biology major to honeymooning couples, a recently retired mother and her daughter, and everyone in between. The common denominator is a love of travel—and many of us are ticking off something at the top of our wish list.

The Galapagos consists of 19 large islands and more than 110 smaller islands, islets and rocks, and since we’ll only be hitting a handful of them, we don’t waste any time. Within hours of boarding the ship, we’ve landed on Santa Cruz for an up-close encounter with the poster child of the Galapagos: the giant tortoise.

Transferring to a bus, we drive inland where the landscape seems barren. We pass cacti spread sparingly across the flat, dry, red dirt and skeletal trees that our guide calls holy trees (actual name: palo santo), which aren’t dead, he assures us. The ocean disappears into the background. I look away from my window for only a moment but when I turn back, everything has changed to lush mossy green. We’ve transitioned from the lowlands to the

natural wonders [clockwise from top left]: a Zodiac brings day trippers to shore; giant tortoises enjoy their lunch; a photogenic sea lion; the vibrant african tulip tree; cacti found throughout the Galapagos are a source of food for locals such as iguanas and turtles

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28 CAA mAgAzine WinTeR 2014

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highlands—the air is thick with moisture, and coffee, papaya, guava and banana trees line the roughly paved road.

When we arrive at Rancho Primicias, a privately owned wild-tortoise reserve, there is no searching for the prehistoric beasts. We see at least six of them grazing in the field and lazing in puddles. We wander over in the mist, sloshing through the mud and grass, blown away by their epic proportions; these creatures can weigh up to 300 kilograms. We crouch but keep a respectful distance to get a good look at the giant tortoises that

couldn’t care less about us; they continue their business in the grass unbothered—chomp, chomp, chomp—as some of them have done for 150 years.

It doesn’t take long to realize that a trip to the Galapagos is about life—the plants and animals that somehow made their way here by air or sea, then survived by adapting to the varying environments on each island. And though during our short stay we only visit a handful, the sculpting nature of evolution is an ever-present theme on our outings. Life is malleable, shaped by its surroundings. We

learn of birds that can no longer fly but swim; of marine iguanas, the only aquatic iguana in the world, whose tails are flat and long; of nocturnal gulls (also endemic to the Galapagos) with large light-sensitive eyes for nighttime feeding; and of cacti that have grown as high as trees on islands, our guide tells us, that were once inhabited by tortoises with long far-reaching necks. These are the lands of Darwin’s Earth-shattering realizations, after all.

On the second day, we’re anchored between the Islas Plazas, two small islands just a short

Zodiac ride from the ship. On land our guide, spirited Omar Medina Paredes, goes over the rules once more: keep on the path, stay two metres away from the animals, don’t touch or take anything. “Everyone needs to follow the rules so we can continue to see these animals up close,” he cautions. And as if on cue, two huge land iguanas scurry across the path. They’re not concerned by our presence; in fact, they practically pose.

It’s not long before we’re calling out animals and birds by name during our expeditions on the islands: lava lizards,

FEELING INSPIRED? Exercise your wanderlust with G Adventures Experts in sustainable tourism, G Adventures can take you on the trip of a lifetime to the Galapagos. Travelling aboard one of their comfortable yachts, their expert guides will take you on snorkelling excursions, incredible hikes and one-of-a-kind animal sightings. Looking to travel further in South America or beyond? G Adventures offers an amazing range of trips around the world. For more information, contact a CAA Travel Consultant at 1-800-992-8143 or visit a CAA Store today.

scenes from land and sea [this page, left to right]: up to three-quarters of the world's blue-footed boobies live in the galapagos; dry scrubby palo santo trees produce green leaves in the wet season; the Monserrat ferries visitors to the islands throughout the year; colourful sally lightfoot crabs are easy to spot against the volcanic rocks they love to climb; [opposite page]: marine iguanas can remain underwater for over half an hour

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A trip to the gAlApAgos is About life—the plAnts And AnimAls thAt somehow mAde their wAy here by Air or by seA, then survived by AdApting to the vArying environments of eACh islAnd.

blue-footed boobies (try not to giggle), yellow warblers. And everywhere we go there are sea lions—creatures that seem so dopey on land, rolling about in the sand and belting out rambunctious noises, yet swim elegantly in the water. One day, while we’re snorkelling in the cool clear water, we come face to face with a group of young sea lions with their big

dark eyes and whiskers, playfully swirling around us. On our daily snorkelling adventures, our guide swims ahead and calls us over, “Sea turtle here! Ray here!” We swim to each spot, clumsily knocking each other with our fins, far from the graceful movements of the sea lions.

On our last full day we land at Punta Pitt, a beach with sand that glitters with silicate. We

climb a dried-up ravine surrounded by towering brown-orange turrets of lava rock and ash moulded by wind and erosion over millions of years, then to cliffs that drop dramatically into the ocean. A photo couldn’t do this landscape justice. Back on the ship, we follow the shore of Saint Christóbal, one of the two oldest islands of the archipelago, from the easternmost tip

to Puerto Baquerizio Mareno, a small town with an airport. The long stretch of land in between seems ancient, untouched and endless.

In the final hours of the trip, we disembark the Monserrat for the last time and sit in the port before heading to our flight. Chainsaw and hammering sounds mix with the barks of sea lions; iguanas scuttle along the boardwalk across from tourist

shops selling “I love boobies” T-shirts. The mingling of human life with the wild nature of the Galapagos seems strange, and I already miss the serenity of our floating life.

Back in Quito, we say our goodbyes to everyone in the group, consoled by the fact that we’re moving on to new places and inspiring adventures—it’s the poetry of travel. Let’s call it evolution.

galapagos

www | read about Quito, Ecuador's vibrant capital city, at caamagazine.ca

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