Getting Close with Animals

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
by Jared Johnsen

So, you’ve got a week, mas o menos, sailing around the Galapagos Islands. That means every night, aboard your cruiser, sailing from isle to isle in search of your next adventure, you’ll curl up for a good night’s rest into your hammock – just kidding. Hopefully you’ve splurged and secured a blissful slumber aboard a yacht or cruiser. But what can you expect to do during the day while on dry land, or at least off the boat? What is it that people do on the Galapagos that makes it so epic? Below is a list of activities that give birth to those stories people tell back on the mainland.

Bird Watching
Okay, so it may not be the first thing that rushed to mind. That’s fine, we’ll get to those things. But birding warrants a serious place among the list. With 58 identified species of birds in the park and nearly half of those being endemic, whether you like it or not, these birds will find a way to get your attention. Don’t worry if you don’t rise at 4 a.m. with your binoculars ready. Your guide will point out these winged residents to you during your many island treks. Highlight: the waved albatross. The island of Hispanola is home to almost all of the world’s population of this legendary bird and its gigantic wings that span up to 10 feet apart. Once it manages to get its relatively clumsy terrestrial body into the air and to a full soar, it is a sight to behold.

Scuba Diving
If you have you PADI license, diving in the Galapagos is an experience unlike anywhere else in the sea. The convergence of several different currents gives rise to the inhabitants of many a different underwater creatures including whale sharks, white tip reef sharks, hammerheads, garden eels, sea lions, whales, as well as various schools of colorful tropical fish and corals. You’ll want to be an experienced diver though, as the different currents here make this a difficult place for novices. Not all yachts are equipped with scuba gear and some companies do not plan for it, so if this is your destiny then prepare your tour accordingly. Highlight: Brilliant moorish idols maneuvering amidst a bizarre background of penguins and whale sharks.

Snorkeling
Divers don’t get all the fun. To the contrary, almost all tour boats make this a frequent if not daily possibility, though the quality of the equipment and cost will vary. Just under the surface, you will have the opportunity to spot sea turtles, boobies, and penguins that all will be gliding around in the water next to you. In addition, there are angelfish, manta rays, white-tipped reef sharks, and feeding marine iguanas. Many of these creatures can be witnessed from the boat railing if this somehow makes you ill at ease. They are lying though, if they neglect to mention to you that you are missing out. Highlight: the sea lions. Very few moments in life afford humans the opportunity to bond with wild animals like this. Unlike your furry feline at home, this playful sea-cat will be tugging at your flippers and torpedoing at you until the very last inches separating the two of you, before dashing aside.

Sea Kayaking
If you haven’t had your fill of floating on water during the nighttime, you can rent a vessel and be your own captain. This is a truly intimate way to get out and interact with the exotic life abounding out beyond the shores without feeling tied to your guide. Many companies specialize in Galapagos tours with an emphasis on separate kayaking excursions. So if this is your calling, plan it into your tour from the outset. Highlight: Think about it. As if navigating the sea in a kayak isn’t fun enough as it is, you’d do it in the Galapagos with giant tortoises and sea lions lurking about just feet away. What else could you ask for?

Hiking
Though most hiking is done with a guide, and most likely you haven’t come to the Galapagos to do serious trekking, specially trained officials make each hike along the islands a truly memorable experience with their detailed and fascinating information about the flora and fauna that exists in on these islands that are unlike any other in the world. Even the yet uneroded, young lava floor of Sullivan Bay on Isla San Salvador is a unique surface with fascinating textures and shapes you’ve never before tread upon. Highlight: The blue-footed boobie. First, because they are called a boobie and have feet that look like blue painted rubber. Secondly, because they are so tame that they build their homes on the trail you walk along. If you are lucky enough to be there during mating season, their endearing courtship dance will make anyone’s life seem wanting in romance.

As for surfing and hitting the beach, I’d have to say you’re missing the point. But if you are simply unable to leave your board at home or live in Antarctica and have only infrequent opportunities to soak up the sun, there are a few places suitable for surfing or stretching out on a white sand beach. You’ll have to ask someone else though. Okay fine. Check out Turtle Bay on Santa Cruz Island. Or better yet, for surfing, are the swells that come off of Punta Carola next to the capital town on Isla San Cristóbal. Highlight: Having a sea lion try and knock your surf board out from under you while trying to catch a wave, I guess.