![]() Adorable! And I was impressed by the Sally Lightfoot crabs with their neon orange, fluorescent blue and yellow shells, clambering up rocks. Unexpectedly, there were also little penguins – the most northern penguins anywhere in the world. One swam just inches from me as I was snorkeling. They’re descendants of the California sea lions that laze on piers in San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, but in the Galapagos, they’re lively and lovely personalities, frolicking with snorkelers, posing for pictures, "hugging" one another. They move in everywhere and anywhere they want. Hundreds of sea lions appear to own title to the Galapagos. The land iguanas – unattractive in close-ups pics (they’d never be Instagram stars) have a lively community. The waved albatross travel hundreds of miles to nest on the Galapagos island of Espanola. With their teal flippers, they bounce around like a child wearing swim fins for the first time. Forget the funny name: These birds are absolute charmers. I absolutely fell in love with one of the birds most associated with the Galapagos: the blue-footed boobies. These include the number of visitors allowed each year, the number and size of boats, where and when tourists are allowed, and the requirement that a guide must be with visitors at all times in protected areas. Ecuador was the first country in the world to include the rights of nature in its constitution, and there are numerous restrictions to protect the fragile ecosystem. Moreover, in the Galapagos, the animals really do come first. In the Galapagos, I was awed by the incredible beauty and diversity of birds and reptiles − and how close you can get to them without disturbing their habitat. The main attraction, of course, is the wildlife. “Magical” – that’s the word I’ve been using to describe the Galapagos ever since I returned. And instead of 20 passengers, we had only 14. ![]() Evolve was brand-new – entering service only in March 2023. We were whisked to a Zodiac (a firm motorized raft) to be taken to our home for the week – the ship aptly named Evolve. From there, we flew to San Cristobal Island, where our two naturalists – Billy and Martin – met us and the other guests. Six weeks after deciding on the Galapagos, my sister and I arrived in Quito, Ecuador. Finally, I loved the fact that every one of Ecoventura’s well-appointed staterooms has massive windows instead of portholes. In the Galapagos, each guide is allowed to serve up to 16 tourists, but Ecoventura offered a maximum of 10 guests to every naturalist. That led me to Ecoventura, one of the leading outfitters in the Galapagos, whose three ships are limited to 20 passengers. I also wanted excellent naturalist guides with a more personal passenger-to-naturalist guide ratio. I knew I wanted a small ship, but I also wanted comfortable quarters. Most are small ships with fewer than 32 passengers. The few largest ships hold up to 100 passengers. ◾ Second decision: Which ship? To protect the wildlife and fragile environment, Ecuador greatly restricts the number and size of ships in the Galapagos. We wanted to see as much as we could and didn’t want to waste precious daylight hours in transportation. As a day tripper, you stay on one or two islands and spend hours on ferries to take day tours to the more limited islands that allow day visitors. ◾ First decision: Choose a sleep-aboard ship or be a “day-tripper.” On a sleep-aboard ship, you visit more islands with fewer people and have more interaction with wildlife. Other than arranging our flights to Ecuador, we basically had two decisions to make. Because everything in the Galapagos is highly regulated, our choices were limited – in a good way. ![]() Once the decision was made, it was surprisingly easy to make arrangements. But life, as it so often does, got in the way – work, family, other trips. The Galapagos had been at the top of my bucket list for many years. Is a wellness retreat worth it? I spent a week surfing with women to find out. But these islands are equally well known as a unique natural kingdom teeming with wildlife – giant tortoises, unique species of birds, huge iguanas, even penguins. It was there, by observing differences in native species in 1831, where he honed his understanding of evolution. The Galapagos, an archipelago of small islands 600 miles off Ecuador, were made famous by Charles Darwin. But In April, when my sister Janice suggested we finally go to the Galapagos, I immediately said yes. Like many post-COVID Americans, I was eager to travel this summer, but every place seemed as if it would be hot or crowded. I had been wanting to visit the Galapagos for years. Watch Video: Darwin Island in the Galapagos is an amazing place ![]()
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