Even though I've just returned from a trip to the Galapagos Islands, you wouldn't know it. I didn't have to adjust to a significant time difference, so I didn't get jet lag, and I don't have much of a sunburn to speak of either. I also wasn't eaten alive by mosquitoes (for a change), and that's probably the biggest reason why. Nonetheless, this does not mean that the location did not make an impression on me in any way.
Before I set out on my journey, I was unsure about what to anticipate from a vacation to the Galapagos Islands. My friends and other travel writers who had been to the islands had sent me images that they had taken there. Despite this, images aren't able to correctly portray the odour of sea lion dung, which, in contrast to its producers, does not have a nice or cuddly quality to it at all. Nor are they able to capture the different shades of blue-footed booby feet.
What awaited me were some of the most peaceful and unspoiled islands that I have ever had the good fortune to see. What would make me return to the Galapagos in an instant, what may make me reconsider going back, and why the benefits finally outweigh the drawbacks are discussed in the following paragraphs. The water is turquoise, and the animals are friendly, but the heat is at another level of hot.
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What I liked
The various animals
The year before, I went on an adventure cruise to the Arctic for the very first time. During that trip, I observed a large number of creatures, including polar bears, reindeer, and whales, and I thought it was spectacular. When it comes to encounters with unique and interesting animals, the Galapagos Islands far outshine the North. The animals were the most memorable part of the vacation for me.
Before I even boarded my ship, I saw beautifully colourful crabs, a marine iguana, and some kind of pinniped (from a distance, I couldn't tell if it was a sea lion or a seal). I saw all of these things within the first five minutes of landing at the port on the island of Baltra.
The remaining portion of the trip allowed me to view 12 of the "big 15," as the cruise line, Hurtigruten Expeditions, refers to these destinations. These creatures included flightless cormorants, blue-footed boobies, land and marine iguanas, Galapagos penguins, giant tortoises, Galapagos sea lions, Galapagos flamingos, and even the elusive Galapagos hawk. I also spotted a lot of other animals that weren't included on the list, such as fur seals, Sally Lightfoot crabs, and great blue herons.
The genuineness of it all
To operate in the Galapagos Islands, cruise ships must comply with several regulations, one of which mandates that a minimum number of crew members must have Ecuadorian citizenship. While travelling to uninhabited sections of the Galapagos Islands, visitors are required to be accompanied by official guides who have been trained and certified by the Galapagos National Park Authority.
Due to these regulations, passengers have the opportunity to engage in direct conversation with natives, who have superior knowledge of the surrounding area compared to anybody else.
If you have any questions on the regional cuisine that is offered on board, such as ceviche, plantains, or any of the other delectable specialities, the wait staff will answer them as soon as possible. After you get off the ship, the guides will be able to answer any questions you have about the local flora and animals. It is easy to see and easy to catch their infectious enthusiasm for what they do. (Until recently, I did not have nearly as much of an interest in birds.)
Another attractive quality is the people who live in the few populated parts of the Galapagos Islands, who are known for their friendliness and their lack of pretension. During my tour, I stopped in at several local shops and enterprises, where the proprietors were more than happy to discuss their accomplishments.
One of the most noteworthy was Trapiche Ecology, a secluded farm located on the inhabited island of Santa Cruz. They make chocolate, coffee, brown sugar, and moonshine from sugarcane on their farm. It would be difficult for me to find the same level of friendliness anywhere else, but the proprietors escorted me and the other guests around.
That of the chocolate.
There is something about chocolate made in Ecuador that makes all other chocolates appear to be of lower quality. The actual item is produced by hand using components that you will never see listed on a Hershey's label, and it is among the most delicious things you will ever have the opportunity to consume.
A trip to a chocolate maker is not only fun but also enlightening and delicious. I was educated on the cultivation and harvesting of cocoa beans, as well as the processes involved in transforming them into nibs and powder (which are used in everything from edible bars to cocoa butter).
During my visit, I was able to observe the manufacturing process of the upscale flavoured chocolates that are sold in gift boxes. It is a fascinating procedure that requires melting many layers of chocolate, mixing them, layering them into trays, and then chilling the finished products to make miniature works of edible art. I couldn't help but bring a few bars back with me to my house.
What I didn't like about it was
the weather.
I expected the sun to be very strong on the Galapagos Islands because of its proximity to the equator. On the other hand, having an understanding of the severity of the situation is not the same thing as experiencing it.
When I went sailing in February, the temperatures ranged from the upper 70s to the middle 80s, but the sun made it feel much hotter than that. Without the appropriate protective clothing and sunscreen with a high SPF, I most certainly would have perished.
Given the strength of the rays, the amount of zinc needed to protect my skin and the absence of shade on the islands, I was always sweaty and sticky — and the humidity didn't help matters. I am aware that the weather conditions of the Galapagos Islands are very important to the health of the many different kinds of creatures that make their homes there. However, it was one of my least favourite features of the region.
The tempo of things
If you want to take a relaxing vacation, you should realise that a cruise through the Galapagos Islands is not likely to fulfil your requirements in this regard.
On my cruise, we had two to three excursions per day, and most places we visited were outside. That meant that we would be exposed to the scorching heat of the sun for a good many hours. By the second day of my trip, I was completely worn out due to the heat and the athletic activities (such as snorkelling, kayaking, and trekking) that I had participated in.
The Galapagos Islands are, quite reasonably, considered a "bucket-list" destination; hence, the majority of visitors do not go there to laze around on the ship while the breathtaking scenery of the region passes them by. In light of this, the majority of the ships that are stationed in the region only offer the most fundamental conveniences. The cruise ships do not have onboard spas, the passenger cabins do not come equipped with televisions, and there are no onboard activities planned for the daytime hours.
It is presumed that the majority of the passengers, if not all of them, will take part in each of the trips. The pace can be enough to leave you seeking a vacation after your holiday.
The fragrances
When I travelled to the Galapagos, I had one objective in mind: to spot a blue-footed booby. There aren't many many animals that have blue fur, therefore the fact that those games are blue makes them stand out to me. My excitement was doubled when I realised that I had seen the birds on two separate occasions. Yet, when I saw them for the first time, it wasn't their feet that stood out to me. It was the putrid odour.
I joined a small group of other passengers on their voyage around Isabela Island to experience its breathtaking scenery. We watched scores of boobies preening themselves in between mating dances as our inflatable boat got closer to a rock cliff. We also saw marine iguanas sunning themselves on the rock. I had not yet been able to see their feet, but I suddenly became aware of a pungent odour that struck me like a blow to the face.
When we got closer, the colour of their feet became more obvious, but so did the white tint that graced the rocks, which was bird poop. Even though I am aware that it is natural, I was not anticipating such beautiful animals to have such an unpleasant odour.
On my arrival on Fernandina Island, where we were surrounded by curious sea lions, I experienced a similar experience to the one described above. They, too, gave off an odour reminiscent of the bowels of a seafood processing plant.
Although I am fully aware that this is a little gripe in a location as breathtaking as the Galapagos, I believe it is important to bring it up because it took me and a few of the other cruisers by surprise.
What took me by surprise was
The peace
Because around 97% of the Galapagos Islands are protected as a national park, I anticipated that the islands would be wild, and I was correct. Yet the silence was something I hadn't bargained for at all. It wasn't silent; rather, it was a quiet that was filled with sounds that aren't typically a part of my day-to-day life.
In the Galapagos Islands, neither the pinging of cell phone text alerts nor the sounds of vehicles can be heard. Instead, the sounds that you hear are the soft, moist sounds of marine iguanas emptying the salt water that they have absorbed while feeding, the delicate swish of waves washing up onto the shoreline, and the distinct howling of sea lions as they communicate with one another.
It's a peculiar cacophony that brought to mind how active nature can be, even in times when humans get the impression that there isn't much going on.
The distinctions between the various islands
I was taken aback when I learned how dissimilar each of the islands in the western part of the Galapagos Islands was to one another. Some were inhabited, but the vast majority were not. Because some of them were rocky, had little vegetation, and offered no place for us to land, we had no choice except to sail around and enjoy the scenery. Others had warm beaches with gentle sand. Some of the islands featured vibrant flowers and verdant foliage, making them ideal locations for agriculture such as the cultivation of coffee, cocoa beans, and sugarcane.
The diversity of the flora and fauna was identical. On certain islands, you can see gigantic tortoises, while others are home to Galapagos penguins, blue-footed boobies, and flightless cormorants. Other others were teeming with marine iguanas, Sally Lightfoot crabs, and sea lions, all of whom were getting along swimmingly with one another.
I was taken aback when I learned that the native iguanas and some of the birds that live on the islands cooperate. Iguanas are kept free of parasites thanks to the birds, which feed on the ticks that fall off of them as they remove them. When a bird has finished removing all of the ticks, it defecates on the iguana, leaving a mark that tells other birds to hunt for food in a different location.
At the beginning of the voyage, I had some reservations about the likelihood of the everyday activities becoming mundane after a while. It didn't take long for me to figure out that even if some of the activities are comparable, the sights you take in on each expedition are unique.
The variations in the rules
Expedition cruises are well-known for taking travellers to off-the-beaten-path locations that only come around once in a lifetime. It only makes it reasonable that there would be regulations in place to protect tourists as well as the native flora and fauna of the areas that expedition ships go to, given that these ships frequently visit areas that are under some form of protection.
At the Baltra airport, every piece of luggage is subjected to a comprehensive search and is then sniffed by dogs to deter individuals from smuggling illegal goods into the Galapagos Islands. This includes non-native species of fruit, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. But, once we were on board the ship, no one inspected our footwear to prevent the spread of non-native organisms from one site to another, where they could do damage to the native ecology. (Every time we got back on board, we were required to run the hose over our shoes to clean them.) This came as a surprise to me because it is a typical procedure on journeys to the Arctic and Antarctic.
In protected regions, there are typically regulations that dictate how close visitors can get to the local species. This makes perfect sense in regions such as the Arctic, where polar bears pose a genuine risk to human life. When I visited the Galapagos Islands, one of the things that completely blew my mind was the fact that the animals do not have any natural enemies, therefore they are typically not afraid of humans. They did not in any way adhere to the guideline that required passengers to maintain a distance of at least six feet.
Because of their laid-back demeanour and their natural inquisitiveness, I regularly found myself in the position of having to retreat from animals that were approaching me rather than the other way around.
The local postal service
The temporary "post office" on Floreana Island, which is now located in what was formerly known as Post Office Bay, was one of the most endearing features of my vacation.
This post office, which consists of little more than a wooden barrel fitted with a door, does not accept postage stamps but does provide a location for guests to leave postcards. When you have written and addressed your postcards and placed them in the Zip-Loc bag that has been provided, the next step is to go through the postcards that are already in the bag to see if any of them are addressed to a location that is close to your house. If such is the case, you should bring them with you and give them to the beneficiaries in person.
I purposefully left a postcard for myself, simply to test and see if it would work. About two weeks later, it materialised in my mailbox with a stamp already affixed to it. Someone did not comprehend the task at hand, and as a result, rather than delivering it in person, they affixed postage to it and then deposited it in a real mailbox located somewhere else. Although it was lovely to receive the postcard, and the sender's intentions were kind, I was a little bit disappointed that I did not get to meet a fellow tourist while I was in the Galapagos.
Bottom line
Even if a cruise through the Galapagos Islands isn't always the best option for vacationers looking to unwind, doing so is high on the bucket lists of a lot of people, and with good reason. On the majority of the islands, no, you won't be able to pull up a beach chair, order a beverage, or even find a bathroom, but the fact that you won't be able to do any of those things simply adds to the pristine beauty.
Everything is held in a precarious equilibrium, including the turquoise ocean that rushes onto the rocky shorelines that are strewn with fine, white sand. You will be astonished to learn how the animals have adapted to survive in the hostile climate of the completely underdeveloped region. The region is teeming with animals that you won't find anyplace else.
A trip to the Galapagos Islands includes both positive and negative aspects, but in my opinion, the positive aspects significantly exceed the negative aspects.
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