The most frequent ice-breaking question of new acquaintences we make is, “What is your favorite place you’ve ever traveled?” My answer never varies. Nor my wife’s. It’s the Galapagos Islands on the equator about 600 miles from the mainland of Equador.
This doesn’t mean I think it would be everyone’s favorite travel destination. How one chooses to experience the land that Charles Darwin helped make famous matters greatly. Conversations with other travelers to the Galapagos archipelago informs me that not every visitor there has had the pleasurable experience that we did.
From an array of options we chose a small (eight cabin) catamaran on which a crew of 12 catered to the comfort of 16 passengers. This relatively small, nimble craft allowed us to enter small bays and explore less visited islands. There were nights when we could see no other boats anchored. During the day, with such a small group, all passengers could disembark in a matter of minutes for ocean and island excursions; and we would be immersing ourselves in the adventure long before passengers from other vessels arrived and long after they had to return to their bigger boats with their larger groups.
It was the combination of sea and land adventures that appealed to us. If one wished to take advantage, there was at least one adventure on or in the sea and another on land every day. We swam with turtles, sea lions and sharks. We hiked among birds and reptiles found nowhere else in the world. Everyday for a week.
My favorite travel experiences involve sun, water, physical exercise and animals…..and scarce humans. And nowhere have we traveled where it is more apparent than in the Galapagos that it is all about the animals. Certainly the human presence — even ours for that brief time in 2011 — has an effect. But nowhere have we found greater awareness that what the animals need is paramount. The number of visitors is controlled. Where those visitors may wander is restricted.
The animals rule.
JER
ALL OVER THE MAP 