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Published: March 10th 2015
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The Wonders of Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands By William Graham
Poet, novelist and travel writer William Graham is a resident of Stowe, Vermont. He is the author of “Seven Continents: A Travel Memoir." His most recent novella is "Greenfields."
As my fourth-grade son Jackson and I struggled against the wind at 15,000 feet of elevation on the ash-covered slopes of the Andean volcano Cotopaxi, we caught a rare glimpse of an Andean wolf slowly descending from the cloud-covered summit of 19,000 feet. The dark brown canine gave us a quick glance and then loped away into the swirling mist. As we descended, we saw majestic Andean condors hovering over the valley below.
This magical encounter was just one of many Jackson and I had on our recent adventure trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. We arrived in Quito the last week of February. With a population of about two million and sitting at an elevation of about 9,000 feet, the sprawling Ecuadorian capital spills down the side of volcanic slopes and across several valleys. Like many Latin American cities, Quito displays a sharp contrast between wealthy neighborhoods (many born from the recent
boom in petro-dollars) and poor, ramshackle districts of small cement block houses. Our sojourn in Quito was short, however, for our ultimate destination was the Galapagos Islands, which the writer Herman Melville characterized as the “Encantadas,” or the Enchanted Isles. After our week-long stay there, we would agree with Mr. Melville.
In September 1835, Charles Darwin wrote in his journal (which would be later published as
Voyage of the Beagle): “The archipelago consists of ten principal islands, of which five exceed the others in size. They are situated on the equatorial line, and between 500 and 600 miles to the westward of the coast of . The constitution of the whole is volcanic.” On our first day in the Galapagos, we toured the highlands of the island of Santa Cruz to have a few close encounters with the iconic giant tortoises. These living tanks can reach a weight of nearly 900 pounds, a length of six feet and can live up to 170 years. Once hunted to near extinction by whalers and other sailing crews in the 18
th and 19
th centuries, these royal creatures are now protected and are thriving among the lush grasses of the highlands. Like all
of the unique animals on the Galapagos, visitors can get within inches of tortoises, which have no fear of human beings.
Our next adventure consisted of a long, hot hike to the summit of the Sierra Negra volcano on the island of Isabela, which is the largest of the Galapagos islands—at 60 miles long and covering nearly 1,800 square miles. We slogged through the sticky 90 degree Fahrenheit air to the peak and were rewarded with a stunning vista—a giant caldera sprawling over 120 square miles. At its base a thousand feet below us was an unbroken floor of hardened black lava. This caldera is the second largest in the world, only being surpassed by the massive Ngorogoro crater in Tanzania. (By the way, the islands are still geologically active, with the most recent volcanic eruption occurring in 2006.)
The stunning volcanic vistas on the Galapagos Islands are wondrous in their own right, but the kaleidoscope of unique creatures is what gives the islands their real caché. After all, it was Darwin’s study of the islands’ famous species of finches that was one of the intellectual sparks that led to his groundbreaking theory of evolution in his
Origin of Species. In addition to the giant tortoises, the marine iguana—found only on these islands—is a fascinating creature. As if preserved from the time of the dinosaurs, the iguanas inhabit the islands in the hundreds of thousands. In fact, on the island of Santiago alone, there are an estimated 220,000 marine iguanas. We literally had to step over them as we walked across the lava flows near the shore.
Other birds and animals that we observed up close and personal were sea lions (many of which had colonies featuring adorable seal pups only a few weeks old), the bizarre blue-footed and red-footed booby, the red throated frigate bird and, of course, the thirteen species of finches.
The sea itself also offered opportunities to experience nature eye to eye. Jackson frolicked in the ocean with playful sea lions, swam with giant sea turtles and even touched a white-tipped shark. I would argue that no other place on earth affords visitors such unparalleled access to animals in their own environment. The Galapagos Islands are indeed enchanted.
If you decide to go, I have a few tips for those of you with an adventurous spirit:
· There are many companies that offer land- or sea-based tours to the islands. We used a Seattle-based company called Southern Explorations (
www.southernexplorations.com) to organize our trip. We highly recommend them. We traveled from island to island for six days on a comfortable 15-passenger yacht. Our guide, who worked for the Galapagos National Park Service, was a local who had great knowledge of the flora and fauna of the islands.
· The Galapagos Islands are situated on the equator. As a result, the sun is very intense. During our stay, daytime temperatures typically soared into the 90sF with high humidity. So be prepared to sweat. No one said Eden would have air conditioning.
· You also need to be in moderate to good physical condition to 1) deal with the heat and 2) to walk long distances on uneven volcanic terrain. On a typical day, we would hike for three to four hours. So bring sturdy hiking shoes, light, breathable clothing and buckets of sun block.
· As for the best time to go, I would recommend February or March. Although it is hot during those months, later in the spring and early summer it gets even hotter—nearly 110F. The seas are relatively calm in late winter, as compared to the autumn when the ocean becomes anything but pacific. Our guide informed us that many visitors who arrive in August through November cannot continue their trips because of high seas and the resulting sea sickness.
My son and I will forever treasure our tip to the Galapagos Islands. As Jackson explained it to our fellow passengers on the ship
Aida Maria, his experience was “awesome.”
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