GALAPAGOS: Wildlife, Dining and Darwin

The Mainland

From the Amazonian jungle to the Andean highlands, Ecuador straddles the equator it was named for. I do similarly at Mitad del Mundo – the middle of the world – and gleefully place one touristy foot on each hemisphere. 

Helped by the bulge at the equator, a nearby inactive volcano, Mount Chimborazo, is our planet’s highest point. As people say here, they live closest to the sun. Whatever the season, times for sunrise and sunset barely change. Less stable is the politics, frequently punctuated by military rule.

Surprisingly, the local currency is the US dollar – also true for ten other, much smaller foreign countries. Quito is one of the world’s highest capital cities. It was built on Incan foundations, and is known for its largely intact, 16th century Spanish colonial centre. Conveniently, the altitude means no malarial mosquitoes.

I take the Teleférico, a gondola ride from the city, up the eastern slope of the Pichincha Volcano. The 20-minute trip climbs over 4,000 metres. Hiking up to the viewing platform though, it is much colder and the thin air harder to breathe, particularly when climbing. The sweep of the city and the Andes are worth it. 

The Food

This is the continent of corn. Even the ceviche can be topped with salty popped corn. Ecuador is the source of most Kiwis’ bananas and is a major exporter of roses. Two dozen costs $1. Though the average wage is about $5,000 per year. 

I enjoy fried and mashed plantains, giant tropical fruits, endless prawns, chargrilled octopus, and thin slices of sea bass prettily marinated in beetroot juice. For street food there is soft guava and blackberry meringue served in cones, as well as frozen banana on a stick covered in chocolate and nuts. 

Local specialities include guinea pig; beef hoof stew; and lacy, rather than sturdy, empanadas con morochco – made with corn dough. Eminent chocolate is a growing export. I sample six regional types each accompanied by a matching local rum or tequila. 

Also on the menu are fish stew with nutty, yucca flatbread; potato cheese patties with marinated onion, and chicharron (fried pork rind); chicken wrapped in banana leaves and grilled; locro de papas – potato soup with avocado and coriander; aji hot sauce mixed with tamarillos and peanuts; and quimbolitos – small, spongy raisin cakes steamed in an achira leaf. Scientific analysis can be tough work.

The Islands

Isolated and born of fire and lava, the Galapagos Islands harbour unique species of plants, mammals, reptiles, bird and aquatic life. The volcanically active archipelago lies 1,000 kilometres west of Ecuador’s coast and has a different time zone. It is classified as a national park, conservation area, and marine reserve.

This Eastern Pacific region was created over millennia. Magma thrust through the sea floor and formed layer upon layer of rock, eventually becoming islands. There are currently 13 active volcanoes with major intermittent eruptions as recently as last year. 

This is one of the world’s foremost destinations for wildlife viewing. Charles Darwin petitioned hard to join the HMS Beagle, as part of an extensive British survey of the coast and its measurements. He visited in 1835 for five influential weeks. The natural diversity and fearless creatures inspired his (r)evolutionary theory. 

The English naturalist observed that the finches had beaks that varied remarkably from island to island, depending on local conditions and food sources. In other words, indicators of long-term biological adaptation. Darwin drew on this living laboratory as evidence for evolution through natural selection. On the Origin of Species transformed human understanding.

Some maps from the 1530s started including the region, which was soon annexed by Ecuador. In 1709, a Scottish Navy officer was found marooned much further south after four years of resourcefully surviving on his own. Ten years later, this tale was fashioned by Daniel Defoe into the adventure novel I marvelled at in childhood: Robinson Crusoe.

Only on four islands since the 1970s did permanent human habitation develop. Residents now total about 30,000 thanks to the opportunities for fishing, tourism, and research stations. There are 13 main islands and my cruise visits nine of them.

Each one is characterised by different habitats, from lush mangroves with slinking stingray and sharks, to black lava caves dotted by iridescent red crabs. On high cliff tops over white sand beaches, albatross nest one precious egg every five years. If it survives, the wingspan can measure 4.8 metres – the world’s longest. 

Galapago was the old Spanish word for saddle. The archipelago was so named by early explorers due to the shell shape of its giant tortoises. Lumbering across grassland, they can be 1.8 metres in length, weigh 300 kilos, and live over 100 years. 

Amazingly, they can survive up to one year without food or water. This survival quality almost decimated them. Many tens of thousands were taken onboard as long-lasting, fresh provisions by early whalers and buccaneers. Darwin spoke admiringly of their buttery taste and texture.

Albatross, herons, hawks, and pelicans join the clownish, blue-footed, yellow-beaked booby. Flamingos are born beige and gradually turn bright pink from the carotenoids in their crustacean diet. Only here will you see penguins north of the equator, posing beside giant cacti. Land iguanas can be almost as long as I am tall. Forty small ones snooze clustered on warm rocks, looking like extras from Jurassic Park. 

All happily mingle with us ogling stalkers along stunning beaches with turquoise waters and cavorting whales. The benign climate, as well as cool currents from Antarctica have led to an unusual mix of tropical and temperate life forms.

More Food

I travel with Silversea Cruises after my excellent experience with them in Antarctica. The food is high-end exquisite, healthy, and features local products, including Galapagos coffee and chocolate. I have never eaten such varied and superb fish and seafood. 

French champagne and prestige international wines are offered at lunch and dinner. There is a six-page cocktail menu in the afternoon, as we 95 passengers gaze through the large windows of the bow’s changing view, while listening to live music.

Naturalists offer morning and afternoon lectures, Zodiac tours, and field excursions with groups of eight to twelve. Progress is rocky, steep, and a walking pole is advisable. I swim with playful sea lions. Enjoy daily hiking, snorkelling, and my first ever kayaking (basically an elaborate way of getting wet). 

There are spiny, striped, spotted, technicolour, cautious and curious creatures who amble fearlessly beside me. A spectacular land and underwater world that surpasses even Disney imaginings.

Call it Galapa-gorgeous.