![]() It’s completely unsurprising how tiring it is to be walking and snorkelling all day and I can’t even begin to describe how exhaustinge boat life is. Tomorrow we will arrive at Genovesa Island, for more bird watching and some snorkelling. But I’m a little jetlagged, a little seasick, a little drunk and have little else to say about it. We met the crew, shared some drinks and swapped stories before settling in for an incredible dinner of camarons (prawns). It’s been am awesome day. We strolled the beach, following the fishing spectacle, and took a thousand photos then swam for a while before reboarding Nemo III. It was so impressive that at times you could barely make out the horizon through the rabble. A bunch of fish in the shallows meant that we were lucky enough to witness a boobie, pelican and frigatebird feeding frenzy take place along the beach. The amount of interaction we had on this first day was pretty overwhelming (see feature image). There, sea lions, marina iguanas, Sally Lightfoot crabs, blue-footed boobies, frigatebirds, pelicans and a sole flamingo were waiting. ![]() Once on board, we took a short trip to Santa Cruz Island and made a wet landing on Bachus Beach. A crying shame on one hand, a win for the planet on the other. There’s a Jacuzzi on board that was brought into existence by her original Italian owners, but Galapagos sustainable tourism practices means we can’t use it (it requires hot water, which requires power, which is deemed an unnecessary use). Our boat, Nemo III – a beautiful catamaran, originally built in Italy – was waiting on arrival. Once we cleared customs – which was a fairly rigorous process of form filling, baggage checking, and line waiting – in Baltra we met our leader, Oswaldo Noboa (who’s a naturalist, not a naturist) and boarded a bus bound for the dock. This diary starts in Baltra, the main airport in the Galapagos Islands, after two heady days in the incredible Quito. There is nowhere quite like them, certainly not anywhere that I’ve been, and the week I spent there with Intrepid Travel blew my mind in more ways than I thought imaginable. They should be understood and prized by as many people as possible. With each new wildlife discovery and each new encounter, gratitude is the most common reaction.Īnd these islands should be admired. But I’d soon learn that thankfulness is a feeling you’ll experience most days in the Galapagos Islands. Yeah, that initial glimpse of the islands was humbling. I was glad to be there, don’t get me wrong, but I didn’t feel worthy. ![]() It felt as though we were descending into Jurassic Park, or some sacred land that I wasn’t deserving enough to enter. ‘It feels like I’m not supposed to be here’: my first thought as the Galapagos Islands appeared through the aeroplane window.
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