Sea Change

Snorkeling with penguins and dining under the stars? An intimate cruise in the Galápagos Islands brings you up close to nature, but doesn't skimp on luxury.

- Jacqueline Gifford

THE GOLDEN COWNOSE RAYS eased silently through the lagoon, like fall leaves drifting down a stream. Every few seconds, a fin would break the surface, revealing the stark contrast of a white underbelly. The driver of our Zodiac cut the engine out of deference to the animals, and a silence quickly descended on the red mangroves, their thick roots sheltering countless other species just beneath.

Shouts from another inflatable raft broke the stillness. I was sitting with seven other passengers, all giddy to be exploring the waterways off Punta Moreno on Isabela Island-a seahorse-shaped landmass, the largest and one of the youngest in the volcanic chain that makes up the Galápagos. Our companion boat had caught up to us. My son, Bobby, and husband, Rob, who were in that group, were pointing at the triangular formation of rays. Look close!

Thick raindrops appeared, but neither the creatures nor the humans seemed bothered-it was just nature, running its course. I hope Bobby is paying attention, I said to myself, willing the thought across the water and into his impressionable yet wandering seven-year-old mind. Does he know how lucky he is? Do we know how lucky we are?

My family and I were on day five of our rigorous journey aboard the Grace, a 16-passenger yacht once gifted to Grace Kelly by Aristotle Onassis. I emphasize "rigorous" to banish the idea of this being a cocktails-with-your-feet-up kind of a vacation. Arguably more strenuous than most African safaris, a Galápagos cruise challenges the mind, body, and spirit. There were multiple snorkeling trips through the Pacific waves in heavy-duty wet suits as penguins darted by our flippers. Sweat-soaked hikes near volcanoes (yes, plural). Kayak excursions past flightless cormorants batting their devolved, stubby wings after a dip-they seemed prepared for the midday heat, while we suffered in useless hats.