Expedition to Galapagos

Exploring the legendarily remote islands on the lavishly-equipped EcoVentura Evolve luxury yacht

- By Nicolas Stecher

If I wasn’t here witnessing this scene with my own eyes I would not believe it possible. We’ve dipped into a small cove at Pitt Point, swimming deeper into the warm equatorial water till we’re encircled by the Galápagos’ famed black volcanic rock. Splashing in the tropical Pacific a group of sea-lion pups wrestle nearby, honing fighting skills they’ll lean on when they mature and need to protect their turf. An adult swims disturbingly close and circles us in the clear aquamarine water, curious and utterly unafraid.

Giant crimson crabs crawl up from behind rocks, their bright teal- and gold-patterned scarabs glistening in the sun. Then a marine iguana, as black as the lava he sunbathes on, makes his debut. Or has the miniature Godzilla been there the entire time, impeccably camouflaged against the basalt rock? Meanwhile overhead a large frigate bird glides on the breeze, its pronounced silhouette so stylized and well-designed against the azure sky it looks like a corporate logo. Suddenly a blue-footed booby dive bombs for an unlucky fish, splashing victoriously not five feet away.

Here on the island of San Cristóbal and beyond, the entire Galápagos archipelago, about 1,000 km off the coast of Ecuador and made famous by Charles Darwin, feels like a living menagerie. Like walking invisible in an open-world zoo—one where animals both regal and absurd are allowed to roam free, and humans are confined to restricted areas. Only in Disney cartoons do animal and man coexist with such mutual understanding. I half expect a scarlet macaw to land on my shoulder and start squawking about Aladdin in Gilbert Godfrey’s voice.