My experience on a GCT cruise

Can you share your top three highlights from the GCT cruise?

The island called Sombrero Chino or Chinese Hat, just off the coast of Santiago island, was one of the highlights of my trip. The mix of terrains, including pristine white beaches full of sunbathing seals and turquoise water, against the black lava rocks with bright Sally Lightfoot crabs and marine iguanas, and then the star of the show, the bright red carpet weed, just took my breath away. It was when I was on this island, watching the unique wildlife and gazing at the incredible landscape, that it really hit me what a unique place the Galapagos Islands are. When we went snorkelling in the surrounding waters, I was even more gobsmacked by the hidden gems under the water, with an incredible variety of fish, graceful turtles, sneaky seals and even Galapagos penguins whizzing about.

On one of the last days of the cruise, we were heading back to the boat after an incredible visit to Española island, and I was reminiscing about all the majestic waved albatrosses and blue-footed boobies and thinking that the day couldn’t get any better when a pod of dolphins decided to give us a farewell show! They surrounded our boat, jumping in and out of the waves, some were doing somersaults, and some came so close to the boat I could see their little eyes and playful grins. I felt so honoured that they came to see us, and this is what I love so much about the Galapagos Islands, you really feel like you are only a visitor and that it’s the wildlife who decide whether or not they want to show themselves. Therefore, it feels even more special when you see wildlife so close to you.

Another highlight was visiting El Chato ranch on Santa Cruz island. I was so amazed by the majestic giant tortoises and learning about their way of life. We met with Courtney Pike, the Principal Investigator for tortoise research at the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) and long-term partner of GCT, who taught us all about the huge distances tortoises travel and how they migrate up and down volcano craters. It is incredible to think that these slow and heavy animals manage to move such great distances. I really enjoyed learning about the work CDF are doing with support from GCT to tag giant tortoises and track their movements across the island.

What insights did you gain into conservation work on the Islands by travelling with GCT?

What really hit me throughout the project visits and the people that we met was the importance of involving the local community. They play an essential role in enabling projects to be brought to life thanks to their knowledge of the surroundings, their involvement in the local politics and their pure love for the Islands. I was lucky to meet local residents Paul and Danyer, who are working on Floreana island on a project to restore endemic plants to the island. It was amazing to see how passionate and knowledgeable they were about rewilding.

We also met the people working for the local NGO Frente Insular de la Reserva Marina de Galápagos, including its founder, Alberto Andrade, who is a really inspiring man. It was so heartwarming to see the impact they have on young people in the community, giving them opportunities to not only learn about the wildlife on their islands but also actively participate in conservation. We were also lucky enough to meet GCT’s long-term partner, Sofía Green, who works for the Galapagos Whale Shark Project. She spoke to us about her work supporting the Gills Club (Chicas con Agallas), which aims to engage more young girls in marine conservation. I was astounded to learn that a lot of the local kids didn’t know how to swim and had never seen the unique wildlife living in their home. Helping them build close relationships with nature can have such a positive impact on their lives.

Which GCT project did you find most inspiring?

This is a really hard question because all the projects were so inspiring and all involved such amazing people.

Having now visited Galapagos, are there any tips you could share to help people reduce their impact on the Islands whilst visiting?

I definitely think people going to Galapagos should really think about their reasons for visiting, and when they are there, they should take the time to learn not just about the wildlife but also about the communities and conservation projects in order to truly understand the Galapagos Islands.

I think that it is also really important to leave no negative impact whatsoever on the Islands. For example, I was sad to see people getting too close to the animals in order to take photos. Even though they might think that it is harmless, it can really disturb natural behaviours. I believe that people should go even further than having no negative impact; they should try to create a positive impact by giving back a little to the Islands, even simple gestures such as picking up litter on the beach or eating locally caught fish instead of imported fish.