By The UNCHARTED® editors · 5 min read
BY SANDY CUNNINGHAM
Heading to the center of the earth was certainly the best decision I have made in a long time. As summer started to unfold and our youngest daughter's high school graduation surfing trip was canceled at the last minute, I leapt at the opportunity to share the sheer magnificence of the Galapagos and Ecuador with my family. There is so much to write about from our trip down to the Equator that I am going to break it into a two-part series. The second half of the story, the Magic of the Highlands, will be appearing in one of our later August issues of the GO UNCHARTED journal.
Booking and traveling in less than 3 weeks was so easy (even I was amazed at how seamless it all was given the precarious nature of travel right now). United Airlines was magnificent, every flight was on time, service was exceptional, and carriers were squeaky clean - thumbs up! We did not need a PCR test to get into Ecuador as we had all been vaccinated but we still needed one for our arrival into the Galapagos (that however has since been rescinded, 3 days after we were there of course). Our amazing team on the ground in Ecuador organized for a lab technician to come to our hotel and after getting “swabbed” we headed off to Quito with our amazing guide, Fernando. We explored the old city and ate at La Purisima, a small gem of a restaurant led by Chef Carlos Fuentes, who has taken ancient Ecuadorian recipes and brought them to life in a modern setting. It was sublime. The appetizers especially caught our attention and taste buds, and we would go back again and again as he continues to evolve this special eatery. After our fabulous Ecuadorian-style lunch we headed to Casa Gangotena. Casa Gangotena sits in the very heart of the old town on Plaza Grande, with sweeping views of the city and a true haven to rest our weary heads after an overnight flight. Dinner was a light affair in the hotel bar where we indulged in their specialty cocktails, using local fruits and Andean herbs. Their alchemy menu is called Homenaje, which means homage in Spanish, creating cocktails that pay homage to you. I chose the Alchemia which included passion fruit, chamomile, rose-infused gin, tangerine-infused caña manabita, cucumber, and pineapple extract - needless to say, it was exceptional.
"We explored the old city and ate at La Purisima, a small gem of a restaurant led by Chef Carlos Fuentes, who has taken ancient Ecuadorian recipes and brought them to life in a modern setting. It was sublime."
Casa Gangotena is everything it sets out to be, a grande dame of a hotel with exceptional service and a hard-to-beat location. Although our stay in Quito was only 24 hours, we gobbled up every minute visiting the spectacular churches of the old town, hiking to the highest point in the city, and learning from our guide who brought the history and vibrancy of Quito to life, making the short stay in the capital such a highlight of our trip.
The next morning we set off to the islands with our PCR tests in hand. The flight from the mainland was smooth and we landed safely on Baltra where we were met by our guide for the next few days - Xavier Suarez Fadel. Within 20 minutes we pulled into a locally run giant Tortoise sanctuary. The place was crawling with tortoises, and we even had one tortoise taking a mud bath a few meters from our lunch table. We enjoyed delicious food overlooking the sanctuary grounds and then walked off our lunch following the winding foot trails through the tortoises’ habitat. We ended our walk in a hidden lava tunnel where we were surprised by the magnificent Alejandra from the Safari Camp with a candle-lit tea deep in the lava caves, absolute magic!
When we first arrived at Galapagos Safari Camp that evening, we felt like we had come home. The welcoming team led by the generous and exceptional Andrea made us feel like we were at once guests of great importance and family friends at the same time. The rustic chic of the lodge’s stylish decor blends seamlessly with the breathtaking vistas outside. The infinite patios overlooking the treetops, wilderness, and the ocean beyond with islands popping up everywhere made the camp’s location particularly special. Galapagos Safari Camp is that rare find where everything works so perfectly in every way. The camp sits quietly, unobtrusively, welcoming, and soothing. It is one of those places in the world that you want to return to time after time. The food was fresh and delicious. Nothing was too much trouble and it was fantastic having the whole camp to ourselves the first night but equally as pleasant meeting a new family the following night on the sunset deck, sipping cocktails concocted by the devilishly handsome Carlos.
"Galapagos Safari Camp is that rare find where everything works so perfectly in every way. The camp sits quietly, unobtrusively, welcoming, and soothing. It is one of those places in the world that you want to return to time after time."
It used to be thought that the only way to see the Galapagos was by sea, but the opportunity to really settle into a camp or lodge on an island is such an exceptional experience and in many ways a more grounding one. There are so many extraordinary adventures to enjoy, from exploring neighboring islands by boat, to spending a day with a local fisherman, sport fishing, surfing Tortuga Bay, sipping a cocktail with the former head of the Darwin Institute, or having a gourmet chocolate tasting with a local chocolatier. Island stays offer so much, not only as a stand-alone experience but they can also be done in conjunction with a cruise. Either way it is an absolutely not-to-be-missed experience. And for the sea-sick weary and families with young ones, it is pure paradise.
Time stands still in the Galapagos. Every moment you half expect to discover a new species as they constantly evolve. Sadly with all of this beauty unfolding before you, the threats to this magnificent archipelago are very real. The Chinese fishing trawlers sitting heavy on the boundaries of the Marine Reserve are a clear and present danger not only to the Galapagos Marine Reserve but to the people of the Galapagos and mainland Ecuador.
As we spent our days exploring on land and sea, we found each day so different to the next in the most uniquely enticing ways. We took boat rides to the neighboring islands and the snorkelling, as expected, was mind-blowing. We encountered hammerhead sharks, giant manta rays, and even saw a sleeping white tip reef shark along with the incredible array of Galapogean fish. The land encounters were sublime; land iguanas and birdlife are as vivid as you would imagine and up close it is in every sense a Darwinian dreamscape. Another day took us to Tortuga Bay where the girls surfed the crystal clear waters and after that we went to a delicious seaside lunch in Puerto Ayora before heading back into camp.
It was so perfect in every way and I am already plotting my return, who wants to go?
