Galapagos phantoms walk

• Published date: 02 March 2022
• Publication title: Hawkes Bay Today

Despite the occasional non-scheduled interruption by humpbacks, exploring the remote archipelago almost 1500km west of the South American mainland soon develops an irresistible routine

Days are arranged like an African safari, with morning and afternoon wildlife excursions from the 48-guest vessel bookended with food and wine, and underpinned and informed by guidance from authoritative naturalists.

Galapagos newbies quickly learn the local shorthand from La Pinta’s hardworking team.

A “wet” landing could mean there’s a chance to swim with sea lions, penguins and shape-shifting shoals of fish, while a “dry” landing may segue to a twilight stroll across the islands’ volcanic landscapes. That’s when travellers often get the chance to spy juvenile albatrosses taking avian notes as their elder siblings launch themselves into a gusty equatorial dusk.

With smooth organisation by the crew, the special experiences come thick and fast. Just minutes after our cetacean-interrupted desayuno, it’s back into inflatable Zodiacs for a wet landing on Isla Bartolome. Working on your tan on the beach is an option, but you’ll probably be sharing the cove with tuxedoed penguins and curious sea lions. Equipped with snorkelling gear, it’s better to encounter both species in their own environment.

Penguins zip past in crystalline shallows, while shafts of light pierce indigo depths to reveal young sea lions twisting and turning like Cirque du Soleil performers. Soulful eyes make fleeting contact then dart away, leaving the residue of a shadowy underwater wake. Later in the morning, I negotiate a sea kayak around a secluded cove. A nursery of sea lions darts under my slowly gliding orange hull, emerging to toss fragments of seaweed in the air, while on the shoreline, a lone penguin drinks in equatorial sunshine before awkwardly negotiating the rocks to glide into the water.

Out of the water, the show is just as spectacular. After alighting on a makeshift landing place on Isla Fernandina, we’re forced to detour around a couple of sea lions lounging on the sandy path leading along the island’s rocky shoreline.

The bold and totally unnerved duo are nothing compared to the display on a nearby beach. Scores of sea lions stretch out on an arc of white sand, and despite the megabytes of camera memory being expended in their honour, their behaviour remains untarnished by our presence.

Pups continue to feed, older sea...