“You see that pointy black rock peaking above the green vegetation there? He’s about half a meter directly below that,” our naturalist Jaime said patiently as he handed a pair of binoculars to me … for a third time. He had spotted a Galápagos short-eared owl — a tricky sight to catch as its dark features and diminutive stature blend effortlessly into the shades of gray and black on the Galápagos’ island of Genovesa. I had been trying for at least five minutes to slowly move my gaze from the aforementioned pointy rock directly south, and I’d continued to come up dry. “Ugh, I still don’t see him!” I announced back to Jaime, aggravated that I was missing out on this IRL Planet Earth moment. I handed him back the binoculars, bewildered yet pleasantly surprised and impressed by the time and energy I was giving this. Me? Interested in birds?
Photography provided by Aqua Expeditions
It was a sun-soaked summer afternoon, and I had just embarked on a bucket-list adventure upon Aqua Expeditions’ Aqua Mare off the coast of the Galápagos’ Baltra Island. A welcome change from my city life, the expedition was structured similarly to a safari trip with twice-daily land and sea excursions. The Aqua Mare takes guests to five of the archipelago’s 13 primary and three smaller islands, including Santa Cruz, Genovesa, Santiago, Santa Fé and Española. Each island was distinct from the last. While one offered picturesque sandy beaches and sea lions, the next featured a vast stretch of rock inhabited by land iguanas, blue-footed boobies and frigate birds (the males utilize their iconic red-throat pouches to attract females). The ship, which stakes its claim as the Galápagos’ first actual superyacht experience, features seven luxury cabins, offering a maximum of 16 guests an intimate travel experience with a 1-to-1 crew-to-guest ratio.
Charles Darwin famously researched the wildlife of the Galápagos, leading him to develop his theory of natural selection. And while I haven’t read On the Origin of Species, I couldn’t help but imagine Darwin’s historic explorations as I gazed up at the tiny warbler finches, the same creatures he set his sights on over 150 years ago. Like Darwin, the two expert naturalist guides aboard the Aqua Mare were incredibly passionate about exploring this wonderland of biodiversity. Each time the boat’s motor slowed as we approached the day’s island to explore, their eyes would light up. Moments later, I’d find them crouching next to the wildlife, snapping countless iPhone photos of the captivating bird species right alongside the rest of us. Their enthusiasm was contagious, and I soon found myself calling out sightings of the fluffy and adorable baby frigate birds. I listened intently as they explained the identifiers of each species. Minute by minute, I collected new nuggets of information, doing my best to stash them away safely in my brain for future recollection.
To fuel our jam-packed daily itineraries, the culinary team aboard the Aqua Mare kept us well-fed with a Peruvian Japanese Nikkei-inspired menu curated by chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino. Offering only the freshest, sustainable ingredients sourced from local suppliers, we enjoyed dinners like classic Ecuadorian seco de bife (a flavorful beef dish) and lunches like linguine ai frutti di mare (fresh seafood pasta). On a particularly breezy day on the main deck, I bit into a homemade empanada bursting with stringy Ecuadorian cheese. “Oh, I could eat like 20 of these,” I told the guest next to me as I prepped my next bite with a scoop of salsa. As someone with a savory-over-sweet palate, I admittedly found the impeccably crafted sweets — think tree tomato cheesecake and passionfruit suspiro (a Peruvian pie-like treat) — to be the absolute cherry on top of unforgettable meals.
After touching back down in the United States — with a keener than ever appreciation for the wonders of nature and a sense of pride for completing my first solo adventure — I scrolled through the 400-some photos and videos I captured on the trip and felt a pang of nostalgia. I missed the quirky animals, the fellow guests and crew, and the inexplicable thrill of exploring one of the world’s most rarified ecosystems. Having been immersed for seven days in a place that was bursting at the seams with adventure, beauty and history in its rawest form, I’m now holding tight to the feeling I had when I first set eyes on a baby sea lion or watched the sun set over the Pacific Ocean atop the upper deck of the Aqua Mare. The Galápagos Islands are a destination with heart. When given the respect and love that the land and its inhabitants deserve, it will love you back in ways you could never imagine. And while I may never hear that endearing bark of the native sea lion or witness the famed albatross mating dance again, I’m forever changed by my week walking in Darwin’s footsteps.
