DESTINATIONS
connection f
GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS | LATIN AMERICA
Embrace the communities and cultures of the Galápagos Islands by adding time on land, writes Karen Edwards
or a long time, tourists coming to the Galápagos didn’t realise we were here,” says artist Magno Bennett. It’s understandable, he says, because for decades, tourism focused on the animals,
with little investment in the infrastructure. The charming Galapagueñian (the name for a local in the Galápagos) smiles as he speaks, his eyes alive with passion for the thriving Santa Cruz community to which he belongs. “But that’s changing; specialist tour companies
are introducing our arts, craft, dance and way of life. Visitors are realising there’s much more to see and that the humans of the Galápagos are interesting.” We’re sitting at a quiet table in one of the popular
bar-restaurants on the main strip in Puerto Ayora, the biggest town on Santa Cruz island. I can tell this is a local favourite because several people have come over to greet Bennett with a handshake or a hug. “We are such a mixed, diverse community of people,” he adds, his eyes creasing with warmth. “We are Indigenous, European-Ecuadorian, African-Ecuadorian, European and of mixed ethnic backgrounds – and we are all Galapagueñians. We have so much to share with visitors, but to do that, they must know we are here, and that takes education.” I come across this deep blend of cultures the same evening at Samay Latin Art, a gallery on the backstreets of Puerto Ayora, where Bennett displays
his work. Inside, the walls are adorned with canvas art and craftworks, many of which are created by grassroots Galapagueñian artists. Bennett’s work – an ode to the natural world – is particularly striking: his painting of sea lions swimming against a cobalt-blue ocean holds the room like a beacon. Each piece, from portraits to abstract landscapes, shares a perspective of this community’s connection to the environment. It’s deep, absorbing and vivacious – a definitive representation of Galapagueñian culture.
PEOPLE POWER
I had arrived in Santa Cruz – the destination’s second-largest and most populous isle – earlier that day on board La Pinta, a 32-passenger expedition yacht run by Ecuadorian operator Metropolitan Touring. In our five days spent sailing, hiking and snorkelling around the southeastern Galápagos Islands, I’d already seen countless species up close. There had been sleepy Galápagos sea lions, scores of land and marine iguanas, the iconic blue-footed booby and green turtles. On Santa Fe, we’d spotted the cactus and ground finches that shaped Darwin’s ‘survival of the fittest’ theory, while on San Cristóbal – home to the islands’ capital and a population of 6,000 – we’d watched 10 sleepy sea lions snooze on the steps of an old concrete pier. I was now embarking on the second leg of the itinerary, a stay at Finch Bay Hotel. ²
travelweekly.co.uk 16 OCTOBER 2025 41
PICTURE: Tom Allport
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