IMAGE: GETTY
WILD THINGS ARE WHERE THE The wildlife of Ecuador’s Galápagos archipelago is the stuff of
legends, providing travellers with an endless showreel of bold, unique species in and out of the water. Now, thanks to the
expansion of the Galápagos Marine Reserve in 2022, there’s even more space for these animals to thrive
WORDS: JAMES LI T S TON
Flightless and famously clumsy on land, penguins are lovable at the best of times — but to see them underwater is an absolute revelation. A pair are swimming below me, nimbly dashing around as they twist, turn and pirouette in pursuit of silvery fish. Between bursts of activity, they pop back to the surface. Through my mask, I watch their webbed feet paddle away, as, faces immersed, they look out for their next snack. Taking to the water in the Galápagos
feels like stumbling into a wildlife documentary. I’m on an expedition cruise of this Ecuadorian archipelago with local company Metropolitan Touring, exploring the recently expanded Galápagos Marine Reserve. Last year, the area under protection in these islands increased by almost 50% to nearly 77,200sq miles of precious ocean — that’s 23,170sq miles of extra roaming space for the species living here. Here on the uninhabited island of
Bartolomé, it’s the bold and playful Galápagos penguins that have stolen my heart. Our guides have gone to great
lengths to remind us not to approach the archipelago’s wildlife — one of the guidelines all visitors to the Galápagos National Park, which was established in 1959 and covers 97% of the archipelago, must adhere to. Yet, nobody seems to have alerted the animals, which don’t seem to fear humans here. One of penguins heads straight towards me before diving down, leaving a trail of tiny bubbles in its wake. They aren’t the only wildlife we spot
on this beach. Blue-footed boobies rain down, arrow-straight, to dive after fish, as a pelican on a rock lazily looks on. Before diving in, I had to tiptoe around sea lions sleeping on the steps where our dinghy pulled up on the shore. And now, in the water, I watch a sinuous specimen search for breakfast beneath rocky overhangs. Beaten by the chill ocean currents sweeping from Antarctica, I swim back to shore to join the iguanas basking in the sun. Famously, it’s this unique assemblage
of wildlife — polar species, such as penguins, sea lions and fur seals, living
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