‘Think dogs in wetsuits,’ said our guide of the cluster of sea lions at our feet on San Cristobal, one of the remote collection of 19 volcanic Pacific islands slap bang on the Equator that make up the Galapagos. Struggling awkwardly up black lava rocks or even there along the sands of Cerro Brujo, the most beautiful beach I have ever seen, the 31-stone beachmaster and his harem looked ungainly, even ridiculous. But when they join you as you snorkel amid brilliantly striped and spotted technicolour fish in every shape and size, you can only marvel at the sea lions’ power, elegance and playfulness as they barrel-roll alongside you and accelerate effortlessly away in their natural element.
Like the turtles paddling serenely below, or the hammerhead and white-tip sharks we novices eyed a little more edgily in the deeper water, they were just one of the treats to be enjoyed in the most compelling wildlife destination on Earth.
Penguins in the tropics, cormorants that cannot fly, giant tortoises that can weigh up to 550lb and live for 150 years, and giant lizards that have learned to dive into the sea for food: the Galapagos really does have the most fascinating collection of animals on Earth, most of them impossible to see anywhere else, like the waved albatrosses which breed only on Espanola Island.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in