Yacht La Pinta – The Galapagos Islands

Heidi Fuller-love sets out on a gourmet Galapagos Island cruise to see fascinating flora and fauna on one of the region’s most luxurious vessels.

With its low, bright-painted houses and colourful cafes spilling out onto potholed streets, the town has a Caribbean vibe, except that there are sea lions everywhere: scratching bellies on the jetty, lounging on benches and even romping along the narrow main road of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.

I have just flown into San Cristobal, the tiny capital of the Galapagos islands, after two nights in Quito at the superb Casa Gangotena and two nights in the fabulous glass paneled Mashpi jungle lodge – but that’s another story.

19 Unesco-classed islands formed by volcanic activity, the Galapagos archipelago, 1000 kilometres from the Ecuadorian coast, is so isolated that it has allowed a huge variety of endemic species, including huge land iguanas, immense tortoises and rare birds to breed  in peace – little wonder that Charles Darwin spawned his theory of natural selection here.

From San Cristobal, one of the oldest islands in the Galapagos chain, we embark in a  large dinghy that chugs us over to yacht La Pinta, the five year old, 48 passenger vessel that will be our home for the next four days.

I’m pleasantly surprised to discover that  La Pinta’s 24 deluxe cabins are spacious: opposite my large double bed, the carpeted floor accommodates a table and two easy chairs beside a floor-to-ceiling picture window through which I will have panoramic views of flying boobies, bobbing iguanas and choppy waves over the next few days; best of all the in-cabin showers have good pressure and lashings of hot water.

Up on deck I meet the other passengers, a small group of  Americans and northern Europeans, who are chatting to the grade three top-of the range guides who will lead us out to discover the unparalleled natural wonders of this volcanic archipelago famed for its huge number of endemic species.

During the night our yacht travels to the tip of San Cristobal and we wake the following morning to views of a craggy lunar landscape that can’t have changed much since Darwin came here in 1835 on board The Beagle.

After a copious buffet breakfast of fresh juices, cereals and cooked-to-order omelettes, we meet at the muster station to struggle into life jackets, then head out in our panga to Punta Pitt.

It is baking hot as we climb to the top of this emblematic chunk of volcanic rock, but the narrow path en route is dotted with blue and red-footed boobies (pictured above), their feet as vivid as wax crayons.

Right at the top we find the nest of a rare Nazca booby, with a single chick, like a puppy- sized ball of cotton wool, inside.

Later that day we get closer still to the local wildlife as we snorkel with a sixty-plus colony of sealions, who dart up and around us, occasionally taking a cheeky nip at any wayward flipper.

Tuckered from the day’s activities, that evening we plunder the sapid array of pre-dinner snacks laid out on deck, then take turns plunging into the al fresco hot tub.

Slipping out of damp shorts and wide-brimmed hats, we dress for a four course dinner: tender smoked turkey slices in a creamy pepper sauce, sapid baked fish with a selection of vegetables and a well-stocked tray of desserts.

Over the following days we slip into a rhythm: up early to visit iconic landmarks like the striking natural lava cone formation of Kicker Rock, or the stunning coral beach of Cerro Brujo.

Afternoons photographing brilliant turquoise and red rock iguanas and gregarious Hood mockingbirds at Punta Suarez, or weaving between noisy bull sealions on the sheer white coral sand beaches of Gardner Bay.

A luxury yacht cruise is an ideal way to discover these islands, where tourism has only made inroads on the main ports.

Arriving under cover of darkness, we moor in the lee of islands for a blissful, wave free night, then set out to explore with our mobile versatile pangas next morning.

Evenings we return to our stylish yacht for fascinating lectures on local flora and fauna given by our guides, then tuck into delicious dinner in the stateroom before collapsing exhausted in our cabins.

On our final day of our four day tour we visit the Charles Darwin research station, the fascinating research and conservation centre on Santa Cruz island, which is home to the Galapagos island’s iconic giant tortoises.

After a wander around the breeding pens we come face-to-face with some of those Galapagos Giants face-to face.

With their long necks and shells the size of small bathtubs they are a fitting symbol for this intriguing group of islands, which has hardly changed since the dinosaurs roamed the earth.

Meeting these living legends “in the flesh” is also the perfect culmination to our four day tour of one of the most fascinating groups of islands on earth.

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