See Galapagos the way Darwin did!

26th February 2009

This month celebrates the 200th anniversary since Charles Darwin's birth and this year is the 150th since he published his seminal On the Origin of the Species, in which he sets forward the Theory of Evolution.

It is not very encouraging then, that this hugely important anniversary is being presented by the BBC and other media concurrently, with articles on the huge growth of tourism on the Galapagos and the footprint this is leaving on the wildlife. Most of the smaller boats follow near identical routes around the same five islands - Santa Cruz, Santiago, Floreana, Espanola and San Cristobal leading to substantial overcrowding at the busy sites. Not only does this compromise the wildlife, but also visitors' experiences of the Galapagos. Whilst we do visit the most interesting sites amongst these islands, our 1st class yacht  also sails out to the far more remote western islands of Isabela and Fernandina. These two are pristine and groups can often explore the land alone except for our expert naturalist guides.

Darwin would surely frown upon the motor cruisers and gin palaces disgorging their pilgrims along the beaches of the most visited islands in his Eden, lenses jostling for photographic priority. He would also realise that many of these 'cowboys' are only in it for supposed short-term gain and will fail quickly, tourism's own ethical survival of the fittest. Escape the crowds and sail to the quiet West, where you can come close to replicating his original idyll.