Postcard from the Galapagos

POSTCARD FROM | CABANA TRAVEL | WORLD OF CABANA

Orson Fry travels to the Galapagos Islands – 1,000km off the coast of Ecuador – on the trail of a romantic family story. Instead, he discovered an alternative version of events and a fabled set of islands that surpassed even his most romantic notions.

BY ORSON FRY | CABANA TRAVEL | 10 NOVEMBER 2025

I had always dreamed of visiting the Galapagos, this mystical, bountiful archipelago of volcanic islands located 1,000km off the coast of Ecuador.

My grandparents had honeymooned here (or so I thought), so I always had this romantic picture in my head of a trip, which not only convinced them of their undying love for each other but also inspired them to set up a conservation charity for endangered species – The John Aspinall Foundation – which they did several years later.

But it was hardly the romantic picture I'd imagined. After a little digging, I discovered the trip actually took place long after my grandmother’s time and involved my grandfather’s third wife, my step-grandmother. As it happens, she couldn’t make the trip, being newly pregnant, so my grandfather took the children and the nanny, who, in in the decorous words of my step-uncle, “ended up screwing the captain of the boat in the crow’s nest.”

Romantic? Sure. Just not what I had in mind. Regardless, I was in for a treat as a guest of Metropolitan Touring who have been leading tours around Ecuador since 1953.

No trip to Ecuador can be considered complete without a stop in its capital, Quito. Founded in 1534 on the ruins of an Inca city, Quito was a jewel in the Spanish crown and today boasts over 5,000 exquisitely preserved colonial buildings.

I suggest visiting the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco, considered the oldest and most important religious site in Ecuador, and climbing its rickety tower staircase for an unrivalled view of the city and the snow-capped Cotopaxi Volcano.

After a very comfortable night at Casa Gangotena, a 31-bed boutique hotel and the only Relais & Chateaux in country, I spent the morning exploring the city’s rich artisanal culture: stopping by Casa Montecristi, home of the famous Panama hat, and Mercado San Francisco, for an appointment with the city’s fabled curanderas, or ‘healers.’

That evening, I caught my two-hour flight to the Galapagos.

The best way to experience the Galapagos is, of course, by boat. My home for the next five days was Metropolitan’s Yacht La Pinta, a 24-cabin, 209 feet luxury touring vessel. Following the Humboldt Isles itinerary, named after legendary 19th century German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, we explored the central and southeastern Galapagos.

Beginning in Baltra, from where my grandfather (sans grad mère) would have boarded the Golden Cachalot in 1972 - coincidentally one of Metropolitan’s first touring vessels - we embarked on a southeasterly loop, exploring the islands of South Plaza, Santa Fe, San Cristobal, Española and Santa Cruz. We swam, snorkeled, kayaked, and of course saw a panoply of wildlife: iguanas perched on volcanic rocks, sea lions splashing about in turquoise waters, hawks soaring, pelicans plunging and frigate birds stealing lunch from the islands’ Blue-footed Boobies. Ubiquitous were the different species of Darwin’s finches, whose remarkable variation in beak shape and size led the 26-year-old naturalist to formulate his groundbreaking theory of evolution by natural selection.

Each night aboard La Pinta, we learned about the history of the islands in ‘eco-talks’ given by Francisco ‘Pancho’ Dousdebes, an expert naturalist and former Galapagos resident who has studied them for over 40 years. Curiously, they were discovered entirely by accident, 490 years ago, by Bishop Tomás de Berlanga of Panama, whose ship was blown off course while sailing to Peru.

He initially found the archipelago barren and inhospitable, describing it as “a land where God seemed to have showered stones in the middle of the ocean.” But he didn’t fail to observe the unusual size of the islands’ giant tortoises, and later visitors - pirates, whalers, and settlers - would come to discover their unusual biodiversity.

Our last few nights were spent in the comfort of Finch Bay Hotel, a luxury beachfront base near the vibrant town of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz.

With a pool, spa, and world-class restaurant it was the perfect place to lose one’s sea legs and experience the charms of the Galapagos by land. We visited Rancho El Manzazillo, a nature preserve and the best place to see giant tortoises, and Las Grietas, a saltwater swimming hole a short walk from the hotel. Finch Bay sits in the middle of the Galapagos National Park and the hotel is itself a haven of sustainability, committed to minimizing its environmental impact through solar power, circular waste management, and local hiring and purchasing.

Just as you’ve gotten used to giant pelicans swooping overhead, to small blacktip sharks swimming between your legs in the shallows, to whiskered sea lions snoozing on benches in the port, it is time to go. Rarely has a place lived up to even my most romantic notions.