Bucket-List Travel: Why You Need To Go To The Galapagos Now

The Galapagos is an enchanted place, and it has stayed that way largely because it has been protected. Several islands in the remote volcanic archipelago remain as pristine as they were well before Charles Darwin first visited in 1835.

But for how long? With nature tourism surging since the pandemic, it’s not surprising that the Galapagos, 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, is now at the top of everyone’s bucket list. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTCC), wildlife is now the primary motivator for travelers who want to experience nature. Where better to see it than the Galapagos Islands?

A Fragile Ecosystem

However, the rise in tourism in the Galapagos is putting a strain on resources the Islands can provide such as fresh water, electricity (provided by diesel-run generators), food and transportation. With so many travelers wanting to visit the Galapagos—and they should—how is this sustainable? What needs to happen right now to protect the people and wildlife of the Galapagos, so that we can all enjoy it for years to come?

According to Dolores Gangotena, co-founder of Quasar Expeditions, a pioneer in responsible and regenerative tourism with her husband, Eduardo Diez, “The number of tourists the Galapagos receives–300,000 in 2023–is not sustainable,” she says. “Every year I see more people living in the Islands, more hotels being built, more cars, more motorcycles, and even more dogs, which also pose a threat to the fragile ecoystem,” she continues.

The Galapagos is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Park managed by the Galapagos National Park Service, the Charles Darwin Research Center and the Ecuadorian government. For the past 12 years, the Charles Darwin Foundation has warned about the need to monitor the human capacity of the islands. If strained much further, it could cause an extreme threat to everything that makes Galapagos such a draw to begin with, according to Gangotena. “Change needs to happen, and it needs to happen now,” she says.

Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism

Gangotena first visited the Galapagos in 1969 on a school trip, and the experience was life-changing. Her love of nature and passion to preserve it inspired her to launch Quasar Expeditions in 1986. The mission was simple: “to share nature with the world in order to protect it, and keep the destinations as pristine as we found them,” she says. When Gangotena and Diez founded Quasar—now a family business, with their sons—they were the first small-boat luxury cruise company in the Islands, and they have been leaders in sustainable tourism ever since.

An outspoken advocate for conservation in the Galapagos, Gangotena says that unless oversight tightens up and the footprint slows down, she is worried for the future of the Islands. “People using the resources of any natural area need to understand the impact of their actions and know how to protect, prevent damage, and learn love for the destination,” she says.

According to Gangotena, stronger regulation for fishing boats is needed to prevent over-fishing. (Global warming is already posing a threat to wildlife by diminishing food sources like fish.) Education about “proper garbage disposal, recycling, and using state of the art engines and generators that consume less fossil fuels” is important. Small boats for day trips and artisanal fishing need to be better regulated to protect wildlife. And policymakers need to work closely with conservationist groups like the Charles Darwin Foundation to monitor and manage the impact on resources in the Galapagos, which can have a ripple effect on people and wildlife.

Environmental and Community Impact

Over the years, Quasar has been involved with supporting the Galapagos community as well as the environment. The company has funded a project to educate teachers and students on how to become stewards of the environment. The company sources locally and Gangotena supports local craftspeople and nonprofits throughout Ecuador. She has created an organic vegetable farm project and a hospitality training school on the islands, and offers students a chance to spend time on board the Quasar yachts in order to observe firsthand what may become an employment opportunity for the future.

By keeping the Quasar expeditions small–two elegant yachts that house 16 and 32 guests onboard–guests not only have a richer more intimate experience, but the environmental impact is significantly lower than it would be on one of the larger boats that tour the area. “Smaller is always better,” she says. “Every guest is given individual attention by the naturalists and personal interactions with the wildlife, in order to enjoy every single moment nature offers us when there.”

When travelers snorkel off the coast of Santiago Island with Quasar, they share the sea with an underwater world: giant sea tortoises in suspended animation; juvenile sea lions, curious enough to paddle just inches away from your mask; schools of electric-hued tropical fish; tiny but speedy penguins. As the sun slices through a tranquil mangrove lagoon at Bahia Elizabeth off Isabela Island, kayakers scour the waters for rays and sea lions, which are plentiful and easy to spot. A hike up to Darwin’s Lake reveals unobstructed views of sea and sky that extend for many miles. Pelicans and cormorants crisscross the sky. Marine iguanas build nests in the sand or sun themselves on the lava rocks. Nearly half of all life on the Galapagos–marine and land iguanas, Darwin’s finches, Galapagos giant tortoises, Galapagos sea lions, blue- and red-footed boobies, Galapagos penguins, for example–is found nowhere else on the planet.

Because the Galapagos is on the equator, every constellation is clearly visible, and the night sky is thick with stars. Schools of dolphin frolic off the sides of Quasar Expeditions’ luxuriously outfitted 12-passenger yacht, the Grace, which once belonged to its royal namesake, Princess Grace. Sea lions chase schools of jumping fish, and frigates swoop into the sea.

The company has newly expanded routes into Patagonia and Belize. And in 2025, there will be an addition to their Galapagos fleet. The Conservation, outfitted for 18 guests, will be the first yacht in the Galapagos to operate with a hybrid engine system.

Expectations are high when it comes to the Galapagos, and the sheer beauty of these boats, with their knowledgeable naturalist guides, elegant accommodations, skilled and gracious Ecuadorian operations team, ever-evolving and fascinating itinerary, next-level food and wine, make this a superior experience. But the goal is to aspire higher: “We hope we change our guests’ view on nature and on how they can make a difference at home,” says Gangotena. “When this happens, we will have achieved something significant.” Something you will also want to protect and share, for years to come.