Hurst's scientists return from the Galapagos

Our 18-day tour to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that none will easily forget ... writes Hurst's Head of Biology, Andrea Clark

We encountered the varied cultures of the Ecuadorian peoples, the awesome sights & sounds of the Amazonian rainforest, the beautiful waterfalls of the cloud forests, the dominating landscapes of volcanic regions and the diversity of flora and friendliness of fauna of the Galapagos Islands.

Our trip began by acclimatising to one of the highest cities in the world: Quito. At almost 3,000m above sea level the pace of life was, in the beginning, slower for a few of us but after a good sleep & meal we were ready to investigate the gothic cathedrals with their Galapagos animals as gargoyles, the presidential palace & the old town. Ably assisted by our enthusiastic and ever-informative local guide, Pablo, much was learned of the history of Ecuador and its peoples.

We literally jumped the equator at the ‘Mitad del Mundo’ before hiking into the depths of a volcano caldera at Pulalauha, where we spent the night. The ancient ‘Yumbo’ trail proved too much for some the next day and the epic 36km hike was completed by few; some even walked their soles of their boots off! After wandering around the very colourful local market of Saquilisili (and purchasing a few ponchos) we journeyed through the Avenue of the Volcanoes and visited the highest active volcano in the world, Cotopaxi. At Cotopaxi National Park we were able to walk up to 3,800m and around boulders thrown out of the volcano in the last major eruption of 1877.

It was then we began our adventure into the Amazonian Rainforest: an hours’ internal flight over the Andean Mountains to Lagoa, transfer by coach to Coca to collect luggage and then a coach journey for two hours to the last bridge before Brazil, nearly 2000 miles away. At the Shiripuno Bridge we stopped for a quick lunch before jumping into motorized canoes to take us to our Lodge. We travelled through thick jungle along an Amazon tributary for nearly 6 hours; jumping fallen trees (and chainsawing those too large to jump), picking up some indigenous Huaorani and getting our first real taste of a rainforest shower. Arriving in the dark, surrounded by Caiman, no electricity, cold showers and with water pumped from the well or the river, we were certainly ‘back to basics’. The noise of animals, insects and birds were strangely deafening and a few screams were heard on discovery of insects in beds from pupils and staff alike!

Humidity and dehydration were a challenge but our seven days here saw us trekking through dense forest to observe the diverse flora and fauna and investigate their habitats and behaviours. In our free time we swam in the Amazon, had a go at blow darting, fished for piranhas, played football with the local tribe and even built a golf course made entirely from natural materials!

On our return from the Amazon, our next venture was into Mindo cloud forest where we experienced the terror of jumping into waterfalls, zip-wiring and white water rafting as well as the beauty of hummingbirds and an unusual local church celebration. With some left behind recovering from the Amazon experience, we were all again reunited before our flight to Galapagos.

After landing in San Cristobal and visiting the Interpretation Centre to learn about the origin and history of the archipelago, we picked up our snorkels and fins and began exploring the underwater habitat of the Galapagos. Whilst swimming with sealions and green turtles, flying above our heads were frigate birds, blue-footed boobies and pelicans. It was hard to believe how tame the wildlife was; the sea lions wandered around the beaches without a care for our presence and swam so close, even nipping our fins at times! The next day we visited the Islands’ giant tortoise breeding centre catching our first sighting of the prehistoric giants. Learning all about their habitats and how humans have impacted on their numbers, we saw the ways in which the islands are trying to improve their chances of survival. After meeting the tortoises that were old enough to have met Darwin, we saw those just starting on their long journey to adulthood; at 3 years old they were still small but, with the Centre’s help, will hopefully outlive all of us who met them! The afternoons’ relaxation saw us on a golden sandy beach body surfing the waves and then a visit to see Marine Iguanas before snorkelling with more sealions and turtles. The Galapagos capital island of Santa Cruz was a two-hour speedboat ride away (with a few incidents of seasickness!) the following morning but not before a final snorkel around Kicker Rock where we saw Galapagos sharks, jellyfish and more green turtles. Our arrival onto Santa Cruz took us to see the largest species of giant tortoise, the dome shells. Here we were able to observe them in their natural habitat and even climb inside some old 500lb tortoise shells! At the Darwin Centre, Lonesome George was not co-operative the next morning and after much climbing and searching we only managed to take photos of his leg! Luckily, his saddleback shell counterpart, Diego, was in the posing mood and let us take all the photos we wanted. Land Iguanas were spotted there too; larger and more colourful than their water-going brothers.

All too soon it was time to return to Quito for our final night. We were all ready for the journey back to England. The last morning saw some of us taking the cable car up to 4000m above sea level to see the incredible views over Quito city. A quick guinea pig for lunch and we dashed to the airport, only to be met by delays. Home came a day late with many weary but happy folk who have memories of their experiences to treasure forever.