Firestone Sisters

For my fortieth birthday my mother wanted to take me on a trip of my choice.  Struggling with my decision she handed me a catalog from WILDERNESS TRAVEL. She had taken trips with the group and had rave reviews of their guided tours. I immediately said, “let’s do the Galapagos,”  as I have always wanted to explore the islands just off the coast of Equador ever since  reading  “Maiden Voyage,” the true story of Tania Aebi’s sail around the world at age 18, as a teenager.

The Wilderness Travel trip is a ten day guided tour (all tours have to be guided in this national park) on a 218 foot brigantine sailboat with sixteen guests.  The unique wildlife consists of seabirds, iguanas, turtles, penguins, sea lions and tons of marine life. With such a diverse ecosystem how can you get bored?

We arrived in Quito, which is at almost 10,000 feet and the capital of Ecuador. The city has a lot to see and turns out they have amazing chocolate and coffee and scarves and accessories so if you are ever there, bring an extra empty bag to fill with your finds.  After two nights and one day we headed to the Galapagos which is around a 2 hour flight. The first day the magic was already apparent. We headed to a large mangrove lagoon off the coast of Santa Cruz Island, home to pelicans, the famous blue footed boobie, and sea turtles.  The next day we landed on the magnificent Darwin Bay and visited the famous Prince Phillips steps. Here we saw the red footed boobie and we were introduced to many new species indigenous to the Galapagos like the famous Darwin finches and the Frigatebirds.

Our next stop was Bartolome Island with lava formations and killer views of the islands from Pinnacle Rock.  Stops at  Rabida to see flamingos, yellow warblers and land iguanas, and  Mosquera Inlet with massive sea lion colonies, followed.  The finale at Espanola Island, was spectacular with huge neon Christmas colored iguanas, Nazca boobies and the island’s famous blowhole. 

Every day was a new adventure on this trip. Packed full of activity with enough eating and siesta time to make sure you come home relaxed and revitalized yet also with an extra layer of lbs to burn off!   The flora and fauna changed throughout the islands and the snorkeling was amazing. One day a sea lion swam all around us and gave us an authentic sea world show—just the ball on his nose was missing.

I was happily surprised to discover that this popular destination is very well preserved and isolated. It’s easy to imagine when Darwin was here in the early part of the 19^th century that what he saw and the animals he encountered, were not so different.  The animals largely occupy many of the islands as opposed to humans- 93% of the islands is preserved and protected land.

The boat that was our home base for the trip, was beautifully maintained and the food was fabulous. We had two chefs aboard and they made elegant, interesting local as well as international meals. Our cabin rooms were cleaned every morning while on excursions and there was no shortage of animal figurines crafted from towels patiently waiting our return .The staff took great care of us cleaning our snorkel equipment and walking shoes and zipped us all around on the Zodiac boats. It was a fantastic way to see the wonders of these Eastern Islands.

The whole experience was truly magical!  Let’s keep it between us… 

Daria has been working as a stylist for over a decade. She divides her time between her two favorite cities: Los Angeles and New York. 

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