Million Air Winter 2023/24

Pikaia Lodge

elite traveler WINTER 2023/24 153

Relais & Châteaux’s Casa Gangotena in Plaza San Francisco, Quito

Pikaia Lodge’s yacht Vision Pikaia

Can I let you in on a secret? I’ve never been keen on water. My most recent snorkeling escapade in Costa Rica resulted in me feeling seasick and being carried back to shore on a rescue buoy. Theshame . When I was invited by Relais & Châteaux to spend four days exploring the Galapagos Islands, I knew I couldn’t let my ineptitude to open seas stand in the way of witnessing ‘the last paradise on Earth.’ Armed with a strong dose of motion sickness tablets, I set o ff . DAY1-2 First stop: Quito. Nestled high in the Andes, the Ecuadorian capital was the fi rst city to be awarded Unesco World Heritage status thanks to its exceptionally preserved historic center. Home for the night is in the heart of the city: Relais & Châteaux’s Casa Gangotena, an exquisite mansion turned boutique hotel in famed Plaza San Francisco. Aftermy fi rst sips of local co ff ee, I say goodbye to Quito, vowing to return to explore its cultural riches. Following a fl ight 815 miles west, I touched down at Galapagos Ecological Airport on Baltra Island. Before I even reach the arrivals lounge, I spot two endemic species: a Galapagos land iguana sunning itself near an opuntia cactus. The Galapagos has some of the world’s highest levels of endemism (species unique to a region) — 97% of the archipelago is protected national park land, in which you must be accompanied by a National Park certi fi ed guide. This includes our transfer to Relais & Châteaux’s fi ve-star Pikaia Lodge on neighboring Santa Cruz Island. Perched on the edge of an extinct volcano high in a cloud forest, with its own protected giant tortoise reserve, the eco-lodge looks futuristic and otherworldly. At sunset, I stand on my terrace and gaze across miles of untouched green wilderness rolling towards the Paci fi c. Many of the archipelago’s visitors opt to stay on ‘liveaboard’ ships. However, 14-room-and-suite Pikaia Lodge specializes in land-based exploration — it’s bespoke adventure during the day but with the Traversing Earth’s last paradise

assurance of returning to the comfort of a fi ve-star resort with a spa, in fi nity pool and fi nedining restaurant (the tasting menu is a must). The landlubber in me is delighted to hear this. DAY3 Of course, you can’t come to the Galapagos and not weigh anchor, and that’s where the resort’s private 105-ft luxury yacht, Vision Pikaia , comes in. A 7am panga boat whisks us aboard. We are joined by one of Pikaia Lodge’s preferred National Park guides, Mario Dominguez, who will lead our group of fi ve across a four-day itinerary, taking in four of the nation’s islands. North Seymour Island is our fi rst port of call. As I stepo ff the panga, a male frigatebird swoops overhead, its crimson throat pouch blown up like a balloon. “It’s looking for a mate,” says Dominguez. The island is like a winged theater, with hundreds of birds each putting on a performance. Pelicans plummet beak- fi rst towards the ocean, courting blue-footed boobies showing o ff their moves in an elaborate mating dance, and coupled-up frigatebirds — males with their balloons now de fl ated—feed their young. We then venture to the fl our-like shores of nearby Mosquera Islet. Only a third of a mile long, it hosts one of the islands’ largest populations of Galapagos sea lions. We have it all to ourselves. Snorkeling gear (and seasickness tablets) in tow, we go for a dip in the shallow turquoise waters. Soon a mischievous group of juvenile sea lions joins us. They are in a playful mood and dart around us, spiraling and splashing as they orbit. Isolated from the threats of the mainland, there are few places where animals and man coexist in such harmony, explains Dominguez: “Human history on the islands is short. There were no natives, and it wasn’t until 1832 that Ecuador established [a small population]. In 1959, the islands became a national park and all the species became protected. The animals learned that humans were not a threat.”

Photos Pikaia Lodge, Casa Gangotena