The New York Times has an article about a weeklong exploratory sea kayaking trip in the Galapagos archipelago 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. The highlight of the trip is the interaction with the animals which are not afraid of people, due to their lack of previous contacts with humans. There is also an audio slideshow with great pictures and interesting stories.
Though the campsites are spectacular, as a whole the Galápagos are not particularly beautiful, at least not in the way tropical islands often are. There are few palms among uninterrupted stands of haggard salt scrub plants. Some beaches have azure waters and baby-powder sand, but most shorelines are rocky and lapped by dark waves cold enough to warrant a wet suit.
It is the diversity of animals – penguins and flamingos, for example – and their bizarre mutations that bring people here today. After countless generations of not needing to fly, some cormorants can’t; the four-eyed blenny fish can crawl on land; iguanas sneeze salt. Most creatures are freakishly unafraid of people because humans haven’t been around to hurt them until relatively recently, said Mr. Tomalá, the naturalist. Whatever the reason, the interaction with wildlife is extraordinary. We snorkel with sea lions that nibble on our flippers while others play tug-of-war with a small section of cord. Frigate birds, iguanas, giant tortoises and even a short-eared owl all sit patiently for their portraits.