An interview with expedition leader Daniel Arteaga.
Daniel Arteaga grew up on San Cristóbal in the
Galápagos Islands, where he joined his mother, a local tour operator, on many adventures. A marine biologist, Daniel joined Silversea with the launch of the
Silver Galapagos in 2013 and is now studying for his master’s in environmental sustainability.
Why should everyone visit the Galápagos? It’s a place that looks so inhospitable from afar, but holds such great biodiversity. Plants and animals from so many regions of the Americas have found a haven there. Their adaptations, physical and behavioral, are exciting to see.
Describe a favorite memory from a past cruise: Spotting a Galápagos fur seal nursing her pup on the sandy trail of North Seymour Island. These seals are hard to find, as they live on rocky coastlines that get a lot of wave action. I’d never had the opportunity to observe them for an extended amount of time.
What surprises people most about the islands? How tame and even extroverted the wildlife is. Although visitors are asked to keep a distance of six feet from animals, there are places, such as Genovesa Island, where the birds are so curious it’s impossible to follow that rule!
The one activity you’d put at the top of visitors’ lists: Snorkeling. The rocky reefs are full of life, and, depending on the area, you can swim with penguins or even spot hammerhead sharks.
Go: Carry on Charles Darwin’s legacy of discovery during a seven-day cruise from San Cristóbal to Baltra Island in the Galápagos. The 100-passenger
Silver Galapagos is specially designed to get the most from the remote archipelago, where blue-footed boobies, flightless cormorants, giant tortoises, and land iguanas changed the course of science. Kayak, snorkel, and ride Zodiacs for close-up views of creatures you can’t see anywhere else. Departures: Multiple dates through December 28, 2019.