9 minute read
Darwin’s Backyard
BY MARK ELLERT
The Guy Harvey Outpost teams scouts a new eco-resort location in the Galapagos.
I am standing in a feld high atop Isla San Cristobal in the Galapagos Islands. It is a view that seems to stretch from here to the beginning of time. There is a stark line out on the horizon that separates a cloudless blue sky from the dark purple Pacifc Ocean, and there’s no sign of human interaction or intervention. Frigate birds foat in circles overhead and a giant tortoise crawls through the high grass nearby. This place feels so remote and untouched it is both unsettling and exhilarating.
I am west of the “continent,” as it’s known way out here, approximately 1,000 kilometers from Ecuador. Looking over the water, it’s easy to imagine a similar scene when a young English naturalist and geologist, Charles Darwin, landed here aboard the HMS Beagle in 1835. Although Darwin’s visit inspired his most famous publication, On the Origin of Species, our visit is about fnding a way to make that same inspiration available to others. We are here to plan for the new Guy Harvey Outpost Lodge, soon to be built on this highland site.
Our adventure began when we departed the continent from Guayaquil, the only gateway to Galapagos. Ranked the world’s best midsize international
Award-winning Iguana Crossing of Santa Cruz is now a Guy Harvey Outpost Expedition hotel member.
airport, Airbus 320s sit aligned on the tarmac like track athletes ready for a 90-minute sprint. The fnish line is Baltra Island, where we taxi up to a modern airport terminal. Most visitors disperse immediately to a fotilla of small cruise ships anchored in the adjacent bay. We take a taxi, then boat and a taxi again, arriving an hour later in Puerto Arroyo, the main settlement of Santa Cruz. It’s a busy little town. A handful of small hotels and restaurants overlook the harbor. The main pier buzzes with the goings and comings of colorful water taxis, and I’m reminded of the waterfront of St. Mark’s Plaza in Venice with the orchestrated chaos of gondola and motoscof trafc.
The Galapagos archipelago is a national park, administered by the Ecuadorian government from its headquarters on Isla Santa Cruz. The Charles Darwin research station sits at the edge of town. You simply don’t go to Galapagos without visiting this iconic place. Whether by ship or by land, all visitors pass through its doors and learn of Darwin’s work and, of course, the giant Galapagos tortoise. Sadly, Lonesome George, the last tortoise of his particular species has recently passed, thwarting years of eforts by the research station staf to fnd him a suitable mate. We visit with the park director and his staf. They oversee some 97% of the land area comprising the Galapagos. We learn of the many environmental pressures on the Galapagos Islands and also the vast range of scientifc research underway in the archipelago.
The entire place is a study in sustainability, and that is one reason it’s a perfect location for a Guy Harvey Outpost resort. We tell our hosts that no other tourism company in the Galapagos has a credentialed scientist and conservation authority as its chairman. Dr. Mahmood Shivji of the Guy Harvey Research Institute is along to discuss on-island research initiatives and satellite tagging eforts that can be showcased to the general public and guests in our planned Guy Harvey Discovery Center.
The following day we head of to Isabela, the largest of the islands. It has two active volcanoes and only one town. Puerto Villamil boasts a handful of sand streets and 4,000 hardy souls living “of the grid.” We are here to solicit local hotel owner Felipe, a passionate scuba diver, about becoming a Guy Harvey Outpost Expedition hotel member.
His Iguana Crossing hotel is a classic example that Darwin’s theory of the survival of the fttest applies to the resort world. Open less than two years, the contemporary hotel is already ranked most popular in the Galapagos by TripAdvisor, and winner of its 2013 Traveler’s Choice Award. Stylish design and functionality combine to make the Iguana Crossing a supremely comfortable boutique hotel perfectly situated by a surf break. “I’m never leaving,” I tell my companions. This is paradise found.
Left: Water taxi deck in the main settlement of Puerto Baquerizo, San Cristobal. Below: The locals—Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Bottom: Site of the future Guy Harvey Outpost Lodge atop Isla San Cristobal. Photos: Guy Harvey Outpost.
The beach of Puerto Villamil, Isla Isabela and at the front door of the Iguana Crossing Hotel.
Relaxing in the hotel lounge with its panoramic windows onto the beach, our host orients us to the colorful history of the island and his hotel project of 14 rooms and suites. I watch guests shufe by with surfboards and GoPro cameras, beach towels and Kindle e-readers. On this beautiful afternoon, the pool deck is busy and the game room is understandably dark.
Felipe takes us on a tour. The guestrooms ofer the best in convenience and comfort. Their size and handsome interiors are overwhelmed by the picture frame views of the beach beyond. We make our way to the roof terrace. A jacuzzi hums quietly so as not to disturb those who have taken refuge here on the sundeck, with its small cocktail bar. We can see the Wolf volcano in the distance, just where the beach begins to disappear into the mist. Of toward town, a small cruise ship is anchored of the reef. It is likely a dive live-aboard, as Isabela is one of the top dive and snorkeling destinations in the Galapagos.
Daylight wanes and the lounge becomes a beehive of activity. The dining room flls with guests. The chef has become something of a celebrity by bringing international cuisine to this sleepy little beach town. I’m told the party moves back into town as the moon rises. Tonight, though, we decide to sleep, for tomorrow our expedition must move along. The next day, Felipe drives us to our waiting plane and, yes, he’s onboard. The Guy Harvey Outpost fag has been planted on Isabela.
As we literally fy into day four of our expedition, Isla San Cristobal comes into view. The majestic “Kicker Rock” protrudes from the ocean as if a knife dropped by Neptune himself. We drop down into the harbor of Wreck Bay, with the airport at town’s edge. Here, the taxis are small, white pickup trucks, as they are on all the islands. Five minutes and we’re on the malecon, the harbor-front promenade, where shop owners are getting ready for the day. Dive shops compete with surf shops and the occasional internet café.
We ramble on for the eight or so blocks, past the park benches with their remarkable guests. Sea lions…hundreds of sea lions are everywhere. They are sleeping on the benches, waddling down the boardwalk, resting in the shade under the stairs. Yes, they were here frst. As with all wildlife in the Galapagos, the lack of human predation allows a truly unique interaction with the animals. Of course, look-but-don’t-touch is the rule here.
We turn away from the harbor and make our way to the “interpretive center.” There, we learn of geology and ecology, of the eccentric and hardy settlers who made this collection of oceanic hardscrabble a place called home. Next door, we visit with students and faculty at the University of San Francisco, a private Quito-based institution that operates a science research center with the help of the University of North Carolina. Here, tagging of sea turtles is a major ongoing project.
Fishing boat along the harbor-front of San Cristobal.
We then head into the highlands, 500 meters above the town. The one and only main road that stretches ahead into the clouds is our route to a new destination. We pass a freshwater lake that flls an ancient volcano and continue our climb. At the crest, the lush, green vegetation falls away and the Pacifc comes into view. This is our site. This is where we will build the Guy Harvey Outpost Lodge.
We spend the next three days walking the high ridge, drawing plans for where and how to create a new eco-lodge. We settle on the location of the Guy Harvey Discovery Center. We decide to orient the lobby over a ravine for a dramatic arrival experience. We plan to tuck the guest villas into the hillside for privacy and unobstructed views. We sketch out the social lounge and restaurant with an outdoor deck and infnity pool, framed by the ocean beyond. A spa and yoga center will sit at the end of a trail, settled among the hillside trees and Miconia fowers.
After a week of touring and working, with new partnerships created and a plan in place, this expedition comes to a close. The sun begins to slip below the ocean in front of us. Tomorrow we will head back to the continent and go to work. The Guy Harvey Outpost Lodge of San Cristobal will begin its own evolution…one that should allow the island to keep inspiring everyone that lands on its shores. Visit GuyHarveyOutpost.com.
H i - - I ’m Mark Nichols, fishing finatic first, and owner of DOA Lures second. I design lures because of my love of fishing...cer tainly not to get rich. My inspirations for designs come from time on the water, not time in the office. I could be (monetarily) wealthier by hanging out at DOA World Headquar ters, copying other manufacturers’ products and sending my designs outside the U.S. to be produced; however, that would just not be me--
I define wealth by how happy I am. I consider myself ver y wealthy. Also, I hire Americans to supply my materials and to produce my lures and apparel. I choose to do this for my peace of mind and for my family...those at home and those at work. Fishing is therapy. Go get some today.
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