The equatorial sun is blazing even though it’s still morning on the island of Fernandina. We step carefully over hundreds of dark reptiles that blend into the black volcanic rock. The naturalist guides here in the Galapagos laughingly call this island "Iguana World," and now we know why: The dinosaur-esque creatures are everywhere. Later, at a mangrove bay, a California cruiser’s walking stick proves attractive to a sea lion that tries to wrestle it from her with his mouth. Another afternoon, from our ship’s top deck, we spot so many sea turtles in the water that we can’t count them all.

Located about 600 miles off Ecuador, the Galapagos archipelago has 13 large islands, six small ones, and 40 islets. Our ship, the well-appointed, four-deck, 210-foot MV Eclipse crossed the equator four times in our seven-island visit.

Examples of such animal interactions abound, and cruising is the best way to see more islands and more wildlife if you’re visiting the Galapagos. Our Abercrombie & Kent "Wonders of the Galapagos" trip was perfectly orchestrated; the Eclipse fantastic. This mid-size, luxury ship gave adventure cruising an elegant edge from delicious cuisine and three-times-daily cabin service to white tablecloth-and-china dinner service and post-excursion snacks. Ships generally carry 16-100 passengers — ours had 48 — and their itineraries are carefully planned in advance to avoid overcrowding and especially overstressing the creatures.

Park lands — which encompass 90 percent of the islands — are protected, but challenges remain, like keeping tourism, fishing, residential needs and natural resources all in balance. Guests are only allowed to tour islands and view the wildlife with an official naturalist guide and only walk on marked paths, adhering to National Park Service rules. Each guest also pays a $100 park fee. Eclipse allotted one guide per 12 passengers making our excursions personalized.

What strikes us as amazing is just how close you can get to all these animals because they express no fear of people. We snorkeled daily with playful sea lions, bullet-fast penguins, gentle golden rays, and dozens of sea turtles.

Birders delighted in spotting the Galapagos mockingbird, hawk and dove; pelicans and herons; the Nazca boobie, flightless cormorant, and swallow-tailed gull; though the "big get," the vermillion flycatcher, remained elusive, as did the usually-present pink flamingoes. We delighted in the funny, blue-footed boobies and graceful, red-throated frigates, as well as the huge albatrosses.

Our Charles Darwin Research Station stop on Santa Cruz Island gave us a great photo op alongside the islands’ best-known creatures, the giant tortoises. (The name Galapagos comes from the Spanish for "saddle" after the saddle-backed tortoises.)

Then, there are the sea lions. Everyone, us included, fell in love with these sweet-faced creatures, especially the young ones we stood alongside on the beautiful, red-sand beach on Rabida Island. One UK photo buff sat next to a young pair, and the more curious one came over to sniff his sandals.

Galapagos visitors are expected to reach 180,000 this year, nearly three times the 61,000 who came in 2000. Margarita Sanchez oversees A&K’s Ecuador operations says the islands have inspired her personally. "It’s a very unique place in the world. It not only helps you connect with the world and nature, but it helps you connect with yourself. After (visiting) Galapagos, I learned to value silence a lot more. In Fernandina, for instance, you have to be careful not to step on the iguanas. That experience you don’t find anywhere else in the world. You really learn to respect the animals, respect the rules. I think to us as tour operators, we would like to have more people coming, but as Ecuadorians, we want to protect it, so we are glad there is the National Park and all the rules."

Charles Darwin’s 1835 Galapagos visit and subsequent book, "The Origin of the Species," helped put the area on the map. This year marks the book’s 150th anniversary. Due to strong conservation and strict regulations, most of the endemic wildlife and fauna Darwin outlined in his studies remain visible today.

In one of her on-board lectures, naturalist Ivonne Torres, who happens to be married to a local fisherman, said, "I have a lot of faith in the Galapagos and how we’re managing it. We’ve only lost five percent of our endemic flora and fauna. Tourists visit less than one percent of the marine reserve, so there’s a small impact."

The naturalists are the experts who get you up close and tell you what you’re seeing on their islands (they freelance from ship to ship). Ours were outstanding: Javier Cando, Charly Malo, Cati Iturralde and Torres.

Days aboard the Eclipse include early-morning outings (before the sun heats up and the animals retreat) for hikes, birdwatching, kayaking or panga tours (inflatable boats for going ashore), then lunch back aboard and free time, followed by an afternoon excursion, which is often a snorkel opportunity. The ship provides free wetsuits, snorkel masks and fins.

On-deck breakfast and lunch buffets were a hit, including the Ecuadorian luncheon of native dishes like fresh ceviche with popcorn, baked pork leg, baked turkey, fried corn, Cassava/yucca muchin (similar to hushpuppies), potato patties with peanut sauce, plus fish in coconut sauce, rice with lentils and cheese, and mote pillo (white corn with scrambled eggs). An unexpected deck party proved lively when a five-some of cooks and waiters and even the ship’s photographer performed. This volunteer group calls itself "La Yapa," Spanish for "something extra." Passengers raved over their gift of music, which commanded a second, farewell performance. An on-deck night lecture on the explosion of stars had naturalists pointing out the Southern Cross and southern hemisphere constellations.

The passengers were a jolly lot, too — 48 in all — about half Americans and half Brits, so language was never a barrier. The sole German couple managed to communicate with their spotty English and, like all of us, big smiles brought on by all that the Galapagos offers.

Our island visits that created lasting memories were Santa Cruz, home to the Charles Darwin Research Center; lava-crusted Bartolome, with its climb up 372 steps for the best viewing point of the Galapagos landmark Pinnacle Rock; the stunning, red-sand beach on Rabida; finding land iguana on Isabela Island and spotting blue-footed boobies on a cliff above a cave reached by panga; black, volcanic rock Fernandina, with all those iguanas, and, on its far side, an active volcano providing a white smoke plume in the distance and a far-off red glow at night; and finally Espanola’s dreamy, white-sand beach filled with friendly (mostly) sea lions in aquamarine surf, plus a trek here to see boobie colonies, a blow hole, and the unforgettable mating dance of the waved albatross.

We were waving goodbye far too soon to the fascinating islands of the Galapagos.

If You’re Going
CRUISING: Abercrombie & Kent regularly offers Galapagos sailings on the MV Eclipse featuring 27 spacious cabins, all with outside sea views, private baths and air conditioning. Details: abercrombiekent.com or 800.554.7016.

FLIGHTS/HOTELS: All of the three daily flights to the Galapagos Islands originate from mainland Ecuador’s capital of Quito, a city of nearly two million and a UNESCO cultural heritage site (quito.com), and from its largest city, Guayaquil. Quito flights pass through Guayaquil. Flights arrive at one of the islands’ two airports — Baltra or San Cristobal. Two airlines serve the islands: Aerogal and Tame.

For Quito accommodations, check out the beautifully appointed Plaza Grande (plazagrandequito.com) overlooking the city square, or the Plaza de la Independencia in popular Old Town. The dining room is positioned with lovely balconies for people watching, and dinner includes operatic serenades.

The Plaza Grande’s sister property, the five-star Swissotel (Swissotel.com/quito), has five restaurants, an Amrita Spa, and executive level service (included for A&K guests) with gorgeous views of a distant volcano and the city.

PRE-CRUISE TOURS: A&K pre-cruise excursion options can include a tour of Old Town, a day trip to the popular handicraft region of Otavalo, and the chance to set foot on the equator — and watch a demonstration on how draining water reverses direction when moved from just north of the line to south of the line — really. A monument and museum mark the spot as "la mitad del mundo, the middle of the world."

ADD-ON MUST: Peru’s Machu Picchu — "This combination of Galapagos and Machu Picchu is a success," promises A&K’s Margarita Sanchez. She’s so right. (Read about our Machu Picchu experience in the next issue of Boom!)

WHEN TO GO: There are different wildlife highlights different months of the year in the Galapagos. Naturalist Charly Malo suggests "any month but March — March is the hottest. In January, there’s the mating of the land iguanas; September through November, baby sea lions are born, and in December you see albatross with babies.For me, I like May and June. June, July, and August is high season. March and September are low season." More families come with children, of course, when school’s out.

J.S. Fletcher and Kathy M. Newbern are freelance travel journalists based in Raleigh who have visited every continent. They often incorporate their travels into their other business, YourNovel.com, where they put you and your sweetie in your own personalized romance novel "wild" or "mild." They are also the creators of the travel blog YourSpaReport.com.

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