Upon arrival in the Galapagos, we found our welcoming party snoozing. Although we were barely a foot away, the sea lions lazing on the dock at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal Island could have cared less. We couldn’t help but notice that there were sea lions everywhere and - in a preview of things to come - they barely acknowledged our presence or ignored us completely. Most of us snapped picture after picture, sure that our proximity to these languorous creatures would be one of the highlights of our visit.

Boy, were we wrong.

Over the course of a week, our group had more close encounters of the animal kind than I could count. The wildlife was spectacular - and the scenery was just as incredible. In addition, the camaraderie aboard the ship was everything I had hoped for, adding up to an unforgettable adventure.

Our cruise mates aboard Ecoventura’s M/Y Eric consisted of 10 parents and 10 teens, all ready to have fun and celebrate together. Juvenile sea lions greeted us as we made our first wet landing on Ochoa Beach and cavorted with us as we snorkeled in the water. Periodically, several would break away from the pack to visit parents relaxing on the beach. Our group’s teens and young adults did likewise. It was fascinating to watch the parallels between human and animal behavior around here.

Here at the earth’s first World Heritage Site, travelers are able to see exotic wildlife and experience them up close in their natural habitats. Each island offers something different and, in some cases, the only place in the world these species can be found is here. One must take care to step around the iguanas and seals sunning on the paths. The animals do not fear humans here – they simply don’t care.

We strolled past mating and nesting birds that were oblivious to our presence, watched waved albatross and blue-footed boobies doing their intricate mating dances, and swam with groups of giant sea turtles and tuxedoed Galapagos penguins that catapulted by us at breakneck speed. Strolling along dazzling white sand beaches, we sat and viewed sea lions nursing their pups with eyes closed in peaceful contentment. We snorkeled with playful sea lions – some blowing bubbles and darting within inches of our faces. Our hikes took us over black sand beaches, past wild Galapagos tortoises, along rocky cliffs, and through lava tubes.

On Fernandina Island, our group carefully stepped around thousands of prehistoric-looking marine iguanas sunning themselves on the rocks and hiked across huge black lava fields to see huge sea turtles and colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs in tidal pools and flightless cormorants standing on the rocks. Of course, the troops of sea lions were ever present.

Our band of merry adventurers climbed 369 steps to the top of Bartolome Island’s barren moonscape and snorkeled near peaceful white-tipped reef sharks near the Pinnacle, a famous rock spire that is one of the most photographed sites in the Galapagos. When Buzz Aldrin visited the Galapagos, he said that volcanic Bartolome looked more like the moon than any place he had visited on earth. For the rest of us, this is probably as close to viewing a lunar landscape as we’ll ever get.

Favorite memories? Wandering among 15-20 wild giant tortoises in the Santa Cruz highlands and posing for pictures. Kayaking with my daughter, Katie, and following a massive manta ray as it swam and spread its wings. Watching as a doe-eyed sea lion pup waddled over to within inches of Katie and gazed up at her as if to say, “Are you my mother?” Jumping off the top of the M/Y Eric and wondering how long it would take for me to hit the water. Snorkeling within inches of schools of penguins, gigantic sea turtles and groups of kamikaze sea lions rolling and darting about. Staring slack-jawed as a pair of waved albatross did their complex mating dance, ritualistically bowing to each other and clacking their beaks. Walking arm in arm with Katie along a white sandy shoreline littered with sea lions at Gardner Bay, easily one of the most spectacular beaches in the world. Taking photos of the kids making human pyramids on the sand. Staring up at an equatorial night sky filled with stars of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and feeling so small – and yet so connected to life.

Here in the Galapagos, we saw more colorful animals than I’ve ever seen in one place: bright orange and red Sally Lightfoot crabs, huge green sea turtles, red- and blue-footed boobies, male frigate birds with brilliant red neck pouches, black and white masked Nazca boobies, bright pink flamingos, great blue herons, big yellow and orange land iguanas, sprawling black sea lions and massive brown fur seals, Christmas colored marine iguanas with red and green patches on their black skin, and creamy white albatross with soulful eyes and distinctive lemony beaks.

The Galapagos are magical islands full of enchantment and Ecoventura is an excellent cruise choice for nature lovers. The smaller size of their ships allows them to have more extensive itineraries, including wildlife-rich islands that larger vessels cannot visit. Believe me, this is one cruise you won’t want to miss.

If You Go:

For more information on Ecoventura, visit www.ecoventura.com or call 1-800-633-7972. These Galapagos cruises can also be purchased through Austin-Lehman Adventures, recently named as the Best Tour Operator in the World by the readers of Travel + Leisure magazine. For more information on Austin-Lehman, visit www.austinlehman.com or call 1-800-575-1540.