My first trip during the pandemic was to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. That was last year (June 2021), a magical journey that changed my life. Not only because it gave me a sense of freedom and hope after so many months in lockdown stuck at home in Buenos Aires, but also because I was able to explore and discover the amazing world of that archipelago in the middle of the Pacific.
On that first trip, I spent six days aboard Cachalote Explorer sailing from Santa Cruz Island to South Plaza, Espanola, Bartolome and North Seymour. It was a stunning voyage during which I learned so much about nature (even more than a few years at school!). Following the cruise, I spent 3 days/2 nights at the Enchanted Galapagos Lodge on Santa Cruz Island, which turned out to be a great way to slow down, relax and recharge my energy before returning home.
One year later, I had an opportunity of traveling to the Galapagos again. This time my focus was exploring the different excursions and activities a traveler can enjoy either on an island-hopping trip or following a Galapagos cruise. And once again, my home away from home was Enchanted Galapagos Lodge . . . which turned out to be the biggest surprise of the trip. Because, in less than a year, the lodge had totally transformed.
Lodge owner Judy Carvalhal — founder of Enchanted Expeditions and one of the first female conservationist and guides in the archipelago — has made a huge new investment on the property. I can’t imagine how she was able to accomplish so much in less than 12 months!
The 10-room lodge is a cozy property located in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. Its description on Instagram reads “…a beautiful peaceful paradise” and that’s exactly what you feel the moment you first step through the front gate.
The lush vegetation makes you feel like you’re in a fairytale, an opportunity to mentally travel back to childhood. I was amazed by a range of greens that contrasted with the reds and yellows of flowers and fruits in the garden. Throughout your stay — without ever leaving your room — you can smell the scents of plants, hear the birds moving through the trees and bushes (remember there are 179 bird species in the Galapagos) or the sound of rustling leaves (especially on a windy night).
The guest rooms are grouped in three areas, which makes it ideal for multigenerational trips, especially the three rooms beside the path to the lodge’s cheese factory. The four rooms near the open-air lobby and restaurant are ideal for people with restricted mobility.
Personally decorated by Judy, the rooms feature wooden floors, hotel-quality sheets and towels, hairdryer, fan and air conditioning, private terraces with chairs and handmade hammocks, and paintings by Tatjana Angermeyer (Judy’s daughter and a local artist with a Master of Arts degree from Columbia College in Chicago).
During my weeklong stay on Santa Cruz, I did an extensive inspection of other hotels in the highlands and the town of Puerto Ayora. Much to my surprise, the number of hotels and bed & breakfast inns has surged over the past year. There are options for all budgets and traveler tastes, which makes it difficult to decide where to overnight.
Staying in Puerto Ayora might be tempting at a first glance simple because you’re in town and just blocks away from the port and the main street with its restaurants and souvenirs shops. But I found the town extremely crowded and noisy, which detracts from the essence of the Galapagos, a unique place in the world where 97% of the land is national park.
On the contrary, staying in the highlands where the newly renovated Enchanted Galapagos Lodge is situated, offers a strategic and secluded location in keeping with the island vibe. A harmonious place engulfed in fresh air (maybe that’s why the lodge is considered an ideal spot for yoga retreats), a perfect environment to rest and relax after a cruise, just a 15-minute drive from Puerto Ayora and its island-hopping day trips, and an equally short drive to other Santa Cruz attractions like Garrapatero Beach, Tortuga Bay, El Chato and El Manzanillo Tortoise Reserves, and a few coffee plantations.
Or you can simply hang out at Enchanted Galapagos Lodge, sunbathing beside the pool, relax in the Jacuzzi, doing yoga or meditation, reading in a hammock, doing a wine tasting by the fireplace, exploring the area with bikes provided by the lodge, or visiting El Queso Chueco (the cheese factory at the lodge), which makes the only artisanal cheese in the Galapagos.
Needless to say, that cheese is a highlight of a lodge breakfast that also includes homemade yoghurt and coffee made with beans from Judy’s coffee plantation, as well as pineapples, bananas and other fruit harvested on the lodge’s grounds).
If you’re planning an island-hopping trip or a post-cruise sojourn, traveling with family, friends or on your honeymoon, the new-look Enchanted Galapagos Lodge is the perfect place to feel at home in the islands.
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