VOLUNTOURISM IN THE GALAPAGOS NATIONAL PARK – PART I
In this two-part post, Voluntourism in the Galapagos National Park explores the benefits of voluntourism and cultural immersion.
Voluntourism is a win-win for an adventurous traveler combining traveling to another country while helping others at the same time.
It is a great way to learn about someone else’s culture and use acquired skills to improve the quality of life of others.
Voluntourism not only contributes to the local economy but also can save you money.
Travel to the Galapagos Islands suddenly becomes more affordable.
Volunteer packages typically include lodging, meals, and round-trip transportation to and from the airport.
Jatun Sacha Biological Reserve
My servant leadership calling led me to the Galapagos National Park on San Cristobal Island through Jutan Sacha, a non-government organization (NGO).
Other organizations involved in conservation work on San Cristobal Island are UBELONG and Global Volunteers.
Most organizations require volunteers to stay a minimum of a week up to a couple of months.
I went through Global Volunteers and spent two weeks at the biological reserve. The reserve is located in the rainforest of the highlands. Volunteers work Monday through Thursday.
Friday is generally used for a group hike in the morning before volunteers depart to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno for the weekend and return Sunday evening.
Conservation Challenges
Conservation efforts range from prepping cups with soil for seeding, planting trees, and cutting invasive species plants mora (similar to blackberries) with a machete introduced to the island.
As a result of the infestation, some birds have disappeared and have migrated to Santa Cruz. Without these birds, this has led to an increase in mosquitos.
By planting coffee or other plants where the mora once grew, the number of invasive plants is reduced. As the birds return, the number of mosquitos decreases. It would be easy to get rid of the mora in one day by spraying pesticides.
By doing so, you are introducing toxic chemicals to an already very fragile environment. There are no diseases like Zika on the island. The disease resides on the mainland of Ecuador.
Anything introduced to this environment can easily disrupt the ecology of this place.
Most of the species and plants are endemic meaning they only exist in Galapagos and nowhere else.
If you are thinking about taking a finch home as a pet, please don’t. The bird will die.
Who wants to breathe in smog and live in non-Galapagos paradise conditions?
Don’t worry, you can always come back and visit the finches in their natural habitat anytime you want.
How To Get To San Cristobal Island
You can catch a flight from Quito or Guayaquil. If you are flying out of Quito, the plane will stop in Guayaquil to pick up passengers.
Passengers will either wait in the transit area before getting back on the plane or stay on the plane and wait for passengers to board.
From there the plane will continue on to San Cristobal Island.
Don’t Leave Home Without Travel Insurance
In case something goes wrong during your trip, I recommend buying travel insurance. You can purchase travel insurance from World Nomads.
World Nomads provides travel insurance to travelers from over 140 countries and is backed by reputable insurers and 24-hour assistance providers.
You can click here to get a quote. Read the policy details to ensure that it’s right for you.
Upon arrival, visitors pay a $100 USD entrance fee to Galapagos National Park.
From there you can take a taxi to town or arrange a taxi ahead of time through one of the program coordinators to take you to Jatun Sacha where you will begin volunteer work the next day.
In part 2 of 2, Voluntourism in the Galapagos National Park, I will share our daily volunteer schedule and what we did on our days off on the weekends.
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