These volcanic islands are situated almost 1000 km westwards of the coast of Ecuador. The first recorded discovery was in 1535 when a vessel on a voyage from Panama to Peru was swept far from the coast by the strong equatorial currents. Subsequently, those few islands offering water supply were used for stopover by seamen, pirates, whalers and seal-hunters, before, during the Napoleonic Wars, the Navies of Great Britain and France pursued their hostilities until The Far Side of the World. This famous novel by Patrick O'Brian on naval history was adapted for the big screen: for the first time, a fictional motion picture had one week of shooting on the islands.
We would have loved to do the journey on board of The Surprise with Captain Jack Aubrey. Once on the open Pacific Ocean, our desire for naval adventure was suddenly fulfilled: we went up the waves and once up in the air, crushed into the next trough with everything in the cabin following. Not to mention the particular thrill of waves arriving in a diagonal way. The result: two sleepless nights high in motion - eventually a fair token for the unique treat of cruising within Las Encantadas...
The upper deck
The lower deck
Dolphins guide us
Dolphins guide us
Cruising with whales in the Canal Bolivar - in the back Isabela island
