An equator you can dive without a wetsuit
The Calipso dive safari crosses the equator twice: the way from the central islands to Wolf and Darwin runs through zero latitude. Divers here usually wear a thick wetsuit, and in cold years some bring a drysuit. In October 2026 the water was so warm that the group made some of the dives in nothing but swimsuits. No earlier safari had an equator like this.
Who meets you underwater
At Wolf and Darwin the hammerheads own the place. They move in schools along the wall while divers hold on to the rocks at the edge of the drop and watch dozens of sharks pass by. Turtles come within arm's reach, morays peer out from the gaps between boulders, and schools of yellowtail surgeonfish circle over the reef.
The most sociable residents of the Galapagos are the sea lions. They swim up to divers on their own, circle around and hang right overhead, and you can play with them for the whole dive.
The warm water made this safari unlike the earlier ones, and not every encounter people travel to Wolf and Darwin for happened this time. Calipso sails for them again in November 2027 — the next safari.
Ecuador after the safari
After the safari a small group stayed on in Ecuador for a few more days. On the way they stopped at a rose plantation, planning on half an hour. Ecuador ships roses all over the world: the highlands, the steady equatorial light and cool nights give long straight stems and large heads. Rows of flowers in every shade kept everyone there much longer.
Casa del Árbol: hummingbirds and a swing over the drop
Casa del Árbol is a tree house above Baños, right on the edge of the slope. Hummingbirds dart around the flowering bushes and hover at the blossoms, wings beating fast. A swing hangs from the same tree and carries you out over the drop, so everyone gets a few seconds of feeling like a hummingbird.
The Route of the Waterfalls and Pailón del Diablo
From Baños the Route of the Waterfalls runs down the Pastaza gorge, with a new stream falling from the green slopes at every bend. Cables are strung across the gorge, and you can fly along them from one side to the other. The road ends at Pailón del Diablo, the Devil's Cauldron, one of the best-known waterfalls in South America. Suspension bridges and a path cut into the rock lead to it.
