When I was a kid I loved the thought of travelling to exotic lands in pursuit of adventure and wildlife.
Amongst many, one place that really captured my imagination was the Galápagos Islands.
So much so that I saved up all my pocket money, birthday money and Christmas money for a whole year in a little tin. I saved to a massive total (for me at that age) of £100.
Okay, it wouldn’t have actually got me very far… but the Galápagos fund was my commitment to visiting this fascinating place.
I was very fortunate, at the age of 21, to take a very special trip there with my dad; someone who was, and still is, a massive reason for my love of wildlife, particularly birds.
To share this experience together was incredible and very life-affirming. And, as a side note, it was also where the seed of becoming an artist began to take root (a story for another time).
We were blessed with an incredible guide, and our choice of trip meant we saw islands and places a little off the usual routes.
Everything you might expect is right there, and a whole lot you wouldn’t!!
From turtles bobbing next to the boats at sunrise, swimming with sea lions and white-tip reef sharks, to walking past literal living mounds of marine iguanas, to having albatross land mere feet away (in a crash-landing heap of feathers), to lizards sitting on your foot… and so on!! (Really… “incredible” doesn’t even cut it!!)
This experience was so profound that I remember leaving and thinking to myself, that was enough… I don’t actually need to go back.
And for 19 years I maintained that stance — that it would take a really, really special offer or idea to take me back there.
Well guess what… that offer has come.
I love teaching and leading art trips. Mixing art and travel is wonderful. You can read all about my trips to Zambia with Art Safari here.
So sure enough, the wonderful Mary-Anne, founder and intrepid artist/adventurer at the heart of Art Safari, said something along the lines of, very casually, “Do you fancy leading a trip to the Galápagos next year?”
To which I replied, “If I have to… yes…”
So here we are. The opportunities that painting and sharing my love of art with others has led to still blows my mind, and I cannot believe I will be heading back.
Not only to see and feel it all again, but to be fortunate enough to do so in a way that encourages and allows full immersion through the sketchbook and to share this with other enthusiastic travellers and artists!
Sketching wildlife and destinations from life is a whole new magical world. It is challenging at times, yes — but in the most rewarding way.
To immerse yourself in an environment, its colours, its wildlife, its people… the light… and to look with the eyes of an artist, not only is huge fun, it truly, truly enhances your experience of that place.
The sketchbook becomes a reason to sit and observe, to be present, to look and to feel…
The wildlife and the setting become the reason to create…
A beautiful symbiosis that is so wonderfully rewarding and fulfilling I cannot recommend it enough!!!
To say I am excited and cannot wait is a little bit of an under statement!
If you are interested in joining me on, quite frankly, this once-in-a-lifetime art and travel trip, you can read much more on the Art Safari Galápagos 2026 page.
Here are a few extra words and photos to get you excited about the potential of this fascinating place…
Galapagos Art Safari:05 - 18 December 2026
Sketch and paint the weird and wonderful creatures of this truly remarkable ecosystem, in some of the planet’s most important marine reserves.
From the moment you land on San Cristóbal, the Galapagos reveal themselves in bursts of colour and movement. Marine iguanas soak in the sunlight and sea lions tumble along the shoreline.
With your sketchbook in hand, every encounter becomes a chance to capture the extraordinary life that thrives here.
When you board the Coral II, your private charter yacht, the adventure truly begins. Each day brings a new island, a new palette, a new story to tell. Imagine white sandy beaches, cactus forests, and mangrove bedsframing turquoise bays.
On Española, waved albatross perform their courtship dances, while red and yellow land iguanas bask in the volcanic sun on Rabida. You sketch the elegant shapes of frigate birds gliding overhead, the flashes of fish beneath crystal-clear waters, and the playful antics of sea lions leaping into the surf.
The crew finds safe spots for swimming and snorkelling, where turtles graze peacefully on the ocean floor, and shoals of parrot and butterfly fish shimmer beneath you.
Coral formations provide endless inspiration, and under Tom Shepherd’s guidance, your paintings will come alive!
Tom is particularly skilled at drawing birds (and has a real passion for them!) He will share his field techniques for observing wildlife in its natural setting, guiding you to find your own style and enjoy using the fluidity of watercolour.
Conservation is ever-present here. Visits to the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz deepen your connection with the Galapagos giant tortoise and the islands that have nurtured them.
Evenings back onboard are a time for reflection, sharing sketches, stories, and discoveries with fellow artists.
By the end of the voyage, your pages are filled with paintings of colour, creating a living record of one of the most extraordinary places on Earth.
Galapagos Art Safari 2026
Zambia Art Safari 2026
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