Mariuxi Prieto

Mariuxi Prieto (Mari) was the best guide I have ever had.  I am an experienced traveller and I have had many wonderful guides over the year, but never one as talented as Mari.  Her biggest strength is her encyclopedic knowledge of the Galapagos.  I wish I could have recorded her talks as we walked... she could not only identify every animal and plant we encountered, she was able to tell us anything and everything about it that we wanted to know.  After a few hours in her company I learned to love it when she would excitedly say "LOOK, LOOK" for I knew she had spotted something wonderful.   I tried to stay close to the front of our pack so I could listen to her narrate the Islands.  She is a serious wildlife educator, taking care to talk to us about conservation and preservation in addition to pointing out photo ops.  She never let us forget what a privilege it was to be trusted by the animals and to respect their space and their integrity.  She has a great sense of humour and was very patient and kind with everyone on our trip.  She adapted to the needs of our group and truly conveyed a love of her work.  She often made me feel like I was seeing something rare and exciting-- that she too was captivated by what was around us.  Her enthusiasm, professionalism and passion shone through.  We had many great guides on this tour, but I tried always to seek Mari out.  I cannot recommend her more highly.  She is quite simply the best.  Galapagos is lucky to have such a wonderful ambassador.