Tour guide in Galapagos Marcos L.

I am a passionate young guide with family ties to San Cristobal, where I was raised, that date back to the early 1900s. The first of my ancestors to arrive to the island was my great-great-grandfather in 1908. I spent my childhood in San Cristobal and later moved to mainland Quito, the Ecuadorian Capital City, where I lived for around 8 years. I became a Naturalist Tour Guide In 2018 and obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Resource Management by the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) Extension Galapagos, in 2023. As a Galapagos Naturalist Guide, my role is to interpret the islands' natural heritage and ensure it is preserved while developing tourism activities. To be aligned with sustainable practices, I am certified to lead groups of up to 16 passengers within the protected areas of Galapagos. Having a Naturalist Guide is a requirement for visitors to enter to certain places and for certain kinds of experiences such as boat tours. Thanks to my studies I became very knowledgeable about the Galapagos' natural history, and as someone who grew up here, I'm also very familiarized with its social aspects. I am very enthusiastic and passionate about my job, and I feel my main purpose is to provide the best experiences to my participants every single time.