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Charles Wittmer

Charles was raised in the Galápagos Islands. He is the grandson of Rolf Wittmer, the first person documented to have been born on the island of Floreana after his parents, Margret and Heinz Wittmer, emigrated from Germany in 1932.

Much of Charles’s childhood was spent exploring the remote Galápagos archipelago on small nature cruise ships belonging to his family. He fell in love with life at sea and the flora and fauna of his home islands. He was inspired to travel to Quito to study biological sciences at university, where he wrote his thesis on the endangered Floreana mockingbird and studied the bird’s behavior and diet in situ. The bird is endemic to the same island his great-grandparents adopted as their new home almost a century ago.

Sharing his love for and knowledge of the Galápagos has always been his passion, and after graduating from college, Charles enrolled in the Galápagos National Park’s guide course. Since then, he has actively worked on boats learning as much as he can from nature and the people who visit his home. In his downtime, Charles enjoys wildlife photography, sailing a small hobby catamaran when wind conditions are right, scuba diving, and cleaning up plastic and garbage along shorelines. Yoga has also become a big part of his life in the last three years and he practices as often as his busy work schedule allows.

My upcoming expeditions

Wild Galápagos Escape (7-Day)

Oct 15 2024
Feb 4 2025

Wild Galápagos Escape (8-Day)

Oct 19 2024
Dec 14 2024
Feb 8 2025
Feb 13 2025
Dec 27 2025

Exploring Galápagos: One Week Sailing the Islands

Nov 15 2024
Nov 22 2024
Nov 29 2024
Mar 21 2025
Mar 28 2025
Apr 18 2025
Apr 25 2025
May 30 2025
Jun 6 2025
Jun 13 2025
Jun 27 2025
Jul 4 2025
Jul 25 2025
Aug 1 2025
Aug 8 2025
Aug 22 2025
Aug 29 2025
Sep 19 2025
Sep 26 2025
Oct 24 2025
Nov 7 2025
Nov 14 2025
Nov 21 2025

Exploring Galápagos + Machu Picchu and Peru's Land of the Inca

Nov 15 2024
Nov 22 2024
Nov 29 2024
Mar 21 2025
Mar 28 2025
Apr 18 2025
Apr 25 2025
May 30 2025
Jun 6 2025
Jun 13 2025
Jun 27 2025
Jul 4 2025
Jul 25 2025
Aug 1 2025
Aug 8 2025
Aug 22 2025
Aug 29 2025
Sep 19 2025
Sep 26 2025
Oct 24 2025
Nov 7 2025
Nov 14 2025
Nov 21 2025