Dries Degel

Dries Degel was born of a Belgian father and an Ecuadorian mother in the large Ecuadorian port city of Guayaquil. He undertook most of his studies in this city, focusing first on science and then on fine arts, in which his greater talents lay. His paintings and murals can be found throughout the town of Puerto Ayora in Galápagos.

Once he married and started a family, he decided to move to the Galápagos Islands, a place he had grown up hearing about and visiting, since his father was one of the very first naturalist guides in the Galápagos National Park. He considered the peace, tranquility and natural beauty of the islands more suitable for family life, but had also always wanted to study the natural history of the archipelago in more depth, both from a scientific and an artistic perspective.

After working in various different fields in the archipelago, Dries followed in his father’s footsteps and took the Galápagos National Park guide training course. He has now been working as a guide for the last 12 years, with visitors of different nationalities, made possible by his fluency in English, French, Italian, and his native Spanish.

Although Dries is passionate about his work, he is aware that he will eventually have to retire, so he has lately started taking a distance learning degree in Psychology through the Loja Technical University. He aims to use his new skills to find a new place in the community he has long thought of as home.