Javier Cando

Javier was born on Santa Cruz Island and raised in the cool evergreen highlands where he developed his love and passion for nature and natural sciences. At age 17 he moved to Quito, the capital of Ecuador to attend university and study the English language.

Growing up on the islands was the best training for bird-watching and learning about the ecology of the region. Eventually this became a passion that led him to join the Galápagos National Park naturalist guide's training and become a certified naturalist guide in 1992.

As a child snorkeling around the beautiful Galápagos Islands, Javier also discovered an amazing underwater and different world, and started to participate in scuba diving activities. This motivation led him to further his knowledge about diving and eventually he became a certified PADI dive master, complementing his career as a Galápagos Marine Reserve diving guide.

Javier works as a freelance naturalist for a variety of tourism companies in the Galápagos Islands. In his free time he enjoys time with his family, as well as traveling around Ecuador and North America.