Naturalist icon Naturalist

Karina López

Karina López was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador where she received her bachelor’s degree in Tourism and Hospitality, a second technical degree as a Professional Guide of Ecuador, and a third diploma in French language at the Alliance Francaise.

She moved to San Cristóbal Island in 1996 and has divided her time between there and the mainland for nearly two decades. Her deep passion for nature, birdwatching, and marine life led her to become a certified national park naturalist in 1999, and since then she has guided in the Galápagos Islands and also led trips in the Amazon rain forest and throughout the Sacred Valley in Peru.

Equal to her passion for guiding on land is her love for guiding underwater, and in 2001 she became certified as a dive master naturalist for the Marine Reserve of Galápagos. She loves to help her guests have the magical experience of swimming with sea turtles, frolicking with playful sea lions, and searching for the elusive but adorable Galápagos penguins.

When not leading groups in her beloved islands, she can be found exploring her other passions of international travel, photography, creative writing, cooking traditional Ecuadorian cuisine, and playing soccer.

My upcoming expeditions

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

Mar 27 2026
Apr 3 2026
Apr 17 2026
Apr 24 2026
May 1 2026
Jun 5 2026
Aug 1 2025
Aug 8 2025
Sep 26 2025
Nov 28 2025
Dec 5 2025
Aug 21 2026
Sep 4 2026
Sep 11 2026
Sep 25 2026
Oct 2 2026
Oct 30 2026
Mar 13 2026
Mar 20 2026
Jun 12 2026
Jun 19 2026
Jul 3 2026
Jul 10 2026
Aug 14 2026
Nov 6 2026
Nov 27 2026
Dec 4 2026
Dec 11 2026
Dec 18 2026

Exploring Galápagos

Mar 27 2026
Apr 3 2026
Apr 17 2026
Apr 24 2026
May 1 2026
Jun 5 2026
Aug 1 2025
Aug 8 2025
Sep 26 2025
Oct 3 2025
Nov 28 2025
Dec 5 2025
Aug 21 2026
Sep 4 2026
Sep 11 2026
Sep 25 2026
Oct 2 2026
Oct 30 2026
Mar 13 2026
Mar 20 2026
Jun 12 2026
Jun 19 2026
Jul 3 2026
Jul 10 2026
Aug 14 2026
Nov 6 2026
Nov 27 2026
Dec 4 2026
Dec 11 2026
Dec 18 2026

Galápagos Escape: An 8-Day Voyage

Jul 26 2025
Nov 1 2025
Dec 27 2025
Jan 1 2026
Jan 10 2026
Jan 15 2026

Galápagos Escape

Jul 26 2025
Nov 1 2025
Dec 27 2025
Jan 1 2026
Jan 6 2026
Jan 10 2026
Jan 15 2026