Galápagos Islands Adventure S.A. (GIA) is a Galapagueña company founded in 2007 by married couple Erika Jaramillo and José Benavides, permanent residents of the Galapagos Islands. Both are Tourism professionals and certified Naturalist Guides for the Galapagos National Park, each with 20 years of experience leading groups. Prior to becoming Guides they both earned college degrees in Tourism at the prestigious Universidad Politecnica del Litoral de Guayaquil, as well as doing post-graduate studies in Sustainable Tourism.
José Benavides proudly belongs to the 5th generation of one of the most recognized families of San Cristóbal Island. Erika Jaramillo, originally from the city of Guayaquil on the mainland, moved with her family to the Galapagos islands at 2 years old. Her father was a captain of tourist boats, and after the family moved to Santa Cruz island they quickly adopted the customs of the Galapageños and obtained immigration status as permanent residents.
In 2007, they decided to establish the company Galaisad S.A. (now the parent Company of GIA), with the objective of developing tourism programs in the Galapagos Islands. Their mission at that time was to protect and share the natural beauty of the archipelago, as well as to invest in the Galapagos community. This is how the dream of Erika and José came to life.
Erika and José are also the lucky parents of two boys, 17 and 8, and a girl just over 6 years old. The children are being raised with a strong awareness of the need to respect and care for the environment.