Spanish television presenter Sara Carbonero has reached a new personal milestone during a trip to the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, completing a challenging three-hour hike over rocks eight months after undergoing emergency abdominal surgery.
The achievement comes during a vacation with her boyfriend, Canarian businessman Jota Cabrera, following a difficult period marked by medical treatment in an intensive care unit and the recent death of her mother, Goyi Arévalo.
Carbonero said she remains determined to celebrate life despite experiencing what she considers her worst year. She described Cabrera as her main support system and adventure partner who stood by her bedside during her hospital stay in January and supported her through her subsequent recovery.
Travels across Ecuador and the Galapagos
Before arriving in the Galapagos archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, the couple visited historic landmarks in Quito and explored the Ecuadorian Amazon. Carbonero described her encounters with wildlife as a genuine wonder, having walked among sea lions on the beach and swam with wild dolphins in the open sea.
Her latest physical challenge proved particularly emotional. Writing on social media after kayaking and snorkeling, she explained that she and Cabrera completed a three-hour trek across rocky terrain, adding that only she knew what it meant to have accomplished it.
Carbonero stressed that gathering the physical strength for such a hike represented a major personal victory, even if others might view the distance as modest, as she continues testing her limits while coping with the loss of her mother.
Health history and medical challenges
The journalist has faced a series of health and personal setbacks in recent years. She previously recovered from ovarian cancer, a struggle that coincided with her former husband, former Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas, suffering a heart attack shortly before their separation.
In January, while on a trip to the Canary island of Lanzarote with Cabrera and her close friends, severe abdominal pain prompted an urgent hospital visit. She underwent immediate surgery and spent several weeks in intensive care before returning home to Madrid to her children.
Following months of rehabilitation and medical treatment, Carbonero was met with further tragedy when her mother passed away. Her recent trek in Ecuador marks a key moment in her ongoing physical and emotional recovery.
