936. Galapagos Islands

Where: Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
When: May 25 - June 1, 2008
With: Rachel

When Rachel and I booked our trip to the Galapagos, we both would have admitted that we didn't really know where we were going. We knew it was off the coast of Ecuador and the trip looked fantastic, but honestly, we didn't know what to expect outside of that. It was a true adventure, and when we stepped off the plane, we didn't know what we were in for.

We booked our trip with a company called GAP Adventures. After traveling the previous summer to Greece & Turkey on Contiki, we were fully on board with the organized travel concept. And the cool thing about GAP was that the trips were topped out at 12 people per group. Also, this trip we booked was unique because most trips through the Galapagos offer accommodations on a boat that takes them to the various islands, but ours allowed us to stay on the actual islands. While that meant we couldn't go to some of the more far reaching islands in the chain, we also would get a more local experience at night. And besides, we didn't even really know what we were in for in general, so who cares if we only see the closer islands? Not us!

The Galapagos Islands are the defining example of the word "evolution". The reason is that they sit way out in the Pacific Ocean on their own, allowing the wildlife on the islands to have existed with virtually no outside influence for thousands of years. The animals inhabiting the islands, being in smaller groups, were able to "evolve" and adapt to meet their specific needs more quickly. When Charles Darwin studied this island chain back in the 1800s, his findings there greatly contributed to his theory of evolution and his book On the Origin of Species.

While the islands are now inhabited by people, they are still so remote that they've remain very much protected, allowing them to be a glimpse into untouched nature, almost like an open zoo. Each island has its own distinct groups of animals existing on it, meaning that each one will provide guests a unique experience. On our trip, we would be visiting four of the largest islands in the group, as well as a ton of tinier islands along the way. I've broken this post out by each of the four islands. 

San Cristobal

Our first stop on the trip the island of San Cristobal. We flew in on the Galapagos' own airline, AeroGal, which had amazing service, including two meals on the relatively quick flight over the Pacific from Ecuador. 

Right off the plane, we were so intrigued by what we were going to see while we were there. Also, this was my first trip with my first digital SLR camera. Feels so nostalgic to think back that these were the first photos!

Right from the airport, the whimsical nature of this place, in addition to the focus on their wildlife, became very apparent, particularly through the sculptures around the island. 

We headed to our hotel to drop off our stuff, and I couldn't believe how beautiful it was already. The water was a perfect turquoise, and our hotel sat right on the shoreline, along a beautiful promenade. 

Our very colorful hotel. 

And right off the bat, the wildlife was apparent, with pelicans flying about and brightly colored crabs scurrying along the rocks in the harbor. 

And then I took a closer look and noticed the sea lions frolicking in water just below me. There were tons of them, and they were so cute! I think I'm going to love it here!

After a great lunch at a local cafe, we were off on our first excursion: a trip to the highest point on the island for a view of the surrounding area.  

From up here, we got our first view on Sleeping Lion, sometimes called Kicker Rock, an iconic island off the coast that is named because...well, it looks like a sleeping lion! We also got some stunning views of the rest of the island. 

From there, we got to take a bike ride down the mountain to take in the scenery along the way. 

Some pretty stops on our ride. 

At the bottom of the mountain, we were let off at this amazing beach covered in black lava rocks. It was super hot out, so jumping into the ocean for a swim couldn't have been a better way to end our bike ride. 

And to have fun with our underwater camera. 

Sharing the beach with us were some furry friends. Couldn't believe we were all just hanging out in the same place. 

Turns out, sea lions would not be a rare thing to see on this trip. That evening, walking along the promenade on our way to dinner, there were hundreds of them sleeping away on the shore. They were adorable, but smelled awful. But still, this was so cool to see. 

The next day was our first day out on the water and with our boat for the next seven days, the Christine. 

Our first stop was a cove where the sea lions love to swim.  

And what did we get to do? Jump out and swim with them! Thank goodness for underwater cameras because this is still one of the coolest things I have ever done in my entire life, and I'm happy it was documented!

They were so cute and playful. While we had to be sure not to touch them, they were happy to swim and dance around us, curiously looking into our eyes and frolicking about. 

Rachel and I, doing as the sea lions do. 

After our romp with the sea lions, we headed out to another lion, the sleeping one in the ocean. These shots of Kicker Rock gives a better view of why it got its second name of Sleeping Lion.  

Close up views of Sleeping Lion. 

Views back on San Cristobal. 

Casual sea turtle floating by (almost fell out of the boat trying to get this shot). 

And so, once again, out of the boat we jumped, this time to snorkel and see the colorful coral that sits at the base of Sleeping Lion. 

A little shortcut through the middle of the lion. 

After the snorkel, we pulled the boat around to this tiny island nearby that was covered in flesh-eating gnats (I don't know what evolutionary purpose they serve). In this photo we are laughing in pain as we can barely stay still while we're being attacked. 

But the island sure was beautiful!

 And it had its fair share of wildlife. 

A view of Sleeping Lion in the distance. 

After returning to "mainland", we next took a walk around the waterfront towards the Interpretation Center, a sort of historical center meets ecological preserve. From here, we learned about some of the history of the island. The saddest bit of knowledge it provided was how giant tortoises from the Galapagos would be stored on their backs in the bottom of boats to be kept alive for fresh meat on long voyages from the islands. 

However, a nice aspect of the center was that it was home to a frigate bird colony. Frigates are these super fascinating black-and-white birds that can't walk (they have no feet!) and very fluffy feathers that can't get wet (so they can't swim). All they can do is fly and glide and nest. They have a huge nesting area here at the center, all dotting the trees. And when the males want to attract a female, they inflate a massive red balloon in their necks to do so. So interesting. 

Time for a leisurely stroll back to the town. 

Back in town, one of the main advantages to staying on land was being able to drink at some of the local establishments. This was one of our favorites, La Casa Blanca, since it gave us a great view of the sunset. 

The "White House" also sat across the street from sea lions, who we hopefully didn't disturb too much. 

The waterfront, lit up at night. 

Both of our nights in San Cristobal ended at this super fun beach bar, complete with a pool table, hammocks, bright colors and two dollar beers. What more could we ask for?

Floreana

It was time to say goodbye to San Cristobal and head to our next island, Floreana. 

But it wasn't a straight shot, we had a lot of stops along the way. Most of these stops involved snorkeling and tropical fish.

And of course, our sea lion friends along the way. 

We even saw some eagle rays!

However, the most iconic sight we saw was at this reef in the middle of nowhere. We hopped out of the boat and all we had to do was tread water as the current swept us gently around the rocks, almost like we were on a ride. As we went by, we saw one of the most iconic of Galapagos animals, the blue-footed boobie, noted for both its name and the striking blue feet on this adorable bird. 

When we weren't snorkeling, we were commandeering the top deck of our boat, napping in the sunshine or enjoying the view. At various points, dolphins would skip along with our boat and the views were amazing. Even the transportation was heaven.

Another island we passed on our journey is one I deemed "lizard island" as it was covered in black marine iguanas. It was crazy that we could see them all the way from the boat. 

Eventually, we reached Floreana. This was the tiniest island we would stay on for the trip, with a population of only 90 people. There were only two cars on the island, and even our tiny Christine was too big to dock, so we had to ferry our way in. 

The welcome committee. 

Our hotel was so pretty, and run by the ancestors of the first German settlers on the island. It was right on the beach, which was covered in black sand from the surrounding volcanic activity. 

After settling into our rooms, we boarded the one bus on the island to head into the center. 

Into the jungle.

From here, we got to see the remnants of the pirates that once lived in Floreana. These odd shaped rocks are the remains of the caves they dug out to protect themselves. 

And wait, are we on Easter Island?

Eventually, we made it to a short wall that we climbed over to find...

...the Giant Tortoises, in a preservation area where they can peacefully hang out amongst themselves! They weren't that hard to spot, and once we found one, we found a ton. They were huge!

Loved these guys!

No tortoises were harmed in the taking of these photos. 

Took this opportunity to take a group shot: top row is George and Emily, Lakin, Lisa, Monica, and our tour guide, Tim. Bottom row is Matt, Nani, Lou, Julie, me, Rachel, Vanessa, and Cody. 

As you may imagine, an island with only 90 inhabitants doesn't have a wild nightlife. However, it did have wine for purchase, and so we were fine having sundowners on the beach at our hotel

The next morning, we were up early to take one last hike around Floreana before hitting the water. 

Lots of brightly colored crabs scuttling around while we walked. 

The untouched shoreline here, combined with the black lava rocks and foliage, made for such stunning scenery. 

I think we're officially sold on the Galapagos. 

Hunting marine iguana. 

Isabela

After a stunning stay on Floreana, it was time to hit the boat and head to a larger island (though not hard to accomplish in comparison). Isabela had a bustling harbor and sandy streets that showed it was clearly more hopping. 

We went to the hotel, which I immediately loved for its front door alone. 

Walking around the busy streets of Floreana.

No translation provided, what could this mean?

We got to this little bar for lunch, and this little girl wanted me to take her photo again and again so that she could see herself on my camera display. It was adorable, and I happily obliged.

After lunch, it was time to go on some hikes. And Isabela has a lot of them. 

First, we walked along these long boardwalks by the water. We were often joined by the black marine iguanas along the way.

Next up was the Wall of Tears. Isabela was once a penal colony, and prisoners between 1945 and 1959 were forced to carry lava rocks across the island to build a wall. Now locals claim the wall emits wails from the thousands of deaths caused during its construction, hence its name. 

Next up were the volcano tunnels. Similar to Hawaii, the Galapagos Islands were originally formed by a series of volcanos erupting, creating land, and then eventually becoming dormant, leaving the islands to grow plants and support wildlife in the incredibly rich soil. Some of the "tunnels" that the lava carved through the islands have since hollowed out and can now be walked through. Lava fields continue to cover the landscape in this part of the island.

Descending into the caves felt like walking into the mouth of the Earth.

Not surprisingly, photos in the tunnels are a bit tough to capture. 

It was amazing how much the landscape changed as we kept hiking. We went from lava fields to jungle to desert. 

Final stop on our hike was another tortoise sanctuary. Even though all tortoises look alike, the native tortoise on each island in the Galapagos has such unique characteristics that each island technically has a unique species. 

This poor guy is stuck on his back!

A celery feeding frenzy. 

Unlike the first sanctuary we went to, that was open and tortoises were allowed to roam, this one focused on breeding and had separate paddocks to protect the babies from the adults. Crazy to see a tiny baby and its egg, compared to how big he will grow up to be!

While we were inside the center getting a brief lecture on the mating habits of the tortoises, our guide Tim told us that the sound of tortoises breeding was one of the funniest noises ever. We literally turned to walk outside to hear the strangest sound: a low, guttural groaning noise, like an uhhhhhhhhh. Lo and behold, I turned a corner and found baby making in action. 

Ironcially, two seconds later, I noticed this beautifully colored grasshopper. As I went to snap a photo, I realized there were two, and apparently, everyone was getting it on around here. 

On the walk back to the town, we came upon another grouping of marine iguanas. Anyone doing it here? No? So odd, I thought that's all the animals on Isabela do!

With the rest of the night free, we headed to the beach to watch the amazing sunset while having a beer. 

Amazing reflections!

After sunset, we stuck around for some drinks into the evening at this quirky bar. 

The next day was one of our few fully land based activities: horseback riding up to the tops of the dormant volcanos. We were all paired with horses that matched our skill sets and set off on the hike, with the horses following each other along a well trodden path. 

It was so pretty! We walked right along the rim of the caldera, and the interior of this (thankfully) dormant volcano was humongous!

We passed the first caldera to reach a high point looking out over the island. It was insane. The ocean was in the distance, in addition to the other volcanos along the center of the island. 

As we kept going, the green disappeared and gave way to more lava rocks of varying grades of red, black, and brown. It was so pretty, especially with the ocean in the background. 

At this point, we let the horses take a rest and started to hike the rest of the way up ourselves. It felt like being right in the middle of a volcano...probably because we were!

The change in colors looked like a play on light, but it was just the colors of the rocks themselves. So cool!

Our guide Menino, showing us the subtle differences in the rocks at our feet. 

Final push to the top!

The view from the top!

From here, we unpacked the PB&J sandwiches we'd made for lunch and ate on top of a volcano. This was definitely a moment where I stopped to appreciate that I was not sitting behind my desk at work eating lunch today.

The group at the top. 

Heading back down. Still quite a view. 

My trusty steed, awaiting my return. 

After all the heat of the day, we headed straight for the beach when we came back for a nice swim. 

And some goofing off on the beach. 

Particularly, some goofing off with the black marine iguanas that we got questionably close to. Menino said it's ok to touch them if you sneak up behind them. Hmm...

Once again, we ended the night with sundowners and hammocks. 

However, over the night, something fascinating happened. Apparently, one of the volcanos blew! One girl from our trip saw it happening, but didn't think anyone would want to be woken!!!!!! I had no words. It was completely safe, and would have been so amazing to see!! To say I was a touch annoyed that I missed it would be an understatement.

[Side note: When I eventually made it back to Quito to check my email at the end of the trip, I had quite a few angry and panicked messages from my mother. Turns out the eruption made the news in the US, particularly as some of the tortoises in the area were questionably in trouble. My mom restrained her panic as she consulted which island my itinerary said we'd be on, but lost it when she saw I was not only on the exact island of the eruption, but that I'd be hiking volcanos and exploring lava tunnels. She apparently had many angry conversations with the GAP Adventures Ecuadorian office looking to ensure my safety, and not getting a satisfactory answer. Needless to say, she was not happy when I told her I was fine, but so disappointed that I had missed it!]

The next morning, reeling from the disappointment of missing a LIVE ERUPTION, we made up for it by another snorkel by the harbor of Isabela. Menino joined us again as our local expert.

 Of course, this meant saying hello to some old friends. 

Also got to see some of our more brightly colored friends while we boated around the craggy, volcanic harbor: more boobies! 

The unique animal for the Isabela snorkeling experience was its colony of penguins. Yes, in this warm, tropical climate, there were penguins all over the place. Snorkeling with them was amazing as they would zip around underwater like little torpedos. It was so cool.

One of my favorite photos: sea lion, pelican, penguins. 

We then pulled the boat up onto a smaller island still within the Isabela harbor area, and took a hike around where the area was almost completely covered with marine iguanas. These guys clearly aren't dangerous (as my past photos have indicated) despite their scary appearance, and they are completely unique to the Galapagos in that they have evolved to swim in the sea. The males will forage for algae in the water, while the females wait for low tide to eat it off the rocks that are exposed. Then everyone climbs onto the rocks to warm themselves up. 

The other wild thing about these guys is that the salt they ingest while swimming around must be excreted. They do so by "sneezing" it through their nose. This causes a lot of weird things shooting around the colony of iguanas and results in the white on the tops of these lavas rocks from the concentrated salt. 

These guys also often huddle together for warmth and protection. As post swim, their body temperature is at its coldest, this makes them most vulnerable to prey at this time. This is when they are their most aggressive and why they stick together. Not sure I trust Menino's previous advice. 

The island also had tons of the brightly colored crabs on it.

A beautiful morning hike. 

Santa Cruz

From here, it was time to hit the sea and head to our last island of the trip. Once we landed, we had to say goodbye to the Christine and its crew as our time on the sea had come to an end. 

However, the trip wasn't over as we had just arrived in Santa Cruz. The most populated of all the islands we visited, this was the first one that looked like it had started to capitalize on the nature that surrounds it. There were gift shops and lots of established restaurants.

The harbor was still beautiful though. 

Along the harbor was a fish market. While the fisherman had gone home for the day, the pelicans were still sticking around, hoping for some morsel to magically appear.

The downtown in Santa Cruz also had lots of fun artwork that gave it great character. 

The next day we headed to another tortoise conservation center. But this one was special, as we were at the headquarters of the Charles Darwin Research Station, a biological research station working to conserve the unique species of the Galapagos. 

In the station were lots more tortoises, and these adorable guys just never get old. 

From the little ones...

...to the big guys.

Love these guys. 

And as I'm now learning, what would tortoise conservation be without a bit of "uhhhhhhh"? 

However, there was one guy in particular who is the celebrity of the center. His name was Lonesome George (in his little paddock behind the pool). He was discovered in 1971 and was the last of his species, tortoises from the island of Pinta. While he lived to be over 100 years old (he died in 2012, four years after I took this trip), no mating attempts were successful to continue his line. 

One of the sweetest things I heard while we were learning about Lonesome George was from George, the older man on our trip who was traveling with his wife Emily. When they discussed how mating attempts had failed, George gently said "oh, he has not found his Emily yet". Awwwww. 

From the research station, we headed over to the conservancy, where tortoises are roaming in a natural habitat that is protected. In the main building, there were two giant tortoise shells available for guests to "try on". 

If this doesn't give a little perspective as to how massive these things are, I don't know what does!

George, imitating Lonesome George. 

These things were also insanely heavy. Tortoises are strong!

Joking that I was going to now mount Rachel before falling over in a fit of laughter. 

Outside the center, we saw more of these gentle giants in their natural habitat. 

While we were here, we found a yellow iguana, different from the marine iguana in that he is land based. The yellow was so striking after all the camoflauged black ones. 

A unique treat of this conservancy is that it also has some lava tunnels. We descended the long staircase into the earth to navigate them. 

This one was much fancier than the ones on Isabela, as there were lights to show the way. 

The only part that I was not a huge fan of in these tunnels was that there was one part, only about a foot tall, that we had to wiggle to get under and through. I do not like squeezing through tight spaces like this. I got through as quickly as possible while trying to not imagine some volcanic activity occurring and pinning me to this spot. 

Phew. Back out of the Earth and officially done with our formal tours. We decided to take a walk to a beautiful beach and another swim in the ocean. 

Except that despite this idyllic beach scene, the water was SO rough. And I'm a good swimmer. But this was pretty difficult to handle. So there was more wandering around and taking photos instead of swimming. This sign is no joke!

Ahh, so relaxing. Like a dream. 

That evening, we closed out our trip with a party. Starting with free shots of tequila!

And then dinner which included mahi mahi cooked on a personal lava rock. 

And finally, cocktails in a coconut with our new friends from the trip.

The next day, we hopped a plane back to Quito and civilization and we were NOT happy about it. The Galapagos were such a magical, rustic, untouched place, and surpassed all expectations (not that we had many). There is no other place in the world like the Galapagos Islands, just like the species that inhabit them.