Having spent almost two weeks in the cold and damp cloud forests of Mindo, north of Quito, we were well and truly looking forward to some warmer weather. Some people say that the temperature and weather can have an impact on your emotional well-being, and for me, that is true. Not to say that I mope about when it is cold and wet, but I do notice my spirits lift and a renewal of energy when I feel the warm sun and see some blue in the sky. So off we flew, from Quito, the second highest capital in the world at 2800masl to the Galapagos Islands, 1000km off the coast of Ecuador in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
We had considered the pros and cons of taking an all inclusive boat trip vs. DIY and finally decided that the prices on the ‘last minute’ websites were out of our budget (about $1700 for 8 days). When we arrived in Puerto Ayora, the biggest ‘town’ on the Islands, we had a look around to see what our options were. Lucky were we, the lovely Bettyat Joybe Tours, had an 8 day trip to the outer islands departing the very next day for only $950. The pressure was off, all we had to do was kick back and enjoy the ride!
Arriving on board our vessel King of the Seas the next day, we discovered it was shabby but clean and comfortable, no problems there for us. The crew of 5 plus the guide were wonderful (for a great insight into the guide, Ivan, check out Marks report in the ‘stories’ section). The boat had the capacity for only 12 passengers, which made the group like a small family.
The first afternoon we visited ‘Black Turtle Cove’ a mangrove lined shallow bay on the north of Santa Cruz Island. We were paddled in on the small rubber tender, so as to not disturb the wildlife. In perspective, this was a unique site in the Galapagos, as it was the only mangrove environment we visited. We were all so overwhelmed with wonder, when we spotted turtles, small sharks and rays. Grey pelicans with small black birds balanced on their heads to steal the fish. I almost squealed when a sea lion popped up next to the boat. Little did I know that over the next week, sea lions would be as common a sight as pigeons in London.
After motoring all night, we spent the next day on land based activities on Santa Cruz Island. My highlight here was seeing the giant land tortoises. These guys were free to wander throughout the wild national park but they liked to roam onto the rehabilitated ranch because of the good grazing and ponds to hang out in. Some of these tortoises were over 200 years old and it was almost like watching huge dinosaurs loping across the fields.
The third day we spent on two new islands, Isla Plaza Sur and Isla Santa Fe. Both of these islands were best known for cactus eating land iguanas, which are bright yellow and black. Like all of the animals on the Galapagos, they seemed completely unaware of the humans who had gathered to watch them. The other type of iguana living in the Galapagos is the marine iguana, which spends most of the daylight hours sunning on the rocks, raising its blood temperature enough to spend an hour in the sea, eating algae and surfing the waves. On Isla Plaza Sur we visited the sea lion ‘losers corner’ where the bull sea lions who lose the battles over the females gather.
We motored all night and woke up at Punta Pitt, on the northern coast of the next island – Isla San Cristobel. Punta Pitt is a small white sandy bay, backed by soaring cliffs. The hike up the canyon was so ‘Kimberley-esque’ for those of you who know the Kimberley region in Australia, where we spent two years tour guiding. One of the most dramatic scenes landscape-wise that we saw. Wildlife highlights at this site were the rare chatham mockingbird and the red-footed boobie, found only here and one other remote island in the far north.
After lunch snorkelled at Kicker Rock, 2 huge monoliths jutting from the sea. We saw sharks, rays and turtles, and a few of our crew saw a hammerhead shark! Then we visited Cerro Brujo on the west coast of Isla San Cristobel, a long stretch of white sandy beach to rival any in Australia. And covered with sea lions!
A brief interlude in the main narrative to explore Sea Lions. I could have sat on the beach and watched these guys all day. No matter how many we saw (and they were EVERYWHERE), they were all so cute and expressive, clumsy yet graceful. Their coats were shiny black when wet and go a furry golden brown once dry. I think they really should have been called ‘sea dogs’, the way they looked with their big brown eyes. On the beach they just laze around in different poses – mostly sleeping. The young play, lumbering around on their stubby flippers. Bigger ones clumsily climbed over each other, ‘stacks on’ style. We were told not to touch any animals, but especially not young sea pups – if their mothers smell humans on them, they will reject them, and then they will starve.
A gorgeous, but heartbreaking scene we saw was a little guy looking from his mother. He skipped/shuffled along the beach from one adult sea lion to another, sniffing then and making cute little barking sounds. One after the other the adults growled at him ‘I’m not your mummy.’ I wonder if his mother was out fishing or if something more sinister had happened… mum eaten by a shark, or baby touched by a tourist? We will never know how the story ends.
On the south-western coast of Isla San Cristobel is a small rocky island called Isla Lobos (or sea lion island). We awoke here on the fifth morning, and, as usual, there were tonnes of sea lions lazing about. The wildlife highlight of this site, for me, were the blue-footed boobies. These guys are rather solid sea birds with bright blue feet. We were lucky enough to see one nesting with two little chicks on the nest – it was the daddy bird minding the young and he had them perched on his feet! A little further along the path we came across a pair of boobies ‘dancing’ which is their courting ritual. Yet another sight you would only expect to see on National Geographic Channel.
We had a little spare time in the afternoon to check out the ‘capital city’ of the Galapagos, sleepy Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. I think there were more sea lions enjoying the boardwalk than locals!
That evening was the Ecuador vs Peru world cup qualifier, and although the Galapagos are 1000km from the mainland, the locals are still highly patriotic. Everyone was wearing the national yellow football colours (even some poodles!) and the TVs were on in every little shop, restaurant and house. Unfortunately Ecuador lost on that occasion, but they still have a few more chances to qualify.
Isla Espanola is the most southerly island in the Galapagos group, and one of the most starkly beautiful. Our morning destination on the sixth day was Gardner Bay, a white sandy beach that is even more stunning than Cerro Brujo on Isla San Cristobel.
In the afternoon we went for a hike at Punta Suarez on the Western side of the island, which is mostly know for the Waved Albatross colony who breed there. These guys seriously look like sea gulls on steroids, with huge yellow beaks and 2.5m wingspans. They are so big that they have trouble taking off on flat ground, and so they jump off cliffs, flap their wings and are away. We had to sit quietly by the cliff for half an hour to see one in action – they awkwardly waddle up to the cliff edge and just drop over. Moments later soaring high in the sky.
Our final Island experience was Isla Floreana. I was holding out hope for two species here – Pink Flamingos and Penguins. I had read that the Flamingos were often here, in a brackish lagoon behind the sand dunes, but usually they were spotted in the distance. Super lucky – there were three flamingos only metres from the path. It was mesmerising to watch them. They were feeding on microscopic shrimp through filters in their beaks, rhythmically stepping up and down with their long legs to stir up the mud that the shrimp live in. The sound they made while feeding wouldn’t have been out of place in an Alien movie!
Unfortunately no penguins.
Our final site was Post Office Bay, where pirates and whalers have been leaving mail for centuries. Now tourists are carrying on the tradition, leaving postcards without stamps to be collected by other travellers who hand deliver them if they find one nearby where they live. It was fun rifling through the stacks of postcards, and we took some to deliver to a few of the countries that we will be passing through on our trip.
Final thoughts.. What I brought away with me from this Galapagos experience (apart from lots of amazing wildlife memories) is the hope that in the future many more vulnerable natural areas could be managed as well as the Galapagos Islands. So much theory that is taught in universities around the world about preservation and the ways to limit the impact of tourists on delicate ecosystems has actually been put in place here.
The guides are so well educated, both theoretically and practically.
The monetary cost of visiting is high enough to prevent the average ‘yob’ from coming along, but not so high that it restricts those who really want to be there for the right reasons.
The logistics of granting permits to 107 boats to visit land and sea sites so that they rarely overlap.
Simple practices like cleaning your shoes before returning to the boat, to prevent transferring organisms from one island to another. Only allowing entry to most areas with a guide. This meant to see anything we had to join a tour group, which isn’t how we usually like to travel, but for the most part it was ok.
If you have ever considered visiting the Galapagos, and have even a slight interest in wildlife – GO!!
