Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Galapagos Islands, Ecuador (5/17-25/2014)
Blue-Footed Boobies - Santa Cruz Island Galapagos |
Welcome to a unique travel experience that we are glad we did. The animals, birds, and sea creatures in the Galapagos Islands are not afraid of people. You can walk right up to them without disturbing them so seeing these amazing animals up front is a highlight of visiting the Galapagos. It is not unusual to walk around sleeping sea lions and iguanas – actually, it becomes a standard event.
Wayne Says Hello to Sea Lion - Red Mangrove Lodge |
Small Penguins (Furthest North) - Galapagos |
One of the great things about the Galapagos Islands is it is the place where one of the most significant modern scientific revelations occurred. The discoveries and achievements of Charles Darwin are truly amazing. Scientists (even Darwin) believed in the fixed species theory.
Don't Do This at Home! - Wayne with Sea Lyon |
With a tremendous amount of research and thought, Darwin proved to the world that species evolve to better suit their environment. The Galapagos inspired Darwin’s Theory of the Evolution of Speciesthat opened up a new way of thinking about our existence on this wonderful planet.
Kayaking Off Santa Cruz Island - Galapagos |
Interestingly, the Galapagos Islands, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, are located on the equator in the Pacific Ocean 1,000 miles west of Ecuador. The Galapagos islands were once shelter for pirates and whaling ships. Now they are a natural paradise for tourists and scientists. Because of the unique isolation of species and their evolution, British scientist Charles Darwin’s visit in the 19thcentury put the Galapagos in a whole new category.
Great travel tip... A more affordable way to visit the Galapagos Islands is to fly into the main city of Puerto Ayoro on Santa Cruz Island, where the main airport is located, and arrange day trips around Santa Cruz and to the other islands. If you don’t come during the busy season, you can often find good last minute deals on single or multiple day boat trips – see below for some good suggestions of islands and places to visit.
View from Our Hotel - Red Mangrove Lodge Santa Cruz Island |
Marine Iguana - Isabela Island Galapagos |
Important to kind in mind... We liked our visit to the Galapagos very much. We should note that we felt the Galapagos publicity that we have seen for years (i.e. fantastic National Geographic videos, etc.) set our expectations very high. If you plan to visit the Galapagos, you should probably lower your expectations in order to not be a bit disappointed. You will see some pretty wonderful things but not in the way National Geographic photographers captured it waiting weeks to get one shot.
Yellow Warbler - Santa Cruz Island Galapagos |
Santa Cruz Island is in the center of the Galapagos Islands and the second largest island after Isabela. The main town (Puerto Ayora) of the Galapagos is located on Santa Cruz and the Galapagos’ main airport (Baltra) is next to Santa Cruz (see below for traveling tips to the Galapagos). With about 20,000 people (around half of the Galapagos’ total population), Puerto Ayora is by far the most populated city in the islands. There are some other small villages on Santa Cruz, whose inhabitants work in agriculture and cattle raising.
Giant Galapagos Tortoise - Santa Cruz Island Galapagos |
Pat Enjoying Hike - El Chato Tortoise Reserve |
A highlight of our visit to the Galapagos was the El Chato Tortoise Reserve to see the giant Galapagos tortoises. Visiting this reserve is a highlight of many of the people who visit to the Galapagos and should not be missed. Since I was a small boy, I have been infatuated with tortoises and turtles. It’s been my dream since childhood to see the giant Galapagos tortoises in the wild. I was watching one large male eating when he decided to start walking and passed a few feet from me (see photo). I could reach out and touch him and he did not care. I got to look eye-to-eye with a giant Galapagos tortoise in their native territory – a thrill for me and all those around us.
Giant Galapagos Tortoise |
The giant Galapagos tortoise is a very interesting creature. They live to 150 years and males grow to be over 500 pounds. The species dates back millions of years. Valued for their meat and high fat content for lantern oil, whalers and other sailors hunted them greatly reducing their numbers. Also, the introduction of animals such as goats, who eat all the vegetation, and rats, who eat their eggs, have further reduced their numbers to extinction in the case of one of the seven sub-species. Today, with protection, captive breeding programs, and elimination of goats, the giant Galapagos tortoise population is increasing and now estimated to be around 40,000.
Sea Lions Take Over the Deck at Red Mangrove Lodge |
Santa Cruz Island is a large dormant volcano with the last eruptions estimated to occur about a million and a half years ago. If you are interested in volcanoes, there is a large illuminated lava tunnel near the village of Santa Rosa that is about a half mile long that you can visit and walk through. Also somewhat interesting, there are two big holes (Los Gemelos, or "The Twins") formed by the collapse of a lava chamber.
Lots of 'Customers' at the Fish Market - Puerto Ayora |
Pat & Wayne at Puerto Ayora Harbor |
Most of Puerto Ayora’s main tourist areas are close enough to walk everywhere. You can head to a nice beach on the island using a water taxi costing $.60 cents (see below) or take taxis for the longer rides ($1-2 around town – more for longer trips).
Abgerneyer Point Restaurant - Santa Cruz Island |
The Charles Darwin Research Station located at the north end of town is an interesting place to visit. You can see the baby tortoise captive breeding program and other things. Having a naturalist guide with you will help you enjoy and appreciate the efforts here and you will learn much more about the uniqueness of the Galapagos Islands.
Beach In Front of Finch Bay Hotel Santa Cruz Island |
Tortuga Bay - Santa Cruz Island Galapagos |
Beautiful Path to Tortuga Bay |
Las Grietas - Santa Cruz Island |
Las Grietas (see photo) is a popular swimming place for locals where they climb the rock sides and jump in. In our opinion, it makes for a just OK excursion. It’s a bit of a hike and we thought the beaches mentioned above were more fun. Directions:To reach Las Grietas, you can take a water taxi ($.60) from the main dock to the Abgerneyer Point restaurant. Then follow the signs to the Finch Bay Hotellocated about 10 minutes easy walk away. The beach here is one of the nicest beaches close to Puerto Ayora and you may want to stay here.
Local Art - Puerto Ayora Santa Cruz Island |
North Seymour Island is a nice day trip from Puerto Ayora giving you a chance to see bird colonies of blue-footed Boobies and Herons combined with snorkeling. A scuba dive trip to Gordon Rocks is good to see the fascinating hammerhead sharks along with marine turtles, manta rays, and large fish.
Marine Iguanas - Las Tintoreras Isabela Island |
Isabela Island is the largest island of the Galapagos with an area of 1,790 square miles, and 62 miles long - almost four times the size of Santa Cruz. It was named after Spain’s Queen Isabella.
Tour Guide Wayne Takes a Nap - Galapagos Islands |
Isabela Island is also interesting for its relatively new lava fields that have not developed the sufficient soils required to support the diverse life zones found on other Galapagos Islands. Many people enjoy the rather steep and changeling hike to the top of the massive Volcan Sierra Negra volcano that last erupted in 2005. About 4 miles across, it is considered the second biggest active crater in the world. The view can be spectacular and you can often see many Galapagos birds along the way. A guided tour is best because the top is often foggy and you can get lost. It can be pretty muddy during the rainy season.
Jesus Rises From the Galapagos - Cristo Salvador Church Puerto Villamil Isabela Island |
One of our favorite excursions we did in the Galapagos was to Las Tintoreras, just a few minutes from the main town on Isabela Island. Seeing the marine life on this jagged lava field is very interesting. Even more fun for us was the excellent snorkeling in the small Las Tijeretasbay where we swam with sea turtles and saw blue and yellow starfish and lots of other interesting fish. It’s a good chance you will see blue-footed boobies, Galapagos penguins, nesting marine iguanas and sea lions, and resting white-tipped reef sharks (in season).
Swimming Marine Iguana - Galapagos Ecuador |
We had an experience at Las Tintorereas we will never forget.While snorkeling, about a dozen large marine iguanas swam by just a few feet from us to get the exposed algea during low tide at the other end of the lagoon. Viewing swimming iguanas right in front of us is a unique travel experience we will never forget! These amazing reptiles can hold their breath for an hour while they eat algae.
Pat Enjoying Our Hotel - Red Mangrove Lodge on Playa de Puerto Villamil Isabela Island |
You can stay on Isabela Island in the town of Puerto Villamil. The town itself has an ugly main square and is very ‘sleepy’ (nice word for dead) but it located right on a very nice beach. Day trips from here are easy to arrange. We very much enjoyed spending time in the white sand beach and swimming in the ocean at the very pretty Playa de Puerto Villamilbeach in front of our hotel, the Red Mangrove Lodge (see photo).
Galapagos Crab - Santa Cruz Island |
Another popular Galapagos island is San Cristobal Island where you can stay in the capital of the Galapagos, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, with its new attractive malecon. At San Cristobal, people visit La Loberia, a coral sandy beach with boobies, sea lions, marine iguanas, frigates, pelicans, and finches. Snorkeling is possible, even a chance with hammerhead sharks at Kicker Rock. There is a good Interpretation Center that shows the history, geography, and biology of the Galapagos. People also visit Floreana Island but we discovered it was not the favorite of many we spoke to.
Best time to visit the Galapagos Islands... Because the Galapagos Islands are located on the equator, they enjoy a moderate temperature most the year with December to February with the most rain.
Peligans at Concha - Perla Santa Cruz Island |
Traveling to the Galapagos Islands... You should plan on round trip flight costs (around $500) to Baltra Airport from Guayaquil on Ecuador’s coast, plus $100 Galapagos entrance fee paid at the airport (have this ready in U.S. dollars). Trips to the Galapagos usually include a visit to Ecuador’s capital city, Quito, which we highly recommend. From Quito, flight costs will probably cost a little more. There is another $10 fee for a card that you should purchase at the airport before flying to Baltra.
Treat yourself and see many more photos (some winners of awards) of our worldwide travel adventures - click on our travel photo file: www.flickr.com/photos/unhooknow/sets.
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