Advertisement
Published: January 30th 2013
Edit Blog Post
We caught a flight to the Galapagos Islands at 1005. To our surprise, confusion and sheer delight we were issued tickets in first class. I could fly all day like that, but sadly it was a short 1 ½ hr. flight to travel the 600 miles off the shore of Ecuador to reach the islands.
We arrived on Baltra Island, which is a small uninhabited barren island which basically only has the airport on it and nothing else. It was a US military base during WWII, and used to be home to a unique species of iguana that was eaten to extinction by feral dogs and hungry soldiers.
After a short bus ride, We took a small boat crossing across the channel onto the main island of Santa Cruz, where we will be spending the next three nights.
It was an hour long bus ride to the main city of Puerto Ayora, which is a fully functioning tourist city, complete with dozens of hotels, restaurants, gift shops and tour operators. It’s population is about 20,000, most of which are native Ecuadorians. Contrary to popular belief, out of the 14 islands in the archipelago, 5 are inhabited.
The
Galapagos were thought to be discovered in 1535 by a sailor going from Panama to Peru. Throughout the next few hundred years they were used as a stopping point for buccaneers, sealers and whalers. The Giant tortoises were almost brought to the brink of extinction, and estimates are that 100,000 were taken for food between 1811 and 1844. The sailors valued their size and durability, and stacked them in their ships holds alive for up to a year.
Charles Darwin came to the islands in the 1835, and he too dined on the tortoise. Darwin came to the islands namely for their geologic significance, and was said to be more influenced by the methods of English dog breeding in his theory of evolution. It wasn’t until tourists began to visit in the 1960’s that ecology and conservation became important in the Galapagos. Serious efforts are underway to eradicate many of the invasive species that have been brought here over time, and to repopulate the species that were in decline. The Galapagos were formed by underwater volcanic eruptions, and were never attached to the mainland, so there are numerous species of flora and fauna that are completely unique to each
island.
Upon arrival we found a great hotel a block from the beach called The New Elizabeth ($25/night) run by a sweet old woman named Wilma. Most visitors come to the islands and then take a cruise ship island to island. These tours are incredibly expensive, and cater towards what we refer to is the “rich grey hair birder” sorts. I decided on a do it yourself island hopping tour where we could go at our own pace, and save thousands, while sleeping on the land.
Once we settled in briefly, we went to the Charles Darwin Research Facility and Tortoise Breeding Center, a 20 minute walk outside of town. We stopped at Playa Estacion along the way, and had our first dip in the refreshing warm waters. At the facility they house Giant Tortoise until they are about 4 years old, then repatriate them to their home islands. There are 11 subspecies of Giant Tortoise, and this facility housed the last tortoise of the Isla Pinta species, Lonesome George. Sadly Lonesome George died last year after almost 40 years of unsuccessful mating attempts. We saw several exhibits housing dozens of turtles ranging from just 3 weeks old
to 4 years old. Tomorrow we will visit the highlands of the island to see the wild tortoise in their natural habitat.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.175s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 17; qc: 77; dbt: 0.098s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb