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Published: March 18th 2010
My flight landed in Galapagos at 10am local time on Monday 15 February and after collecting my backpack I boarded a bus that took us to the Itabaca Channel. We boarded a boat for the short crossing and then boarded another bus which made the 45 minute journey to Puerto Ayora, the main town on Santa Cruz Island. I walked around the town to check a few different hotels and eventually found one that had a room available. I had a nice refreshing shower and got settled in before going for a walk around the town to explore. Then I had a very nice lunch at a place called The Rock although I was not used to these very high food and drink prices. The rest of the afternoon was spent in my room with the air conditioning on as the heat outside was unbearable, especially with my bites. I fell asleep at 8pm and did not wake up until 8am so I finally got the good sleep that I was in desperate need of. After my hotel breakfast on Tuesday, I went to a couple of tour agencies to try and book my Galapagos cruise. All of the boats were
to leave on Thursday but were already full apart from one (well so they told me). So I booked this very cheap cruise for Thursday and crossed my fingers. Then I bought a few bits from the supermarket and returned to my room to watch Stoke Vs Man City. I went for a late lunch at a restaurant looking out onto the Marina and then returned to my room for the evening where I watched AC Milan Vs Man Utd. After breakfast on Wednesday, I walked to the Charles Darwin Research Centre where I looked around the visitor’s centre which explains a lot about the Islands and the conservation work that is being carried out. There was also a tortoise breeding centre and lots of giant tortoises. I saw the famous Lonesome George who is the last of his species and he is in an enclosure with 2 genetically matched females in hope that he will breed. I also saw iguanas that are endemic to Galapagos. After my visit, I quickly explored the local beach but it was so hot that I decided to walk back to town where I went for a pizza lunch. Then I returned to my
room to watch Porto Vs Arsenal before having a siesta. I had a really bad headache (probably from too much sun) so I went for a little walk, got some paracetemol and bought a Snickers and a drink for dinner back in the room. In the evening I watched basketball and packed my stuff in preparation for checking out in the morning. I checked out at 10am and went for breakfast, pancakes with fruit and a mango smoothie. My boat did not depart until 6pm so I decided to spend the day in the internet shop, mainly to stay out of the sun. I did go for lunch at The Rock and then at 5pm, I went to my hotel to collect my bag and then went to the tour agency shop. The guy from the agency walked me to the port and put me on a water taxi and then left. The taxi took me to my cruise boat (Rumba) and I hopped on board and was shown to my room. After a quick shower I joined the other 8 guests for dinner at 6.30pm. Each person received a mountain of pasta, tuna and vegetables which was really nice
but impossible to finish. Then our guide explained the program for the following day in our briefing. The rest of the evening was spent chatting to the other guests on the boat. All but my roommate had already been on the boat since Sunday and so they could tell us what we could look forward to on the circuit of islands. Our boat left the port on Santa Cruz Island at 10pm for our 8 hour journey to Isabela Island. I went to bed at 11pm but our very small room was like a sauna. After suffering for a while, we realised that the air conditioning either wasn't working or wasn't strong enough so we opened our window. This solved the problem as the breeze blew in as we moved and I had a pretty good sleep. We were lucky as we had a room upstairs as everyone else was downstairs and so did not have windows that opened. I was worried about sea sickness but the first night seemed OK so the tablets must have been working. I woke up at 6.15am with the sound of the anchor being lowered at Isabela Island. At 6.30am we all got into
the small motor boat that took us to the trail at Sendero Las Tintoreras. On the way there we saw some blue footed boobies, penguins and marine iguanas. Our guide led us along the trail path and explained things as we saw them. We observed the marine iguanas burrowing their holes and also witnessed a couple of territorial fights. There were literally hundreds of iguanas on this small stretch of beach along with a few sea lions. In the water around the trail we saw sea turtles, a spotted sting ray and even a couple of baby sharks. There was also a washed up dead eel being eaten by a crab. The trail looped back to our small boat and we jumped on board and headed back to the Rumba for breakfast (French toast, egg, cheese and juice). At 10am we got back on the small boat which took us to a bay for an hour of snorkelling. The water was warm, visibility was great and we got to see a lot of different fish and a few sting rays. We even saw a couple of sharks which were quite close to us. I didn't know what type of shark
they were, I just hoped it wasn't the kind that liked to eat people. We headed back to the Rumba for lunch at 12pm and then had an hour to relax on board. At 2pm we were back on the small boat that took us to Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island. A bus then took us to a turtle reserve and then the Wall of Tears Prison. This was a large wall constructed by prisoners in the 1940s and 1950s under very harsh conditions. Just standing there looking at it in the extreme sunshine made us tired. We also climbed some steps to a lookout point where we could see lots of vegetation on Isabela Island, the beach and other small islands nearby (Three Brothers islands). The bus then took us to a lagoon with pink flamingos and other birds. Then we went to the beach where we walked along the sand and watched marine iguanas creating trails as they walked in front of us. When we reached the town I bought an ice cream and a drink and then sat on the sand by a small idyllic bay. At 5.30pm we were taken back to the Rumba and after
a shower I sat down to our dinner at 6.30pm. Again, after dinner our itinerary for the following day was explained to us by our guide. The rest of the evening was spent chatting and I also wrote my travel blog. Our boat departed at 8pm for the 11 hour journey to the tiny island (less than a quarter of a square kilometre in size) of Sombrero Chino (or Chinese Hat). Everyone was either really tired or feeling sea sick and so we all had an early night. I was in bed by 9.30pm and it didn't take long to get to sleep. I had another good sleep (maybe it was the travel sickness pills I was taking??) and I woke up at 6.30am just as we anchored. Breakfast was at 7am and then we visited Sombrero Chino Island. We pulled up on a tiny stretch of beach and then we walked over the volcanic landscape where our guide explained to us how the island was formed. We saw various different birds including heron but the highlight was observing a hawk as it was perched on a rock. We also saw a lot of sea lions including a pup taking
shade in a bush. When we walked back to the beach there were a few sea lions there and a mother was feeding her pup. We went back to the Rumba and got ready for snorkelling at 9.30am. As soon as we started snorkelling we saw so many white tip reef sharks along with a huge sting ray. We stayed in the same spot for a while just watching the sharks circle below. I swam behind one shark for a while and followed it into a type of cave but I quickly turned around as another shark twice the size was coming towards me. Then we started swimming along close to the rocks and there was such a variety of sea life to be seen in the clear, warm water. As I swam I saw a marine iguana enter the water and then swim alongside me. Then I found a shallow cave that went into a small pool of water where I could stand up. There was a sea lion playfully swimming in circles around me. As I swam back to the boat, I stopped by a rock with four penguins perched on it and so I was literally in
touching distance of them. This was definitely a highlight of the trip and the best snorkelling that we would have. We returned to the Rumba for lunch at 12pm and then had time to relax as the boat made the 1 hour journey to Bartolome Island. At 2.30pm we got back in the small boat for another session of snorkelling. However, as we pulled up to the small beach, the waves were crashing over the boat (I got soaked) and so it was too dangerous to disembark. We made our escape and decided to just take a leisurely cruise around the bay and take a few pictures of the rock formations and the landscape as well as a few penguins. At 4pm we went back to the mainland to visit the Pinnacle Rock. Our boat dropped us at the beginning of the trail but it was a challenge to step off as the waves were moving the boat away from the steps that rose from the sea. With everyone safely on land, we walked up the trail as our guide explained how the volcanic rocks were created. When we reached the summit we had good views of the Chinese Hat
Island and also of the bay. This bay is supposed to be the most visited and most photographed of all the islands in Galapagos. After taking a few photos and admiring the view, we returned to the bottom of the trail and waited for our boat to pick us up. The waves were still crashing in and it was too difficult for our boat to get close to the steps so luckily we were able to jump on another boat that had just dropped off passengers. Back on the Rumba I had a shower and then we sat down for dinner at 6.30pm. It was the final night of the cruise for 7 of the passengers and also the guide so the cook made a big banana sponge cake and everyone got a glass of wine. Our boat departed at 7.30pm for the 4 hour journey to Seymour Norte. I went to bed at 9pm and slept pretty well although I woke up a few times. I got up at 6am on Sunday and at 6.30am we all went to the mainland on Seymour Norte. We walked a trail that led through mangroves in one of the main nesting sites
for blue footed boobies and frigates. We saw displays of courtship from both and also their babies. Once again, we also saw numerous seals, marine iguanas and lava lizards. We returned for breakfast at 8.30am as our boat made the 30 minute journey to Baltra on Santa Cruz Island. We said our goodbyes to the other 7 passengers as they went to the airport and then I went to the beach for a couple of hours as we were waiting for our new passengers to arrive. The small beach had perfect white sand and calm, crystal clear water and was occupied by only a few sea lions. Although it was only 9.30am the sun was burning and it was nice to relax in the calm sea alongside the sea lions. When I returned to the port our new passengers and guide were waiting and we all boarded the Rumba for lunch. Then we travelled a short distance around Santa Cruz and disembarked on a beach. We walked along the beach and saw the remains of a steel barge that was left by the US Army after the war. Then we passed pelicans, marine iguanas and sea lions until we reached
a lagoon with pink flamingos. We observed how they move their legs and feet to disturb the nutrients from the bed of the lagoon and when they eat these it turns them pink. We returned along the beach and then had 45 minutes to snorkel but visibility was poor and it was raining. Back on the boat we had time to relax before our briefing for the following day at 6.30pm and then dinner at 7pm. Our boat then made the short journey to Caleta Tortuga Negra, still on Santa Cruz Island. I went to bed at 8.30pm and once again slept pretty well. I got up at 6.30am on Monday and breakfast was at 7am. Then we got into the small boat for a cruise around the bay. We stayed close to the mangroves and were fortunate to see a number of small black tip sharks and sea turtles. We even got very close to two sea turtles mating in the water. We also saw a few golden rays, some blue footed boobies, pelicans and of course sea lions. Back on the Rumba, we departed for the 3-4 hour journey to Santa Fe Island. I just lay on my
bed listening to music as I am not a fan of being on a moving boat and this ride was bumpier than previous. I did manage to get up for lunch at 12pm. As soon as we arrived in Santa Fe we jumped straight into the water to snorkel. After a while, our small boat picked us up and took us around the bay to a better spot. The water was very clear and the sea bed was very rocky so there was a lot to see. The highlight was swimming along with a sea turtle and also when the sea lions started to swim around us. It had been raining all day but luckily this didn´t affect anything. At 4.30pm everyone went on a 1 hour walking trail on Santa Fe Island but I gave this a miss as it was still raining and they were only going to see marine iguanas and sea lions which I had seen before. I spent the afternoon catching up on my blog and watching a film before our dinner at 6.30pm. The Rumba departed at 8pm for Espanola Island and we were warned that this was going to be a bumpy ride.
I was in bed by 8.30pm and the boat was bouncing so much that I literally left my mattress a couple of times. Luckily it didn´t take me long to fall asleep and I only woke up when we had arrived in Espanola Island. I got up at 6.30am on Tuesday and we all had breakfast at 7am. Then we went to Punta Suarez where we took a trail through a rookery to a blowhole. We saw a wide range of sea birds (including the blue footed, Nazca and masked boobies), sea lions and the largest and most colourful marine iguanas of the Galapagos. Back on the Rumba, we had lunch at 12pm and then made the one hour journey around to Gardner Bay on the northeastern coast. We did some snorkelling in the crystal clear waters and I swam along with a sea turtle as well as sea lions. Then we had time to spend on the beautiful white sand beach that was covered with sea lions. We walked up and down the stretch of beach taking photos of the sea lions and iguanas and then just sat around on the sand waiting to be picked up. Our briefing
and dinner were at 6.15pm and once again we were warned that the trip to Floreana Island would be bumpy. We departed at 7pm and most people were in bed before 8pm. Once again, I slept really well and I got up at 6.45am for our 7am breakfast. At 8am we went to Post Office Bay where there has been a custom since 1973 for visitors to place unstamped letters and post cards in a barrel and deliver, free of charge, any addressed to their own destination. We all dipped into the barrel and picked a bunch of letters/postcards and looked through them to see if there were any addressed near to our home addresses. A few people found some and they took them to hand deliver when they returned to their home country. Then we went for a quick walk and took a brief look into a cave before returning to the beach to hang out as we waited to be picked up. We were taken to the Devils Crown snorkelling site where we observed all the usual suspects for an hour. Back on the Rumba we had an early lunch at 11.30am as we made our way to
Punta Cormorant. This is a gorgeous green beach near a lake inhabited by flamingos. We walked around the lake taking photos as we observed the flamingos and then we reached a small beach where the water was so clear, you could see some sea turtles swimming close to the shore. We spent a while on this beach before returning past the lake to our pick up point. As soon as we were back on the Rumba at 1.30pm, we departed for our final journey back to Santa Cruz Island. Again, while we were travelling, I stayed in my room and watched TV on my iPod. We arrived at Puerto Ayora at around 6.30pm and it was pouring with rain. Chef Jorge made us a nice final meal followed by a huge cake and washed down with strong Caipirinha's. After everyone said their farewells, we all got into the small boat with our luggage and were dropped at the Port in the heavy rain. Carrying all my stuff, I walked back to Hotel Espana and checked back in. It was so nice to have a room with space and the shower was amazing. I did not want to leave the following
morning as all my stuff was wet so I changed my flight to Friday morning. This meant that on Thursday I was able to get all my laundry done and it gave me a day to recover and relax from the boat trip. I checked out on Friday morning at 7am and took a taxi to the bus stop. Then I took a bus to the Channel before taking a boat across and getting another bus to the airport. My flight to Quito was delayed by over 2 hours and then it made a stop in Guayaquil for an hour to drop off and collect passengers. After adding an hour to my watch for the time difference, I did not land in Quito until 5.30pm. Then a taxi took me to my hotel but they had messed up my reservation and so I had to look for another hotel. To cut a long story short, I did not get checked into a hotel until 9pm and I was obviously extremely tired from travelling since 7am.
MORE PHOTOS TO FOLLOW AT A LATER DATE
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