The Best Zoo In The World!!

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First things first, this place is unbelievable and I cannot emphasise how much you should try and see it; whether it is to save and make it your only holiday of the year, factor it into your longer travel plans or just whack it on the credit card, it is somewhere you should see…and sooner rather than later! Above everything else I have seen so far, this is by far and away the highlight. It was not originally on my itinerary but after numerous people had told me about how amazing the islands were, I felt I had to see for myself. With 200,000 tourists visiting annually the state of the islands is only going to get worse, so I thought I should see it whilst in this part of the world. There are a number of options to chose from; 5 day budget backpacker to 8 day luxury cruiser! I was told that 5 days isn’t long enough, with the majority of day 1 and 5 taken up with travelling to and from the islands, giving only 3 full days which isn’t really enough time to see everything. So I booked a mid-range 8 day adventure with Carpedm (who are situated next door to the Secret Garden hostel in Quito) aboard the M/S Encantada, costing $1,250 (US). There seemed to be about a $200 differential between boats, but when you are already having to pay $400 flights, $100 entrance fee and $10 tax, it becomes slightly insignificant! You also have to pay for most drinks on board, the hire of snorkel equipment and it is customary to tip the crew and guide at the end. So all up I don’t suppose I will be getting much change out of $2,000...which is damn expensive for 8 days.

So do I think it’s worth it? Big time!!

I chose this boat because my mate Myles was already aboard and I would be joining him for the second half of his 8 day trip, but to be honest, I imagine they are all pretty similar offering very comparable services. The Encantada is the only sail boat in the islands (although I only saw the sail once) and it really does have a lot of character about it. The cabins are tiny, moving around in the bed is virtually impossible and when I stood in the shower my head was wedged against the ceiling. It sounds uncomfortable but it all adds to the charm of the boat. It is much smaller than it looks in the pictures, but has plenty of room on deck, which is where most of the time is spent. It can cater for 12 passengers at a time (plus 6 crew) and we all eat breakfast, lunch and dinner together, which brings the group together, getting to know people well and enjoy each others company. The food is excellent, a different meal each time and plenty of it…much to my satisfaction!

So this is how the trip breaks down!

Day 1

The day started with my alarm ringing in my ear at 05:45, giving me 15 minutes to get downstairs to the meeting point, where our agency representative, Paul, would drive us to the airport. There were 5 of us making the trip that morning, all of which were booked onto the same boat as me - Lucas and Cassie from Australia and Gilles and Berthe from Canada. After frightening my bank balance for the 3rd day in a row and handing over the final instalment for the trip, we were all checked in and ready for take off at 07:50. I don’t usually get too excited about the view from the plane, but this morning was a big exception - snow capped volcanoes - what an incredible start to the day!! After a brief touch down in Guayaquil to drop off and pick up passengers, we were taking off again and heading 600 miles across the Pacific, bound for the Galapagos Islands. We touched down on Baltra Island and took a bus across to Santa Cruz where we had a nice lunch in a restaurant, before heading to the Charles Darwin Centre where we got to view the giant tortoises, which had almost been wiped out on the Galapagos, due to over-hunting from fisherman - they made a decent meal by all accounts and could be stored for up to a year on their backs before being turned into soup. They are called giants for a reason, some weighing up to 500 pounds (or about 230kgs) and live for over a hundred years. A lot of them are kept in captivity for breading purposes before being reintroduced to the islands when they can fend for themselves. One tortoise, George, is a bit of a celebrity as he was put into an enclosure full of females to boost numbers. He was successful for a while before going on a ‘dry spell’… for 38 years! Now I know what its like to go on a dry spell, but for 38 years…poor fella!!

We also saw land iguanas in enclosures and numerous lizards running around freely. It was an interesting place, but did feel a bit too zoo like for what I was expecting and was starting to doubt the money I had paid.

It was at this point that I need to mention our agency representative Paul, who had also flown over to the islands but was boarding another boat. As the trip had maxed my daily withdrawal limit for the past 3 days, I had nothing to spend whilst on board or to tip the crew with. Although Paul lives and works in Quito and I am flying to Guayaquil, he still subbed me $100 which he just told me to get back to him some how. I am still yet to figure that out but was gob smacked at his level of trust and generosity. I’m not convinced it’s the best way to run a business, but if you need a better reason to use Carpedm then I guess this could be it. (Or he makes far too much commission and can afford to lose $100 - I do have some experience of how sales people operate!). I didn’t have a single problem with them and all was organised very well.

We eventually boarded the Encantada at 18:00 where we met with the passengers already on board, Josta, Marco and Dick from Holland and Myles from Australia, who I met in Uruguay and did the Lost City trek with in Colombia. Mirjam and Maryn, also from Holland and Nick from England made up the remaining passengers. I had met Nick in Uruguay, about 3 weeks into my trip, but had forgotten his face by the time we randomly bumped into each other at Carnival in Brazil, 3 weeks later. He had remembered who I was and had engaged in full conversation before I had to ask the inevitable question of ‘ have I met you before?’ If that wasn’t embarrassing enough, I had again forgotten who he was and was mortified when, at lunch, he had to remind me that we had already met …twice before!! Sorry mate.

We enjoyed our first dinner together before a group of us disembarked the boat to be taken ashore for a few pre-trip beers, before the boat left at midnight with me tucked up in my cabin.

Day 2

The breakfast bell rang at 07:00 and all 12 passengers were up and refreshed, with the 8 newbie’s eagerly awaiting what this place had in store. We had sailed 5 hours overnight to the island of Floreana and from the briefing the previous night we knew we were going to see a lava tunnel that had been formed by molten lava running towards the sea. The outside cools leaving the hotter inside to react with the water, causing a blow out which forms the tunnel. We were able to walk inside it which, like most other tunnels (or caves) I have been in, was dark, low in places and generally not that exciting. We then visited a post box where we could send our own post card, before removing the others already ’sent’ to check the intended addresses - if we found one with our home city on, we could take it and hand deliver it, continuing a tradition that has existed for many years. Nobody expect a post card from the Galapagos from me - I didn’t send one.

We then had our first experience of snorkelling in the Galapagos, albeit from the beach, which we were told was just to practice as the chances of seeing anything spectacular was pretty slim. Our guide, Juan, was correct, although I did manage to see a turtle, which is always impressive. From here it was back to the boat for lunch, before our second snorkel of the day, this time at the Devils Crown, where we were told we would be likely to see more wildlife. How wrong we were! The visibility was awful and it appeared that all the animals had gone elsewhere to play, so after 20 minutes the trip was abandoned and we were back on board the Encantada - I was seriously starting to question this place!

After some time on board we again disembarked for Punta Cormoran where we were told we had the chance, if they were playing ball, to see flamingos. To my relief we did, and not just one, but about 30 of them, all feeding from the same lake. I’m a sucker for a bird with nice legs anyway and was blown away by the shear beauty and colour of these birds, who looked so elegant going about their business without a care in the world. I think the number of photos I took goes some way to illustrating how captivated I was by them; the unmistakable colour, their long necks, big bodies and twig like legs - a joy to watch.

From here we walked 200 metres or so to a white sandy beach where waiting for us was an abundance of bright red crabs, a blue heron and a cormorant, who was keeping a close watch over the tortoise eggs, waiting for an easy meal! I had started to see the wonder of this place and just hoped that the next few days would be more like the afternoon of today.

During dinner tonight we had the formal introductions of the crew, which was a nice touch, along with a free pina colada…an even nicer touch!

Day 3

After a roller coaster night, sailing the 7 hours to Espanola Island, we were up earlier at 06:45 and were ferried across to Punta Suarez after breakfast for our first taste of sea lions and marine iguanas. After the previous day I was slightly sceptical however, my scepticism was soon alleviated even before we had reached dry land. You could sea the sea lions basking in the morning sunshine from our dingy which gave me a positive hope, one that has not subsided since here! Walking down the makeshift jetty, the rocks were lined with sea lions, who were either sleeping or posing for a picture. Alongside them were numerous marine iguanas of various sizes, all unmoved by human presence and happy for us to take their photos. I was amazed. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and couldn’t help but laugh about it - truly astounding and a wonderful experience. The best bit being that this was just the start!

We were led on a walk of the island, ensuring to keep within the well marked paths. We saw a number of Blue Footed Boobies, so called because they have blue feet, Masked Boobies, Seagulls (that are far more impressive than the seagulls in England) and Albatross, who had not long migrated from the Antarctic, a mere 3 month journey. The sea birds were very impressive and we were treated to shows of flirtation between male and female, listening to the different types of mating call and observing the different ways in which these animals attract members of the opposite sex. It was incredible to be there and felt like I was on the set of David Attenborough’s latest documentary, only there is no script here and the actors/actresses are free to make it up as they go along!

Further down the path we rested on the rocks and watched a blow hole - where the pressure of the waves forces water out of a hole in the rocks. Again an impressive piece of nature…and a good spot for a picture! This really is a place where the picture should do the talking, although like most things, they really don’t come close to doing the real thing justice.

After lunch and after swimming with curious Stripebelly Puffer fish we were dropped on the perfect white sand beach of Garner Bay, which was covered in sea lions. We came ashore and took dozens of photos - sea lions sleeping, playing, babies feeding from their mum - again amazing! We then went for another snorkel, about 50 metres out to sea around some rocks, where I swam amongst a shoal of Razor Surgeonfish, saw my first Moorish Idol and Azure Parrotfish (Google images) and followed a baby Manta Ray. I was taken aback by the number of different species happily swimming around and thought it only possible to see this amount scuba diving, but already I had seen more in these 45 minutes than I did the whole time I scuba dived in Thailand 15 months previous!

Back on the beach I was witness to what I can only describe as nature at its best and something I feel totally privileged to observe. After the even had happened we overheard a guide say that she had worked here for 21 years and this was only the second time she had seen it, testament to how lucky we really were and how I hope those images stay with me forever. For no apparent reason, baby hatchling turtles began clumsily making their way from the bushes that lined the beach, across the sand, dodging the sea lions towards the sea in an attempt to make their way to freedom. In an ideal world they would have swum off to freedom to become adults however, the pirates of the sky had other ideas, viewing these harmless little babies as nothing more than a free meal. The Great Frigatebird’s above would circle and swoop and no amount of human help could postpone the plight of the defenceless little turtles, who were effortlessly plucked from the shallow waters. There must have been at least 25 attempts at freedom, yet not one made it, illustrating how difficult it is for many species to survive this planet. Indeed, even if the baby turtles had survived the attack from above, they were almost certain to meet death from a predator in the water. One thing is for sure, if I ever return to this planet, I don’t want to do so as a baby turtle! In many respects it was a sad thing to witness, but on the other hand, a no better example of watching nature at its best…and as our guide said, keeping natures balance. It was probably (at that point) the single most amazing piece of nature I would ever be likely to witness first hand and although the outcome was not how the story books would have written it, I felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction to be able to say that I was there when it happened. My pictures may not tell the full story, but for me, that moment alone justified the cost of the trip - a real once in a lifetime experience - a real honour!

Day 4

The morning meet time was earlier again this morning, at 06:00, and this time we didn’t even get breakfast before disembarking. We boarded the dingy and headed the 5 minute journey towards Lobos Island, where we were followed by a group of playful sea lions, who swam next to the boat, jumping up and down alongside us. We also saw a turtle idly swim in the opposite direction. I had only been up 30 minutes and already the day was off to a great start! On the island we were treated to more displays of affection by sea birds and had plentiful photo opportunities of the stationary marine iguanas.

After breakfast we navigated 4 hours towards the island of Santa Fe where we were told we should be on deck as the chances of seeing animals was high. I was glad I did! Whilst midway through one of my many sun tanning sessions, one of the Dutch guys claimed he had seen something, to which we all sprang to life for a look. Sure enough he had seen something; swimming alongside the boat were 3 Bottlenose Dolphins. What a breathtaking sight. These 3 mammals were having a great time, criss-crossing in front of the boat, periodically jumping out of the water for our entertainment and generally appearing to have a great time. It was something I had always wanted to see and now I have another amazing thing to tick off the list. I just wish we could have got in and has a swim with them ourselves.

Before lunch today I was treated to another moment of natures brilliance, comparable to that of yesterday with the baby turtle. Whilst we were choosing our place to drop anchor, we could see a dark mass below the surface, something that resembled the shadow of a cloud above however, as there are generally no clouds in the sky, it couldn’t be that. There were already a group snorkelling there and it wasn’t long before we had joined them, although we had been given strict instruction to only view the massive shoal of fish from the surface and not to dive down amongst them. Our guide didn’t say this to spoil our fun, but because there were sharks amongst them!! I think this would have deterred a lot of people, but this only seemed to encourage our group, who within 2 minutes all had their snorkel gear and fins on, swimming straight for the cloud of fish below the surface. I can honestly say I have never felt more in somebody else’s territory than I did for those 40 minutes and was completely and utterly blown away by the experience of seeing these amazing creatures effortlessly cut through the fish cloud below me. They definitely knew we were there, no question about it, but also knew we meant no harm and caused no threat…I hope. They let us watch them go about their duties, which appeared to me like they were keeping the fish in check, much like an army sergeant rounding up his troops, only these sergeants were not interested in maintaining numbers. It was remarkable watching these 2 metre (almost 7 feet) silhouettes, often changing pace, just to make sure the fish knew they were about. The change of speed and direction was scary and really emphasised the fact that if these sharks wanted to ’investigate’ us further then they really could and we would have little chance of getting out of their way. Again this should have deterred me, but this was an experience not to be missed and one I was again so fortunate to witness and be apart of. As a spectacle it was definitely on par with the show from yesterday, but this time I was much more a part of it, which I think makes it that little more special. It is certainly something I will take to the grave!

The shoal of fish are apparently in the same spot for 6 weeks per year, which I presume means the sharks are guaranteed there for that amount of time too. Indeed we went back twice more that afternoon to check and I can confirm they were still there! Swimming with Black Tip sharks and Galapagos sharks…tick!!

Later that afternoon we also had the opportunity to swim with sea lions which was another amazing experience but on a different type of level. Sure, sea lions could give you a nasty bite and do you a lot of damage, but that is not what their reputation is about. The way they behaved with us was much more as we expected, acting in an inquisitive and playful mood, swimming along with us and performing acrobatics in front of our masks. The highlight was watching Myles have a race with 3 of them, in which he was holding his own, until he swam headfirst into a massive sea lion that had parked itself in his path. Both Myles and the sea lion looked shocked, although I am sure I know which ones backside reacted first! In their own right they were equally as impressive as the sharks, but because of the danger factor, the shark wins hands down.

Before dinner we went for a walk around Santa Fe Island, through a cactus forest, observing more sea lions, land iguanas and various other wildlife.

We got back on board for what was the groups last dinner together, with all but 3 getting off (Me, Mirjam and Maryn) the next day. I sure was glad I was staying for another 3 full days and if today was anything to go by, should be brilliant! Today must be close to being the best day of my life…and if not the best, certainly the most unique and one I will always treasure and look back on with fond memories!

Day 5

This morning we landed on North Seymour Island and had a quick walking tour before breakfast, observing more frigates, marine and land iguanas as well as more sea lions, which were becoming a very common sight! The mini tour only lasted 45 minutes or so, before being back on the boat for breakfast and heading towards the drop off point for 7 of the group. It had been an enjoyable few days and was good being in such close proximity with a bunch of strangers who gelled very well. I only hoped the new arrivals would be the same!

In the afternoon we welcomed aboard 6 of the most German Germans I have ever seen, conforming to every German stereotype imaginable. I could tell they were not my type of people, when for the first time in my life, (and probably the only time) was mocked for having a Windows based operating system on my lap top…oh the next few days would be a real hoot!! Thankfully a normal Dutch couple also joined us, which meant there would be half decent conversation flowing between the 5 of us, as well as an American girl who spent more time being sick than anything else…and lucky me had her as my cabin mate! Needless to say, the group dynamic was far better for the first half of the trip, but luckily the places we were visiting more than made up for the lack of personality on board.

The first excursion with the new group was to Black Turtle Cove on Santa Cruz Island, where we were split into two groups and one group at a time, were taken by dingy on a ’safari’ around the mangroves to see what wildlife would be about. Again we were in luck, managing to spot boobies, sea lions, pelicans, baby black tip reef sharks and the highlight, a couple of turtles, one of which I managed to get some excellent pictures of, just as it breached the surface of the water. Turtles are so graceful and look to move so effortlessly. They are memorising to watch and even more so to swim with.

That night was very quiet, sharing a couple of beers with Maryn before dinner and was in bed very early.

Day 6[/h2}

Stepping on deck this morning was amazing, not so much because of the stunning sunrise, but because of the island we were moored by. The beach was an earthy red, the same colour as the rocks, caused by years of erosion. We landed on the beach and went for a walk around the island, observing more flora than fauna than anywhere else on the cruise. I’m not usually a big fan of ’flowers’ or cacti, but the contrasting colours of them against the blue sky and red earth was incredible - I couldn’t stop taking photos - especially when birds/insects would land upon them.

After the walk we were able to snorkel from the beach, where we were treated to probably the best session of the trip, due to the number of different species of fish we saw.

We sailed to Bartolome Island before lunch and the temperature was really ramping up. Maryn and I were keen to get into the water but were told we would have to wait until after lunch to do this. Within about 25 seconds of my last mouthful, the flippers were on and I was in the water, only to be back on board within about 5 seconds. After putting on my mask and taking my first look underwater, I was greeted with the sight of a metre and a half black tip shark, which would have been amazing had I not gone into shit myself mode! I completely forgot where I was and the fact I had been swimming with sharks virtually every day of the trip, but I was caught unawares and my natural instinct took over, prompting me to splash about like a lunatic, force myself back on board and exclaim…shark…F***ing shark!! Maryn found this pretty funny and was soon in the water to investigate. I wiped my bum, regained my composure and then re-entered the water, only to find the shark had gone. There was little else for us to see, so freshly cooled off, got back on board and enjoyed the scenery. The shark reappeared about half an hour later but we just observed from the deck, taking photos that don’t quite show the size of the beautiful creature!

The afternoons activity was a walk on Bartolome Island, which was probably the closest resemblance to Mars I could come across without actually going there. The island was a mere 700,000 years old, which is relatively young in comparison to most of the islands and the landscape was dry, red and barren, with little plant or animal life in existence, due to the volcanic make up of the place. We walked up to the highest point on the island and at 114 metres, gave an impressive view across the bay where the boat was moored and where we would go snorkelling later in the afternoon.

The snorkelling was again excellent, where I managed to see a Galapagos penguin sitting on a rock and take a photo of Mirjam and Maryn literally alongside it. I again swam and played with the incredibly inquisitive sea lions, observed baby black tip sharks in the shallows, but the highlight by far was following a white tip shark from about 10 metres above him. The 3 of us were swimming back to shore when we spotted him below and couldn’t resist seeing where he was going. They move so gracefully and with such ease, yet are so powerful and change speed with devastating consequences. Luckily there is so much food in the area that humans are left alone, with attacks as few as one every 10 years…I’m happy enough with those odds, though I never did find out when the last attack was!

Day 7

Today we were back in the northern hemisphere, visiting Genovesa Island, arriving after what had been the roughest night of the cruise so far. There were a few less guests for breakfast today, which suited me fine as the conversations had become very limited…and there was more food for me!

We landed on a coral beach at Darwin Bay and was straight away dumbfounded by the number of sea birds present on the island and flying around it. To count them would have been impossible, with vast numbers of blue and red footed boobies, masked boobies, frigates and sea gulls. It was yet another real life experience of being in a nature documentary, which is just everyday life in the Galapagos - no wonder Juan always had a smile on his face - truly paradise. It was a lot of fun watching the male frigate birds trying to steal the twigs that the boobies were using to create their nests, with the mid air battles at times becoming quite violent! The photo opportunities were again unprecedented and it wasn’t long before the memory card was again filled.

In the afternoon we went to a place called Philips Steps where we again got to see sea bird activity. We were based atop a cliff and so again the number of birds was incredible, however the amazing sight from this visit was witnessing the Galapagos Owl, which according to Juan was a very rare occurrence. We must have been extremely luck as not one, but two, made themselves known, eyeing each other as to who would make the first move in trying to catch some prey. It was an interesting battle to watch and my trigger finger was poised on the camera trying to get the perfect shot of one taking flight. The little bugger had other ideas and we ran out of time, leaving them both in exactly the same position to which they had landed.

Day 8

So the final day had arrived too soon and we were to get one last activity, a quick walk around Plaza Island, before setting sail for Puerto Ayora and our flight back to mainland South America. This was a quick fire half an hour walk recapturing some of the sights we had become accustomed over the last 8 days. We again saw sea lions waking up to the morning sun, land and marine iguanas, numerous cacti and more spectacular views. It had been an unbelievable week and looking back now feels like a dream. I took in the region of 1500 photos which I know is a lot, but the landscapes and wildlife make it really hard to put the camera down - I didn’t want to miss a thing and because of the price, wanted to capture everything.


Completing this blog 6 weeks after leaving I have had time to reflect on the 8 days and do not regret a single thing. I first thought that the boat was too small, however only catering for relatively few made for a more intimate experience, especially if you get a great group, something you cant really control*. For sure it is a lot of money, but it really is a once in a lifetime experience where you get to see things that would be impossible to see elsewhere. Juan commented that the islands have been spoilt with the influx of tourism and is scarred that this will only increase, with the introduction of the bigger catamaran style tour boats, capable of housing 100+ people. To me the islands looked untouched and were a real paradise, however I can imagine that they could look very different within a decade and would therefore advise people to get there sooner rather than later. I appreciate that this advice alone is likely to increase tourism and thus the downfall of the islands, but I feel so privileged to be able to say I have been there and would love for other people to share those experiences, especially friends and family…who better have read this marathon entry!!

*For any Germans reading, I am not anti German in any respect and every other German I have met on my trip so far has been great. The 6 that got on board were just very different, hard to get along with and with a sense of humour deficiency!

For more photos please go to http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/dannymargerum/GalapagosIsland?authkey=Gv1sRgCKjOv5ncpv-Ufg#

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