Gorgeous Galapagos.

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Geo: -1.66702, -83.5977

We flew into the Galapagos Islands on Thursday, landing about !2pm having had a one hour time change. The airport is on Baltra Island, one of the 113 islands in the Galapagos archipelago. It took a while to get through the airport as everyone has to pay a $US100 entry fee which I presume goes towards the upkeep of this special National Park. Once all the group had cleared this hurdle we were taken by bus to a ferry which took us across to Sana Cruz Island which has the most inhabitants.

We then had a one hour journey across the island to Port Ayora and our hotel. On the way we stopped to see a depression made by collapsing lava bubbles which has formed natural canyons on both sides of the road. It started raining so we got wet but the guide was interesting. We arrived at our hotel and were taken in to the dining room straight away for a tasty lunch.While here we have full board included.

After that we had time to find our rooms and settle in before setting out to the Charles Darwin Research centre for a visit. The hotel is a comfortable small resort with a lovely pool area and two storey building with rooms either side of the pool. We have room No 1 which is spacious and very comfortable.

At 4-30pm we met our guides and were taken to see the work going on in conservation for the Galapagos tortoises. The group was split in two and we had William, a young local, as our leader. He took us to the entrance where we found marine iguanas sitting close to the path. The animals seem unafraid of humans and posed for photos. We then walked to the tortoise conservation area. Each island has its own particular species of tortoise. In an attempt to encourage regeneration they take eggs from the various islands and incubate and breed them here. There are several enclosures housing the tortoises at various stages of development. We saw some two and three year old ones. When they are large enough they are taken back to their islands of origin to repopulate.

There were several enclosures containing more adult animals. One was dedicated to Lonesome George. He was the last surviving tortoise from Pinto island. He was found in 1972 and came to the centre in 1973. Even though two females were introduced into his enclosure they were not from the same island and as he had no role models he did not know what to do. So he was the last of his kind, He died last year.

One enclosure contained 4 males. One of them was determinedly trying to mount another. We watched while he manouevered himself into position but he was doomed to disappointment. There were also many land iguanas on display. They are red in colour and imposing in character. We were concerned when we spotted a feral cat in the branches of the tree above the iguana's enclosure.

That night we had a great meal of Beef Provencale at our hotel and got to know the group better. Lots of like-minded people makes for a convivial atmosphere.

On Friday the group was split in two. We were in the first 16 who were to travel to Bartolome Island. We had a 5am wakeup call and were picked up at 6 am for our day trip.
We drove across the island to the harbour and then set out on our boat, the Altamar. This was a very comfortable cabin cruiser. We sat on the top deck in front of the captain and had a fantastic view. We headed out to sea for a 2 hour trip. On the way we sailed close to a smaller island where we spotted a variety of birds and basking sealions. On the way to the island we spotted manta rays, and a pod of dolphins, a couple of which swam along at the bow of the boat. There were also lots of birds and sharks and sealions.

Once at the island we were taken by a small boat in two loads to the landing place. The Galapagos islands are volcanic, pushed up by the numerous volcanic quakes which occur constantly. This is easily seen on this island. It is very barren and the lava flows can be seen clearly. We walked along a man made wooden pathway which eventually took us to the highest point. There were 365 steps in all. We did it gradually but I was still puffing. Along the way Luis, our guide explained the formation of the islands and pointed out that Isabella Island has 5 active volcanoes and new islands are forming all the time. We enjoyed the view from the top and then walked back down and were transported back to the boat. We then motored over to Santiago island where there was a great sandy beach. Some of us decided to snorkle straight from the boat while others opted to be ferried to the beach and to swim from there.

I swam from the boat. There were some amazing fish under the water. I swam near to the rocks and saw a huge variety. There was a large parrot fish with its iridescent blue, pink and silver body and schools of small grey fish with yellow stripes. At one point the fish started to go berserk and then two penguins dashed by me chasing their prey. Just a little way in front of me was a sealion playing around in the water. It was a fabulous experience. We spent about an hour swimming and observing the huge variety of fish on offer. Then it was back on board for lunch. We had this on a table at the rear of the boat and we continued watching the sealions' antics as well as the pelicans and penguins.

Then it was a 2 hour trip back to the port and another 50 minute bus ride back to our hotel. It had been a wonderful day, with amazing sights, good company and food and a unique experience.

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Comments

[Jo]

Sounds great Colleen. I will put Gal?pagos Islands on my list!