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Published: November 17th 2008
Pacific green turtle
Punta Espinoza, FernandinaThis is the second entry of a two-parter about my trip to the Galapagos. It picks up the story half way through the cruise - for the first half, see
here.
Day 5 Isabela (Punta Moreno and Elizabeth Bay) Day 5 dawned bright and clear - a first - and the volcanic landscape of Isabela met my gaze as I went up on deck for a pre-breakfast gawp. The Galapagos are volcanic islands in a similar fashion to Hawaii, i.e. never connected to the mainland and created by periodic releases of magma from under the earth's crust. In the case of the Galapagos, the tectonic plate that they rest on is slowly moving eastwards, so the westernmost islands of Isabela and Fernandina are the youngest and most volcanically active.
Our first landing, a tricky one that required both navigating through rocks and timing our movement through the swells, was at Punta Moreno where we did a long, exposed hike on a 200 year old pahoehoe lava field. The surface was black and crusty and very uneven to walk on. We encountered a brackish pool connected to the sea that was surprisingly packed with creatures - three slowly circling white-tipped
Galapagos sea lion
Punta Espinoza, Fernandina reef sharks, a turtle, and umpteen coloured fish. We also saw a frigatebird washing - they have apparently lost the ability to waterproof their feathers so, if they want to remove salt and accumulated debris from their plumage, they have to swoop down and dip appropriate parts in the water. Landing in it would quickly saturate them and send them to the bottom.
I'd found the snorkelling up to this point to be rather chilly, and the current that washes the western shores of Isabela is the coldest one in the Galapagos, so I passed on the snorkelling in Elizabeth Bay. A small part of me was glad to later hear that the visibility had been rubbish and the water indeed damned cold. I spent the time watching the crew gut fish on deck, several frigatebirds occasionally flying down within inches of the rails to beg for scraps.
The afternoon was another hot and crispy excursion, this time in the pangas around a mangrove lagoon. There were to be several bright red thighs the following day, fortunately none of them mine as my shorts didn't ride up much. We were hit by another avalanche of blue-footed boobies and
Blue-footed boobies in flight
Black Turtle Cove, Santa Cruz brown pelicans, with flightless cormorants and Galapagos penguins also in the mix. Turtles were everywhere, though I'm pretty sure I saw one of the boatmen prodding one that was sleeping on the lagoon floor. I also saw a beautiful spotted eagle ray, and was surprised at the Galapagos sea lions that had clambered up into the mangrove branches for shade.
Day 6 Isabela (Urbina Bay), Fernandina (Punta Espinoza) This morning's walk was another roaster, and I now have a tan line on my right hand where I've been wrapping my camera strap around. A scramble along the lava beach at Urbina Bay brought us sightings of Sally Lightfoot crabs, a Galapagos hawk, some flightless cormorants, a brown pelican, and a few marine iguanas. Turning inland, Monica found some land iguanas in their bright mating colours and, soon after, a giant tortoise sheltering in a thicket. Isabela has more giant tortoises than any other island, with most of them living in the caldera of Volcan Alcedo, however that zone has been out of bounds for nearly 15 years due to a goat infestation. Goats had devastated the vegetation in the caldera, even standing on giant tortoises to get at branches
Marine iguana
Punta Espinoza, Fernandina that would otherwise have been out of their reach. This had not only traumatised the tortoises but had removed much of their cover, leading to the pathetic sight of them making a beeline for tour groups in the hope of finding some shade. Goats were being eradicated via a "Judas goat" program (a Judas goat either leads other goats to a specific point where they can be caught, or is sent into the wild to find them and is fitted with a transmitter that can be tracked). We also passed some brain coral that had been uplifted by volcanic activity in recent years.
I again passed on the snorkelling, which was another bust by all accounts, and afterwards we set sail for Fernandina, accompanied by a pair of lava gulls that hitched a ride.
The afternoon walk at Punta Espinoza - the only visitor site on Fernandina - was an excellent one, with heaps of marine iguanas all over the lava surface. We also saw some swimming in from their afternoon feed, a sight that brought to mind Alien Resurrection. I took well over 50 photos before quite by chance getting the one that I wanted - namely,
a marine iguana expelling salty snot from its nostrils. After seeing many dark turtle shapes below the surface throughout the cruise, and occasionally a head poking up for a shot of air, it was gratifying to finally see one on land, as it crawled out of the ocean after its lengthy migration, the kaleidoscope of browns and yellows of its shell such a contrast to its underwater appearance. I'll also note, in passing, that we saw a couple of spotted eagle rays, some Galapagos sea lions, a Galapagos hawk watching as its offspring devoured an unfortunate marine iguana, and more flightless cormorants.
Our next sail was another long one, round the northern end of Isabela and then south to Santiago. While I was taking a nap, there were some whale sightings a long way off, with identification inconclusive. Despite having crossed the equator numerous times, I'd never done it on the sea and celebrating the event was clearly something of a tradition in the Galapagos. We assembled in the bridge as the GPS marked off the minutes and seconds, then toasted the crossing as people crammed round the instrument to photograph the zeroes in all their glory. The captain
Volcan Cerro Azul
Punta Moreno, Isabela then crossed the equator twice more just for the hell of it, and we then crossed it again on the way south during the night. I have a certificate that will find a place on the wall of a toilet in my future home.
Day 7 Santiago (Puerto Egas), Bartolome We'd anchored (and hence woken up) at about 3:30AM off Puerto Egas, and at breakfast it was clear that the weather had returned to being dull and windy, even to the point of being chilly. The morning walk was partly on sand, partly on lava, and the only extra tick on the list was Galapagos fur seals, which confusingly are actually a type of sea lion. I bailed out of another snorkelling session, after which we sailed to Bartolome Island, just off the east coast of Santiago.
Bartolome boasts the Pinnacle, a rock formation that's one of the most recognisable landscape features in the islands (and on the 7 of spades, I think). We did an afternoon snorkel nearby, which was one of the best of the trip, with large schools of fish, a close encounter with a seaborne marine iguana, and even a Galapagos penguin scooting around
Old lava flow
Punta Moreno, Isabela cutely underwater. After the snorkel, we climbed the 370-odd steps to the highest point of the island, giving excellent views of its many spatter cones, as well as sightings of other islands in the archipelago, though the wind and dust made it contact lens-unfriendly. I had a slight brain hiccup when I announced that I'd lost my sunglasses, only to have someone point out that they were perched on my hat (I rarely wear either hats or sunglasses, so the combination was fairly novel for me).
Our final dinner on the boat led to the topics that I suspect crop up at some point or another on every cruise, i.e. how much did you pay for it, and what do you think about the tipping recommendations? As one would expect, people who'd booked within the last couple of weeks had paid a chunk less, and it would appear that booking in Quito Old Town might be cheaper than in the New Town. The tipping opinions ranged from "Perfectly reasonable" to "Perfectly outrageous". I got the impression that the tip was defined in North American terms, i.e. an entitlement rather than something extra for going beyond the call of duty.
Flower
Punta Moreno, Isabela Even so, my calculations of the suggested tips indicated that even if the boat company was paying its staff nothing, each crew member would still have an income several times higher than the average Ecuadorian. Whatever, as I stood on deck for a last few lungfuls of sea air before heading to my bunk, I gazed at the countless stars winking down at me and felt a stab of regret that the voyage was coming to an end.
Day 8 Santa Cruz (Black Turtle Cove), Baltra The final day was our earliest rise yet, for a 6AM panga ride around another mangrove lagoon. It was most pleasant, with the sun sufficiently low on the horizon as to not require sunscreen but still be warm, and a general silence. In the sheltered part of the lagoon the boatmen switched to paddles rather than the motor, and as we dipped slowly and quietly through the water we saw many white-tipped reef sharks, a few juvenile black-tips, a selection of turtle nostrils, and the usual bird suspects. It was a relaxing, stress-free excursion on which to finish the cruise, spoiled only by me again forgetting I had my sunglasses on my hat,
Flightless cormorants
Elizabeth Bay, Isabela then bending over, dropping them, and promptly treading on them. I'd been feeling a little natured-out, to the point where I'd even stopped taking booby pictures to add to the 50 I'd already taken, and it was clear I wasn't the only one, as the most avid twitcher in the group was heard to exclaim "Oh God -
another finch", when we saw yet another of the cheeky but dull chaps (in small, medium, large, blood-sucking, and many other varieties) that prompted Darwin in the direction of his theory of evolution.
All the stops had been pulled out for breakfast, with eggs and bacon making an appearance. Then it was a case of bringing the luggage on deck, saying our goodbyes to the crew, then jumping into the pangas for our last trip to shore. All the others were returning to Quito but I was going to stay on the islands for a few more days, so I accompanied them to the airport, hung around awkwardly while they checked in, then bade farewell and caught a bus/ferry/taxi to Puerto Ayora, my positive memories of the cruise temporarily clouding my judgement and allowing yet another taxi driver to overcharge me.
I'd been hoping to visit one of the other islands, North Seymour, on a day trip in an attempt to see nesting frigatebirds (in particular the males with their inflatable red pouches) but all the available trips seemed to spend half the day lounging around on a beach, so I eventually ditched that idea and simply pottered around Puerto Ayora making plans for my return to Quito and an immediate exit from Ecuador. After the strict itinerary of the cruise, it was relaxing to be back on my own schedule again. The town didn't offer much in the way of riveting experiences, though I did find myself back at the Charles Darwin Research Centre again watching munching tortoises and a German woman being stung by a wasp, and it was fun spectating at the evening games of "Ecuavolley" near the harbour. Sea lions would occasionally leap out of the water into moored boats for a snooze, and there was always an expectant crowd of pelicans and sea lions near the small fish market. The main supermarket in town had a disinfectant section adjoining the wine one. Having done pretty well in the wildlife department, it only remained to buy
Island
Elizabeth Bay, Isabela postcards of the things I regretted not having seen - inflated male frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, and hammerhead sharks.
11 days after I'd arrived on the islands, I made my way to Puerto Ayora bus station - inconveniently situated 2km out of town (presumably to give custom to taxi drivers) - and did the bus/ferry/bus legs necessary to reach the airport. The Galapagos seems like one of those places that you'll only go to once in your life, and I was going to leave with many unerasable memories. The cruise had been superb and the profusion of wildlife astounding, but the most amazing thing was the fact that the animals just didn't care about a human presence. Even the clumsiest tourist could approach to a metre away, meaning high-end equipment wasn't necessary for good shots. I'm fairly sure that the cruise is going to spoil all future wildlife experiences for me as I doubt I'll ever find such obliging photographic subjects again in my life. The nickname "The Enchanted Islands" may have initially been given more in the sense of "cursed" but they definitely cast a spell, a siren song that leaves you perusing the souvenir shops in Baltra airport
Brown pelican
Elizabeth Bay, Isabela in the final minutes before leaving, and thinking to yourself - I
do love boobies.
Dull but possibly useful info There are roughly 100 boats currently cruising the Galapagos, with an 8 day (really 7 full days) cruise costing usually from $1000 up to $4500 depending on the quality of the boat and guide, and the itinerary. Unavoidable additional costs are the airfare to/from the islands ($351 in low season), the National Park entry fee ($100) and some random tourist card that supposedly ensures you don't stay on the islands forever ($10). To this, you may need to add the cost of hiring a wetsuit/snorkel/mask/flippers ($45 for cruise), buying the occasional beer on board ($2 for a small one), and tipping the guide and crew (a thorny subject ...), plus any souvenir shopping you do.
Espanola (on many itineraries), Fernandina (on not so many itineraries) and Genovesa (ditto) seem to be considered the most interesting islands but I suspect it's difficult to have a bad wildlife viewing experience whatever itinerary you have - and there are only a handful of boats (predominantly high-end ones) that take in all three. I would add South Plaza to the list of
Sunset
Elizabeth Bay, Isabela must-sees.
If you don't care about the itinerary or the boat, then it's quite possible to turn up in Ecuador and get a good last minute deal that can take 33% or more off the list price. However if you have a particular itinerary, or worse a particular boat, in mind, then my experience was that you may well need to wait over a week for something suitable to turn up. From speaking to my guide, it appears that the difference between low and high season, in terms of tourist numbers, is becoming much less marked, with the result that boat availability does not vary much throughout the year. The high-end boats especially seem to rarely have vacancies within a couple of weeks. My advice would be that your main criterion should be the islands you want to see. Go round the various agencies and see what they have in the way of special offers - unless you have some very specific boat requirements (e.g. you need a dive boat, or you refuse to consider anything without a 4-poster bed), then they should be able to come up with a few options.
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KSue
non-member comment
Great Blog
John - I really enjoyed reading your blog! Your pictures are darn awesome!!! I'll be going there next week! I'm excited about the adventure. I am taking a 5MM wetsuit so I can get some snorkeling in. It sounds like you had fun - this is a "must" for the adventure traveler.