Lynne's Travels : Galapagos Islands Trip

Galapagos Islands Trip

23rd December

This adventure was taking me to the Galapagos Islands, 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador - the entire archipelago a World Heritage Site, so it must be something special! We flew over the Atlantic, towards South America – crossing north Venezuela and Colombia. We landed in Quito, a very mountainous area, and part of The Andes, locally known as the Valley of the Volcanoes. When I arrived at my hotel, the tour guide was delighted to see me – I was the last to arrive! After a briefing on the trip, we were taken for an evening meal. There were 14 of us, another English lady, 2 ladies who were teachers from San Francisco, 2 sisters (both attorneys) from New York, a family with 2 boys from Miami and a family from Canada with 2 teenage girls! It was going to be a very interesting trip! After a lovely meal together, we headed back to the hotel - we had got to be up before 6am the next day. I can hardly remember falling into bed; it had been 47 hours since I got out of my bed!

24th December

I woke up about 3am and couldn’t get back to sleep, and so I had a shower and got ready for the day ahead! The domestic airport at Quito was really small and after many inspections we were on our way to San Cristobal Island. We arrived just before lunchtime and were met by Zambo (our local guide for the week).

We were taken to our hotel, the Casa Blanca, which was only a stones throw from the ocean. No one could believe how many sea lions there were, just lying in the street, under park benches - they were everywhere.

After lunch we went up to the top of San Cristobal, from where we had the most amazing views out over the Pacific. We saw Kicker Rock (the remains of an underwater volcano rising 150m out of the sea) – which we would be visiting tomorrow. It was an awesome sight standing alone in the calm ocean. Afterwards came the scary bit! We were all put on mountain bikes and had an exhilarating down hill ride through the highlands, stopping occasionally to admire and taste local flora and fauna. We eventually arrived at the beach La Loberia, where we watched sea lions sun bathing, playing and showing off; and we saw marine iguanas, which were very hard to spot on the black lava rocks.

As the sun began to set, we biked back to town, I had been worried about whether or not I was fit enough for this part of the trip, and once I had found out that half of the group were tri-athletes or marathon runners – I felt even worse. When I got back, my legs were rather wobbly – goodness knows if I was going to be able to walk tomorrow!!! Next we had to try to get ready to go out for our evening meal; the power kept going off (so you couldn’t see anything in your room) and the shower was freezing cold! We walked a short way down the promenade to a small restaurant where we all ate a delicious meal al fresco; we had chicken, fresh fish, vegetables and potatoes – followed by ice cream. Then I went a walk around the bay, passing hundreds more sea lions, many with their babies, all beached up for the night. There were many people, especially families, out for the evening, walking and playing with their children. There was even a Santa Claus giving presents to the children on the beachfront – it was Christmas Eve after all.

25th December

I woke up feeling great and my legs moved when I asked them to get out of bed – Merry Christmas! We had breakfast – outside by the sea. What a start to the day, the sun was shining and the sea was calm - although that didn’t stop me taking seasickness tablets in anticipation of what lay ahead! We had to try wetsuits on and make sure that we had flippers that fit - then it was off on the boat for our Christmas day adventure. There was quite a sight in the harbour – two sea lions had climbed into one of the speed boats – its’ owner was going to have quite a shock! We travelled past some dark basalt cliffs where Frigate birds and Blue Footed Boobies were nesting; enroute to our first stop Sea Lion Island (Isla de Lobos). We got kitted up into our wetsuits and had to jump off the boat!

The calm turquoise waters were enticing – but it still took some doing! It felt a rather like the bike ride yesterday…. nearly everyone else was an expert. Not wanting to miss out, in I went! We hadn’t been in the water long, when sea lions decided to come and check us out. They were swimming around us, above and below us – far too fast to get a photo – it was the most incredible experience! We snorkelled for about an hour with the colourful marine life, until it started to get busy, then our guide said it was time to move

to Kicker Rock. From a distance this was a truly impressive sight, but as we approached it, it was so high and the ocean out there was so dark it looked sinister and scary. The rock formation was split into two, with a narrow corridor separating them, and boats were no longer allowed through this channel. Our “mission” was to swim with the current, through this deep, dark channel of water and meet the boat on the opposite side. Well it didn’t look that hard, so I prepared myself to jump overboard again. It was a bit daunting though – just total darkness below.

Anyway, in I went again. We had only been in the water a minute, or two at the most, when someone saw a shark - a shark just about six or eight feet below us! It didn’t feel as scary as it ought to have done; it was one of those “special” moments. The experience got more intense, as all of a sudden, there were at least fifty sharks below us, white tip sharks, black sharks, reef sharks and even a hammerhead shark. Then there was a shoal of black Eagle rays gliding just below our feet. I was so in awe and mesmerised by what I was seeing that I think I forgot the breath.

One girl had a panic attack when she saw so many sharks and had to be taken back to the boat; but the rest of us went back through the channel a second time. This time I knew what to expect, although we had been told that the sharks would probably have left the area by now. No! They were still there, Zambo reckoned that there were at least 150 sharks – he had never swum with so many before. It was one of the most incredible hours of my life; and definitely “a Jacques Cousteau moment”! After wearing ourselves out, we had Christmas Lunch on the boat (it is against the law to take any food onto the shore), which was rice, a slice of turkey and some coleslaw. Then we anchored up at Puerto Grande, a beautiful sandy beach accessible only by boat, and were allowed to get off to have a swim or go for a walk. I opted for a walk and spotted several marine iguanas, completely oblivious to us, sunbathing on the black rocks. There were sea lions and turtles all around us – these were feeling quite commonplace now! After our lunchbreak, we returned to Sea Lion Island to look for more turtles; there were a few about, but the visibility wasn’t very good, the sea had become choppy, and waves were crashing over our heads! Tim decided to abandon this session and we headed back to town, and were taken to the Interpretation Centre, where we were learnt about the history and the mysteries of the Galapagos - from its discovery to the present day efforts to protect this amazing World Heritage site. After a quick shower (whilst the electricity was on) we went out for an evening meal overlooking the beautiful ocean and reflected on one of the most memorable Christmas days ever.

26th December

I woke up early again, but didn’t mind because I had slept well, and surprisingly I hadn’t dreamt about being eaten by sharks! I went for a last walk along San Cristobal’s promenade, which was heaving with humans as well as sea lions. I watched baby sea lions playing in a rock pool, and that just summed up this place – it was all so natural here and I was so privileged to have seen it. After breakfast, we had our bags searched by the authorities (as you are not allowed to take any type of food, fruit, seeds etc from one island to another) and we finally left at 8.30am for a 3-hour boat ride to Floreana – I wasn’t looking forward to this bit. The boat wasn’t very big and the swell of the ocean was huge! We had been going for about 2 hours, when a pod of dolphins came alongside us jumping out of the water – that was a lovely sight and made us all forget about feeling ill for a while. We passed some cliffs where courting Frigate birds had their huge red necks bloated, nasca boobies nesting, as well as cormorants and gulls. As we approached the island there was a loud “bang” and the boat slowed to a stop – we had hit, killed, and destroyed a turtle! Apparently this area was renowned for its turtles. So we put our wetsuits on and jumped in. It was so cold, far colder that it was yesterday. Before I had even become acclimatized, a sea lion came swimming past us – just checking us out. When I saw the sea lions flipper, I had a moment of panic because I thought it was a shark fin. A lone shark was a terrifying thought! A few hundred sharks just below us yesterday was nothing to worry about! We saw several large rays and two turtles – one swam so close to me that I struggled to get out of its way and avoid touching it. We were all shivering when we climbed back on board and were glad to be given some lunch and a warm drink, before trying to get off the boat at the next island. We all had to climb off our boat onto a small taxi boat – and then our luggage was loaded onto another taxi boat – all out at sea!!!

We walked the short distance to our hotel, the Wittmers, the home of the first settlers on Floreana. It was situated in the most idyllic spot, on the edge of a smooth black beach, with waves lapping, birds flying overhead and sea lions welcoming you to their home. This small island had a population of less than 150 people, but it still had its Customs Inspectors. After a quick change, we were loaded into an open sided bus (a cheeva) and taken up to the highlands. After walking up a steep hill, we found ourselves at the caves used by Pirates and Whalers hundreds of years ago; this was also where the Wittmers first lived in when they arrived in the 1930’s. On the way back down, there was a forested area with some giant tortoises - these ones were nearly all female only weighing 150 pounds.

Hopefully we would get to see some of the big 600-pound males later on the trip. We returned to our beachside accommodation just in time to enjoy the last light of the day, before heading out to the Baronesa for dinner. Everyone was complaining that they felt like they were still on the boat, and everything was moving – I was so glad that it wasn’t just me! Walking back from the restaurant, we found a shop open (a wooden hut actually), and treated ourselves to an ice cream – which ended the day off perfectly. I went to bed listening to the waves lapping up on the shore only a matter of feet away.

27th December

I was awake far too early this morning, I could blame the waves for waking me, or the cockerel crowing, but it was probably the fact that we were all going to bed too early! I packed my case and day bag and went down onto the beach, and I found the corral where the Wittmers pet tortoise lived. Then I walked around to the pier where I watched the land iguanas taking in the first rays of the day – they were so different from the marine iguanas.

They were so colourful, green, red and orange – and they showed up brilliantly against the black rocks, heads held high and always facing the ocean. There were sea lions about as normal, and one actually jumped into one of the boats anchored off shore - next to ours.

We all went up to the restaurant for breakfast whilst our bags were loaded back onto the boat. Then it was our turn, I am glad that the sea was calm. I had another seasickness tablet before we headed off to Isabela Island, the largest of the Galapagos Islands about 3 hours away. What a beautiful place it was - clear blue waters, long white beaches and civilization – a few bars and shops. We climbed aboard a cheeva again and were taken to the La Laguna Hotel, which was in a lovely spot between the lagoon and the beach. After lunch, Zambo took us for a walk around

the town, before we headed off to visit the Wall of Tears (an enormous structure built by convicts in the middle of the 20^th century). The wall itself was 9 metres high and wide, and approximately 150 metres long. It was only built to keep the prisoners occupied, but in these severe conditions many of them died. Their bodies were thrown into the wall as it was being built – hence “The Wall of Tears” as people came to the wall and cried for their loved ones. Then we had to walk up 200 steps to a lookout point – that nearly killed me off. My legs had only just recovered from the bike ride a few days ago, and all of those steps on a hot, humid afternoon was real hard going. I was beginning to dread tomorrow’s 25-kilometre hike! Our next stop was Isabela’s Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre, where we saw them in all stages of their development, from being incubated, to hatching and being kept in corrals until they were about 6 years old. That is when they are released into the wild. The centre has almost 1000 giant tortoises training for life in the wild; and the highlight of the afternoon, was when we were told to put our cameras away, and then we each got the chance to hold a baby tortoise that was only 20 days old – it was so tiny, it didn’t seem real. We walked back to town through the mangroves and stopped at a beach bar to enjoy a Pina Colada. It was a perfect end to our day.

28th December

I woke up at my usual 4am and had a gentle stroll around the lagoon just to make sure my legs were working properly. Part if me was dreading today – 8 hours hiking up the Sierra Negra Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the Galapagos; its last eruption was only in October 2006. The first part was going to be a short uphill hike, but it was 45 minutes straight up just like climbing stairs, with nowhere to rest - I thought I was going to have a heart attack. But when we arrived at the perimeter of the caldera, we were told that the worst bit was over. I had learned not to believe anything Zambo said anymore – but as we were at the highest point, it couldn’t be any worse.

We had an amazing 9 kilometre view at the rim that stretched across one of the most active calderas in the world. We could see where the last eruption had been in 2006 and where the lava flow had reached – it was so black. But around the top it was green with new vegetation. It was still hard going, we were in single file for over an hour and you couldn’t take your eyes off the path for a moment because there were so many branches and tree stumps sticking out. I tried to glance at the scenery - and ended up in the ferns and mud at the side of the path – embarrassed or what! We continued to traverse the vast lava fields of Chico volcano, stopping at several welcomed lookout spots, with breath taking views of the north of Isabela Island. After lunch we had another hour of very rough lava, and then we could see the Pacific Ocean, three more volcanoes and the island of Ferdinand in the distance. Then we all had a few quiet moments to reflect on our achievement before heading back. We managed to get down quicker that we went up, and it was strange that after such high temperatures, we walked through dense cloud again and ended up quite damp by the time we reached the bus. We had walked 18 kilometres through some of the roughest and steepest terrain imaginable.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a disused quarry where we saw a flock of pink flamingos. I didn’t know, but they are pink because of all the shrimps they eat – biology lesson for the day! It was a beautiful sight, the pretty pink birds against the calm serene waters. There were also many colourful plants along the roadside, blue hydrangeas, yuccas, prickly pear and candelabra cactus. After enjoying a hearty sense of accomplishment, we made our way back to the hotel, where a good shower was a must before heading down to the beach for a well-deserved Pina Colada and one of the most magnificent sunsets imaginable. What a treat!

29th December
I had a well-earned lie-in this morning until 6am – I must have needed it after all of the exertion yesterday. We had an early breakfast, and headed down to the waterfront! We all struggled into our wetsuits – which were still a bit damp from two days ago. We spent a short while paddling in the calm blue waters with small Galapagos penguins, blue footed boobies, brown pelicans and of course, the ever inquisitive sea lions. Then we went kayaking across the bay, out into the rough ocean where the waves nearly filled the kayak with water. We stopped at some black rocks to see blue-footed boobies nesting, and went around the coastline watching the Magnificent Frigate birds – before heading back to shore. There were so many sea lions and rays around us - it was amazing. Next we jumped into a taxi boat and were taken to a calm inlet, where we put on our flippers and masks, and slid down off the jagged black rocks into the ocean. Once in the water, we headed off across the bay; it was like being in a marine fish tank. The amazing variety of colourful fish that we saw was indescribable. There were so many that I could never hope to remember their names; we saw a spectacular bright blue starfish, golden and eagle spotted rays and turtles. There was a hawksbill turtle hiding under a rock – he was so cute. Then just as we almost reached the far side of the bay, quite satisfied with what we had seen – we came across a group of about twenty green sea turtles. They were in front of us, behind us, above us – they were everywhere.

Zambo took my camera and dived down to the ocean floor and took one of the most fantastic photographs ever – just inches from a turtles face. It was one of those “special” moments that you only get the chance to experience once in your life. It was “on par” with our “Shark experience” on Christmas day. After scrambling up the rocks to get out of the water again, the taxi boat took us to Tintoreras, a conservation area. This isolated islet was pure lava rock and a popular land and marine iguana-nesting site. We saw a 10 foot wide gorge that was several hundred feet long - known as Shark Alley.

This area filled up at high tide, but when the tide receded, anything inside it at the time was trapped. There were at least a dozen white tipped reef sharks, a large female turtle that was at least 50 years old, as well as numerous fish – quite an amazing sight; especially as on the other side of the lava wall, turtles, sharks and sea lions swam freely in the clear blue lagoon. We headed back to the hotel for a late lunch and then had a walk down the long white sandy beach for an hour or two. After dinner we watched a video of the Sierra Negra eruption in 2006 – which now felt quite personal after we had walked there yesterday.

30th December

We got up at 5.30am and after loading everything back onto our boat, we left Isabela Island, which certainly lived up to its name as “the loveliest island in the archipelago”. We were heading for our final stop - Santa Cruz Island. We visited the Charles Darwin Research Centre where we learned of its success in repopulating the islands with endangered land iguanas and several species of the Giant Tortoise. From the collection of the eggs, to the age of release, we observed how the giant tortoises were raised and readied for life on their own - as well as seeing Lonesome George – the last Tortoise of his species from Pinta Island.

There were “shops” on this island, and it was nice to be able to get some mementos of this trip. After lunch Zambo took us to Tortuga Bay, the most gorgeous beach (accessible only by foot through the mangroves). The sand was so soft and white and it was wonderful to have some time relaxing on this perfect beach. As the sun started to set, we headed back to our hotel. After our last dinner together on these Enchanted Islands we had cocktails in Bongo’s bar, where we sat outside listening to live music – such a wonderful end to our time here.

31st December

After breakfast we were taken by bus to the Highlands, to an underground lava tunnel. It was pitch black inside the tunnel, and very high – it reminded me of a railway tunnel. Then we visited Primicias Ranch and saw Giant Tortoises everywhere, crossing the roads, in the fields, around a watering hole and even underneath cars. It was very green and lush in this area and the ground was covered with grass and flowers – ideal food for these tortoises from Santa Cruz Island. It was tortoises from other islands that had long necks – because their food (mainly tall cacti) was higher up. Our next stop was a huge sinkhole – made from a magma chamber millions of years ago. It was quite a dramatic view both across it and down into it. These stops were enroute to the ferry over to island of Baltra, and the airport. We all said our emotional goodbyes to Zambo. We had been such a close group for the past week or so, had such a special Christmas – and now it was over. I had found the Galapagos Islands the most special place, everyone was genuinely friendly, everywhere was clean and tidy and all of our activities were so well planned. As Zambo had said when we first arrived “If you have good karma – you will see lots of things”; well we saw everything and more. We flew back to Quito, where there we found a real carnival atmosphere. We were told to just drop our bags as we were going a walk along the Amazonas (a district of Quito) to see what was happening. Anyway, it was nearly dark, about 6.30pm and everywhere was buzzing! There was different music playing on every street corner, different stages with different themes (some political) every hundred yards, and so many people were dressed up in costumes. After we had been walking along with the carnival for about 2 hours, we were taken to Uncle Ho’s Asian restaurant for dinner - which was owned by an Irishman called Kevin. He made us all most welcome, we could choose anything off the menu – and our drinks were free of charge too! It was 10pm when we got back to the hotel and we were all still in the clothes that we had left in this morning; we agreed that we would put our glad rags on and meet back down in reception in an hour, and go out for a short while and see the New Year in. We headed with nothing of importance on us, except a little money in our pockets. Estavan had shown us the best places to go, so six of us headed off to the Irish Bar, where Kevin was expecting us. It was not too busy, there was lots of music and we all felt really comfortable. Just before midnight they put CNN on the TV because we were on the same time as New York, and we had the countdown for 2012 - which always makes me cry! After that we all danced away, they played New York, New York which was very appropriate, but when they played Auld Lang’s Eye, the Americans didn’t know what to do to it! Once it got to 12.45am, we were told that the best place in town to go was Bungalow Six. Kevin took us all along there and we were treated like VIP’s. We were taken in the VIP entrance, we didn’t have to pay, and we were looked after really well. One o’clock came and went (our planned bedtime), and we all danced the night away. I couldn’t believe myself, here I was in the capital of Ecuador clubbing on New Year’s Eve.

1st January
Happy New Year! I got up in time to say goodbye to everyone. I had wanted to have a nice long relaxing bath - but there was still no water! Apparently the water tank had blown up and there wouldn’t be any water all day – so I was given a black bucket full of lukewarm water! I repacked my case, for the last time and sat in reception waiting for my taxi to take me to the airport – I was the last one of our group to leave. I spoke to another guest, a Brazilian lady who was terribly distraught; she had just put her cases into a taxi, and the taxi driver had driven off with them before she could get in! She was waiting for the police to arrive – how awful! Well, I waited and waited, but my taxi didn’t come, in the end the receptionist ordered me a taxi and I was very relieved to finally reach the airport safely.

On reflection, it had been one of the friendliest groups of people that I have ever travelled with; there had been emotional goodbyes with every one of them and I felt like I had made lifelong friends. I don’t think I could ever have had a more memorable Christmas; and I felt so very privileged to have had the opportunity to see all of those creatures in such close proximity. The Galapagos Islands, The Enchanted Islands certainly lived up to their name and would remember them with such fond memories forever.