How to describe what we have seen. I thought we were well travelled and had seen much – I was certainly wrong. The Galapagos lie on the equator and are the most amazing place I have ever seen in my life looking at first glance seemingly barren – it was the most sensational trip and has made me see things very differently. The animals, of which many are not seen anywhere else on earth, are unafraid of humans because we don’t present a threat – birds, sea lions, iguana and fish just ignore you as you interact really up close. It was totally unbelievable and whilst you can see much from the main islands of San Cristobel and Santa Cruz taking the week long cruise around the islands was just mind blowing. Seeing different landscapes – albeit similar volcanic landscapes though older islands greener and the newer just full of lava of varying types. They resemble the surface of the moon truly otherworldly -and are certainly not a tropical paradise but the scale and variety of wildlife – wow. They do have almost mythical status in bio-diversity circles but as a layman you can appreciate them too. The very red island of Rabida from iron oxide and the black of Santiago, the different lava fields with formations of craters and tunnels. There is no rubbish and all are acutely aware of the environment picking up even a toothpick if on the ground and diving down to retrieve a hairband left on the ocean floor – a true lesson to the world on how to protect the environment.
Richard and I left the boat anchored in San Cristobal with the guys and the water taxi picked us up at 6.30am to take us to the dock to catch the ferry – ticket already purchased for 8am crossing. We are on the dock promptly with three heavy bags and have to lug up to customs for checking. Tons of locals travelling to Isla Santa Cruz and we queue with the sea lions (pungent). Lots of disorganised shouting and me thrusting my ticket at various officials – long story short we are not called and the ferry goes without us. Official realises and bundles us onto a water taxi whilst shouting into a radio – ferry (I am being very flattering to call it such) waits outside and we get shoved onto it. Only seat left by fat man and a baby outside in scorching sun for two hours. Hot. Get off in Santa Cruz and lug our bags up to the pre-agreed meeting point in a café. There at 10am and pick-up arranged for 12 noon. 12 noon comes and goes – we ring the emergency numbers but no answer. We find a guide in official uniform and ask for help – they have forgotten us. The captain of our boat comes to get us at 2.30 – he takes our luggage and explains the flight bringing the others is delayed.
Bundled into taxi and sent up to the highlands. Hot. We are treated to a lovely lunch and then told we may explore where giant tortoises live in the wild – off we go. They are huge. Virtually catatonic and look like dinosaurs when they extend their accordion-like necks – or ET who apparently Steven Spielberg modelled him on. We meet our first fellow guest an American with binoculars, cameras and an earnest expression – starts chatting about birds – I think have met first barking mad American I am going to be surrounded by for a week! Wrong (sorry Peter). Fascinating man who is something like third most experienced ornithologist in the world and knew so much about everything he enriched our trip – we were so very fortunate to have him with us. He had already been off and spotted the barn owl in the lava tunnels (formed when the outside skin of a molten lava flow solidifies) and took us down there to see – there were two of them and was a very special moment. Then we were taken with him – we had Julie a trainee guide with us – to Charles Darwin Research Station where they have 200 scientists and volunteers involved in conservation and research. They have a captive breeding programme for giant tortoises and we learned about the various different Darwin finches from Peter (American).
Walk back down through the town to the port passing the fish market with pelicans, sea-lions and marine iguana all milling around waiting for leftovers! Dinghy picks us up and off we go to our cruise boat which I feel was fitted out to closely resemble a 1970s caravan! Our room is the best they have – I remind myself we are here for the experience and keep calm it is immaculately clean throughout. We meet the crew who are wonderful (10 crew and a guide to 15 guests) and have supper whilst the captain sets sail for Isla Fernandina. Wonderful collection of people on board and we made some lovely friends.
Breakfast at 7 and onto dinghies to Mangle Point where we see sea lions, flightless cormorant, blue footed booby, Galapagos penguins, lava gulls, marine iguana, pelicans. Back on board to change into swim gear. Back on dinghies – snorkelled around the point and saw sea turtles and sea lions – big news is that Richard went in. Off a dinghy into deep water – amazing – all that time in the swimming pool finally paid off. A school of mustard rays swim past me and sea lions play treating me as invisible. Not on my list was white tipped shark just a couple of metres from me and I have to make myself watch it.
Our days on board go on like this – two hikes and two snorkels per day – very energetic. We visited Isla Isabella, Isla Santiago, Isla Bartolome, Sombrero Chino, Isla Rabida. The Galapagos sea lions are so playful and numerous and lounge around on the shoreline and play in the water – swimming alongside us and turning somersaults. We also saw fur seals which are not as extrovert – they are endemic with a luxuriant layer of fur – the whalers hunted them to the point of extinction but they have made a great comeback. Three penguins swam past me as I snorkelled and was just surreal – Richard had two white tipped shark just behind him and I gesticulated to show him but he still missed them! The birds are everywhere and thanks to our wonderful guide Cesar and Peter we managed to be able to identify many by the end of the trip – Galapagos Hawk, thirteen different species of Darwin’s Finches, we saw striking pink flamingo feeding in a brackish lagoon on Fernandina, Frigate birds everywhere the males puffing out their red chests, Mockingbirds, storm petrel, a very handsome yellow crowned night heron with its baby and a lava heron, striated heron, Nazca booby and chicks, blue footed booby, flightless cormorant, oyster catchers, and the list just goes on and on.
In the water which was crystal clear and full to overflowing of fish we swam with sea turtles, marine iguana, penguins, five eagle rays swam past me just a metre away, manta rays and so many different fish species it was mind blowing – huge blue eyed damselfish, white banded angel fish, yellow tailed surgeon fish, huge really huge parrot fish, myriad of puffers, white tipped shark, black tipped shark, Galapagos shark, wonderful corals and sponges in rainbow colours, I saw a leopard snake eel, jewel moray eel, octopus and a lobster. Bright red and blue Sally Lightfoot crabs were everywhere adorning the rocks on every island and have a truly spectacular colouration. The marine iguanas are huge and black with salt crusted on their heads where they spit out the salt water – really! They ae everywhere and are the world’s only seagoing lizard. Some are really enormous about 1m in length. There are also rather fetching land iguana which are yellow in colour and again huge and rather fearsome looking.
Suffice to say we have had the most magnificent time of our lives and were enormously sad to leave. It was just amazing. Back on board and whilst very grateful for the luxury of our bathroom – the one on board was very basic and the toilet blocked almost daily! We were sorry to go – the people on board were super fun and the crew wonderful and our guide brilliantly entertaining.
As we are now on the boat sailing to Marquesas for three weeks approx. the photos I can send are limited so I will have to send some more when we hit land and hopefully get a slightly better connection. My email from now is sophistikate@mailasail.com – please don’t send any attachments to this.
Sophistikate 