Puerto Baquerzo Moreno is the provincial capital of the Galapagos. It is like a country town with a few bars, cafes, tourist shops (and the promise of wifi) by the ferry terminal was the most civilisation that I had seen in a week! Puerto Baquerzo Moreno is also a surfing mecca.

Sea lions at Puerto Baquerzo Moreno

Puerto Baquerzo Moreno has many sea lions which congregate around the beach just by the ferry terminal. Despite fences which were designed to keep them out, they wander freely on the boardwalk.

At Puerto Baquerzo Moreno (called Interpretation Center of San Cristobal) on Tijeretas Hill and Punta Carola Point, we learnt about the human history of the Galapagos. Ecuador claimed the islands in 1832, the hypothesised existence of resources including guano (a highly prized fertiliser) and its strategic position for international trade saw the superpowers of the era France, England and the US interested in claiming for themselves around 1860.

There were successive waves of immigrants were trying to exploit its resources came from Ecuador, Norway, Germany and Japan largely failed due to the lack of freshwater and the difficulties faced in setting up a colony so far from the nearest other civilisation.

During World War 2, after the Pearl Harbour attack, airbases were built from which the US could defend the Panama Canal and this explains why there are 3 airports for an Ecuadorian population of 25,000 and visitors of 250,000.

Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre (Centro de Crianza de Tortuga Terrestres) is a key breeding centre where giant tortoises wander around freely. We learnt that in a natural setting, the female giant tortoise will use her back legs to create a hole which will hold between 2 and 16 eggs. After a period of 4 – 8 months, the baby giant tortoises will hatch and dig themselves out to ground level over the course of a month. The hatchlings weigh around 80 grams and are around 6 cm in length, over their lifetime they will grow up to 225 kg, a thousand increase on their birth weight! Warmer incubation temperatures result in a greater proportion of females.

The Grand Queen Beatriz received an unexpected visitor, a sea lion who decided that the back of the boat would make a comfortable resting spot.

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Travel date: 30 December 2018

Isla San Cristóbal (Chatham) is the easternmost island in the Galápagos archipelago as well as one of the oldest geologically (around 4 million years old).

At the north-eastern point of Isla San Cristobal is Punta Pitt which rises up a couple of hundred metres above the sea. A short hike up the hill over rocky terrain with Nazca and red-footed boobies and frigate birds flying overhead was like a symphony of birds. The crater that visitors walk up was formed by volcanic ash and large rocks called “volcanic bombs”.

The view from the top of the Punta Pitt was spectacular, overlooking crystal waters, sandy beach and the sweeping drop was another side of the island. In the other direction, there was a dramatic view of the caldera with the sloping cliffs and rocks.

There were a number of blue-footed booby nests which were guarded by a protective parent in front of their nest. Red-footed booby nests in trees, often high in the cliffs and away from predators, hiding their spectacular red feet in the shrubs.

While snorkelling off Los Lobos we encountered a large territorial male sea lion guarding his harem, including a group of babies who were playing in the shallows… A memorable moment was witnessing the shock experienced by a fellow group member when the large male sea lion passed between him and the fish he was videoing.

While walking or more accurately the balancing on lava stones on Los Lobos, there were large groups of sea lions relaxing on the beach and rocks. Among them were very curious juveniles who came up to us, close enough to have a sniff of someone’s red trainer.

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Travel date: 29 December 2018

Isla Santa Fe is a small island where sea lions frolic in the shallows and young pups call out to each other. As usual, their antics were the focus of our attention and with a combination of phones, small and SLR cameras trained on their every move. One sea lion managed to take a sniff of a bag that was lying on the beach.

Only a short walk from the beach brings you into opuntia cacti country, where yellow-tinged land iguanas co-exist with sea lions and lava lizards. While cacti are normally associated with the desert, there it was in abundance in an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The land iguanas with their yellow faces and barnacled forehead soak up the sun’s rays and keep their bodies close to the ground to absorb as much heat as possible. Their red conical spines and red-brown back mean they blend well into the landscape.

In the distance, there were a few blue-footed boobies who were clinging to the rocks and showing off their bright blue feet – one of the iconic animals of the Galapagos.

The power of ocean currents was demonstrated when as a result of the recent storms and human habitat, we found evidence of plastic on a normally pristine beach. So, we did our small bit by picking up bits of plastic (easily discernible among the twigs and shells of the beach). The refuse was then transferred back to our boat where each week the National Park officials come to weigh and collect the ships’ rubbish after it is sorted. The rubbish from all the boats is then transported back to the Guayaquil into landfill.

Although Isla Plaza Sur is small at only 0.13 square kilometres in area, there was a strong concentration of opuntia cacti. Whilst exploring the island, we saw the sea lions of the ‘Gentleman’s Club’ who are the non-dominant males with each having their own patch on the cliff top with a stunning view of the sea below. The walk up probably took us about 20 minutes on foot, I wonder how long the sea lion would have taken to climb up?

Other wildlife in evidence included red-billed tropicbirds, red-footed and Nazca boobies and sea lions all nursing their young.

#buckletlist; #Galapagos; #travel; #nature; #landscape; #adventure; #intrepidtravel

Travel date: 27 December 2018

Directly off the pier, we spotted sea lions napping on benches intended of people and black-tipped reef sharks swimming off the jetty. Only in the Galapagos!

Galapagos Fish Market

The fish market at Puerto Ayora was unlike anything I have ever seen, the persistent sea lion’s nose right next to the where the fishmonger was cutting up the fish, poised for any scraps. The lobsters and fish on sale are caught by on hand-lines to prevent over-fishing,

Charles Darwin Research Station

The Charles Darwin research station is focused on giant tortoises, raising juvenile and adults before they are returned to the wild.

Lonesome George was a male Pinta Island tortoise (Chelonoidis abingdonii) and the last known individual of the species. In his last years, he was known as the rarest creature in the world. Despite attempts to continue the species with near relatives from Isla Isabela, they were not successful. After his death in 2012, his body was preserved by taxidermists from the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Today, he can be found in a climate-controlled pavilion, with airlocks and a 5 minute visitation period.

Rancho El Manzanillo

Rancho El Manzanillo, in the highlands of Isla Santa Cruz, borders the Galapagos National Park. The ranch was established after the farmer made more money from tourists than farming! The well-run operation provided boots for all visitors to allow us to wander through the muddy lakes and the long grass where the giant tortoises forage.

The giant tortoises are relatively shy and exhale and retreat into their shell if you get too close. The abundance of food gives them more energy and they appeared to be more active than those at the Darwin Station.

That evening we received a tsunami warning, as a result of the earthquake in Tonga (11,966.87 kilometres or 7,435.876miles away). For our safety, we were requested to leave the harbour at 4.30 am. luckily, there was only a slightly bigger swell.

#buckletlist; #Galapagos; #travel; #nature; #landscape; #adventure; #intrepidtravel

Travel date: 26 December 2018

Isolote Tintores

After landing at Isolote Tintoreras (near Isla Isabela); we were greeted by a marine iguana resting on the rock catching the first rays of the sun just after 6.30 am.

There were many marine iguanas clinging to the rocks and they varied in size from about 10 cm to over a metre including the length of their tail.

The National Park rules require a 2-metre distance from the wildlife. This can be challenging to follow when animals cross the path directly in front of you.

Sealions take every advantage they can, including using the shade created by the mangroves to have a rest.

Isla Isabela – Puerto Villamil

Low tide and the churning sands meant that the snorkelling off Puerto Villamil was disappointing. The large and small volcanic rocks and the waves that kept pushing us back onto shore.

I was lucky enough to see a pelican catch fish and diving blue-footed boobies.

The sea lions are very territorial and take over the benches by the beach. Some of them “hiss” at humans who get too close while others are quite happy to share their seat with one.

Arnoldo Tupiza Giant Tortoise is a breeding centre where they keep the giant tortoises by sub-species according to the island they come from and aim to replicate the conditions on their home island by varying the vegetation and amount of shade. To replicate the food availability in the wild, the tortoises are only fed every 4 – 5 days, this can lead to a feeding frenzy.

The slow lumbering gait of the giant tortoises across the courtyards was quite a sight, with their every move captured by the human paparazzi (including me).

By the boardwalk along Pozo Vilamail, we spotted the pink flamingos feeding in the shallows of the lagoon. Although flamingos are solitary animals, we spotted 4 of the 314 of the total population in the Galapagos.

We celebrated Christmas Eve, with a large turkey complete with an Ecuadorian twist with tree tomatoes.

#buckletlist; #Galapagos; #travel; #nature; #landscape; #adventure; #intrepidtravel

Travel date: 24 December 2018