THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS (Part 1)

The Galapagos Islands are unlike anywhere else in the world.  The amount of wildlife you are able to observe at such a close distance is unbelievable and the scenery in the islands is breathtaking.  From the moment that our flight landed in Baltra, Galapagos, I was so excited! The air was thick and humid but I was certainly ready for warm weather!

From Baltra I made my way to nearby Santa Cruz island to stay in Puerto Ayora in order to arrange day trips during my stay.  Prior to coming to the Galapagos I was contemplating booking an 8 day tour but given the high costs of this option I decided to see how traveling the Galapagos independently would work out.  After settling on a hotel, Hotel Palemeras, I went off to the travel agencies to figure out what I wanted to do with my time while on the islands.  Puerto Ayora is very touristy so the main streets near the ocean are lined with travel agencies and Westernized food (this can be both good and bad!).

Although Puerto Ayora is a well developed community it was still clear by the end of my first day that the animals still rule the land!  As the fisherman were cutting up pieces of fresh fish on the dock, a massive group of birds and sea lions were screaming at the workers until they fed them the scraps.  I had never seen animals so unintimidated by humans before! It was the perfect introduction to life on the Galapagos...wildlife anywhere and everywhere!

Below are the highlights/experiences of the islands that I visited during the first five days of my trip-

Isla Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz was my base for the first half of my trip as it was easy to arrange tours from here.  On the days that I wasn't doing day trips I took advantage of the sights within and nearby Puerto Ayoro.  The town in itself is very touristy but if you simply walk a few blocks away from the main street it is easy to get away from the crowd and find cheaper restaurants where the locals eat. Santa Cruz is also rich with sights around the island so I took advantage of my half days to visit a few popular sights.  On a Sunday with everything shut down I went to Tortuga Bay National Park.  It was only a 10 minute walk from town to the entrance of the park and then take a 30 minute walk to arrive at Playa Tortuga, which is a beautiful white sand beach filled with marine iguanas and birds.  As I curved around the beach to the other side I arrived at a peaceful lagoon where I found a perfectly shaded spot under a mangrove tree and went swimming in the calm water.

Later on I went to the Charles Darwin Research Station, which is a conservation center in Puerto Ayora.  They have the oldest species of tortoises and have a breeding center for the different species. It was nice to walk around the complex and learn more about the conservation efforts on the islands.

Baby tortoises!

My last main stop in Santa Cruz was Las Grietas, which is a canyon like rock formation with crystal clear turquoise waters.  After a scorching hot walk to get there it felt incredible to jump into the water! I could have spent all afternoon lounging there but I had to head back to the mainland for a trip!

Isla Floreana
This was my first day trip in the Galapagos.  We left from the main harbor in Santa Cruz by speedboat and arrived to the islands in two hours.  The speedboat was quite bumpy and it certainly wouldn't be for those who tend to get seasick. 

Port at Isla Floreana

The walk through the island felt like we were going through prehistoric land.  The land was very green and there was vegetation everywhere throughout the islands.  It was also really interesting to see all of the caves and markings that were meant to protect the inhabitants of the island.

On the last part of the walk we went through a turtle sanctuary to see the giant tortoises in a more natural habitat.  As we walked into their living space we caught a mating session between the tortoises which was quite a sight!  Their living area seemed really open and well kept.










After eating a fresh fish lunch we went to a nearby black sand beach for snorkelling and then went back to the boat to cruise around the island before heading back to Santa Cruz.

Lazy sea lions

To top off a perfect day trip we were entertained by a group of nearly 50 dolphins who were moving in our direction.  A smaller group of about 6 of them were chasing the front of the boat and jumping out of the water...it was unreal!

Isla Bartolome
My day trip to Bartolome was my greatest expense, after my flight, in the Galapagos.  This day trip is known to have the best panoramic view of the islands.  The boat for this trip was amazing, with plenty of space and room to hang out during the ride to and from the island.  I might also add that the food on the boat was amazing!  On the way to the islands we stopped to see wildlife, including lots of blue footed boobies, which are a famous bird that lives in the Galapagos.

Sailing in the Galapagos

Blue footed Boobies!

The mainland of Bartolome was incredible.  The combination of designs from the volcanic rock and the turquoise water made the scenic view from the land amazing.

Our guide led us on a walk through the volcanic rocks and explained how the island became the way it currently is.  I caught about 70% of what he was saying given that I was in a Spanish group! Regardless, it was unlike anything I have ever seen!  There are not any people living on this island so it feels very isolated from the world.

After some snorkelling and lunch we went to the other part of the island to hike up to the main panoramic viewpoint of Bartolome.  Along the way we were able to view iguanas, lizards, and birds.

View at Bartolome

Volcanic crater in the ocean

On the way back to Santa Cruz I loved sitting out on the back of the boat watching the sunset.  There was a flock of frigate birds (another common bird in the Galapagos) following the boat on the way back.  This was yet another perfect ending to a perfect day trip!

Although this was an expensive day trip it was well worth it.  The scenery at Bartolome is unlike any other island in the Galapagos that I visited.


Mainly because I have run out of time at the internet cafe I will split this post up into two sections.  In the next post I will cover the final five days of my Galapagos adventures! Stay tuned!