Final Days in Galapagos

on San Cristobal, looking at the city of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

After almost two weeks on Isabela, it was time to move on to San Cristobal. I was thrilled to finally be going on a boat to another island after so long in one spot. There was a little extra excitement, as the boat had engine troubles about 40 minutes into the trip. We had to turn around and limp back to Isabela, where a new boat was waiting.

on San Cristobal at the Loberia beach

San Cristobal has more expensive lodging ($15 instead of $10/night) but cheaper and better food than Isabela. The best part of my stay there was the snorkel at Kicker Rock. My group was deposited in front of the gap between the two rocks, and the current assisted our snorkel to the other side, where the boat had moved to and waited for us. We were allowed to do this a second time, which felt like an added bonus! It was a cold but very colorful and scenic snorkel – with a  shark or two!

back at Kicker Rock to snorkel

my roommate on San Cristobal

Five days on San Cristobal, then I was off to Santa Cruz for my final two nights in Galapagos. I visited Tortuga Bay for an epic three hour snorkel and maybe the best one I’ve experienced. The water was very cloudy, and I was disappointed at first because after about 30 minutes I still hadn’t seen anything but a few fish. Then I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, and turned my head to see a giant turtle swimming nearby. It scared me and I let out a scream. I tried to swim with it, but it was too fast and appeared to be just swimming in circles – maybe it was messing with me.

I noticed the same medium sized fish kept following me around for at least an hour, maybe longer. It was like having your pet dog follow you. After a few more turtles, I at last found some sharks. The first one circled me, then left. The second I was able to follow for a bit, and I got close enough to touch it, but decided touching might not be a good idea. Once it realized I was there, it got scared and jetted away.

sunset at Tortuga Bay after an epic snorkeling experiencing

Heading back to shore, I happened upon a giant sting ray sitting on the floor in water only one meter deep. It looked bigger than me and I was scared, remembering Steve Irwin, so I panicked and kicked up lots of sand, trying not to let my momentum carry me directly above the ray. I waited for the sand to clear, then went back to look at it a couple more times. Each time I went back I panicked and kicked up more sand. My pet fish / follower disappeared around the time I found the ray. This snorkel ended up having a little bit of everything!

hola from Santa Cruz!

For my last full day in Galapagos, I went on a day trip to Isla Floreana. After a so-so land tour and lunch, we went to my final snorkel – and it was a good one, as I saw a shark, a ray, and swam with sea lions.

gathering around the dinner table on Floreana

The main thing I learned during my month in Galapagos is that I REALLY like snorkeling. It will be something I look forward to doing for any coastal trip in the future. My whole experience in Galapagos was amazing. The pictures just don’t do it justice. The cruise, island life, snorkeling, wildlife, etc. all put together make for the best time I’ve had on this trip so far. It has been over a month since I left, but I’m still thinking about my adventures on the islands.

time to leave and continue the adventure on the mainland

Galapagos: Relaxing on Isabela

“But there’s nothing to do here,” the older traveler said in his heavy Austrian accent. “Exactly, nothing but sitting around at the beach,” came my reply. I had just told him how I ended up extending my stay in Galapagos a full two weeks later than planned, which would bring me up to a month total on the islands.

one of several Isabela beaches I frequented

After the cruise deposited me on Isla Santa Cruz, I took a boat to Isla Isabela. What a great island this turned out to be. My only real complaint involved the food being subpar and overpriced, especially after I was spoiled on the cruise. For over a week I was buying canned tuna and bread to make sandwiches for one of my meals each day, in order to save money.

still active: Volcano Sierra Negra

For my first full day on the island, I went on a volcano hike. Sierra Negra is an active volcano with the 2nd-largest crater in the world. The hike went along the edge of the gigantic crater to Volcano Chico, which was very colorful and had amazing views of the island and ocean. I didn’t know how long the hike would be, and I was used to short island walks on the cruise, so I wore my water shoes without socks. Then I saw the sign at the trailhead and realized I’d be walking 16K (10 miles). Oops! I would have preferred my hiking shoes with hiking socks for this, but it was too late to turn back. My feet didn’t suffer too much, but I was more concerned about putting unnecessary wear & tear on my water shoes…lesson learned. From now on, I need to ask about specifics before I sign up for tours.

the view from Volcano Chico

Another memorable tour was the trip to Los Tuneles, which were lava tunnel rock formations. They actually took on the form of arches more than tunnels. We were allowed to walk around on the tunnel rocks for a little bit, then we were set loose in the water around them. I snorkeled with sharks, a sea horse, sea lions, and turtles. The sharks were trying to sleep in a small underwater cave that we were able to peak in to.

Los Tuneles

On several different days, I went to Concha de Perla, which is a naturally formed swimming pool. The water retreats every day and the sea creatures get stuck behind the wall of rock, until the tide returns. Here I snorkeled with turtles, sea lions and a spotted ray.

After 12 relaxing days on Isabela, I decided it was finally time to go to another island: San Cristobal. More on San Cristobal in the next update. For now, I leave you with additional pictures from the cruise – I took about 550 total during that week.

Plazas Islands & the cruise ship

the itinerary for the 3rd day of the cruise

watch your step!

baby sea lions

a red footed booby

on Bartolome Island

My Galapagos Voyage

My time in the Galapagos has been amazing. So much so that I have extended my stay here by 7 days. 🙂

on Santa Cruz island

posing for the camera

Upon arrival at the airport on Baltra Island, and before we were allowed to retrieve our checked luggage, I noticed a happy-looking labrador retriever locked in a cage near the bags. Once all the luggage was unloaded, a security employee let the dog loose and he excitedly rushed over to the luggage, jumping on & around the bags while sniffing for trouble. He had a smile on his face the whole time, so apparently this dog loves his job!

I tracked down and met my guide, who was holding a Galapagos Voyager sign outside the airport. The rest of my group was already there, so we took a ferry to Santa Cruz island, where we began the adventure. After viewing giant tortoises and then touring Charles Darwin Research Station, we at last took a dinghy to the Galapagos Voyager yacht, our home for the next 7 days.

the sun deck of the yacht

I didn’t take any notes during the cruise, and the days kind of blurred together, so the below details an overall account:

We would leave the boat for island excursions twice a day, and snorkel once or twice a day. We walked to amazing rock formations, scenic viewpoints, crystal-clear white sand beaches, a (now hardened) lava river, and much more. After some of the excursions and each snorkel session, we were treated to snacks and/or drinks back on board the ship. The hot chocolate was perfect after snorkeling in the cold water. The food served was good. We were given three meals a day, which usually included many fresh fruits & vegetables.

sea lions hanging out

one of many blue-footed boobies

Among the land animals, we saw the aforementioned giant tortoises, as well as many iguanas, lizards, many sea lions, penguins, three species of boobies, crabs, frigate birds, and various other birds. Most of these animals were fearless of humans, and walked right up to us or allowed us to get close to them.

one of many relaxing beaches, with the yacht in the background

We snorkeled with sea lions, rays, turtles, hammerhead sharks, and of course many varieties of colorful fish. Too bad I don’t have a waterproof camera, or I’d have some really good underwater pictures. On the last full day, as we were heading back to Santa Cruz, I saw dolphins jumping in front of the bow of the ship!

an iguana and a nice view

Kicker Rock, near San Cristobal island

Despite having plenty of activities during the day, we still had plenty of downtime while traveling to the different islands. Most of us would read or lounge and enjoy the scenery.

a Sally Lightfoot Crab

After the cruise I took a boat to Isabela island, where I have been hanging out for over a week now. More on Isabela in the next update.