GALÁPAGOS!

Over the New Years holiday we spent twelve wonder-filled, unforgettable days exploring the Galápagos Islands. We had heard about the islands, seen photos, and had watched some videos, but none of that prepared us for how truly awesome they are!

The first islands of the archipelago formed over 20 million years ago through volcanic and seismic activity, which continues still. The newest islands are just over one million years old. The islands straddle the equatorial line and are located at the confluence of three ocean currents which contributes to the diversity of marine animals found there.

We spent the first week of our trip exploring the three islands that house the three main communities: Santa Cruz, Isabela, and San Cristobal. We biked, hiked, snorkeled, and boated around the national park with highly trained, knowledgeable guides (guides are required to visit any part of the park).

The landscape is not tropical, but a more arid, semi-desert environment. There are two major types of cactus, lots of shrubs, and near the water you’ll find large forests of mangroves. The mixing of colors of the volcanic rock, vegetation, and sea made for striking views and interesting contrasts.

Because of their isolated location, the Galápagos islands are described as a ‘living lab’ of evolution. Animals that managed to arrive on the islands have evolved over time, very specifically adapting to their unique island or location. There are many species on the islands that are not found anywhere else in the world. Darwin, now famously, visited the islands in 1835. And while he was only there for a short time, what he saw inspired his theory of evolution by natural selection.

By land

During our hikes around the various islands we were able to see a wide variety of these unique animals, including the famous blue-footed boobies. Some of the islands we visited were like massive bird sanctuaries, they were so inundated with birds. The vast majority of these birds have no real predators; they will nest right on the ground and have no problem performing their mating rituals while the human gawkers are only feet away!

We saw a variety of different sub-species of the Galápagos giant tortoise at two different breeding centers and in the highlands of Santa Cruz. These giants are truly enormous and the oldest adults are over 150 years old!

There are two types of iguanas: marine and land. And they’re everywhere! They discovered a new species of land iguanas that are only found in a specific volcano and are pink! We didn’t see that one unfortunately, but did see the rest. Interestingly, in at least one location, the marine iguanas are successfully mating with a type of land iguana. The resulting babies are not able to reproduce, but time will tell if a new species emerges.

Where the sea meets the land

One of the most striking things about walking around the Galápagos Islands is how much the animals really don’t seem to care that you’re there. This is certainly a testament to how well the Park and the guides have managed to keep the animals protected. This apparent disregard was especially noticeable in the sea lions! They are everywhere: lounging on park benches, covering the docks, filling every beach. The males can become territorial, but for the most part they were completely docile when on land and super playful in the water. The babies and juveniles were naturally curious and would come right up to people-though all of our groups were good about keeping our distance and definitely not touching them.

Equally prominent were the crabs and lizards. Though maybe not as adorable and cute as some of the other animals, they were interesting to watch and, at least in regards to the crabs, big and bright!

By Sea

We spent the last days of our trip aboard a catamaran cruise. It was wildly fancy and so much fun-it was our first cruise and we weren’t sure what to expect. We visited seven islands, including the northern island, Genovesa. The boat was staffed with eight engaging and kind crew members, including the boat Capitan, who loved to dance! We were with nine other tourists who made the trip a blast and even more memorable. Our guide, Victor, has been a guide for over 30 years. He was a treasure trove of knowledge and still so excited by the different animals we would see. We also think he was the key to our incredible luck with seeing all that we did. We continued exploring by land, kayaks, and snorkeling. Fortunately none of us got seasick (thank you, medications!) and only had one rough night of sleep as we motored through some bumpy water.

We snorkeled as much as we could on this trip and lucked out with some incredible experiences. Off the island of Isabela we spent hours in the ocean with huge sea turtles near us, sometimes 2-3 at a time. We swam through volcanic tunnels, saw a seahorse, white-tipped reef sharks, and four different ray species to just name a few; the marble ray was gigantic! From our trips during the cruise we swam with hammerheads, white and black-tipped reef sharks, more rays and a wide variety of fish.

Living in Ecuador for this short time, we made visiting the Galápagos a priority. And, we’re so happy that we did. We certainly gained more than we expected and appreciate all of the guides, new friends, tour coordinators, and sea lions that made our time so special!