I’ve decided to post my thoughts on the Galapagos as a single post in two parts. I was having a tough time deciding whether or not to post a daily set of pictures and comments or to put it all into one. In reality, while on the trip, I didn’t have much time to spend constructing posts and writing. I was either making new friends, hiking, snorkeling, having a meal, drinking beer, or I was dutifully backing up and picking photos for the blog. Out of the thousands of photos I took, I had to select the photos that you see here. There’s hundreds of fantastic photos that I can’t show, it would just be too much. That’s the kind of place the Galapagos is. Every moment, every turn, there’s something to see.
One facet of the islands is that they are all unique but all very similar. From one island to the next, you might see a couple of new species or the landscape might be a bit different, but you will also see a whole bunch of the same. This means that it takes a week in the islands to explore the diversity that they offer. The flipside is that you can see much of what the Galapagos offer in just a few days.
The Galapagos was the hinge-pin of our vacation to Ecuador. We planned our trip around seeing as much of Ecuador as possible and then spending a week in the Galapagos. Because it was so important for us to enjoy our week in the Galapagos, it was a difficult job picking which boat to go on. I spent hours and hours researching the different boats and determining which itineraries they had. Also of importance was size. We felt that we wanted to be on a boat with fewer people rather than more. The boats range in size from 16 passengers to over 100. We had been told by friends, and I had also read reviews online, that 16 people was a great number for a boat. We ended up on a boat that was up to 36 people but half way through the trip the number of passengers dropped to just 17. So, we got to see both sides of this. On one side, amongst 36 people, you find some great people to get to know and spend time with and it is a bit more fun. However, once we were down to 17, the time it took to take everyone on and off the boat with just two zodiacs was noticeably less and we were down to groups of around 8 and 9 per guide. Once we were down to 17 people and two guides it was really easy. The islands have a rule that there can be no more than 16 passengers per guide. So, no matter what boat you are on, there’s always a small group you will be with on the islands.
Here we are taking the short bus ride to the dock from the airport. The airport was so small.
There was only a small number of us getting on the boat. Many were already on. So, while they were off doing things, we sat and had our first lunch.
Our first sighting of a small volcano on our way to our first beach landing.
Within seconds we were seeing iguanas, crabs, sharks, birdies, and pelicans.
I got a pic of this guy coming towards us and then leaving us (below).
Take a close look at this photo and you can see the line the tail draws in the sand. This is a marine iguana. they spend time eating and feeding in the ocean and then return to the land to warm up in the sun.
These brine lakes are often inhabited by pink flamingos.
The beach on the right and grass on the left. This is the very end of the dry season and all that grey mass of trees near the mountain will suddenly become green.
This has such amazing colours. The red is from leached iron that oxidizes in the atmosphere.
This is the group we first landed with. It was a mixture of people our age and people our parents age.
Even where it looked barren and dead it was beautiful.
This guy was hiding in the bushes. He was the first one we saw so I HAD to take a picture.
Then we saw another one…….
And another one…..
These are the land iguanas that are famously unique from the marine iguanas. They are likely a form of divergent evolution from one species. These guys look so close to the marine iguanas but they never go into the sea.
Another beautiful image of the peak of the volcano. Most of these islands are like conjoined twins. Many volcanic mounts merged together to create one island.
The colour of these crabs up close….You can’t help but stare.
It was awesome watching these guys dive and catch fish. Their gullet is wriggling and then they tip their head back and their neck swells.
Dining room self portrait.
At night we saw sharks in the water off the back of the boat. I had to push my camera to it’s highest light sensitivity and pan with the sharks movement to get this. The guides warned us about trying to swim off the back of the boat at night.
Seals just laying everywhere. They just seem to cozy up on the sand and take it easy alld ay long.
I think these guys are called clam diggers? That is the purpose of their slim, narrow beak.
They have beautiful eyes to match.
ROAR. God these guys are noisy sometimes. They are constantly barking, if that’s what you call it.
You got to love watching these guys take off. It’s crazy to watch them swoop by.
Now that is love.
kisses!
Can I snuggle with you.
“I’m so tired from playing in the surf."
You can really tell these guys have no predators. They barely move when you come near. They move just enough so they don’t get stepped or sat on.
The big male returns to his beach.
Kisses for all my wives.
Smoochie, smoochie.
This thing is probably smaller than a lemon and looks like one too.
More brine lakes. In the galapagos there are only a couple of fresh water sources. In the rainy season there are small rivers that form in certain places and, if I remember correctly there is one, very hidden lake of fresh water. You have to hike for hours up a mountain to find the lake. So sailors for centuries never thought much of the galapagos. Without water, how can a person live?
Check out this finch. This one makes it’s home in the cactus by burrowing a hole.
And this finch is different. It’s a ground finch. Note the difference in the beaks.
Just a flower – to prove it isn’t all desolate here.
Actually, the cacti have neat little lowers that sprout off. I had no idea why they had those little black spots on them.
Believe it or not, this tree will be green by February and so will the whole hillside in the photo below.
Mom and Brooke both in their Costa Rica hats. The water was amazingly blue and the photo doesn’t really show that .
This water wasn’t blue. Mostly brown. But it did turn out to be a very fun and very easy first snorkel in the Galapagos for all of us.
Anyone know what this is? Neither do I.
All I know is this looks like an oversized, spotted goldfish. He can see everything – look how those eyes are looking different directions.
So, apparently I wasn’t supposed to be diving down close to this guy. This is the dangerous ray with a stinger. OOOPS, now I know.
Although these big sea lions should be scary, they aren’t. The males can apparently be a bit aggressive on the beach where they defend their pack? of sea lion ladies. But in the water they just keep to themselves.
Some kind of anemone.
Pups left to play, or sleep. That’s all they appear to do – all though at least their more active than kids with playstations.
I loved the mud flats here and so did the seal.
This guy is thinking what I am: “huh, that’s a lot of crabs”.
Which pond do I wallow in now???
Now the crab is saying: “Wow, that’s a lot of iguanas”.
I’m getting wrinkly in my old age….
Mom, enough with the Marry Poppins. That umbrella isn’t magical. Maybe for your birthday….
I’m off for a manicure. It’s been ages…
Actually, these guys really need these claws so they don’t get beat up in the surf as they try to make their way out of the ocean over the rocks after feeding.
He looks like he’s saying:___________________
You tell me in the comments section. The best one will get added
Mantracker…….. track this!!!
I love geology.
Doesn’t that make for an incredible beach. I don’t think I could stop fishing through all of these if I was spending the day here.
Crab family gathering. “Ok, lets discuss the renovations to the crab family home. There’s been an economic downturn and we’re going to have to cut back. The pool is going to have to be smaller.I’m sure we can manage with a smaller pool, you’re just going to have to swim in the ocean more. "
BLOW-HOLE!!!
Snuggles.
What’a you lookin at?
This dead one has a hard shell for it’s eye. I never knew that crabs had that.
“We’re twins, we always do everything together.”
These are flightless cormorants. They have actually lost the ability to fly and now swim for their food. Maybe they’ll be the next for of penguin in the world.
Cool whale bones to look at. You could see the ribs and flipper bones.
Check out the inter-vertebral disks. I don’t think we have those. Any doctors out there know?
Lava flows in mysterious ways.
Lucky photo. The snake crosses the iguana’s path and just goes right over his tale. How often do you think something like this happens anywhere else? All the animals here just seem to ignore each other, it’s quite remarkable.
I couldn’t figure out what they were all looking at. Maybe Brooke, she is beautiful.
“I’m the most colourful of them all.”
Its so cool watching this guy fly by.
Turtles need to breathe too you know.
Scroll slowly over the next picture below.
Two types of lava meet.
Whale bones from a different angle.
Dinner on the boat. This was the dinner where we had traditional Ecuadorian food.
