“Dear Guests – Prepare for a Wet landing” – What the Heck? I thought this was a luxury cruise?

Of course a wet landing just means you get your feet wet…no big deal, but it sounded so funny over the loud speaker on our boat.

For our first trip to the Galapagos Islands we chose an 8 day First Class Cruise with Haugen Cruises on the 30 metre Catamaran

‘The Athala II’.  would prove very expensive but totally worthwhile and pretty mind blowing.

Would I recommend it?

Yes, in a heartbeat. 

DAY ONE  Quito to Baltra – Cruising the Galapagos Islands

Today’s the day we’ve been waiting for.

We’re heading  to the 13 major islands off the coast of Ecuador straddling the North and South Pacific Oceans…  dozens of smaller islets and rocks, all the result of volcanic activity in the middle of the ocean.

Known as ‘The Galapagos Islands’  we understand this archipelago is like nothing we’ve ever seen before in our lives.

It’s an uneventful short flight from Quito to Baltra and before we know it we know it we’re there.

We walk into the arrivals section, collect our baggage and make our way to the front of the airport where our cute looking guide Jorge from the Athala II is waiting for us. We meet a few  fellow shipmates and then head towards the mini bus and on to our home at sea for the next eight days.

The excitement is building I can tell you.

As we make our way down to the dock where two pangas (little boats like zodiacs)  are waiting for us we see our first sea lion. There’s a flurry of excitement amongst us. He’s  basking in the sun, right where I want to walk… Jorge brushes our excitement away by saying they we will hardly even notice these by the end of out trip we will see so many!

We’ll see about that … I never tire of seeing animals.

Once on board the Athala, we are shown to our cabin, no wait it’s not a cabin it’s a beautiful suite with a large opening window and full size bathroom, this will be nice, very nice.

Soon after we’re summoned for safety briefing and introductions to our fellow shipmates. But what I’m really excited about is heading out on our first excursion to the red beaches of Rabida Island in the late afternoon.

As I said our first landing is wet… meaning we’re straight off the panga and into the water…the dark red beach where we are greeted by a colony of friendly sea lions. Always up for a photo or two they’re not shy… except when the bull sea lion decides to hiss loudly just to let me know to keep back from his little family.

An easy hike brings us to the stunning lookout to enjoy the amazing landscapes, but wait along the way we stumble across beautiful elegant Flamingos… and what about the Gigantic Galapagos Hawk and Brown Pelicans? They are just there in the trees all along the trail.

Rábida is one of the most volcanically varied islands in the archipelago.  It is a relatively small island, of less than five square kilometres and has a distinctive red colour, caused by the several small volcanic craters and the high amount of iron in the lava.

Today has been a fantastic day and I can’t wait for tommorrow…

DAY TWO  ISABELA ISLAND – Cruising the Galapagos Islands

In the morning we’re woken by the sound of gentle, humming music coming through the speaker in the ceiling of our cabin, that was pretty cool.

We had sailed overnight and it was a grand ole rock and roll show. We were  literally rolling from side to side in the bed and the last time I looked at the clock it was 3am, but then all of a sudden –  calm.

We had anchored at last,  in a sheltered little bay North West of Isabela Island… it was a rough night but not quite the roughest we would encounter  in the coming days.

Whilst we’d crossed the equator and had little sleep, we were still pretty keen to get up early to see what the new day had in store.

After breakfast we get out on the pangas again.  The Athala crew take every care to make sure everyone gets on and off safely and the teach us the ‘Galapagos Grip’ to get on and off safely.

Punta Vicente Roca is a coastal show of extremes…comprised of two separate coves, its a large bay with spectacular sea life, we weren’t disappointed when we spotted blue footed boobies, seahorses, sea turtles, and the strange yet fascinating Mola-mola (sunfish) on our first panga outing.

Vicente Roca lies on the edge of one of Isabela’s six shield volcanoes, Volcano Ecuador, which is almost 800 meters high. Half of Volcano Ecuador slid into the water here so it’s a pretty spectacular cutaway view of the volcanic caldera. Our cat is dwarfed against the impressive backdrop of the volcanic cliffs.

A couple of blue-footed boobies and a heron watch us from the cliffs above, a sea turtle pops his head out of the crystal blue water and briefly swims alongside the panga.  This is sea life at it’s best. 

Drifting around in the panga is definitely a feast for the eyes.

Then Jorge tells us that he has spotted a mola mola. The mola mola (also known as sunfish) is the world’s largest bony fish and can reach over four meters high, over three meters long and can weigh over 2,000 kilograms.

They’re clumsy swimmers and waggle their large dorsal fin and anal fins to move through the water, steering with their clavus. Despite this clumsiness they are able to breach the water and jump heights of up to three meters in order to try to shake off skin parasites. They feed on jellyfish and other smaller fish, as well as large amounts of zooplankton and algae.

It’s been a show of fascinating animals today and we haven’t even been in the water yet!

But that was only the morning… now for the afternoon show!

Fernandina Island – Cruising the Galapagos Islands

This afternoon we’re headed to Punta Espinoza on Fernandina Island across the channel from Vicente Rocas, just a short boat ride while we eat our delicious lunch on the deck.

Punta Espinoza is a narrow ledge of lava and sand that extends from the base of the volcano right down to the sea.  Looking back this was one of the best hikes of our whole cruise. We found the most heavenly creatures here that would become our most photographed and our most loved.

Our hike takes us inland, across pahoehoe lava to the edge of a large “aa” lava flow – what does all that mean? 

The surface of the volcanic flow forms two different types of lava.  First  Aa lava has a rough, jagged surface due to the gas explosions tearing apart the external crust. Second Pahoehoe lava has a smooth, ropey surface, as the gases have yet to escape. Well that explains everything I am walking on!  But watch out, underneath the surface skin the hot molten lava continues to flow, pushing forward and wrinkling the skin, producing the rope like appearance – just don’t let the lava flow through my hike I hope.

Making our way across the sand and the lava rocks we catch a glimpse of masses of iguanas basking in the sun. Not ten, not one hundred but literally thousands of them, you really do have to watch your step.

Punta Espinoza was our favourite place for the wizard like marine iguanas, who nest here in the early part of the year and their young iguanas emerged around June just in time for us!

Marine Iguanas are endemic to the Galápagos islands and are thought to have evolved from the Land Iguanas that may have floated across from South America on rafts. Adult iguanas are up to a metre and a half in length and weigh up to one and a half kilograms. They can live for up to twelve years and are herbivores, eating underwater algae and seaweed.

An you know what else… they are the only sea going lizards, swim ever so gracefully, and can hold their breathe for up to 40 minutes. I know, we saw them while snorkeling – fascinating.

Of course I want to take a million photos… and as if an inner knowing occurred there were many Iguana Poses…the cuddled up to their babies, the cuddled up to the lizards, they piled together, the lined up looking out to sea, they stared at me (I must look funny) then there was the lovers and other meditating even.

At this point we’re convinced these Iguanas are trained to pose for pictures.

No foreign species have ever invaded Fernandina Island before, making  it is one of the world’s most pristine island ecosystems. It sits smack in the middle of the volcanic hot spot that created the Galápagos Islands and is most famous for its continuing series of volcanic eruptions from La Cumbre with lava flows steaming into the sea… most recently the eruptions of May 2005 and April 2009 and currently now in 2018.

The youngest of the islands in the Galapagos, it’s extremely restricted by the Galapagos National Park so we feel very lucky to have been here – especially as it is erupting as we speak.

What a Red Crab? – Of course they’re Sally Lightfoot Crabs – Cruising the Galapagos Islands

In contrast to the Black Marine Iguanas is the bright Red Sally Lightfoot Crabs.  Would you believe the crabs and iguanas live in total harmony on the seashore –  in fact they have a very interesting relationship according to Drew at https://everywherewild.com/galapagos-sally-lightfoot-crab/

She writes:

“Sally lightfoot crabs and Galapagos Marine Iguanas have an “absolutely-disgusting-but-mutually-beneficial” relationship.

They have formed what is known as a symbiosis. This means that each participant in the relationship gets something of value (kinda like divorce).

In this case, the sally lightfoot crab eats skin parasites and dead skin off of the marine iguanas. So the iguana gets a bath (sort of) and the crab gets a delicious meal of disgusting dead stuff nobody else wants”

How about that eh? Fascinating

I could easily spend all day hanging out with crabs and iguanas… but we did have to leave eventually.

On our way back we’re stopped in our tracks by a snake, a long, curly, wild looking snake… he is all curled up with something.

On closer inspection we find he is devouring a lava lizard whole, first by strangulation.

There are seven different species of lava lizards in the Galápagos Islands, and it is believed they also evolved from one single species. They’re also great friends with the iguanas and love to sit on their heads and sunbathe…more fascinating Galapagos sights.

Like the iguanas, they rely on the sun for their internal heat and will start the day by basking in the sun, but must retreat to the shade during the hottest part of the day.

We continue hiking over the lava, carefully walking around the large cracks and the lava cactus (one of the first species to grow on young lava)  The cactus is like a pretty painting… 

As well as the land treats Punta Espinosa, offered some real underwater treats for our daily snorkeling session… we witnessed tiny galapagos penguins racing through the water fishing, Sea Lions frolicking and playing, a flightless cormorant swimming, the  graceful Marine Iguanas and Large Sea Turtles were all waiting for us to put our faces in the water… my biggest regret no underwater camera… next time.

The ocean bottom at Punta Espinosa has a key feature which are the troughs formed by ocean currents and volcanic rock. Since the waters that reach out into the Bolivar Channel can be quite cold, sea turtles and marine iguanas enjoy hanging out in the warmer waters of the channel formed by these troughs.

You are almost guaranteed sights of marine iguanas swimming back and forth between their colonies on shore and the underwater grazing areas. If you are lucky, you spot Galapagos penguins darting by or flightless cormorants showing off their swimming abilities.

DAY THREE  Tagus Cove on Isabela Island – Cruising the Galapagos Islands

Another day – another adventure…and we’re only at Day 3.

This morning’s visit to Tagus Cove’s ‘cliff-side gallery’ provides a clear view of pirate graffiti dating back to 1836. The contrast between vandalism and the pristine environment is thought provoking and kind of weird. The 2 km hike through lava formations for views of the surrounding slopes and volcanoes, before making our way to Darwin Lake. This salt-water crater-lake may have been filled with a tidal wave brought on by a volcanic eruption.

This place just continues to fascinate by the day…. and then we went snorkeling again… another world of fascination awaits.

Suffice to say the first time I got into the water in the Galapagos I was a bit intimidated by the  massive turtle beneath me. I had done plenty of snorkeling in the past but not with huge mammals and I admit it was a little scared for a start.  I’ve come a long way since back then in 2011 and now have been snorkeling many times with Turtles in Akumal  and with the biggest of them all the Whale Sharks in Mexico.

With the help of Des I gain some confidence and follow a green sea turtle over to a huge rock, where it dives right down to the bottom and I lose sight of it – Now that I’m not scared I want to see it again. The seafloor resembles a pretty green carpet which is the perfect environment for turtles and  such a serene place for me to  float around – I am again in heaven. Then I feel a splash behind me and turn around to find a playful sea lion checking me out.

He’s close to me and floating, upside down in the water, splashing his tail.

We’re left speechless again today, there are no words to describe the amazing feeling of being so close to all these interesting creatures on their own turf. I’m told this is one of the best snorkeling sites on the island as a result of the cove opening to the rich waters of the Boliviar Chanel. I agree it’s definitely a rich experience… but wait there’s more…

Minding my own business in the water I spotted a Pelican hovering over something in the distance. He was a bit away from our group but I set of anyhow, getting game now.  What I found was a Blue – Footed Booby trying to swallow and oversize fish whole and quickly.  The Pelican was waiting for the time to pounce. I’m guessing we were in the water here for about 30 minutes just watching the show in awe.

Urbina Bay – Cruising the Galapagos Islands

In the afternoon we land at Urbina Bay.

We make another one of those wet landings which I am used to now and then it’s off hiking again. Through sand substrates, pumice rock, lava, coral and vegetable formations in a coastal area that has had a lift. Soon we spotted  the burrows of the Gigantic Land Iguanas.

It was a slow hike due to the sheer number of Giant Tortoises and Gigantic Yellow Land Iguanas on the track – this is just mind boggling, I can’t wipe the grin off my face – these dudes are it!

The large, yellowish iguanas, over one metre long and can weigh up to thirteen kilograms. The Galápagos Iguanas are thought to have a common ancestor who probably floated over to the islands from South America on rafts of vegetation. The land iguanas live in drier areas and are much brighter and more colourful than their marine relatives. At night they sleep in burrows in the ground in order to conserve their body temperature. But boy do they motor around during the day despite their supposedly looking weight.

The Galápagos Tortoise is the longest lived of all vertebrates, averaging around 100 years. They are also the world’s largest tortoises and the 13th heaviest living reptile with some specimens exceeding 1.5 meters in length and weighing 150 kilograms.

Larger tortoises are big enough to carry adult humans on their backs; in 1835 Charles Darwin wrote, “I frequently got on their backs, and then giving a few raps on the hinder part of their shells, they would rise up and walk away; but I found it very difficult to keep my balance.” These herbivores spend their days grazing on grass, leaves and cactus, basking in the sun and napping for nearly 16 hours per day. A slow metabolism and large internal stores of water mean they can survive up to a year without eating or drinking.

It continues to be a mind blowing experience this cruising the Galapagos Islands. I keep wondering if it can get any better.

Day FOUR – Elizabeth Bay and Moreno Point – Cruising the Galapagos Islands

We’re up with the sun this morning and it’s definitely worth it.  The sea is mirror like and we head out in the pangas for a cruise around the secluded Mangroves to see the Golden Rays and Turtles skimming along the surface of the water….

What a peaceful way to start the day. It’s completely silent and calm and the golden rays form a beautiful arch right in front of our panga as if to say – Good Morning Sunshine…

Moreno Point – Cruising the Galapagos Islands

For the afternoon sitting on a Volcano watching Flamingos and White Tipped Sharks is a pretty cool pastime. That’s exactly what happened today because that’s what you do when you go to Moreno Point!

We dry landed onto what was once flowing lava, the lava has left craters in its wake, which has formed crystal tide pools.

The white tip reef shark is one of about four hundred species of sharks found in the world and can be distinguished by the white tip on both its first dorsal fin and the upper caudal fins. This species of shark is common in the Galápagos and can often be found resting in shallow waters of swimming near the shores. They can grow to over two meters and are generally curious and gentle.

In this same area we spot the brackish pools where the elegant and colorful pink flamingoes live.

When we reach the lagoon we see beautiful flamingos wading through the water.. some are asleep and one are feeding. The flamingos that live in the Galápagos are related to the ones that live in the Caribbean and they gain their bright pink colour from the small shrimp and crustaceans that they eat. The Galápagos flamingos do not migrate and, although there has been no major decrease recently, their low numbers make them vulnerable.

They lay only one egg and both parents tend to it, taking shifts. If anything happens to either parent this process is broken and the egg will be put at risk by being left alone while the remaining parent goes to get food. This reproductive pattern contributes to the vulnerability of the species.

Day Five – Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island – Cruising the Galapagos Islands

The morning we stop at the Port of Villamil on Isabela Island and to be fair I wasn’t that happy about interrupting our serene and quiet trip looking around a ‘human inhabited’ island.

However it was a nice day with a stunning expanse of white beach, backed by a fantastic lagoon where flamingos were posing and marine iguanas give us knowing looks… just another day in the Galapagos.

We caught a minibus part way to The Wall of Tears… stopping on the way for a Giant Tortoise that was dawdling along the middle of the road.

The Wall of Tears is 25-metres high and an important piece of island history. A penal colony existed on Isabela from 1945-1959, and the prisoners were forced to build the wall, stone by stone, while in isolation from the rest of the world. Thousands died in its construction. Many claim to feel the heavy energy of this historical site while locals claim to hear cries in the wind.

Next up was the the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center where we saw two of the five sub-species of giant turtles, cared for by the park keepers. The center was created to protect the animals in their first years of life since their natural environment has been invaded by foreign species like pigs and donkeys. The park keepers collect the eggs and bring them to the center where they place them in incubators. After five years, when the turtles have reached a decent size to make it on their own, they are released in their natural environment.

Day SIX  – North Seymour Island – Cruising the Galapagos Islands

This is a small, flat island with a land surface of approximately two square kilometers with an amazing coastline full of marine birds as far as the eye can see.  In fact I almost lost count … Nazca Booby, Marine Iguanas, Waved Albatross, Gulls, Frigate Birds and more.

The sheer number of birds here was mind blowing … often I felt like I had to duck there was so many flying around.

It’s a well known nesting site for Frigatebirds and almost as soon as we step foot on the island I see a Frigatebird with his gular sac puffed out in all it’s glory.

Male Frigatebirds puff up their gular sacs and shake their wings while the female flies above them. The female’s task is to choose the Frigatebird with the best genes and she will land next to him. The pair will then build a nest and the female will lay one single egg. If an egg of a chick is lost early in the process, as often happens, then the courtship must begin again with a new pair being formed until procreation is assured.

The Frigatebird has one of the longest periods of immaturity of all birds and it could take up to six months for the chick to learn to fly. Even then the chick is dependent upon its parents for food and must learn the art of kleptoparasitism (stealing food and nesting from other birds while in flight), which can take up to a year. The bird will not reach full sexual maturity until it is five years old.

Santa Cruz Island – Cruising the Galapagos Islands

The afternoon we hiked to a place called Los Gemelos (The Twins). These are  sinkholes and often referred to as craters, though the term is only descriptive, not literal. They were created by the collapse of surface material in underground fissures and chambers… well they weren’t too exciting for me.

Of course no visit to the Galapagos without seeing the Charles Darwin Breeding Centre, home to tortoises ranging from 3-inches (new hatchlings) to 4-feet long. Many of the older tortoises are accustomed to humans, and will stretch out their heads for a pet – cute… The babies are kept until they are about four years old, or large enough to survive in the wild.

There are a few different species of Giant Tortoises to see before we reach the star of the show, the one and only – ‘Lonesome George’.

At the time Lonesome George was the last survivor of the dynasty of land tortoises from Pinta Island and was estimated to be between 100 and 150 years old. He was found in December of 1971 and taken to the Charles Darwin Research Station in March of 1972.

Researches desperately tried to find other Pinta species, however all efforts were in vain. Lonesome George shared his pen with two young, female tortoises from the population of Wolf Island. As we approach his pen Lonesome George is following one of the female tortoises with a leafy “gift” in his mouth but sadly they never had babies!

Sadly, Lonesome George passed away on the 24th of June of 2012, a year after we saw him. I feel privileged to have been able to see this amazing, beautiful creature in real life and sad that, due to man’s actions, we have lost yet another wonderful species.

We head back to Puerto Ayora and have some time to wander around the port before returning to the Athena II.

Day SEVEN – Española Island – Cruising the Galapagos Islands

It’s quickly coming to an end but we have one more amazing treat…

Español Island is the southernmost island of the Galapagos, and is the breeding site of nearly all of the Waved Albatrosses in the entire world, yes the entire world population of Waved Albatross nesting and we get to see them in person.

The waved albatross is the largest and the heaviest of the birds found on the Galápagos Islands and it has a wing span of over two metres.  These large wings makes soaring effortless, however they do not help the birds to take off, as the sheer size of them makes flapping very difficult indeed.

The waved albatross only nest on Español Island and lay one single egg. These birds are elegant and massive!

As well it’s so densely populated with Mockingbirds, Blue-Footed and Nazca Boobies, Darwin Finches, Galapagos Doves, Hawks – then there’s the fabulous Red and Green Marine Iguanas, (sometimes know as the Christmas Iguana) The males turn red and green in mating season… and this species are most prominent on Espanola. I loved them as much as Black Marine Iguanas.

Today’s hike to Punta Suarez was a grand finale to say the least – a very exposed trail with nesting birds all the way.  It was hard to get to Suarez Point – I was too distracted with Albatrosses and Boobies, but once we got to the ocean front and the massive cliffs there were literally thousands of birds flying everywhere.  I found myself ducking, as some were flying so low.

Español has a high percentage of endemism because it is isolated from other islands; this is because the species in this island have no gene flow with species from other islands. Marine iguanas have a turquoise color with red in the breeding season. A variety of mockingbird, lava lizards, Darwin’s finches are considered endemic to this island.

The mockingbird of Español is the largest species in the islands and developed carnivorous behavior. They feed on eggs of seabirds, sea lion placenta and newborn tortoises.

Although blue-footed boobies are not endemic to the area, the Galápagos Islands is home to over half of all breeding pairs. These boobies nest on land at nights and take off at dawn in search of food. Their diet consists mainly of anchovies, it is the pigmentation  of the fish that gives them their blue feet. It is thought that the booby birds got their name from the Spanish word “bobo,” meaning stupid, which is how early European colonists may have characterized these birds when seeing them walking clumsily on land, their least graceful environment.

It is also thought that the early Europeans may have characterized these birds as “stupid” due to the fact that they were unafraid of humans, as they have never encountered a human meaning to do them harm.

Then more boobies… Nazca boobies are the largest of the boobies on the Galápagos Islands and have green feet (although not as bright as those of the blue footed booby). Like their blue-footed relatives, they are ground nesters. It is the nazca booby’s diet of sardines that gives it green feet.

Red-footed boobies can look quite similar to Nazca boobies from a distance, however their diet of squid give them bright-red feet. Although this bird is sitting on two eggs, only one chick will survive due to a practice known as “siblicides” (the killing of a sibling, regardless of the food supply). The eggs will hatch around four days apart and the older (or stronger) chick will kick the younger (or weaker) one out of the nest. It is believed that two eggs are laid as an insurance policy, if the older chick’s egg is damaged or the chick dies then the younger sibling will survive.

Blue-footed boobies can lay up to three eggs at a time and both the males and the females take turns in incubating the eggs and feeding the chicks. If food supplies are good then all three chicks can survive, however if food supplies are low the parents will feed the larger and stronger chick first, which often leads to the death of the younger and weaker sibling.

Gardner Bay on Española Island

If this morning’s hike was crazy noisy and then this afternoons was relaxing and playful.

Gardner Bay was the complete opposite –  a pristine white sandy beach with hundreds of sea lions playing and frolicking in the waves.

Espanola also known as Hood Island is considered to be one of the oldest Galápagos Islands with an estimated age of over three million years. Sadly the island is dying and slowly becoming rocky and barren with little or no vegetation, but this is giving way to beautiful bays.

All along this pristine white beach with teal water are of course our friends the sea lions, basking in the sun. There must be hundreds, from pups of only a few days old to the largest specimens. Many are lying on their backs allowing their belly to feel the warmth of the rays. Some are enjoying a cooling dip in the sea.

They are very inquisitive and social animals. I watch as some of the larger sea lions move along the beach, clumsily and struggling with their own weight. Their flippers do not help them to “walk” across the sand and they flop down regularly to take a break before continuing their short journey. As soon as they reach the water they are transformed into the most graceful and agile animals I have seen.

After a walk along the long stretch of sand we settle down to relax in the sun with the sea lions.

That night after dinner, I pinch myself to make sure what I’ve seen is real.  It has been a week to remember.

Later that night we are to meet with the guide for our farewells, or so we thought. The most unfortunate part of this trip was the hour long spiel about how great it’s been, and how much tip we should give.  Sadly they wanted another $600 USD per couple (that is a total boat tip of $4800 USD) over and above what we had already paid for the cruise – which was already  a LOT.

It left a sour taste to say the least.

Day EIGHT – San Cristobal Island to Quito

The last day and it’s a bit flat – no one really wants to leave this beautiful place.  Our itinerary says another Breeding Centre and everyone objects – we’ve seen two already and that’s enough thank you.

After a leisurely lunch back on the Athala II we disembark at a pier covered with sea lions and iguanas basking in the sun at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal. We reach the shore and clamber over the lava rocks to get to the dock. The island lives up to its name; it is completely covered by sea lions. I notice a sea lion sharing a rock with an iguana, I marvel at how well these two, very different species cohabit.

To say it was memorable trip would be an understatement… just eight days ago our 13 shipmates were complete strangers yet, after sharing this amazing experience together, we now have good friends.  Some we have visited in their home countries and some have visited us in N Z.

We were very sad to leave this place, but the memories of our week in the Enchanted Isles of the Galapagos  will live with me forever.

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”

― Eleanor Roosevelt