Galápagos Islands
Without a doubt, not only the highlight of our trip, but also of our lives. Everyone, everywhere should visit this place. It is an experience like absolutely no other. The flora and fauna are extraordinary, the weather perfect and the water clear and refreshing. It was worth every one of the many pennies we paid to get there.
After spending a night in Quito, the capital of Ecuador and paying for a cab from the airport when we didn't realise we had a free transfer, we met our group early for the flight to Santa Cruz, one of the islands that possesses an airport. It was quite a long travel day involving shuttles, planes, buses and boats but eventually we got to Puerto Ayora, the small bay that was housing our boat for the night. We were blown away by our accommodation. A huge boat with decks for relaxing, lounge area and massive dining room. Plus our little room had its own ensuite and very comfortable bedding. We roamed the boat checking it out, trying to keep our cool and not give away that this was possibly the nicest lodging of our trip so far. Then we were back on land to visit a local giant tortoise park. These creatures are enormous. They are free to roam as they please through farmland and like all animals in Galapagos (apart from introduced ones - go and YouTube 'Goat Sniper') are very much protected. Farmers have to build their fences with room for them to fit their large shells through. We had a great hour or so trying to find them under trees and in small ponds and were lucky enough to spot quite a few. Our guide Fabian treated us to lots of interesting facts and helped point out other features of the area including plants and smaller animals. Then it was back to the boat for our first dinner and some relaxing drinks, chatting with our fellow travellers who were visiting from countries such as America, Canada, England and Australia - safe to say communication was not an issue. We had been told that overnight we would be on the move and while we were sleeping the anchor was raised and the captain took us to a small cove off Rabida Island- famous for its red sand. Waking up and walking out on deck to see the incredible surrounds was surreal and apart from our boat, there was not another soul in sight. All we wanted to do was get in the water, but first we had an excursion onto the island. For an hour, Fabian took us around showing us various animals and plants and their unique features. We had our first experience with marine iguanas, saw many colourful lizards scampering around and a variety of birds soaring overhead. We had worked up a sweat, so quickly got back to the boat and jumped in the water for our first snorkelling experience. You couldn't wipe the smile off our faces. We swam with thousands of fish, saw forests of sea stars and even managed to spot our first giant sea turtle, cruising slowly along. We reluctantly returned to the boat and got settled in for a relaxing 4hr cruise to our next destination, reading books and intermittently spotting turtles and dolphins from our deck chairs. The weather was incredible and frigate birds soared along with us in the up draft created by the boat. Our destination was Bachas beach, famous as a turtle nesting spot. We had arrived there in late afternoon, the ideal time to spot some hatchlings, but unfortunately we didn't see any flapping along the beach into the water. There was a flamingo, preening itself and looking fancy and a seal hunting. Then a chance for another snorkel off the beach on a small reef and we were lucky to spot a small reef shark, a baby hammerhead as well as more incredible fish. Another overnight cruise meant we woke up close to the island of Floreana. We had a morning excursion to Punta Cormorant, a beach with black and green sand on the northern part of the island. We saw a family of penguins hanging out on a rock after their morning hunt, and sea lions barking at each other as well. While the day before we'd seen one flamingo, today we saw a flock performing their ridiculous mating dance. A relaxed stroll took us to a secluded beach and while it took a while, we managed to spot lots of baby sting rays in the shallow water. Then it was back on board for a quick trip to a snorkelling spot that would be the best yet. We jumped in the choppy water and while we thought we'd seen lots of fish the previous day, it was nothing compared to the colourful crowd we witnessed off this small island. We cruised through the schools and they simply let us make our way through. Birds dove into the water near us, hunting for their lunch and it was difficult to take it all in. We snorkelled slowly around the island and came across a sea lion colony who were very pleased to see us. We spent half an hour swimming, diving and playing with these incredibly curious and friendly creatures. Nikki was apparently one in a former life because they kept on coming to hang out with her. Eventually we were called to jump back on the dinghies and back to the main boat, but we did so only because we didn't want to be left stranded in the ocean. We then headed to one of the highlights of Floreana Island, Post Office Bay. Here there is a barrel and the idea is to leave a letter or postcard and take one that has been left from your own country. Then when you get home, you post it yourself. It's important to date the letter so the receiver can see how long it took to get home. We had fun writing postcards to loved ones in Australia and took a couple to post to some people in London (soon to be our new home). Also on the island is a lava tunnel that leads to where the sea enters the cave. Pitch black and eerie and the only sound comes from quiet drops of water. Then it was back to the beach for another snorkel in the afternoon sun. We were very blessed to be able to cruise along with 3 turtles that were feeding off the rocks. They are such calm and peaceful creatures and for as long as possible we stayed close watching them go about their business. After a while, they'd clearly had their fill and swam off into the open ocean. We got back to the boat with ridiculously happy faces and lots of energy, so we decided it was time to jump off the boat - Nikki entering gracefully, Dom like a boulder. As the sun set, Nikki went off for a twilight dinghy ride and watched penguins, seals and birds play by the rocks. Dom was recruited to play soccer with the various crewmen of the boat on a makeshift pitch on the shore. While he thought it was going to be a relaxed game with friends, it turned out to be a bit more intense, with one sailor taking particular note of the fact that Dom "wasn't running". The only thing to do was laugh - most of them already were at his woeful soccer skills. We woke early the next day, trying to ignore the fact it would be our last full day on the islands. We had travelled overnight to Espanola Island and a short dinghy ride took us to Punta Suarez, for one of the most impressive walks of the trip. We had a 3 hour guided tour with Fabian and saw some incredible wildlife- colourful lizards and iguanas camouflaged from Galapagos Hawks hunting carefully from above; both Nazca and Blue-footed boobies with their strange features and hilarious head wobble; Giant Albatrosses, perched atop their enormous eggs, clicking their formidable beaks; and of course sea lions relaxing and playing in the shallows. As usual in Galapagos, thankfully the animals don't follow the rules and happily (on the most part) let us walk past them as they were close to the path, posing for pictures. The views were also mesmerising, with giant waves pounding into the shore and a blow hole shooting water 20m in the air. We were pretty exhausted, but summoned up the energy to go for a snorkel at Garner Bay for some more play time with some sea lions. Then we headed to the beach for an afternoon relax with them after they'd been hunting all day. It was incredible to see them lined up along the beach together and they weren't all that fussed as we posed for silly photos next to them. It was our last chance for a snorkel as well, so the two of us headed out to a small reef about 100m offshore. Fabian had told us that there usually wasn't all that much out there and for the first 15 minutes he was right (it's weird that you can somehow get bored of beautifully coloured fish). Then Dom managed to spot a huge reef shark, promptly shat himself and requested that we head back to shore with haste. He'd like to say that he handled the situation with clear thinking, but the underwater footage proves otherwise. Unfortunately the final evening was a bit rough as the ocean decided to make everyone's stomachs churn (not helped by the fact that Dom, while having a go driving the boat, managed to head West for about 10 minutes when he was supposed to be going North. Nikki got us back on course though). Despite the setback, we made it to the major island of San Cristobal by nightfall and stayed in the port there. Then it was up early with bags packed, to the airport and back to Quito, reliving the amazing experience the entire way back. |